Visual Basic 6.0 Requires Chilkat v11.7.0+

Watermark a Signed PDF Without Breaking the Signature

See more PDF Watermark Examples

Demonstrates the one approach a signed PDF accepts while its signatures are being preserved. Adding a watermark to the page content rewrites the page, which invalidates every existing signature, so with PreserveSignatures true (the default) only the annotation approach is allowed: an annotation is added as an incremental update that leaves the signed bytes untouched. Removing anything is refused for the same reason. Set PreserveSignatures to false to allow the other approaches, and the signatures in the file stop verifying. Visual Basic 6.0

Dim success As Long
success = 0

'  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_signed.pdf

Dim pdf As New ChilkatPdf
success = pdf.LoadFile("qa_data/pdf/invoice_signed.pdf")
If (success = 0) Then
    Debug.Print pdf.LastErrorText
    Exit Sub
End If

Debug.Print "signatures: " & pdf.NumSignatures

Dim json As New ChilkatJsonObject
Dim jsonOut As New ChilkatJsonObject
success = json.UpdateString("type","text")
success = json.UpdateString("text","PAID")
success = json.UpdateString("id","paid")
success = json.UpdateString("color","#2E7D32")
success = json.UpdateString("position.align","topRight")
success = json.UpdateNumber("position.margin","36")

'  An artifact watermark changes the page content, so it is refused while the signatures matter.
success = json.UpdateString("approach","artifact")
success = pdf.Watermark("add",json,jsonOut)
If (success = 0) Then
    Debug.Print "The artifact approach was refused on a signed PDF, as it should be."
End If

'  An annotation is added without touching the signed bytes.
success = json.UpdateString("approach","annotation")
success = pdf.Watermark("add",json,jsonOut)
If (success = 0) Then
    Debug.Print pdf.LastErrorText
    Exit Sub
End If

Debug.Print "annotation added, pages: " & jsonOut.StringOf("pages")

success = pdf.WriteFile("qa_output/invoice_paid.pdf")
If (success = 0) Then
    Debug.Print pdf.LastErrorText
    Exit Sub
End If

'  The signature still verifies: the original bytes are unchanged and the annotation was appended.
Dim check As New ChilkatPdf
success = check.LoadFile("qa_output/invoice_paid.pdf")
If (success = 0) Then
    Debug.Print check.LastErrorText
    Exit Sub
End If

Dim sigInfo As New ChilkatJsonObject
Dim verified As Long
verified = check.VerifySignature(0,sigInfo)
Debug.Print "signature still verifies: " & verified

'  Sample output:

'  signatures: 1
'  The artifact approach was refused on a signed PDF, as it should be.
'  annotation added, pages: 1
'  signature still verifies: True