DevExpress PDF Document API - Form Fields

• May 13, 2026
• 15 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.

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;

namespace ConsoleApp1;

public class Program {
    public static async Task Main(string[] _) {
        using (DevExpress.Docs.Pdf.PdfDocument pdfDocument = new()) {
            Page page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4);

            DXFont textFont = new("Arial", 12);

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

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

            TextBoxField loginField = new("Login");
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(loginField);
            RectangleF loginBounds = new(120, y - textHeight + 4, 220, textHeight); 
            TextBoxWidgetAnnotation loginWidget = new(loginField) { Bounds = loginBounds };
            page.Annotations.Add(loginWidget);
            y -= step;
        }
    }
}

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf
Imports DevExpress.Drawing

Namespace ConsoleApp1

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

            Dim textFont As New DXFont("Arial", 12)

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

            Dim loginLabel As New TextFragment() With {
                .Text = "Login:",
                .Location = New PointF(50, y - textHeight / 2),
                .Font = textFont
            }
            page.Fragments.Add(loginLabel)

            Dim loginField As New TextBoxField("Login")
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(loginField)
            Dim loginBounds As New RectangleF(120, y - textHeight + 4, 220, textHeight)
            Dim loginWidget As New TextBoxWidgetAnnotation(loginField) With {.Bounds = loginBounds}
            page.Annotations.Add(loginWidget)
            y -= [step]
        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;

namespace ConsoleApp1;

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

            float y = 750;
            float textHeight = 20f;

            CheckBoxField agreeField = new("AgreeToTerms"); 
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(agreeField);
            RectangleF agreeBounds = new(50, y - textHeight + 6, 18, 18);
            CheckBoxWidgetAnnotation agreeWidget = new(agreeField) { Bounds = agreeBounds };
            page.Annotations.Add(agreeWidget);
            y -= step;

            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

Namespace ConsoleApp1

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

            Dim y As Single = 750
            Dim textHeight As Single = 20.0F

            Dim agreeField As New CheckBoxField("AgreeToTerms")
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(agreeField)
            Dim agreeBounds As New RectangleF(50, y - textHeight + 6, 18, 18)
            Dim agreeWidget As New CheckBoxWidgetAnnotation(agreeField) With {.Bounds = agreeBounds}
            page.Annotations.Add(agreeWidget)

            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;

namespace ConsoleApp1;

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

            float y = 750;
            float textHeight = 20f;

            RadioGroupField radioGroupField = new("radioGroup");
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(radioGroupField);

            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);

            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);


            RectangleF radioBounds3 = new(50, y - textHeight + 6, 18, 18);
            RadioGroupItemWidgetAnnotation radioGroupItem3 = new(radioGroupField, "Option3", radioBounds3);
            page.Annotations.Add(radioGroupItem3);
            y -= step;

            radioGroupField.Value = "Option3";

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

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf
Imports DevExpress.Drawing

Namespace ConsoleApp1

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

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

            Dim radioGroupField As New RadioGroupField("radioGroup")
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(radioGroupField)

            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)

            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)

            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]

            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)

        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;

namespace ConsoleApp1;

public class Program {
    public static async Task Main(string[] _) {
        using (DevExpress.Docs.Pdf.PdfDocument pdfDocument = new()) {
            Page page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4);

            ListBoxField listBoxField = new("listBox");

            listBoxField.Items.Add(new ChoiceFieldItem("Option #1"));
            listBoxField.Items.Add(new ChoiceFieldItem("Option #2"));
            listBoxField.Items.Add(new ChoiceFieldItem("Option #3"));


            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(listBoxField);

            ListBoxWidgetAnnotation listBoxWidget = new(listBoxField) { Bounds = new RectangleF(20, 620, 100, 200) };
            listBoxWidget.BackgroundColor = Color.White;
            listBoxWidget.BorderColor = Color.Red;

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

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf
Imports DevExpress.Drawing

Namespace ConsoleApp1

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

            Dim listBoxField As New ListBoxField("listBox")

            listBoxField.Items.Add(New ChoiceFieldItem("Option #1"))
            listBoxField.Items.Add(New ChoiceFieldItem("Option #2"))
            listBoxField.Items.Add(New ChoiceFieldItem("Option #3"))

            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(listBoxField)

            Dim listBoxWidget As New ListBoxWidgetAnnotation(listBoxField) With {
                .Bounds = New RectangleF(20, 620, 100, 200)
            }
            listBoxWidget.BackgroundColor = Color.White
            listBoxWidget.BorderColor = Color.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;

namespace ConsoleApp1;

public class Program {
    public static async Task Main(string[] _) {
        using (DevExpress.Docs.Pdf.PdfDocument pdfDocument = new()) {
            Page page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4);

            ComboBoxField comboBoxField = new("comboBox");
            comboBoxField.Items.Add(new ChoiceFieldItem("Option #1"));
            comboBoxField.Items.Add(new ChoiceFieldItem("Option #2"));
            comboBoxField.Items.Add(new ChoiceFieldItem("Option #3"));
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(comboBoxField);
            comboBoxField.Value = "Option #2";

            ComboBoxWidgetAnnotation comboBoxWidget = new(comboBoxField) { Bounds = new RectangleF(20, 700, 100, 30) };
            page.Annotations.Add(comboBoxWidget);
        }
    }
}

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf
Imports DevExpress.Drawing

Namespace ConsoleApp1

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

            Dim comboBoxField As New ComboBoxField("comboBox")
            comboBoxField.Items.Add(New ChoiceFieldItem("Option #1"))
            comboBoxField.Items.Add(New ChoiceFieldItem("Option #2"))
            comboBoxField.Items.Add(New ChoiceFieldItem("Option #3"))
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(comboBoxField)
            comboBoxField.Value = "Option #2"

            Dim comboBoxWidget As New ComboBoxWidgetAnnotation(comboBoxField) With {
                .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;

namespace ConsoleApp1;

public class Program {
    public static async Task Main(string[] _) {
        using (DevExpress.Docs.Pdf.PdfDocument pdfDocument = new()) {
            Page page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4);

            SignatureField signatureField = new("signature");
            signatureField.ShowDate = true;
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(signatureField);

            SignatureWidgetAnnotation signatureWidget = new SignatureWidgetAnnotation(signatureField) { Bounds = new RectangleF(20, 400, 100, 100) };
            signatureWidget.BorderColor = Color.Black;

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

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf
Imports DevExpress.Drawing

Namespace ConsoleApp1

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

            Dim signatureField As New SignatureField("signature")
            signatureField.ShowDate = True
            pdfDocument.Fields.Add(signatureField)

            Dim signatureWidget As New SignatureWidgetAnnotation(signatureField) With {
                .Bounds = New RectangleF(20, 400, 100, 100)
            }
            signatureWidget.BorderColor = Color.Black

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

VB.NET

Imports DevExpress.Docs.Pdf

pdfDocument.Export(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 Form Fields

Flattening removes form field interactivity and converts field values to regular content, such as text, images, and shapes. This operation cannot be undone, so save the flattened document under a different name.

You can call the Flatten method to flatten an entire form. This method also returns a collection of form fields that have been flattened.

C#

var fields = pdfDocument.Fields.Flatten();

VB.NET

Dim fields = pdfDocument.Fields.Flatten()

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 (PdfDocument pdfDocument = new()) {

        Page page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4);

        DXFont textFont = new("Arial", 12);

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

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

        TextBoxField firstNField = new("FirstName");
        RectangleF firstNBounds = new(120, y - textHeight + 4, 220, textHeight);
        TextBoxWidgetAnnotation firstNWidget = new(firstNField) { Bounds = firstNBounds };
        page.Annotations.Add(firstNWidget);
        y -= step;

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

        TextBoxField lastNField = new("LastName");
        RectangleF lastNBounds = new(120, y - textHeight + 4, 220, textHeight);
        TextBoxWidgetAnnotation lastNWidget = new(lastNField) { Bounds = lastNBounds };
        page.Annotations.Add(lastNWidget);
        y -= step;

        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

Using pdfDocument As New PdfDocument()

    Dim page As Page = pdfDocument.Pages.Add(DXPaperKind.A4)

    Dim textFont As New DXFont("Arial", 12)

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

    Dim firstNLabel As New TextFragment() With {
        .Text = "First name:",
        .Location = New PointF(50, y - textHeight / 2),
        .Font = textFont
    }
    page.Fragments.Add(firstNLabel)

    Dim firstNField As New TextBoxField("FirstName")
    Dim firstNBounds As New RectangleF(120, y - textHeight + 4, 220, textHeight)
    Dim firstNWidget As New TextBoxWidgetAnnotation(firstNField) With {.Bounds = firstNBounds}
    page.Annotations.Add(firstNWidget)
    y -= [step]

    Dim lastNLabel As New TextFragment() With {
        .Text = "Last name:",
        .Location = New PointF(50, y - textHeight / 2),
        .Font = textFont
    }
    page.Fragments.Add(lastNLabel)

    Dim lastNField As New TextBoxField("LastName")
    Dim lastNBounds As New RectangleF(120, y - textHeight + 4, 220, textHeight)
    Dim lastNWidget As New TextBoxWidgetAnnotation(lastNField) With {.Bounds = lastNBounds}
    page.Annotations.Add(lastNWidget)
    y -= [step]

    Dim groupField As New GroupField("Group")
    groupField.Kids.Add(firstNField)
    groupField.Kids.Add(lastNField)
    pdfDocument.Fields.Add(groupField)
End Using

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")