SDK Integration Guide

This guide explains how to integrate the PDF Web Viewer SDK (Headless Mode) into your application.

What is the SDK?

The PDF SDK is a headless (UI-less) version of PDF Web Viewer that allows you to perform PDF operations programmatically without rendering any user interface. It's perfect for:

Server-side PDF processing (Node.js)
Custom UI implementations
Batch processing and automation
Programmatic document manipulation
Backend document operations

Installation

npm install @avanquest/pdf-web-viewer

Required Assets

The SDK is designed to be lightweight. Unlike the full UI version, you only need to deploy a subset of the assets:

pwv-workers: Required. Contains the WebAssembly workers for PDF processing.
pwv-fonts: Required. Contains standard fonts for rendering.

Note: pwv-i18n (translations) and pwv-stamps (stamp images) are only required if you are using the UI component.

Usage Options

There are two ways to use the SDK:

Option 1: Via PdfEditor Result (Recommended)

When using PdfEditor, the SDK is automatically initialized and available via the sdk field:

import { PdfEditor } from '@avanquest/pdf-web-viewer';

/* Initialize with or without container */
const editor = await PdfEditor({
  license: 'YOUR_LICENSE_KEY',
  workerPath: '/assets/script/pdfworker.js',
});

/* SDK is already initialized - use directly */
const doc = await editor.sdk.openDocument({ file: pdfFile });
const fonts = await editor.sdk.listSystemFonts();
await editor.sdk.registerUserFonts(myFonts);

Option 2: Direct SDK Import

Import the SDK directly for standalone usage. You must call PdfSdk.initialize() before any operations:

import { PdfSdk } from '@avanquest/pdf-web-viewer/sdk';

/* Required: Initialize before using */
await PdfSdk.initialize({
  license: 'YOUR_LICENSE_KEY',
  workerPath: '/assets/script/pdfworker.js',
});

/* Now you can perform operations */
const doc = await PdfSdk.openDocument({ file: pdfFile });
const fonts = await PdfSdk.listSystemFonts();

SDK Methods

The SDK provides the following operations:

Method	Description
`initialize(options)`	Initialize the SDK (required when using direct import)
`openDocument(options)`	Open an existing PDF document
`openBlankDocument(options)`	Create and open a new blank document
`listSystemFonts()`	List all available system fonts
`registerUserFonts(fonts)`	Register custom user fonts