Capabilities of Acrobat SDK to call a dll or an exe & adding certs in Trusted Identities

Hi there,
I am looking into the capabilities of Adobe Acrobat SDK to achieve certain goals via plugins.
Whether a plugin written in Acrobat SDK can call a dll ( written in .Net ) or launch an exe. Is there any limitations in this reqard? Any pointers to documentation which explains this bit.
Can a plugin be developed such that it programmatically installs digitally certificates inside Adobe Acrobat > Trusted Identities. Will it show some popup when done this way which user can reject to install ? I want users to get their Trusted Identities to be updated as part of the plugin launch or installation and can't stop it. If not possible will a Javascript be able to do this for me ?
Can a plugin be programmed to hide certain areas of Adobe e.g. User is not allowed to view/edit Preferences > Security and also hide Advanced > Manage Trusted Identities
Regards,
mwak

Hi,
Thanks for your response.
I believe Trusted Identifies are stored inside Application Data\Adobe\Acrobat\9.0\Security\addressbook.acrodata. Does Acrobat SDK allow programmers to edit/modify this at run-time?
I know the Trusted Identities can be udpated via the Adobe Customization Wizard but every change in Trusted Identity means installing Adobe again for the change to be effective which is an hassle.
Note for various reasons our client does not wish to use Windows cert store but Acrobat's own.
Regards,
mwak

Similar Messages

Creating DLL using Acrobat SDK

Hi,
I want to create one DLL using Acrobat SDK and VS 2010 Win32. If i use this dll in our program it should show functions for opening pddoc, total number of annots, Can I do this using Acrobat SDK. I know we can create plug-in extension with .API.
Please let me know can i do this using Acrobat SDK.
Thanks,
Kruthi

Please use the forum for Acrobat SDK.

How to call GUI/Dialog in Acrobat sdk Plugin

How to call GUI/Dialog in Acrobat sdk Plugin using VC++ here is my code
ACCB1 void ACCB2 MyPluginCommand(void *clientData)
HMODULE hAppInst = GetModuleHandle(NULL);
DialogBox(hAppInst, MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDD_DIALOG1), NULL, NULL);
HWND hWnd = ::CreateDialog(hAppInst, MAKEINTRESOURCE(IDD_DIALOG1), NULL, DlgProc);
::ShowWindow(hWnd, SW_SHOW);

You can, with care, use Windows API calls in a plug-in. But you have to understand the process of loading resources. In particular, the calls you use try to load resources that belong to the main executable, which is Acrobat.exe. Plug-ins have their own instance handle, which is conveniently stored in gHINSTANCE.
In certain cases, especially modeless dialogs, there may be extra calls to make things work properly.
You do need to know how to use the Windows API, and your sample lines seem confused, unless you intended to first display a modal dialog then open the same dialog as modeless. That's something for another forum,

Acrobat SDK C# Exception from HRESULT: 0x80040154 (REGDB_E_CLASSNOTREG)

Hi,
Here I want to known one thing clearly, that is I was developed one application in C# with Acrobat SDK.
In my application I am using Acrobat AxAcroPDFLib.AxAcroPDF and also some other acrobat class.
In my development system i am using Acrobat 7.0.
When my application installed in my client system I am faced different types of problem.
System 1
System Configuration
OS : XP
Acrobat 7.0
Result : Success
System 2
System Configuration
OS : XP
Acrobat 5.0
Acrobat 7.0
Result : Fail
Error : Exception from HRESULT: 0x80040154 (REGDB_E_CLASSNOTREG)
System 3
System Configuration
OS : XP
Acrobat 7.0
Adobe Reader 9
Result : Success
Note:
But I having problem when I am use my application while Adobe Reader 9 is open.
What is problem?
Error is related to ActiveX COM fail like
Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component.
Retrieving the COM class factory for component with CLSID {FF76CB60-2E68-2E68-101B-B02E-04021C009402} failed due to the following error: 80080005
System 4
System Configuration
OS : XP
Acrobat 7.0
Result : Success
Problem:
At the time of tool installation the system configuration will be as mention above, after by mistake they installed Adobe Reader 5.0. I faced the problem to use my application ActiveX COM failed
So I was un installed Adobe Reader 5, and tried but I got the following error,
System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x80040154): Class not registered (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80040154 (REGDB_E_CLASSNOTREG))
at System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.CoCreateInstance(Guid& clsid, Object punkOuter, Int32 context, Guid& iid)
at System.Windows.Forms.AxHost.CreateWithoutLicense(Guid clsid)
at System.Windows.Forms.AxHost.CreateWithLicense(String license, Guid clsid)
at System.Windows.Forms.AxHost.CreateInstanceCore(Guid clsid)
at System.Windows.Forms.AxHost.CreateInstance()
at System.Windows.Forms.AxHost.GetOcxCreate()
at System.Windows.Forms.AxHost.TransitionUpTo(Int32 state)
at System.Windows.Forms.AxHost.CreateHandle()
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl(Boolean fIgnoreVisible)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.CreateControl(Boolean fIgnoreVisible)
at System.Windows.Forms.AxHost.EndInit()
at Greenleaf_MetaData.ArticleMetaData_Jnl.InitializeComponent()
at Greenleaf_MetaData.ArticleMetaData_Jnl..ctor()
at Greenleaf_MetaData.MainForm.btn_Process_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnClick(EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnClick(EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mevent)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseUp(Message& m, MouseButtons button, Int32 clicks)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.ButtonBase.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Button.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)
So, I am advised my System Admin team to Re-Install the Acrobat 7.0, after the Re-Installation of Acrobat 7.0, all the problem get solved.
But I want to known what is problem?
And also what is the Adobe COM connection between Acrobat ActiveX and my Application(C#, VB, etc…).
So Please give clear information and guidance...
Thanks & Regard
Thirusanguraja Venkatesan

A simple google can get:
Common problems such as Windows Error Code 0x80040154 can be resolved with without too much difficulty. In this article we will go through solving the problem and how to prevent it in the future.
What happens
If you are registering an ATL server, you may see this error code. In the case of DLLs, regsvr32.exe will generate this error. In the case of EXEs, calling _Module::RegisterServer (CComModule::RegisterServer) in _tWinMain() will generate this error.
For detail: http://www.error.info/windows/registry-0x80040154.html
Cheers,
andy

Acrobat sdk 9 wizard problem!

Developing acrobat plug_in with the acrobat wizard ,slecting using mfc,. I creat a dialog in resource ,when I call the domodal function ,the program crash,why? the program select using mfc in shalled dll,so I use the AFX_MANAGE_STATE marco ,but cause link error.when I choose using mfc in static
dll,also cause link error.
when developing the plug in using acrobat sdk ,I want to create a window on the windows system,I only can using windows sdk?Can i use the mfc?

Have you stepped through the debugger to find the exact place of the crash? Have you been sure to use proper exception catching mechanism?

A question about thread safety and the Acrobat SDK

Hi All,
On page 12 of this FAQ: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/acrobat/pdfs/Acrobat_SDK_developer_faq.pdf
It says that Use of any Acrobat product in a multithreaded way is technically impossible.
I'm currently writing a command line application to perform some basic data gathering on a PDF file. The Application only makes use of a PDDoc object, and never calls on any other kind of object (i.e. AVDoc).
The application itself is not multithreaded. All of the logic runs in a single thread.
However, the application will be called (via the command line) from another application that /is/ multithreaded. I think that this might be fine, but I wasn't sure. In this case, would this count as a single thread, but spread across multiple processes? And if that is the case, would that be OK with the SDK?
Or would having multiple invocations/calls into the Acrobat DLLs cause the same issue as a multi-threaded application?
Unfortunately, I haven't done a lot of work with threads before. This might be a very silly question.

The application would be called from a perl script that is used to automate several tasks. The app is a console application, written in C# w/ the Acrobat COM components, and Visual Studio 2005.
The console application uses the Acrobat SDK to instantiate a PDDoc object, open a PDF, and get information about the document. It then returns results back to the console.
So, the perl script just calls: "C:\pdfinfo.exe -f=myPdf.pdf" and pipes the result to a log file.
In this case, it never creates a new instance of the Acrobat application, but it does use the SDK.
The reason that I was concerned was that the perl script is multi-threaded. I wasn't sure if acrobat was just sensitive to multiple threads inside a single process, or if it was unable to handle multiple processes as well.
PDL's answer suggests that I should be fine as long as a new process is started each time. This is good to hear.

How to install Acrobat SDK?

Hello,
Sorry for the stupid question, but I am really confused.
I went to the Acrobat SDK website and downloaded the zip file for SDK X for windows and after unzipping I have found a folder structure with no clue where to begin.
What do I need to install? Or should I just copy a certain dll somewhere?
Probably there are instructions somewhere in the documentation files, but could someone point me where? I really do not know where to begin reading.
A small overview of the folder structure (down to level 3) is as follows:
Adobe \
     Acrobat 10 SDK \
          Version 1 \
               AccessibilitySupport
               Documentation
               InterAppCommunicationSupport
               JavaScriptSupport
               OtherSupport
               PluginSupport
Thank you,
Ionel

It is a very good tip, but to be honest, the information in the Documentation folder is overwhelming.
First of all there are two pdf files: pdf_reference.pdf (140 pages) and U3DElements.pdf (48 pages)
Second there is a zip file Acrobat10_0_HTMLHelp.zip which contains around 3500 html files.
Third there is a folder called Javascript that contains 5 other pdf files (batch_sequences.pdf, js_3d_api_reference.pdf, js_api_reference.pdf, js_developer_guide.pdf, Tracker.pdf)
What should I start reading first and how far should I read in order to be able to install the SDK?

How do I work in Acrobat SDK?

Hello,
I have never worked with Acrobat SDK before. I need to develop a plugin for Acrobat Reader 9. Can someone please point me in the right direction and tell me what to do?
After I have installed the SDK I want to develop a custom search plugin that will limit the search to only selected bookmarks in a PDF document. Are there any examples of this available?
Thanks so much!
Linda

Welcome, Linda:
I wish somebody would have given me this advice when I started dealing with the Acrobat SDK, a decade ago.
(1) The SDK contains a MSVS Solution called "All". You will find plenty of examples there.
(2) One of the projects is specially important: SnippetRunner. It contains a wealth of functions. Back in my day it was weird and I avoided it, but now it is based on Adobe Air, and is much simpler to install. After you have Air installed, just double click on the file CommonInterfaceAIR.air. With that interface you will be handling Acrobat with a soft of remote control, and testing all kinds of functions.
(3) I had no idea that DLLs are so easy to debug. Boy, is my face red!! You probably know how to do it. (Plugins are just a DLL with a different extension)
(4) Keep these links handy (actually, update them to your version):
     http://livedocs.adobe.com/acrobat_sdk/9.1/Acrobat9_1_HTMLHelp/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhel p.htm?&accessible=true
     http://livedocs.adobe.com/acrobat_sdk/9.1/Acrobat9_1_HTMLHelp/API_References/Acrobat_API_R eference/
In addition to this Adobe site, we developers have this one:
    http://forums.planetpdf.com/pdf-developers_forum16.html
Best of luck

How can I find out the screen size of the users moniter using the Acrobat SDK?

How can I find out the screen size of the users moniter using the Acrobat SDK? I need to know how much sreen real estate that is available on the users moniter. Is there some call that I can make from the SDK to discover the maximun X and Y coordinates?
Thanks,
Gregory

Currently, I am testing on multiple moniters and it is defaulting to the moniter designated as the #1 moniter. For our purposes, this is acceptable. Once the two documents have loaded, the user can move and re-size at will.
Gregory

Calling a dll from a new menu item in Bridge. Idiot help needed

Hi,
I'm trying to what I believe is a fairly simple script. I'm coming from a hobbiest Delphi background, and to be honest I'm finding JavaScript a little bit hard to understand. My requirements are simple - add a new menu item to Bridge which executes a call to a custom dll. Note I'm not expecting the dll to return anything here..
Looking at the samples provided even I can add the menu item - but getting it to successfully call the dll is a bit of a mystery.
The script compiles and adds the menu item, however the menu action doesn't call the dll. I believe it should be a fairly simple task and was hoping somebody here could steer me right. Here's my code (as you'll see a clear cut and paste job from the examples ;o)
Header 1
function SnpAddMenuItem()
this.requiredContext = "\tAdobe Bridge must be running.\n\tExecute against Bridge CS6 as the target.\n";
this.menuID = "snpmyMenu";
this.menuCommandID1 = "snpAddMenuItemSub1";
$.level = 1; // Debugging level
SnpAddMenuItem.prototype.run = function()
var retval = true;
if(!this.canRun()) {
retval = false;
return retval;
// Create the menu element
var newMenu = new MenuElement( "menu", "myMenu", "before Help", this.menuID );
// Create the menu item
var alertCommand1 = new MenuElement( "command", "Load Stuff", "at the end of " + this.menuID, this.menuCommandID1);
alertCommand1.onSelect = function (m1)
        ExternalObject.myDll = new ExternalObject('lib:/C/temp/apmDLL.dll');
        myDll.sendtoACRPM(1);
//      return retval;
SnpAddMenuItem.prototype.canRun = function()
// Must run in Bridge
if(BridgeTalk.appName == "bridge") {
// Stop the menu element from being added again if the snippet has already run
if((MenuElement.find(this.menuID)) && (MenuElement.find(this.menuCommandID)))
// $.writeln("Error:Menu element already exists!\nRestart Bridge to run this snippet again.");
// return false;
            MenuElement.remove(this.menuID);
return true;
$.writeln("ERROR:: Cannot run SnpAddMenuItem");
$.writeln(this.requiredContext);
return false;
if(typeof(SnpAddMenuItem_unitTest ) == "undefined") {
new SnpAddMenuItem().run();

The dll needs to be compatable with the criteria set in the JavaScript Tools Guide. There is an example in the Bridge SDK that can be downloaded from http://www.adobe.com/devnet/bridge.html
But it need someone who is knowledgeable with c++
It would be great if someone could write a wrapper to access other external objects.

Acrobat SDK plugin in Visual Studio 2012

Hello
I am trying to develop a plugin for Acrobat SDK. We are using Visual Studio 2012 here at work but as the samples seemed to require using Visual Studio 2010 I had to resort to downloading Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Express and trying to run the examples there. I managed to get the BasicPlugin to work by building it and copying the BasicPlugin.api file into the plug_ins directory and the menu and menu item would show.
Since then I have been battling by using Visual Studio 2012 to work the same way and have used two different attempts, first by including the header files in the solution and then replicating the samples more closely by setting the includes (Additional Include Directories) in the Property Pages for the project and having other settings in the same way, but to no avail.
Is it not possible to use Visual Studio 2012 or is there something I am missing?
I must confess that my C++ is rather rusty as I normally use C#.
Please find the two projects here if that helps explain my problem:
OneAcrobatPlugin.zip - Box
OneAdobePlugin.zip - Box

It probably won't be impossible, but having worked through this many, many years ago (with different versions), it will demand a great deal of experiment, detailed analysis of the type of project and all of the options and included files; in some cases the header files need intelligent adjustment. A plug-in is a type of DLL with very specific requirements as everything has to match the internal conventions used to build Acrobat. Plug-ins are not like ordinary apps because they become a true part of the app that runs them, and any error crashes the whole app. It is not, frankly, worth the time needed to do such a port at your stage, especially as you won't be able to know whether your problems are due to porting issues or inexperience with plug-ins.

Acrobat SDK parameter definitions initialization locations

I just updated an old plug-in to work in the SDK 9 environment using Acrobat 9.1.3. It works great now. However, our user community is still using Acrobat 7. My plug-in won't load in an Acrobat 7 environment (Windows PC with Acrobat 7 installed on it). Which parameters control whether my plug-in will work with prior versions of Acrobat such as Acrobat 7? Or do I need to install Acrobat 7 on my PC with the Acrobat SDK 7?
As I've research this issue, I've found numerous C++ compiler parameters whose definitions are checked by various C++ header files. However, I don't know where those headers are initially set. For example, where is PI_ACROVIEW_VERSION initially set?

Thanks for the very quick response. I just found the header file that contains a lot of the definitions that may allow me to configure my plug-in to work in Acrobat 7 as well as Acrobat 9. The header file is PIRequir.h. Do any other header files need to be updated to define the SDK and Acrobat versions?
Along with my getting up to speed writing plug-ins for Acrobat, I am having trouble compiling my working plug-in ourside the Acrobat SDK 9 Sample plug-ins directory/project environment. I defined a new DLL Project using Visual Studio 2008 under the Visual Studio Projects directory but some C++ compiler parameters were not properly defined. I tried to set the project properties to be the same in the new project as it was under the Samples project (i.e., the BasicPlug-in defined as the startup project). But I'm getting some compile errors because certain parameters are apparently not set properly. Note that I used Visual Studio 2008 with the Acrobat SDK 9 but I converted the BasicPlug-in to be my new plug-in and it worked fine.
Anyway, if you know any secrets for setting up a new Acrobat plug-in in Visual Studio 2008 Visual C++ project to ensure that the C++ compiler parameters are set properly such as which the ones that need special attention in a newly defined project, that would be very helpful.

How to give call to dll in indesign plugin

Hello All ,
I am developing one indesign plugin on Mac OS X 10.4.
I want to give a call to one dll in pluging code.
But the problem with mac os x according to my knowladge ,dll need to be build in same project where we are calling that dll.
That is why I build a xyz.dylib in same project for indesign plugin as one of the target. and I am coping it in Indesignplugin package content that is with release mode build.but dll gets build in debug mode.On Mac OS X I am using dlopen and dlsym call . But I am not able to call a dll present in indesign plugin package content. Any idea How to call a dll in indesign plugin on Mac OS X.Should we need tyo build a xyz.dylib file in release mode ?
Thanks,
Pallavi.

Seems to me I don't understand something, or text format plugin isn't quite well example. But, I got some code from sdk to create layer with automation like this:
SPErr MakeLayer(void) {
PIActionDescriptor descriptor = NULL;
PIActionReference reference = NULL;
PIActionDescriptor result = NULL;
SPErr error = kSPNoError;
error = sPSActionDescriptor->Make(&descriptor);
if (error)
goto returnError;
// Move this to the top of the routine!
error = sPSActionReference->Make(&reference);
if (error)
goto returnError;
error = sPSActionReference->PutClass(reference, classLayer);
if (error)
goto returnError;
error = sPSActionDescriptor->PutReference(descriptor, keyNull, reference);
if (error)
goto returnError;
error = sPSActionControl->Play(&result, eventMake, descriptor,
plugInDialogSilent);
if (error)
goto returnError;
returnError:
if (result != NULL) sPSActionDescriptor->Free(result);
if (descriptor != NULL) sPSActionDescriptor->Free(descriptor);
if (reference != NULL) sPSActionReference->Free(reference);
return error;
and wrote aeta resource:
resource 'aete' (16000, "myFile" " dictionary", purgeable)
1, 0, english, roman,
vendorName,
"description",
plugInClassID,
1,
1,
vendorName " myFormat",
plugInAETEComment,
plugInClassID,
plugInEventID,
NO_REPLY,
IMAGE_DIRECT_PARAMETER,
"create",
keyMyCreate,
typeMyCreate,
"create type",
flagsEnumeratedParameter
typeMyCreate,
"layer",
createLayer,
"make layer"
And what now? Is any better examples?

Reader/Acrobat SDK Licensing Query

I am developing an application in C# and this application will display the PDF document on a form. I have 3 questions as follows.
Question one : I am currently using the axAcroPDF which is exposed in the free Acrobat Reader. Now, if I deploy my application to my client, do I have to have them purchase any license from Adobe for the Reader or for using the Reader .NET classes?
Question two: Since the Reader SDK is quite limited, I am thinking of using some of the Acrobat SDK classes in my application. In this case, how does the license works - do I have my client by an Adobe Acrobat Std or Pro for each PC where my application runs? Does this mean that each copy of Acrobat comes with 1 license for SDK, or can I buy 1 Acrobat and separate licenses for the SDK, or can I just buy the SDK separately.
Question three : Is the PDF Library SDK license also tied to Acrobat Std or Pro?
Kindly enlighten on this because I called my local retailers and they are not sure about this also. And I tried to look into the forums and I do get a vague idea but want your confirmation before I inform my client on what to buy.
Thank you.
John

Hello, I have managed to find a relevant posting which answers my questions by Patrick Leckey.
Link is http://forums.adobe.com/message/1908336#1908336
In short, for using Acrobat Reader API in your applications there is no license to buy. But to use the Acrobat SDK, need to buy the Acrobat Std or Pro depending on which API calls the developer is using. And for PDL Library SDK, have to work with a partner of Adobe for licensing.
I have spent several days reading the EULAS and searching the NET and even talking to people, but could not get a clear answer, but this link cleared it all up. This is the first time I am working with Acrobat for development, as other softwares license their SDK separately, unlike Adobe. So this is something new for me.
Thanks to Patrick Leckey for his excellent answer!
Cheers!
John

Can I generate PDF thumbnails on server using Acrobat SDK

Hi All,
Are there any licensing limitations or restrictions that prevent me from utilizing Acrobat's COM objects or interfaces to generate thumbnails for PDF documents on the server keeping in mind that I will install full version of Adobe Professional on server?
Thanks.

You should read the product pages for a description of the LiveCycle ES suite. It is not an API interface to Acrobat - it is an entire range of PDF-based server solutions for paperless workflows. Many different products that can be extended directly via Java.
> how about the third-party tools that extend adobe sdk
Can you give me an example? I don't know of any products that extend the Acrobat SDK (which is what I assume you meant by Adobe SDK). I know of several the provide extended interfaces to the PDF Library SDK, as well as many 3rd party proprietary solutions (since the PDF standard is an open format, anybody can write their own libraries for it from scratch).
> any thoughts?
Yes. Call Adobe Sales or Customer Service, and get answers straight from the horses mouth. They're a for-profit company (and quite good at the profit part). Sometimes the decisions they make may not make everybody happy, but it is their right to make those decisions.

Capabilities of Acrobat SDK to call a dll or an exe & adding certs in Trusted Identities

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for