Datalogics Speeds Document Creation with PDF Library 7.0

by Alex Woodie

iSeries shops generating high volumes of PDF output may be interested in hearing about Adobe PDF Library version 7.0, an updated software developer kit from Datalogics that's used for integrating high-speed PDF generation directly into applications running on various operating systems, including OS/400. Datalogics boosted the product's performance, security, and programmability with version 7.0, which Datalogics recently made available.

The Adobe PDF Library is a collection of C, C++, and Java components that allow programmers to embed high-speed creation and manipulation of "true Adobe PDF" documents (so-called because they strictly adhere to the PDF standard and maintain cross-platform compatibility) from host data directly into their server-based applications. (These programmers could be employed with large enterprises or third-party vendors. Both types of companies are likely users of this technology.) There are more than 900 calls available in the PDF Library, making it the be-all end-all of PDF creation and manipulation. "Anything Adobe says a PDF can do, the PDF Library does it," says Becky Simmons, marketing director for Chicago-based Datalogics.

The PDF Library is developed by Adobe, which owns 25 percent of Datalogics. Most of the work of maintaining, marketing, selling, and supporting this powerful set of tools is done by Datalogics, which is also responsible for porting the PDF Library from the original platforms supported by Adobe, including Windows, Solaris, AIX, Linux, and Macintosh, to other popular server environments, including OS/400, MVS, and HP-UX.

Part of Datalogics' Adobe PDF Library offering is the Datalogics Interface (DLI), which makes the PDF creation process faster by eliminating redundant components in the PDF Library and bypassing functions that aren't needed in high-volume environments. Datalogics qualifies high-volume environments as companies generating hundreds of thousands of documents a day or companies that use or develop third-party document conversion tools. The DLI also facilitates the handling of graphics and creation of hypertext links and annotations.

In March, Datalogics announced version 7.0 of the Adobe PDF Library. Version 7 brings a number of enhancements. The most important is the capability to run with multi-threaded applications, as well as 64-bit operating systems. Users have reported multi-threading problems with previous releases of the product, according to reports across the Net, but Datalogics says version 7 is "thread safe" across all supported platforms.

The new release also brings support for digital signatures, which ensures that a document has not been modified since it's been signed, and is increasingly being mandated by new regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley. Support for digital signatures is brought through the new Datalogics DL Signer feature in the DLI. The PDF Library's capability to typeset Unicode text has also been improved with this release.

Version 7.0 also brings enhancements to the importing of graphic files. Graphic files in JPEG, TIFF, GIF, BMP, PNG and PDF format can now be directly imported as graphical page elements in created PDF files, enabling graphics to be held on disk or in memory, depending on customer needs. This release also brings improvements for caching fonts used in multiple PDF files.

Whereas the Adobe PDF Library was primarily used by C and C++ coders before, the Java story is starting to improve, and this release brings enhancements to the JNI for integrating the PDF Library with Java applications. Windows integration has also improved with the capability to print to a device context on Windows. The capability to preview Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file generation on Unix platforms has also been added.

Considering that Datalogics has more than 150 OEM partners for its PDF technologies listed on its Web site, including IBM, J.D. Edwards, Documentum, and Optio Software, it's possible the enhancements delivered in PDF Library 7.0 could be incorporated into another package that uses these tools for the creation and manipulation of PDF documents.

Pricing for the Adobe PDF Library depends on whether it's licensed by a company that intends to deploy it, or under an OEM agreement by another provider of software or services. For more information, go to www.datalogics.com.