Add protection to PDF file with vb.net

[Michel_Berniquez@adobeforums.com]

I have an application in vb.net. This application create many PDF files via Crystal Report. The files are merge in one PDF and the result is an invoice. Now I want to add protection to the file with vb.net because anybody can change the file content. I want to restrict edition only (printing and copying is allowed) and I don't want password protection. I can do this manually but Is it possible to program this whitout a third party ?

[Sanctus_Germanus@adobeforums.com]

I do not believe that this is currently available in the API.

Sanctus

[Rick_Nesser@adobeforums.com]

Hello,

I also am developing a VB .NET application using the Adobe Acrobat 6.0 API. The application prepares HTML reports and converts them to PDF files on demand. I also want to set the security to restrict copying from these PDF files. The SDK documentation does not describe how to do it, so maybe it isn't part of the API. However, there are numerous third-party programs you can buy to do it. If this is not exposed via the API, how can these third-party products do it?

[PDL@adobeforums.com]

If this is not exposed via the API, how can these third-party products
do it?




It is exposed by the API, however third-party software won't be using the Acrobat SDK, since it requires a copy of Acrobat be installed in order to run SDK applications (unless you're talking about an Acrobat plug-in in which case they are done with the SDK).

From VB.NET you need to research the PDDoc.GetJSObject method, and then use that to call the JavaScript Doc.encryptUsingPolicy method.

[Rick_Nesser@adobeforums.com]

Thanks for your quick response, PDL!

I will look into the documentation about the PDDoc.GetJSObject method and then about the encryptUsingPolicy method. Then I will post what I find out for the benefit of Michel Berniquez.

[Rick_Nesser@adobeforums.com]

I have found the following documents useful in researching the GetJSObject method "Programming Acrobat JavaScript Using Visual Basic" and "Acrobat JavaScript Scripting Reference".

However, I am confined to Acrobat 6.0. The encryptUsingPolicy method mentioned by PDL was introduced in Acrobat 7.0. so it is not available to me. But, there is a method encryptForRecipients that could be useful.

However, it requires a group of recipients. I want to set the security for all recipients. Does anyone know a way to set the group of recipients to be "all"?

[PDL@adobeforums.com]

Does anyone know a way to set the group of recipients to be "all"?




Yes. Use a policy instead. This was not available in Acrobat 6.0.

There is no way to use encryptForRecipients to be "all" since it requires a public-key certificate for each recipient it is encrypting for.