SQL Server Requires Chilkat v11.7.0+

PDF Placeholders Without a Value: Error, Blank or Keep

See more PDF Text Replacement Examples

Demonstrates the "unusedPlaceholders" option, which decides what happens to a placeholder found on the page that has no value in "placeholders": "error" (the default) makes it a problem with the reason unusedPlaceholder, so nothing is applied; "blank" replaces it with nothing; "keep" leaves it on the page as it is. SQL Server

--
CREATE PROCEDURE ChilkatSample
AS
BEGIN
    DECLARE @hr int
    DECLARE @iTmp0 int
    DECLARE @sTmp0 nvarchar(4000)
    DECLARE @sTmp1 nvarchar(4000)
    DECLARE @success int
    SELECT @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_template.pdf

    DECLARE @pdf int
    EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat.Pdf', @pdf OUT
    IF @hr <> 0
    BEGIN
        PRINT 'Failed to create ActiveX component'
        RETURN
    END

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @pdf, 'LoadFile', @success OUT, 'qa_data/pdf/invoice_template.pdf'
    IF @success = 0
      BEGIN
        EXEC sp_OAGetProperty @pdf, 'LastErrorText', @sTmp0 OUT
        PRINT @sTmp0
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @pdf
        RETURN
      END

    --  Values for every placeholder except {{po}} (the purchase order number, which this customer has none of).
    DECLARE @json int
    EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat.JsonObject', @json OUT

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.customer', 'Acme Corp'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.date', '2026-10-18'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.qty1', '2'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.desc1', 'Cordless drill, 18 V'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.price1', '$460.00'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.amount1', '$920.00'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.qty2', '6'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.desc2', 'Galvanized hinge, 4 inch'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.price2', '$12.50'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.amount2', '$75.00'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.subtotal', '$995.00'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.taxRate', '7.35%'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.tax', '$73.13'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'placeholders.total', '$1,068.13'

    DECLARE @jsonOut int
    EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat.JsonObject', @jsonOut OUT

    --  The default, "error": the unfilled {{po}} is a problem and nothing would be applied.
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @pdf, 'TextReplace', @success OUT, 'check', @json, @jsonOut
    IF @success = 0
      BEGIN
        EXEC sp_OAGetProperty @pdf, 'LastErrorText', @sTmp0 OUT
        PRINT @sTmp0
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @pdf
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @json
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @jsonOut
        RETURN
      END

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'BoolOf', @iTmp0 OUT, 'ok'

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'StringOf', @sTmp0 OUT, 'problems[0].field'

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'StringOf', @sTmp1 OUT, 'problems[0].reason'
    PRINT 'error (default): ok = ' + @iTmp0 + ', problem: ' + @sTmp0 + ' ' + @sTmp1

    --  "keep": {{po}} stays on the page, literally.
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'unusedPlaceholders', 'keep'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @pdf, 'TextReplace', @success OUT, 'check', @json, @jsonOut
    IF @success = 0
      BEGIN
        EXEC sp_OAGetProperty @pdf, 'LastErrorText', @sTmp0 OUT
        PRINT @sTmp0
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @pdf
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @json
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @jsonOut
        RETURN
      END

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'BoolOf', @iTmp0 OUT, 'ok'
    PRINT 'keep: ok = ' + @iTmp0

    --  "blank": {{po}} is replaced by nothing, leaving "PO Number:" with an empty value.
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @json, 'UpdateString', @success OUT, 'unusedPlaceholders', 'blank'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @pdf, 'TextReplace', @success OUT, 'apply', @json, @jsonOut
    IF @success = 0
      BEGIN
        EXEC sp_OAGetProperty @pdf, 'LastErrorText', @sTmp0 OUT
        PRINT @sTmp0
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @pdf
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @json
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @jsonOut
        RETURN
      END

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @jsonOut, 'BoolOf', @iTmp0 OUT, 'applied'
    PRINT 'blank: applied = ' + @iTmp0

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @pdf, 'WriteFile', @success OUT, 'qa_output/invoice_no_po.pdf'
    IF @success = 0
      BEGIN
        EXEC sp_OAGetProperty @pdf, 'LastErrorText', @sTmp0 OUT
        PRINT @sTmp0
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @pdf
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @json
        EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @jsonOut
        RETURN
      END

    --  Sample output:

    --  error (default): ok = false, problem: po unusedPlaceholder
    --  keep: ok = true
    --  blank: applied = true

    EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @pdf
    EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @json
    EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @jsonOut


END
GO