Coldfusion PDF DDX problem.

Report · Jun 08, 2009

I have a problem when trying to add footers to the bottom of a PDF. It would seem that there might be a BUG in ADOBE's DDX processing;

When I try to add a footer on this particular document I get the following when I cfdump out the ddx variable:

failed: CCITTFaxDecode Filter

So this document has a fax image in it (not a real shocker) but why do we get these sort of problems?

Does anyone have a solution?

Report · Jun 09, 2009

Attached is a copy of the pdf in question

Report · Jun 17, 2009

It sounds like a bug. As a work-around, you can use iText instead of ddx to add footers. Here is an example that adds page x of y footers.

<cfscript>
pathToInputFile = ExpandPath("GDC.pdf");
pathToOutputFile = ExpandPath("GDC_Stamped.pdf");

    try {
        // create the footer font
        BaseFont = createObject("java", "com.lowagie.text.pdf.BaseFont");
        footerFont = BaseFont.createFont(BaseFont.HELVETICA, BaseFont.WINANSI, BaseFont.NOT_EMBEDDED);

        // read in the input file
        reader = createObject("java", "com.lowagie.text.pdf.PdfReader").init(pathToInputFile);
        totalPages = reader.getNumberOfPages();

        // create a stamper for modifying the pdf
        outStream = createObject("java", "java.io.FileOutputStream").init( pathToOutputFile );
        stamper = createObject("java", "com.lowagie.text.pdf.PdfStamper").init(reader, outStream);

        // for each page
        i = 0;
         while (i LT totalPages) {
            i = i + 1;
            // add page numbers to the overcontent layer
            over = stamper.getOverContent( javacast("int", i) );
            over.beginText();
            over.setFontAndSize(footerFont, javacast("float", 18) );
            over.setTextMatrix( javacast("float", 30), javacast("float", 30) );
            over.showText("Page " & i &" of "& totalPages);
            over.endText();
         }

        WriteOutput("Finished!");
    }
    catch (java.lang.Exception e) {
        savedErrorMessage = e;
        WriteOutput("Unable to create document "& e.message);
    }
    // closing PdfStamper will generate the new PDF file
    if (IsDefined("stamper")) {
        stamper.close();
    }
    if (IsDefined("outStream")) {
        outStream.close();
    }
</cfscript>