C++ Requires Chilkat v11.7.0+

Fill a PDF Template: Replace {{placeholders}} with Values

See more PDF Text Replacement Examples

Demonstrates the TextReplace method on an invoice template whose values are written as placeholders such as {{customer}} and {{total}}. The "placeholders" object names each placeholder and the text to put in; every occurrence on the page is replaced, including a placeholder inside a sentence or inside a label such as "Tax ({{taxRate}}):". The text is redrawn with the font the template used, so the result looks like the template, and a value that is right-aligned in the template stays right-aligned. The changes are written by WriteFile. C++

#include <CkPdf.h>
#include <CkJsonObject.h>

void ChilkatSample(void)
    {
    bool success = false;

    //  This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
    //  See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

    //  The PDF used in this example is available at invoice_template.pdf

    CkPdf pdf;
    success = pdf.LoadFile("qa_data/pdf/invoice_template.pdf");
    if (success == false) {
        std::cout << pdf.lastErrorText() << "\r\n";
        return;
    }

    //  The template has these placeholders in its page text:
    //    {{customer}} (twice: "Bill To:" and the closing sentence), {{date}}, {{po}},
    //    two item rows: {{qty1}} {{desc1}} {{price1}} {{amount1}} and {{qty2}} {{desc2}} {{price2}} {{amount2}},
    //    {{subtotal}}, "Tax ({{taxRate}}):" with {{tax}}, and {{total}}.
    CkJsonObject json;
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.customer","Acme Corp");
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.date","2026-10-18");
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.po","PO-88213");
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.qty1","2");
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.desc1","Cordless drill, 18 V");
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.price1","$460.00");
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.amount1","$920.00");
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.qty2","6");
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.desc2","Galvanized hinge, 4 inch");
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.price2","$12.50");
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.amount2","$75.00");
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.subtotal","$995.00");
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.taxRate","7.35%");
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.tax","$73.13");
    json.UpdateString("placeholders.total","$1,068.13");

    //  "apply" makes every replacement, or none: if any value cannot be drawn with the
    //  template's font, the method returns false, the PDF is unchanged, and jsonOut says why.
    CkJsonObject jsonOut;
    success = pdf.TextReplace("apply",json,jsonOut);
    if (success == false) {
        std::cout << "Not applied: " << jsonOut.emit() << "\r\n";
        if (success == false) {
            std::cout << pdf.lastErrorText() << "\r\n";
            return;
        }

    }

    //  One entry per placeholder: the pages it was found on and how many times it was replaced.
    int i = 0;
    int count_i = jsonOut.SizeOfArray("replacements");
    while (i < count_i) {
        jsonOut.put_I(i);
        std::cout << jsonOut.stringOf("replacements[i].field") << ": " << jsonOut.IntOf("replacements[i].count") << " on page(s) " << jsonOut.stringOf("replacements[i].pages") << "\r\n";
        i = i + 1;
    }

    //  The replacements stay in memory until the PDF is written.
    success = pdf.WriteFile("qa_output/invoice_filled.pdf");
    if (success == false) {
        std::cout << pdf.lastErrorText() << "\r\n";
        return;
    }

    std::cout << "Wrote qa_output/invoice_filled.pdf" << "\r\n";

    //  Sample output:

    //  customer: 2 on page(s) 1
    //  date: 1 on page(s) 1
    //  po: 1 on page(s) 1
    //  qty1: 1 on page(s) 1
    //  desc1: 1 on page(s) 1
    //  price1: 1 on page(s) 1
    //  amount1: 1 on page(s) 1
    //  qty2: 1 on page(s) 1
    //  desc2: 1 on page(s) 1
    //  price2: 1 on page(s) 1
    //  amount2: 1 on page(s) 1
    //  subtotal: 1 on page(s) 1
    //  taxRate: 1 on page(s) 1
    //  tax: 1 on page(s) 1
    //  total: 1 on page(s) 1
    //  Wrote qa_output/invoice_filled.pdf
    }