DevExpress PDF Document API - Form Fields

• Jun 16, 2026
• 19 minutes to read

A PDF document can contain interactive forms (AcroForms) with fillable fields such as text boxes, list boxes, checkboxes, and so on.

DevExpress PDF Document API allows you to create, populate, flatten, and delete fillable PDF forms. You can import or export AcroForm data to various formats.

The DevExpress PDF Document API library allow you to work with the following form field types:

• Text fields
• Check boxes
• Radio button groups
• List boxes
• Combo boxes
• Signature fields

Data Field Basics

A form field is a non-visual element that stores the field’s name, value, and other settings. A form field can be bound to one or more widgets (annotations) that display the field on a PDF page.

Use the PdfDocument.Fields collection to access all fields in a PDF document. Iterate through the Fields collection to get field values or find a specific field by name. You can also add or remove fields from this collection.

To make a field read-only, set the field’s ReadOnly property to true.

Coordinate System and Units

When adding content to a PDF page, specify location and size. The table below describes the coordinate system and units used by the DevExpress PDF Document API library:

Parameter	Value
Coordinate System Type	Page
Coordinate System Origin	Bottom-left corner of the page
Units	Points (1 inch = 72 points)
Rotation Angle	Degrees (positive values indicate clockwise rotation)

Create a Form

Add a Text Field

• Add a TextBoxField to a PDF document’s PdfDocument.Fields collection. Specify the field name in the field’s constructor.

  Optionally, set the field’s Value property to specify the default value of the text field.

• Bind the field to a text widget. Create a TextBoxWidgetAnnotation object. Pass the field in the widget’s constructor.

• Add the widget to a page’s Annotations collection.

The following code snippet adds a text field to a PDF document and binds it to a text widget:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Pdf;
using DevExpress.Drawing.Printing;
using System.Drawing;

namespace ConsoleApp1;

public class Program {
    public static async Task Main(string[] _) {
        using (PdfDocument pdfDocument = new()) {
            // Add an A4 page to the document.
            Page page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4);

            TextFont textFont = new("SegoeUI", TextFontStyle.Regular);

            float y = 750;
            float step = 30;
            float textHeight = 14f;

            // Create a label for the text field.
            TextFragment loginLabel = new() {
                Text = "Login:",
                Location = new PointF(50, y - textHeight / 2),
                Font = textFont
            };
            page.Fragments.Add(loginLabel);

            // Create a text field and add it to the field collection.
            TextBoxField loginField = new("Login");
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(loginField);

            // Bind the text field to a widget and place it on the page.
            RectangleF loginBounds = new(120, y - textHeight + 4, 220, textHeight);
            TextBoxWidgetAnnotation loginWidget = new(loginField, loginBounds);
            loginWidget.FontSize = 14;
            page.Annotations.Add(loginWidget);
            y -= step;

        }
    }
}

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf
Imports DevExpress.Drawing.Printing
Imports System.Drawing
Imports System.IO

Namespace ConsoleApp1

Public Class Program
    Public Shared Async Function Main(args As String()) As Task
        Using pdfDocument As New PdfDocument()
            ' Add an A4 page to the document.
            Dim page As Page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4)

            Dim textFont As New TextFont("SegoeUI", TextFontStyle.Regular)

            Dim y As Single = 750
            Dim [step] As Single = 30
            Dim textHeight As Single = 14.0F

            ' Create a label for the text field.
            Dim loginLabel As New TextFragment() With {
                .Text = "Login:",
                .Location = New PointF(50, y - textHeight / 2),
                .Font = textFont
            }
            page.Fragments.Add(loginLabel)

            ' Create a text field and add it to the field collection.
            Dim loginField As New TextBoxField("Login")
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(loginField)

            ' Bind the text field to a widget and place it on the page.
            Dim loginBounds As New RectangleF(120, y - textHeight + 4, 220, textHeight)
            Dim loginWidget As New TextBoxWidgetAnnotation(loginField, loginBounds)
            loginWidget.FontSize = 14
            page.Annotations.Add(loginWidget)
            y -= [step]

            ' Save the document to a file.
            Dim outputStream As New FileStream("D:\doc.pdf", FileMode.Create)
            pdfDocument.Save(outputStream)
            outputStream.Dispose()
        End Using
    End Function
End Class

End Namespace

Add a Checkbox Field

• Add a CheckBoxField to a PDF document’s PdfDocument.Fields collection. Specify the field name in the field’s constructor.

• Bind the field to a checkbox widget. Create a CheckBoxWidgetAnnotation object. Pass the field in the widget’s constructor.

• Add the widget to a page’s Annotations collection.

The following code snippet adds a checkbox field to a PDF document and binds it to a checkbox widget:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Pdf;
using DevExpress.Drawing.Printing;
using System.Drawing;

namespace ConsoleApp1;

public class Program {
    public static async Task Main(string[] _) {
        using (PdfDocument pdfDocument = new()) {
            // Add an A4 page to the document.
            Page page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4);

            float y = 750;
            float step = 30;
            float textHeight = 14f;

            // Create a checkbox field and add it to the field collection.
            CheckBoxField agreeField = new("AgreeToTerms");
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(agreeField);

            // Bind the checkbox field to a widget and place it on the page.
            RectangleF agreeBounds = new(50, y - textHeight + 6, 18, 18);
            CheckBoxWidgetAnnotation agreeWidget = new(agreeField, agreeBounds);
            page.Annotations.Add(agreeWidget);
            y -= step;

            // Add a label for the checkbox field.
            TextFragment labelAgreeField = new() { Text = "Agree to terms", Location = new PointF(agreeBounds.X + 30, agreeBounds.Y + 6) };
            page.Fragments.Add(labelAgreeField);
        }
    }
}

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf
Imports DevExpress.Drawing.Printing
Imports System.Drawing

Namespace ConsoleApp1

Public Class Program
    Public Shared Async Function Main(args As String()) As Task
        Using pdfDocument As New PdfDocument()
            ' Add an A4 page to the document.
            Dim page As Page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4)

            Dim y As Single = 750
            Dim [step] As Single = 30
            Dim textHeight As Single = 14.0F

            ' Create a checkbox field and add it to the field collection.
            Dim agreeField As New CheckBoxField("AgreeToTerms")
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(agreeField)

            ' Bind the checkbox field to a widget and place it on the page.
            Dim agreeBounds As New RectangleF(50, y - textHeight + 6, 18, 18)
            Dim agreeWidget As New CheckBoxWidgetAnnotation(agreeField, agreeBounds)
            page.Annotations.Add(agreeWidget)
            y -= [step]

            ' Add a label for the checkbox field.
            Dim labelAgreeField As New TextFragment() With {
                .Text = "Agree to terms",
                .Location = New PointF(agreeBounds.X + 30, agreeBounds.Y + 6)
            }
            page.Fragments.Add(labelAgreeField)
        End Using
    End Function
End Class

End Namespace

Add a Radio Button Group

• Add a RadioGroupField to a PDF document’s PdfDocument.Fields collection. Specify the field name in the field’s constructor.

• Bind the field to a radio group widget. Create a RadioGroupItemWidgetAnnotation object and pass the field in the widget’s constructor.

• Add the widget to a page’s Annotations collection.

The following code snippet adds a radio button group with three options to a PDF document:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Pdf;
using DevExpress.Drawing.Printing;
using System.Drawing;

namespace ConsoleApp1;

public class Program {
    public static async Task Main(string[] _) {
        using (PdfDocument pdfDocument = new()) {
            // Add an A4 page to the document.
            Page page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4);

            float y = 750;
            float step = 30;
            float textHeight = 14f;

            // Create a radio group field and add it to the field collection.
            RadioGroupField radioGroupField = new("radioGroup");
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(radioGroupField);

            // Add the first radio button widget and its label.
            RectangleF radioBounds1 = new(50, y - textHeight + 6, 18, 18);
            RadioGroupItemWidgetAnnotation radioGroupItem1 = new(radioGroupField, "Option1", radioBounds1);
            y -= step;
            page.Annotations.Add(radioGroupItem1);

            TextFragment label1 = new() { Text = "Option #1", Location = new PointF(radioBounds1.X + 30, radioBounds1.Y + 6) };
            page.Fragments.Add(label1);

            // Add the second radio button widget and its label.
            RectangleF radioBounds2 = new(50, y - textHeight + 6, 18, 18);
            RadioGroupItemWidgetAnnotation radioGroupItem2 = new(radioGroupField, "Option2", radioBounds2);
            page.Annotations.Add(radioGroupItem2);
            y -= step;

            TextFragment label2 = new() { Text = "Option #2", Location = new PointF(radioBounds2.X + 30, radioBounds2.Y + 6) };
            page.Fragments.Add(label2);


            // Add the third radio button widget and its label.
            RectangleF radioBounds3 = new(50, y - textHeight + 6, 18, 18);
            RadioGroupItemWidgetAnnotation radioGroupItem3 = new(radioGroupField, "Option3", radioBounds3);
            page.Annotations.Add(radioGroupItem3);
            y -= step;

            // Set the default selected value.
            radioGroupField.Value = "Option3";

            TextFragment label3 = new() { Text = "Option #3", Location = new PointF(radioBounds3.X + 30, radioBounds3.Y + 6) };
            page.Fragments.Add(label3);

            // Save the document to a file.
            FileStream outputStream = new FileStream(@"D:\doc.pdf", FileMode.Create);
            pdfDocument.Save(outputStream);
            outputStream.Dispose();
        }
    }
}

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf
Imports DevExpress.Drawing.Printing
Imports System.Drawing
Imports System.IO

Namespace ConsoleApp1

Public Class Program
    Public Shared Async Function Main(args As String()) As Task
        Using pdfDocument As New PdfDocument()
            ' Add an A4 page to the document.
            Dim page As Page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4)

            Dim y As Single = 750
            Dim [step] As Single = 30
            Dim textHeight As Single = 14.0F

            ' Create a radio group field and add it to the field collection.
            Dim radioGroupField As New RadioGroupField("radioGroup")
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(radioGroupField)

            ' Add the first radio button widget and its label.
            Dim radioBounds1 As New RectangleF(50, y - textHeight + 6, 18, 18)
            Dim radioGroupItem1 As New RadioGroupItemWidgetAnnotation(radioGroupField, "Option1", radioBounds1)
            y -= [step]
            page.Annotations.Add(radioGroupItem1)

            Dim label1 As New TextFragment() With {
                .Text = "Option #1",
                .Location = New PointF(radioBounds1.X + 30, radioBounds1.Y + 6)
            }
            page.Fragments.Add(label1)

            ' Add the second radio button widget and its label.
            Dim radioBounds2 As New RectangleF(50, y - textHeight + 6, 18, 18)
            Dim radioGroupItem2 As New RadioGroupItemWidgetAnnotation(radioGroupField, "Option2", radioBounds2)
            page.Annotations.Add(radioGroupItem2)
            y -= [step]

            Dim label2 As New TextFragment() With {
                .Text = "Option #2",
                .Location = New PointF(radioBounds2.X + 30, radioBounds2.Y + 6)
            }
            page.Fragments.Add(label2)

            ' Add the third radio button widget and its label.
            Dim radioBounds3 As New RectangleF(50, y - textHeight + 6, 18, 18)
            Dim radioGroupItem3 As New RadioGroupItemWidgetAnnotation(radioGroupField, "Option3", radioBounds3)
            page.Annotations.Add(radioGroupItem3)
            y -= [step]

            ' Set the default selected value.
            radioGroupField.Value = "Option3"

            Dim label3 As New TextFragment() With {
                .Text = "Option #3",
                .Location = New PointF(radioBounds3.X + 30, radioBounds3.Y + 6)
            }
            page.Fragments.Add(label3)

            ' Save the document to a file.
            Dim outputStream As New FileStream("D:\doc.pdf", FileMode.Create)
            pdfDocument.Save(outputStream)
            outputStream.Dispose()
        End Using
    End Function
End Class

End Namespace

Add a List Box Field

• Add a ListBoxField to a PDF document’s PdfDocument.Fields collection. Specify the field name in the field’s constructor.

• Call the Add method to add items to the list box field’s Items collection.

• Bind the field to a list box widget. Create a ListBoxWidgetAnnotation object. Pass the field in the widget’s constructor.

• Add the widget to a page’s Annotations collection.

The following code snippet adds a list box field with three options to a PDF document and binds it to a list box widget:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Pdf;
using DevExpress.Drawing.Printing;
using System.Drawing;

namespace ConsoleApp1;

public class Program {
    public static async Task Main(string[] _) {
        using (PdfDocument pdfDocument = new()) {
            // Add an A4 page to the document.
            Page page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4);

            // Create a list box field.
            ListBoxField listBoxField = new("listBox");

            // Add items to the list box field.
            listBoxField.Items.Add(new ChoiceFieldItem("Option #1"));
            listBoxField.Items.Add(new ChoiceFieldItem("Option #2"));
            listBoxField.Items.Add(new ChoiceFieldItem("Option #3"));

            // Add the list box field to the field collection.
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(listBoxField);

            // Bind the list box field to a widget and set widget colors.
            ListBoxWidgetAnnotation listBoxWidget = new(listBoxField, bounds: new RectangleF(20, 620, 100, 30));
            listBoxWidget.BackgroundColor = PdfColor.White;
            listBoxWidget.OutlineColor = PdfColor.Red;

            page.Annotations.Add(listBoxWidget);
        }
    }
}

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf
Imports DevExpress.Drawing.Printing
Imports System.Drawing

Namespace ConsoleApp1

Public Class Program
    Public Shared Async Function Main(args As String()) As Task
        Using pdfDocument As New PdfDocument()
            ' Add an A4 page to the document.
            Dim page As Page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4)

            ' Create a list box field.
            Dim listBoxField As New ListBoxField("listBox")

            ' Add items to the list box field.
            listBoxField.Items.Add(New ChoiceFieldItem("Option #1"))
            listBoxField.Items.Add(New ChoiceFieldItem("Option #2"))
            listBoxField.Items.Add(New ChoiceFieldItem("Option #3"))

            ' Add the list box field to the field collection.
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(listBoxField)

            ' Bind the list box field to a widget and set widget colors.
            Dim listBoxWidget As New ListBoxWidgetAnnotation(listBoxField, bounds:=New RectangleF(20, 620, 100, 30))
            listBoxWidget.BackgroundColor = PdfColor.White
            listBoxWidget.OutlineColor = PdfColor.Red

            page.Annotations.Add(listBoxWidget)
        End Using
    End Function
End Class

End Namespace

Use the ListBoxField.SelectedValues property to get the selected values. Call the ListBoxField.SelectValue method to select a value in the list box field. Call the ListBoxField.SetSelected method to set the selection state of an item.

Add a Combo Box Field

• Add a ComboBoxField to a PDF document’s PdfDocument.Fields collection. Specify the field name in the field’s constructor.

• Call the Add method to add items to the combo box field’s Items collection.

• Bind the field to a combo box widget. Create a ComboBoxWidgetAnnotation object. Pass the field in the widget’s constructor.

• Add the widget to a page’s Annotations collection.

The following code snippet adds a combo box field with three options to a PDF document and binds it to a combo box widget:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Pdf;
using DevExpress.Drawing.Printing;
using System.Drawing;

namespace ConsoleApp1;

public class Program {
    public static async Task Main(string[] _) {
        using (PdfDocument pdfDocument = new()) {
            // Add an A4 page to the document.
            Page page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4);

            // Create a combo box field.
            ComboBoxField comboBoxField = new("comboBox");

            // Add items to the combo box field.
            comboBoxField.Items.Add(new ChoiceFieldItem("Option #1"));
            comboBoxField.Items.Add(new ChoiceFieldItem("Option #2"));
            comboBoxField.Items.Add(new ChoiceFieldItem("Option #3"));

            // Add the combo box field to the field collection.
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(comboBoxField);

            // Set the default selected value.
            comboBoxField.Value = "Option #2";

            // Bind the combo box field to a widget and place it on the page.
            ComboBoxWidgetAnnotation comboBoxWidget = new(comboBoxField, bounds: new RectangleF(20, 700, 100, 30));
            page.Annotations.Add(comboBoxWidget);
        }
    }
}

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf
Imports DevExpress.Drawing.Printing
Imports System.Drawing

Namespace ConsoleApp1

Public Class Program
    Public Shared Async Function Main(args As String()) As Task
        Using pdfDocument As New DevExpress.Docs.Pdf.PdfDocument()
            ' Add an A4 page to the document.
            Dim page As Page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4)

            ' Create a combo box field.
            Dim comboBoxField As New ComboBoxField("comboBox")

            ' Add items to the combo box field.
            comboBoxField.Items.Add(New ChoiceFieldItem("Option #1"))
            comboBoxField.Items.Add(New ChoiceFieldItem("Option #2"))
            comboBoxField.Items.Add(New ChoiceFieldItem("Option #3"))

            ' Add the combo box field to the field collection.
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(comboBoxField)

            ' Set the default selected value.
            comboBoxField.Value = "Option #2"

            ' Bind the combo box field to a widget and place it on the page.
            Dim comboBoxWidget As New ComboBoxWidgetAnnotation(comboBoxField, bounds:=New RectangleF(20, 700, 100, 30))
            page.Annotations.Add(comboBoxWidget)
        End Using
    End Function
End Class

End Namespace

Add a Signature Field

• Add a SignatureField to a PDF document’s PdfDocument.Fields collection. Specify the field name in the field’s constructor.

• Bind the field to a signature widget. Create a SignatureWidgetAnnotation object. Pass the field in the widget’s constructor.

• Add the widget to a page’s Annotations collection.

The following code snippet adds a signature field to a PDF document and binds it to a signature widget:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Pdf;
using DevExpress.Drawing.Printing;
using System.Drawing;

namespace ConsoleApp1;

public class Program {
    public static async Task Main(string[] _) {
        using (PdfDocument pdfDocument = new()) {
            // Add an A4 page to the document.
            Page page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4);

            // Create a signature field and add it to the field collection.
            SignatureField signatureField = new("signature");
            signatureField.ShowDate = true;
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(signatureField);

            // Bind the signature field to a widget and set widget colors.
            SignatureWidgetAnnotation signatureWidget = new SignatureWidgetAnnotation(signatureField, bounds: new RectangleF(20, 400, 100, 50));
            signatureWidget.OutlineColor = PdfColor.Red;

            page.Annotations.Add(signatureWidget);
        }
    }
}

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf
Imports DevExpress.Drawing.Printing
Imports System.Drawing

Namespace ConsoleApp1

Public Class Program
    Public Shared Async Function Main(args As String()) As Task
        Using pdfDocument As New PdfDocument()
            ' Add an A4 page to the document.
            Dim page As Page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4)

            ' Create a signature field and add it to the field collection.
            Dim signatureField As New SignatureField("signature")
            signatureField.ShowDate = True
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(signatureField)

            ' Bind the signature field to a widget and set widget colors.
            Dim signatureWidget As New SignatureWidgetAnnotation(signatureField, bounds:=New RectangleF(20, 400, 100, 50))
            signatureWidget.OutlineColor = PdfColor.Red

            page.Annotations.Add(signatureWidget)
        End Using
    End Function
End Class

End Namespace

Use the SignatureField.Text property to get or set the text hint displayed in the signature field.

The following SignatureField properties allow you to receive information about the signature:

• ContactInfo
• Reason
• SignerName
• SigningTime

Use the following properties to specify whether the signature field displays the corresponding information:

• ShowDate
• ShowLabels
• ShowLocation
• ShowReason
• ShowSignerName

Fill and Read Form Data

Fill an Individual Form Field

Use Find methods (see the Search for Form Fields section) to find a specific form field and set its value.

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Pdf;
    FormField field1 = pdfDocument.Fields.FindByName("FirstName");
    ((TextBoxField)field1).Value = "Alice";

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf

    Dim field1 As FormField = pdfDocument.Fields.FindByName("FirstName")
    DirectCast(field1, TextBoxField).Value = "Alice"

Import and Export Form Field Data

You can import and export AcroForm data to the following formats: FDF, XFDF, XML, and TXT.

Call the ImportFormData method to import form field data from a file. Pass the file stream and the data format as method parameters:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Pdf;
using DevExpress.Drawing.Printing;

namespace ConsoleApp1;

public class Program {
    public static async Task Main(string[] _) {
        using (PdfDocument pdfDocument = new(new FileStream(@"..\..\..\EmptyForm.pdf", FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read))) {

            pdfDocument.ImportFormData(new FileStream(@"..\..\..\InteractiveForm.xml", FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read), ExportDataFormat.Xml);

            FileStream outputStream = new FileStream(@"D:\doc.pdf", FileMode.Create);
            pdfDocument.Save(outputStream);
            outputStream.Dispose();
        }
    }
}

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf
Imports System.IO

Namespace ConsoleApp1

Public Class Program
    Public Shared Async Function Main(args As String()) As Task
        Using pdfDocument As New PdfDocument(New FileStream("..\..\..\EmptyForm.pdf", FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read))

            pdfDocument.ImportFormData(New FileStream("..\..\..\InteractiveForm.xml", FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read), ExportDataFormat.Xml)

            Dim outputStream As New FileStream("D:\doc.pdf", FileMode.Create)
            pdfDocument.Save(outputStream)
            outputStream.Dispose()
        End Using
    End Function
End Class

End Namespace

Call the ExportFormData method to export form field data to a file. Pass the file stream and the data format as method parameters:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Pdf;

pdfDocument.ExportFormData(new FileStream(@"..\..\..\ExportedFormData.xml", FileMode.OpenOrCreate), ExportDataFormat.Xml);

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf

pdfDocument.ExportFormData(New FileStream("..\..\..\ExportedFormData.xml", FileMode.OpenOrCreate), ExportDataFormat.Xml)

Format New Values in Text and Combo Box Fields

Use the following properties to format new values in text and combo box fields:

• TextBoxField.ValueFormat
• ComboBoxField.ValueFormat

To specify the format, call one of the following methods in the FormFieldValueFormat class and assign the returned object to the field’s ValueFormat property:

• CreateDateTimeFormat
• CreateNumberFormat
• CreatePercentFormat
• CreateSpecialFormat
• CreateTimeFormat

The following code snippet specifies the date format for text field values that a user sets in the date picker:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Pdf;

dateField.ValueFormat = FormFieldValueFormat.CreateDateTimeFormat("mmmm/dd/yyyy")

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf

dateField.ValueFormat = FormFieldValueFormat.CreateDateTimeFormat("mmmm/dd/yyyy")

You can also specify the JavaScript code to format new values in text and combo box fields. Use the following properties to specify the JavaScript code:

FormatScript

Specifies a script that is executed before the field is formatted.

KeystrokeScript

Specifies a script that is executed when the user modifies a character in a form field.

ValidateScript

Specifies a script that is executed to recalculate the value of this field when that of another field changes.

CalculateScript

Specifies a script that is executed when the field’s value is changed.

Note: The scripts are in effect for PDF viewers that support JavaScript.

The following code snippet executes a script that allows you to enter only numbers in the “x-x-x” format:

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Pdf;

TextBoxField textField = new("TextField");
pdfDocument.Fields.Add(textField);

textField.ValueFormat = new FormFieldValueFormat {
    FormatScript = "if (event.value != \"\") {" +
                   "var value = event.value;    " +
                   "event.value = \"\";    " +
                   "for(var i = 0; i<value.length - 1; i++)" +
                   "   event.value += value.charAt(i) + \"-\";" +
                   "event.value += value.charAt(value.length - 1);}",
    KeystrokeScript = "var re = /^[0-9]+$/;" +
                      "if (event.value != \"\") {" +
                      "   event.rc = re.test(event.value);" +
                      "}"
};

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf

Dim textField As New TextBoxField("TextField")
pdfDocument.Fields.Add(textField)

textField.ValueFormat = New FormFieldValueFormat With {
    .FormatScript = "if (event.value != """") {" &
                    "var value = event.value;    " &
                    "event.value = """";    " &
                    "for(var i = 0; i<value.length - 1; i++)" &
                    "   event.value += value.charAt(i) + ""-"";" &
                    "event.value += value.charAt(value.length - 1);}",
    .KeystrokeScript = "var re = /^[0-9]+$/;" &
                       "if (event.value != """") {" &
                       "   event.rc = re.test(event.value);" &
                       "}"
}

Flatten the Collection of Form Fields

Call the ToFlatEnumerable method to flatten the form field collection and return all form fields in a single enumerable sequence.

C#

var fields = pdfDocument.Fields.ToFlatEnumerable();

VB.NET

Dim fields = pdfDocument.Fields.ToFlatEnumerable()

Group Form Fields

You can group form fields in a PDF document. Groups organize fields logically. They are not visualized in the document.

To group form fields, create a GroupField object and add the fields to its Kids collection.

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Pdf;
using DevExpress.Drawing.Printing;

using System.Drawing;

namespace ConsoleApp1;

public class Program {
    public static async Task Main(string[] _) {
        using (PdfDocument pdfDocument = new()) {
            // Add an A4 page to the document.
            Page page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4);

            // Create a font for field labels.
            TextFont textFont = new("Arial", TextFontStyle.Regular);

            float y = 750;
            float step = 30;
            float textHeight = 20f;

            // Create a label for the first name field.
            TextFragment firstNLabel = new() {
                Text = "First name:",
                Location = new PointF(50, y - textHeight / 2),
                Font = textFont
            };
            page.Fragments.Add(firstNLabel);

            // Create the first name field and bind it to a text widget.
            TextBoxField firstNField = new("FirstName");
            RectangleF firstNBounds = new(120, y - textHeight + 4, 220, textHeight);
            TextBoxWidgetAnnotation firstNWidget = new(firstNField, firstNBounds);
            firstNWidget.FontSize = 12;
            page.Annotations.Add(firstNWidget);
            y -= step;

            // Create a label for the last name field.
            TextFragment lastNLabel = new() {
                Text = "Last name:",
                Location = new PointF(50, y - textHeight / 2),
                Font = textFont
            };
            page.Fragments.Add(lastNLabel);

            // Create the last name field and bind it to a text widget.
            TextBoxField lastNField = new("LastName");
            RectangleF lastNBounds = new(120, y - textHeight + 4, 220, textHeight);
            TextBoxWidgetAnnotation lastNWidget = new(lastNField, lastNBounds);
            lastNWidget.FontSize = 12;
            page.Annotations.Add(lastNWidget);
            y -= step;

            // Create a group field and add both text fields to the group.
            GroupField groupField = new GroupField("Group");
            groupField.Kids.Add(firstNField);
            groupField.Kids.Add(lastNField);
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(groupField);
        }
    }
}

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf
Imports DevExpress.Drawing.Printing
Imports System.Drawing

Namespace ConsoleApp1

Public Class Program
    Public Shared Async Function Main(args As String()) As Task
        Using pdfDocument As New PdfDocument()
            ' Add an A4 page to the document.
            Dim page As Page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4)

            ' Create a font for field labels.
            Dim textFont As New TextFont("Arial", TextFontStyle.Regular)

            Dim y As Single = 750
            Dim [step] As Single = 30
            Dim textHeight As Single = 20.0F

            ' Create a label for the first name field.
            Dim firstNLabel As New TextFragment() With {
                .Text = "First name:",
                .Location = New PointF(50, y - textHeight / 2),
                .Font = textFont
            }
            page.Fragments.Add(firstNLabel)

            ' Create the first name field and bind it to a text widget.
            Dim firstNField As New TextBoxField("FirstName")
            Dim firstNBounds As New RectangleF(120, y - textHeight + 4, 220, textHeight)
            Dim firstNWidget As New TextBoxWidgetAnnotation(firstNField, firstNBounds)
            firstNWidget.FontSize = 12
            page.Annotations.Add(firstNWidget)
            y -= [step]

            ' Create a label for the last name field.
            Dim lastNLabel As New TextFragment() With {
                .Text = "Last name:",
                .Location = New PointF(50, y - textHeight / 2),
                .Font = textFont
            }
            page.Fragments.Add(lastNLabel)

            ' Create the last name field and bind it to a text widget.
            Dim lastNField As New TextBoxField("LastName")
            Dim lastNBounds As New RectangleF(120, y - textHeight + 4, 220, textHeight)
            Dim lastNWidget As New TextBoxWidgetAnnotation(lastNField, lastNBounds)
            lastNWidget.FontSize = 12
            page.Annotations.Add(lastNWidget)
            y -= [step]

            ' Create a group field and add both text fields to the group.
            Dim groupField As New GroupField("Group")
            groupField.Kids.Add(firstNField)
            groupField.Kids.Add(lastNField)
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(groupField)
        End Using
    End Function
End Class

End Namespace

You can call the FormFieldCollection.FindParent method to search for the parent group to which a field belongs.

Search for Form Fields

Use the following methods to search for form fields in a PDF document:

• Find
• FindAll
• FindByName

C#

using DevExpress.Docs.Pdf;

    FormField field = pdfDocument.Fields.Find(field => field.Name.StartsWith("First"));
    List<FormField> fields = pdfDocument.Fields.FindAll(field => field.Name.Contains("Name"));
    FormField field1 = pdfDocument.Fields.FindByName("Login");

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf

    Dim field As FormField = pdfDocument.Fields.Find(Function(f) f.Name.StartsWith("First"))
    Dim fields As List(Of FormField) = pdfDocument.Fields.FindAll(Function(f) f.Name.Contains("Name"))
    Dim field1 As FormField = pdfDocument.Fields.FindByName("Login")