Merge FDF data into a PDF file using PHP

Question

Is it possible to merge FDF data with a PDF file using PHP alone? Or is there no option but to use a 3rd party command line tool to achieve this?

If that is the cas

Answer 1

There is another way to day that not using passthru nor pdftk but just a script made in 2004 but still working well : forge_fdf

it helps you to build a fdf that you can incoporate straithly in your pdf, it means that you

Save this in a php file, let's say generatePdf.php

require_once('forge_fdf.php');  

// leave this blank if we're associating the FDF w/ the PDF via URL
$pdf_form_url= "";


// default data; these two arrays must ultimately list all of the fields
// you desire to alter, even if you just want to set the 'hidden' flag;
//
//
$fdf_data_names= array(); // none of these in this example
$fdf_data_strings= array(); // none of these in this example

$fdf_data_strings['email']=mb_strtolower($row_delivreur['firstname']).'.'.mb_strtolower($row_delivreur['lastname']).'@gmail.com';

$fields_hidden= array();
$fields_readonly= array();

// set this to retry the previous state
$retry_b= false;

header( 'content-type: application/vnd.fdf' );

echo forge_fdf( $pdf_form_url,
        $fdf_data_strings, 
        $fdf_data_names,
        $fields_hidden,
        $fields_readonly );

Making a link to Pathtoyourpdf/nameofpdffile.pdf#FDF=generatePdf.php will open your PDF file in browser (alternatively there is a way to save it to disk i think i remember) and the field email will be filled with data from MYSQL : mb_strtolower($row_delivreur['firstname']).'.'.mb_strtolower($row_delivreur['lastname']).'@gmail.com'

It works with checkboxes, radio button,... It opens well in firefox, it has to be tested with other browsers.

More infos on PDF HACKS