4D Write Pro : PDF/A Format Is Now Available For Export!

The PDF format is now a classic and has been available for exporting 4D Write Pro documents for several versions. The PDF/A format is available optionally while exporting 4D Write pro document to PDF from 4D v20 R3 and will open the door to other possibilities, such as electronic invoicing in the near future. But before that, let’s focus on PDF/A and its differences (positive or negative) from the conventional PDF format.

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PDF, a historical format

The PDF format was created in the 90s and has continued to evolve over time to ensure greater portability and richer content thanks to the support of images and even videos, enterable parts, automatic calculations (sums, etc.), indexing, metadata, etc. (see Wikipedia for more info).

PDF/A, an evolution of PDF?

Yes and no. The PDF/A format is primarily intended for document archiving to guarantee their reliability and readability for decades to come. To this end, they differ from simple PDFs in a number of restrictions and constraints. For example, audio or video content is prohibited, all fonts must be embedded, and references to external documents are forbidden.

The format is available in several ISO-standardized versions to broaden the possibilities. For example, PDF/A-2 supports JPEG 2000 and OpenType fonts. PDF/A-3 allows the integration of arbitrary external files, such as CSV or XML, that will be used later for electronic invoicing (see also Wikipedia for more info).

Please note

Because of the constraints described above, PDF/A files are generally larger and take slightly longer to generate. Because of the same technical limitations, it may also be visually less “identical” to the original documents. On the other hand, they offer different and specific uses that can be adapted to your needs.

So you see, PDF/A is neither better nor worse than PDF. They are two similar yet different formats. It’s an export choice that’s yours to make.

Note also that the file extension of a PDF/A file remains .pdf! So, the difference between a PDF and a PDF/A may not be immediately evident!

PDF/A AND 4D

4D’s ability to export 4D Write Pro documents in PDF/A format can be accessed – as usual – either via the interface or by programming. Both options are equally straightforward, and the most recent formats (PDF/A-2 or PDF/A-3) can be used. Apart from the internal signature, the main difference between these two formats is that PDF/A3 supports including external documents, which will be useful in the future!

The interface

The PDF export dialog now includes an option, with two sub-options, to export in PDF/A format.

The programming

Exporting PDFs in PDF/A format is just as easy. Just specify it in the export options.

$options:={}
$options[wk pdfa version]:=wk pdfa3
WP EXPORT DOCUMENT(WParea; $path; wk pdf; $options)

Opening and validating

Once generated, PDF/A files can be opened with applications such as Adobe Acrobat Reader. The latter will automatically detect the format and show some details.

Generated files can also be validated online by official websites such as verapdf (https://demo.verapdf.org/)

Conclusion

This new option, available from 4D v20 R3, allows you to use the PDF archiving standard, opens the door to the future, and enables you to generate electronic invoices soon! Stay tuned!