Getting started in EJ2 TypeScript PDF Viewer control

15 Nov 20238 minutes to read

This section briefly explains how to create PDF Viewer component and configure its available functionalities in TypeScript using the Essential JS 2 quickstart seed repository.

This application is integrated with the webpack.config.js configuration and uses the latest version of the webpack-cli. It requires node v14.15.0 or higher. For more information about webpack and its features, refer to the webpack documentation.

Set up development environment

Open the command prompt from the required directory, and run the following command to clone the Syncfusion JavaScript (Essential JS 2) quickstart project from GitHub.

git clone https://github.com/SyncfusionExamples/ej2-quickstart-webpack- ej2-quickstart

After cloning the application in the ej2-quickstart folder, run the following command line to navigate to the ej2-quickstart folder.

cd ej2-quickstart

Add Syncfusion JavaScript packages

Syncfusion JavaScript (Essential JS 2) packages are available on the npmjs.com public registry. You can install all Syncfusion JavaScript (Essential JS 2) controls in a single @syncfusion/ej2 package or individual packages for each control.

The quickstart application is preconfigured with the dependent @syncfusion/ej2 package in the ~/package.json file. Use the following command to install the dependent npm packages from the command prompt.

npm install

Import the Syncfusion CSS styles

Add the components CSS in the ~/src/styles/styles.css file, as shown below:

@import '../../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-base/styles/material.css';  
@import '../../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-buttons/styles/material.css';
@import '../../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-dropdowns/styles/material.css';  
@import '../../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-inputs/styles/material.css';  
@import '../../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-navigations/styles/material.css';
@import '../../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-popups/styles/material.css';
@import '../../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-splitbuttons/styles/material.css';
@import "../../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-pdfviewer/styles/material.css";
@import "../../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-notifications/styles/material.css";

Adding PDF Viewer component

  • Add the PDF Viewer component following code in the app.ts
import { PdfViewer, Toolbar, Magnification, Navigation, Annotation, LinkAnnotation, ThumbnailView, BookmarkView, TextSelection, TextSearch, FormFields, FormDesigner} from '@syncfusion/ej2-pdfviewer';

PdfViewer.Inject(Toolbar, Magnification, Navigation, Annotation, LinkAnnotation, ThumbnailView, BookmarkView, TextSelection, TextSearch, FormFields, FormDesigner);

let pdfviewer: PdfViewer = new PdfViewer();
pdfviewer.documentPath = "https://cdn.syncfusion.com/content/pdf/pdf-succinctly.pdf";
pdfviewer.resourceUrl = "https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/23.1.43/dist/ej2-pdfviewer-lib";
pdfviewer.appendTo('#PdfViewer');
  • Add an HTML div element to act as the PDF Viewer element index.html using the following code.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
    <title>Essential JS 2</title>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no" />
    <meta name="description" content="Essential JS 2" />
    <meta name="author" content="Syncfusion" />
    <link rel="shortcut icon" href="resources/favicon.ico" />
    <link href="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/3.3.7/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" />
</head>

<body>
    <!--Element which will render as PDF Viewer -->
    <div id="PdfViewer"></div>
</body>

</html>

Run the application

The quickstart project is configured to compile and run the application in the browser. Use the following command to run the application.

npm start

Output will be displayed as follows.

import { PdfViewer, Toolbar, Magnification, Navigation, Annotation, LinkAnnotation, 
         ThumbnailView, BookmarkView, TextSelection, TextSearch, FormFields, FormDesigner} from '@syncfusion/ej2-pdfviewer';

PdfViewer.Inject( Toolbar, Magnification, Navigation, Annotation, LinkAnnotation, ThumbnailView, 
                  BookmarkView, TextSelection, TextSearch, FormFields, FormDesigner );

let pdfviewer: PdfViewer = new PdfViewer();
pdfviewer.documentPath = "https://cdn.syncfusion.com/content/pdf/pdf-succinctly.pdf";
pdfviewer.resourceUrl="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/23.1.43/dist/ej2-pdfviewer-lib";
pdfviewer.appendTo('#PdfViewer');
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
    <title>EJ2 PDF Viewer</title>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
    <meta name="description" content="Typescript PDF Viewer Control" />
    <meta name="author" content="Syncfusion" />
    <link href="index.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/23.1.40/ej2-base/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/23.1.40/ej2-pdfviewer/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/23.1.40/ej2-buttons/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/23.1.40/ej2-popups/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/23.1.40/ej2-navigations/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/23.1.40/ej2-dropdowns/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/23.1.40/ej2-lists/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/23.1.40/ej2-inputs/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />    
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/23.1.40/ej2-splitbuttons/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/23.1.40/ej2-notifications/styles/material.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    
    <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/systemjs/0.19.38/system.js"></script>
    <script src="systemjs.config.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
    <div id='loader'>Loading....</div>
    <div id='container'>
        <div id='PdfViewer' style="height:500px;width:100%;"></div>        
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Module injection

To create PDF Viewer with additional features, inject the required modules. The following modules are used to extend PDF Viewer’s basic functionality:-

  • LinkAnnotation:- Inject this module to use PDF Viewer link annotation.
  • BookmarkView:- Inject this module to use bookmark view of the PDF Viewer.
  • Magnification:- Inject this module to magnify the PDF Document.
  • Navigation:- Inject this module to use page navigation on PDF Document.
  • TextSelection:- Inject this module to use text selection with the PDF Document.
  • ThumbnailView:- Inject this module to use thumbnail view of the PDF Viewer
  • Toolbar:- Inject this module to enable the user interface for toolbar option in PDF Viewer.
  • Print:- Inject this module to use pdfviewer print feature.
  • Annotation:- Inject this module to use pdfviewer annotation feature.
  • TextSearch:- Inject this module to use pdfviewer text search feature.
  • FormFields:- Inject this module to use pdfviewer form fields feature.
  • FormDesigner:- Inject this module to use pdfviewer form designer feature.

These modules should be injected into the PDF Viewer using PdfViewer.Inject method.

You can refer to our JavaScript PDF Viewer feature tour page for its groundbreaking feature representations. You can also explore our JavaScript PDF Viewer example to understand how to explains core features of PDF Viewer.

Limitation over Server-Backed PDF Viewer to Standalone PDF Viewer control

When comparing a Standalone PDF Viewer to a Server-Backed PDF Viewer control, it’s crucial to understand the limitations that the Standalone PDF Viewer may have in comparison. These limitations are important to consider

PNG Image Support

The Standalone PDF Viewer does not have the capability to utilize PNG format for adding images to handwritten annotations ,custom stamp ,signature and initial form fields. It’s important to be aware that only certain image formats, such as JPEG, are compatible for these purposes.

Local File Access

  • The Standalone PDF Viewer control does not have the capability to directly access and load local physical files from a user’s device. As a result, it is not possible to use a documentPath to load a PDF file directly from a local server within the viewer.

  • The Standalone PDF Viewer allows users to export annotations and form fields from the viewer, it’s important to be aware that the viewer does not support the direct import of annotations and form fields from a locally specified file path. In other words, you can extract annotations and form fields from the viewer, but you cannot reintroduce them into the viewer from external sources by specifying a file path located on your local device.

NOTE

These limitations are temporary and are expected to be addressed in the near future.