pdf-form-filler

# PDF Form Filler Programmatically fill PDF forms with text values and checkboxes. Uses pdfrw to set form field values while preserving appearance streams for proper PDF viewer rendering. ## Quick Start Fill a PDF form with a dictionary of field names and values: ```python from pdf_form_filler import fill_pdf_form fill_pdf_form( input_pdf="form.pdf", output_pdf="form_filled.pdf", data={ "Name": "John Doe", "Email": "john@example.com", "Herr": True, # Checkbox "Dienstreise": True, } ) ``` ## Features - **Text fields**: Set any text value (names, dates, addresses, etc.) - **Checkboxes**: Set boolean values (True for checked, False/None for unchecked) - **Appearance states**: Properly sets `/On` and `/Off` states for PDF viewer rendering - **Preserves structure**: Doesn't strip form functionality—can be further edited - **No dependencies**: Uses pdfrw (lightweight, pure Python) ## How It Works 1. Opens the PDF template 2. Iterates through form fields 3. Sets values for matching field names 4. Handles checkboxes by setting both `/V` (value) and `/AS` (appearance state) 5. Saves the filled PDF ## Field Name Matching Field names should match exactly as they appear in the PDF form. Common patterns: - German forms: `Herr`, `Frau`, `Dienstreise`, `Geschäftsnummer LfF` - English forms: `Full Name`, `Email`, `Agree`, `Submit` - Date fields: `Date`, `DOB`, `Start Date` To discover field names in your PDF, use `list_pdf_fields()`: ```python from pdf_form_filler import list_pdf_fields fields = list_pdf_fields("form.pdf") for field_name, field_type in fields: print(f"{field_name}: {field_type}") ``` Field types: - `text`: Text input field - `checkbox`: Boolean checkbox - `radio`: Radio button - `dropdown`: Dropdown select - `signature`: Signature field ## Example: Job Application Form ```python fill_pdf_form( input_pdf="job_application.pdf", output_pdf="job_application_filled.pdf", data={ "Full Name": "Jane Smith", "Email": "jane.smith@example.com", "Phone": "555-1234", "Position": "Software Engineer", "Years Experience": "5", # Checkboxes "Willing to relocate": True, "Available immediately": False, "Background check consent": True, } ) ``` ## Advanced Usage ### Partial fills Only fill specific fields, leave others blank: ```python data = {"Name": "Jane Doe"} # Only Name is set fill_pdf_form("form.pdf", "form_filled.pdf", data) ``` ### Dynamic field detection Get all fields and prompt for values: ```python from pdf_form_filler import list_pdf_fields fields = list_pdf_fields("form.pdf") data = {} for field_name, field_type in fields: if field_type == "text": data[field_name] = input(f"Enter {field_name}: ") elif field_type == "checkbox": data[field_name] = input(f"Check {field_name}? (y/n): ").lower() == 'y' fill_pdf_form("form.pdf", "form_filled.pdf", data) ``` ### Batch fills Fill multiple PDFs with the same data: ```python import os from pdf_form_filler import fill_pdf_form data = {"Name": "John Doe", "Date": "2026-01-24"} for filename in os.listdir("forms/"): if filename.endswith(".pdf"): fill_pdf_form( f"forms/{filename}", f"forms_filled/{filename}", data ) ``` ## Troubleshooting ### Checkboxes not showing visually Some PDF viewers don't render checkboxes immediately. The value is set correctly (`/On` or `/Off`), but appearance isn't regenerated. Try opening in: - Adobe Reader (will render automatically) - Firefox (has better form support) - evince or okular on Linux (usually works) ### Field names not found Use `list_pdf_fields()` to confirm exact field names. PDF forms can be tricky: - Some use unusual names (e.g., `Field_1` instead of descriptive names) - Some have nested field structures ### Text appears cut off Some PDFs have narrow text fields. Either: 1. Use shorter values 2. Reduce font size in the PDF template itself 3. Manual editing after filling ## Bundled Script See `scripts/fill_pdf_form.py` for the full implementation using pdfrw.