SDK Operations

The sdk.IDocumentModel interface is the central hub for all document interactions. It combines state properties, core lifecycle operations, and a comprehensive set of editing commands.

Accessing the Document Model

When you open a document using PdfSdk.openDocument or PdfSdk.openBlankDocument, you receive an instance of IDocumentModel.

const document = await PdfSdk.openDocument({ file });
// document implements IDocumentModel

Optional open parameters include password, readOnly and path — the host-app file path of the document. The path is stored on the session (document.filePath) and is what the UI's Save writes back to, so the host can keep the document in its original location.

Core Operations

Document Information

Retrieve basic metadata and status information.

console.log(`Title: ${document.title}`);
console.log(`Pages: ${document.getNumPages()}`);
console.log(`Modified: ${document.isModified}`);

Method	Description
sdk.IDocumentModel.getNumPages	Returns the total number of pages.
sdk.IDocumentModel.getPage	Retrieves a specific `PageModel` by index.
sdk.IDocumentModel.getPages	Returns an array of all `PageModel` objects.
sdk.IDocumentModel.changeDocName	Renames the document instance in memory.
sdk.IDocumentModel.dispose	Releases resources associated with the document.

Saving & Exporting

Export the document to various formats.

// Export as a Blob
const blob = await document.exportDocument({ as: 'blob' });

// Export as a File
const file = await document.exportDocument({ as: 'file', name: 'output.pdf' });

After persisting an export yourself (headless save flow), you can mark the document as saved: sdk.IDocumentModel.clearDocumentHistory clears the undo/redo history so isModified/hasUndo reset, and document.filePath can be updated to the new location.

Page Operations

Manage the structure of the document by adding, removing, or modifying pages.

// Set the rotation of the first page to 90 degrees (page numbers are 1-based)
await document.rotatePages({
  range: [1],
  angle: 90,
});

// Delete the second page
await document.deletePages({
  range: [2],
});

Method	Description
sdk.IDocumentModel.deletePages	Removes specified pages from the document.
sdk.IDocumentModel.rotatePages	Sets the rotation of specified pages (0/90/180/270).
sdk.IDocumentModel.movePages	Moves pages to a new location within the document.
sdk.IDocumentModel.insertPagesFromFile	Inserts pages from another PDF file.
sdk.IDocumentModel.insertBlankPages	Inserts new blank pages.
sdk.IDocumentModel.insertDuplicatePages	Duplicates existing pages.
sdk.IDocumentModel.resizePages	Changes the dimensions of specified pages.
sdk.IDocumentModel.reversePage	Reverses the order of pages in a range.
sdk.IDocumentModel.replaceWithBlankPages	Replaces content of specified pages with blank pages.
sdk.IDocumentModel.replaceWithDuplicatePages	Replaces pages with duplicates of other pages.
sdk.IDocumentModel.replaceWithPagesFromFile	Replaces pages with content from another PDF.
sdk.IDocumentModel.changePagesBackground	Sets a background color or image for pages.
sdk.IDocumentModel.changePagesMargin	Adjusts the margins of specified pages.

Annotation Management

Create, modify, and remove annotations (comments, shapes, stamps).

// Add a sticky note (a PDF Text annotation) — AnnotsTypes is exported from '@avanquest/pdf-web-viewer/sdk'
await document.createAnnotation({
  pageIndex: 0,
  params: {
    T: AnnotsTypes.TEXT,
    rect: [100, 100, 150, 150],
    contents: 'Please review',
  },
});

Method	Description
sdk.IDocumentModel.createAnnotation	Creates a new annotation (sticky note, shape, ink, stamp, etc.).
sdk.IDocumentModel.deleteAnnotations	Removes existing annotations.
sdk.IDocumentModel.changeAnnotationProperties	Updates properties like color, opacity, or content.
sdk.IDocumentModel.whiteoutPage	Redacts a region of the page (permanently removes content).
sdk.IDocumentModel.createWidgetAnnotation	Creates form fields or other widget annotations.
sdk.IDocumentModel.autoOrderAnnotation	Automatically reorders annotations based on position.
sdk.IDocumentModel.changeAnnotOrder	Changes the Z-order of an annotation.
sdk.IDocumentModel.orderAnnotation	Moves an annotation to a specific index in the order.
sdk.IDocumentModel.canChangeAnnotZOrder	Checks if annotation Z-order can be changed.

Content Editing

Modify the actual content of the PDF, including text and images.

Text Operations

Method	Description
sdk.IDocumentModel.replaceText	Finds and replaces text strings.
sdk.IDocumentModel.createTextBlock	Adds new text to the page.
sdk.IDocumentModel.deleteTextBlocks	Removes text blocks.
sdk.IDocumentModel.editPageText	Edits existing text content.
sdk.IDocumentModel.editTextParagraphs	Edits text at the paragraph level.
sdk.IDocumentModel.insertChar	Inserts a single character.
sdk.IDocumentModel.transformTextBlock	Moves, scales, or rotates a text block.
sdk.IDocumentModel.changeFontAttributes	Changes font family, size, style, color, and highlight / strikeout / underline colors.
sdk.IDocumentModel.changeListStyle	Modifies list formatting (bullets, numbering).
sdk.IDocumentModel.changeParaAttrs	Modifies paragraph attributes (alignment, etc).
sdk.IDocumentModel.getTextAsTable	Extracts text content structured as a table.
sdk.IDocumentModel.canChangeTextBlockZOrder	Checks if text block Z-order can be changed.

Object & Image Operations

Method	Description
sdk.IDocumentModel.insertImageContentElement	Inserts an image file onto a page.
sdk.IDocumentModel.cropImage	Crops an image element on the page.
sdk.IDocumentModel.deleteContentElements	Removes specific content objects (images, text).
sdk.IDocumentModel.copyContentElement	Copies an element to the clipboard.
sdk.IDocumentModel.pasteContentElement	Pastes an element from the clipboard.
sdk.IDocumentModel.copyTextBlock	Copies a text block to the clipboard.
sdk.IDocumentModel.pasteTextBlock	Pastes a text block from the clipboard.
sdk.IDocumentModel.changeElementMatrix	Applies a transformation matrix to an element.
sdk.IDocumentModel.changeElementOrder	Changes the Z-order of content elements.
sdk.IDocumentModel.createClip	Creates a clipping path.
sdk.IDocumentModel.deleteClip	Removes a clipping path.
sdk.IDocumentModel.transformClip	Transforms a clipping path.
sdk.IDocumentModel.transformContent	Transforms generic content elements.
sdk.IDocumentModel.canChangeElementZOrder	Checks if element Z-order can be changed.

Forms & Signatures

Handle interactive forms and digital signatures.

// Fill a form field
await document.changeAcroformValue({
  field: 'ClientName',
  value: 'John Doe',
});

Method	Description
sdk.IDocumentModel.fillSignCreate	Creates a Fill & Sign field.
sdk.IDocumentModel.fillSignDelete	Deletes a Fill & Sign field.
sdk.IDocumentModel.fillSignUpdate	Updates a Fill & Sign field.
sdk.IDocumentModel.importAcroformsFdfData	Imports form data from an FDF file.
sdk.IDocumentModel.changeAcroformValue	Sets the value of a form field.
sdk.IDocumentModel.resetAcroformsFdfData	Resets form fields to their default values.
sdk.IDocumentModel.exportAcroformsFdfData	Exports form data.
sdk.IDocumentModel.exportFillSignAsset	Exports a Fill & Sign asset (signature/initials).
sdk.IDocumentModel.isESignAllowed	Checks if the document allows e-signing.

Page Features

Add headers, footers, watermarks, and page numbers.

// Add "Page 1 of n" numbers at the bottom center of every page
await document.insertPageNumber({
  font: { family: 'Arial', size: 12, color: '#000000', style: EFontStyle.REGULAR },
  format: 'Page %1% of %2%',
  position: 4, // bottom center
  range: [`1-${document.getNumPages()}`],
});

Method	Description
sdk.IDocumentModel.insertHeader	Adds a header to specified pages.
sdk.IDocumentModel.deleteHeader	Removes headers.
sdk.IDocumentModel.insertPageNumber	Adds automatic page numbering.
sdk.IDocumentModel.deletePageNumber	Removes page numbering.
sdk.IDocumentModel.insertWatermark	Adds a text or image watermark.
sdk.IDocumentModel.deleteWatermark	Removes watermarks.
sdk.IDocumentModel.insertBatesNumbering	Applies Bates numbering for legal documents.
sdk.IDocumentModel.deleteBatesNumbering	Removes Bates numbering.

Organization

Manage bookmarks, attachments, and layers.

// Add a bookmark
await document.addBookmark({
  title: 'Section 1',
  pageIndex: 0,
  parentIndex: [],
});

Method	Description
sdk.IDocumentModel.addBookmark	Adds a new bookmark to the outline.
sdk.IDocumentModel.bookmarkAddBefore	Adds a bookmark before a specific node.
sdk.IDocumentModel.bookmarkAddAfter	Adds a bookmark after a specific node.
sdk.IDocumentModel.bookmarkAddChild	Adds a child bookmark.
sdk.IDocumentModel.deleteBookmark	Removes a bookmark.
sdk.IDocumentModel.deleteAllBookmarks	Removes all bookmarks.
sdk.IDocumentModel.moveBookmark	Repositions a bookmark in the hierarchy.
sdk.IDocumentModel.patchBookmark	Updates bookmark properties.
sdk.IDocumentModel.addAttachment	Attaches a file to the PDF.
sdk.IDocumentModel.deleteAttachment	Removes an attachment.
sdk.IDocumentModel.saveAttachment	Saves an attachment to a file.
sdk.IDocumentModel.exportAttachment	Exports a specific attachment.
sdk.IDocumentModel.exportAllAttachments	Exports all attachments.
sdk.IDocumentModel.setOCGroupState	Controls the visibility of Optional Content Groups (Layers).
sdk.IDocumentModel.updateLayerStates	Updates the state of multiple layers.

Claims

A claim names an operation the document went through — 'Ocr', 'Create.CombineFiles', 'Edit.Optimize.ReduceFileSize'. listDocumentClaims() returns all of them for a document, and the viewer passes the same list to every save and export callback, so a host can see what was done to the file it receives.

The list is ordered oldest first — what the file brought with it, then what happened to it since, then the operation that produced it if it is an artefact — and deduplicated on first occurrence. Sort it yourself if you need a canonical form to compare or hash.

const claims = await document.listDocumentClaims();
console.log('Operations applied:', claims); // ['Edit.Text.Modify', 'Pages.Rotate']

The list describes this document's bytes — not everything that happened in the session:

an operation that changes the document (rotate, edit text, watermark, redact) lands here;
an operation that produces a separate file (compress, sanitize, split, extract, OCR, convert) does not: the open document is exactly as it was, so its claims are unchanged. The claim belongs to the file that came out, and every such method hands the two back together, so there is nothing to compose:
```
const { data, claims } = await document.compress(quality);
// claims: ['Edit.Text.Modify', 'Pages.Rotate', 'Edit.Optimize.ReduceFileSize']
```
a document derived from another — a merge result, a signed revision, a PDF built from a URL — inherits its sources' claims, so the chain survives the reopen instead of restarting from the empty ledger the core gives every file it opens. Seed it with openDocument({ file, claims }): that is the only way in, and it is fixed for the document's life, because everything the document goes through afterwards is the core's to record.

Security & Permissions

Manage document security and permissions.

// Unlock a password-protected document
await document.ownerAuthorization('password123');

Method	Description
sdk.IDocumentModel.listDocumentClaims	Returns every claim the document carries.
sdk.IDocumentModel.ownerAuthorization	Unlocks the document with an owner password.
sdk.IDocumentModel.setSecurityPermissions	Sets security permissions (requires owner access).
sdk.IDocumentModel.isOperationPermitted	Checks if a specific operation is allowed.
sdk.IDocumentModel.applyRedactions	Permanently applies redaction annotations.
sdk.IDocumentModel.changeDocumentProperties	Updates document metadata (Title, Author, etc.).

Data Extraction & Export

Extract content and data from the document.

Method	Description
sdk.IDocumentModel.extractImages	Extracts all images from the document.
sdk.IDocumentModel.extractImage	Extracts a specific image.
sdk.IDocumentModel.extractPages	Extracts pages as a new document.
sdk.IDocumentModel.exportComments	Exports annotations/comments.
sdk.IDocumentModel.documentExportStampAppearance	Exports the appearance of a stamp.
sdk.IDocumentModel.getMeasurementViewports	Retrieves measurement viewports.
sdk.IDocumentModel.createMeasurementCalibration	Calibrates measurement tools.

Optimization & Cleanup

Optimize the document for storage or distribution.

Method	Description
sdk.IDocumentModel.compress	Compresses the document to reduce file size.
sdk.IDocumentModel.sanitize	Removes sensitive information and metadata.
sdk.IDocumentModel.removeMetadata	Strips metadata from the document.

Undo / Redo

Manage the history of changes.

if (document.hasUndo) {
  await document.undo();
}

Method	Description
sdk.IDocumentModel.undo	Reverts the last action.
sdk.IDocumentModel.redo	Reapplies the last undone action.
sdk.IDocumentModel.changeDocumentHistory	Modifies the history stack directly.
sdk.IDocumentModel.doTransactionAsync	Groups multiple operations into a single transaction.

API Reference

Properties

Property	Type	Description
`id`	`string`	Unique identifier for the document instance.
`title`	`string`	The document title from metadata.
`author`	`string`	The document author.
`isModified`	`boolean`	`true` if the document has unsaved changes.
`isSigned`	`boolean`	`true` if the document contains digital signatures.
`security`	`IDocumentSecurity`	Security settings and permissions.
`undoRedoHistory`	`IDocumentHistory`	Information about the undo/redo stack.
`permissions`	`string`	Raw permissions string.
`bookmarks`	`PdfBookmark[]`	Document bookmarks structure.
`layers`	`PdfLayer[]`	List of optional content groups (layers).
`attachments`	`PdfAttachmentModel[]`	List of file attachments.

Events

Event	Type	Description
`onCommandExecuting`	`Observable`	Emits before a command runs.
`onCommandExecuted`	`Observable`	Emits after a command completes successfully.
`onCommandFailed`	`Observable`	Emits if a command throws an error.
`onIsModifiedChanged`	`Observable`	Emits when the modification state changes.
`onPagesChanged`	`Observable`	Emits when pages are added, removed, or moved.
`onUndoRedoChanged`	`Observable`	Emits when the history stack changes.
`onBookmarksChanged`	`Observable`	Emits when bookmarks are modified.

PDF Web SDK Documentation