GroupDocs.Annotation 24.5.0

.NET API for Document Annotation

GroupDocs.Annotation for .NET is an on-premise API that integrates advanced document annotation capabilities into .NET applications. With support for 35+ file formats including PDF, Word, Excel, and images, it allows developers to add, edit, and remove annotations across multiple platforms (Windows, Linux, Mac). It offers features such as text, image, QR-code, and metadata annotations, along with collaboration options like comments and replies. Advanced features include document redaction, text replacement, and distance measurement. Additionally, the API supports cloud integration with Amazon S3, Azure, and FTP, making it a flexible solution for document management.

Features Overview

• Cross-Platform Annotation: Add annotations to various formats (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images) across Windows, Mac, and Linux environments.
• Multi-Annotation Support: Supports over 13 different annotation types for 35+ file formats, including text, graphic, and watermark annotations.
• Collaborative Commenting: Add, remove, or reply to comments for any annotation type, facilitating collaborative document reviews.
• Document Preview Generation: Create document page previews or thumbnails to ensure accurate annotation placement.
• Annotation Caching: Use caching solutions like Amazon S3, Dropbox, and Redis to store annotation results for high-performance applications.

Annotation Types

• Text Signatures: Add customizable text-based signatures to documents in multiple styles (highlight, strikeout, underline).
• Image Signatures: Embed images as annotations, allowing rotation, color adjustments, and transparency settings.
• Digital Signatures: Add and verify cryptographically secure digital signatures with support for PDFs and other formats.
• QR-Code & Barcode Signatures: Apply QR-code and barcode annotations with custom encoding and style options.
• Metadata Signatures: Embed metadata into documents as hidden signatures for enhanced tracking and document management.
• Stamp Signatures: Add round or rectangular stamps with customizable text, shape, and color settings.

Advanced Annotation Features

• Redaction Annotations: Redact sensitive information by covering it with black boxes, ensuring privacy in documents.
• Replacement Annotation: Replace specific document text with new text, a powerful feature for document editing.
• Distance & Measurement Annotations: Measure distances between objects or areas within the document.
• ZIndex Control: Adjust the Z-index to place image annotations above or below text for enhanced document control.

Document Management

• Metadata Extraction: Retrieve detailed metadata from documents, including file type, page count, and document dimensions.
• Search & Filter Annotations: Search for specific annotation types or keywords across large document sets.
• Version Control for Annotated Documents: Track changes and version histories for documents that have undergone multiple annotations.

Cloud Integration

• Amazon S3 & Azure Blob Integration: Load and save annotated documents directly from cloud storage, including Amazon S3 and Azure Blob Storage.
• FTP & Web URL Support: Load documents from FTP servers or web URLs for easier access to remote documents.

Collaboration & Exporting

• Export to Original Format: Annotated documents can be saved in their original format (PDF, Word, etc.) without losing annotations.
• Commenting System: Supports collaboration by allowing teams to add replies to annotations or remove comments.
• Import & Export Annotations: Easily import annotations from other software or export them for further use.

Customization & Flexibility

• Custom Font Support: Load and apply custom fonts for text annotations, ensuring consistency across corporate branding.
• Annotation Filters: Save only the annotated pages or filter specific annotation types when saving documents.
• Set Image Quality & Resolution: Adjust the resolution and quality of image-based annotations for detailed previews.

Supported Document Formats

Supported Annotation Types

System Requirements

GroupDocs.Annotation for .NET requires no external software. Follow the instructions in the Development Environment, Installation, and Configuration sections.

Supported Operating Systems

GroupDocs.Annotation for .NET supports any 32-bit or 64-bit OS with .NET or .NET Core, including:

• Windows: Windows 2003 and later, Vista, XP, 7, 8, 8.1, 10 (x64, x86)
• Linux: Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, CentOS, and others
• Mac: macOS

Supported Frameworks

• .NET Core: 3.1
• .NET Standard: 2.1
• .NET Frameworks:
  • 2.0, 3.5 (until v22.5)
  • 4.0, 4.5.x, 4.6.x, 4.7.x, 4.8

Development Environments

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and later
• Microsoft Visual Studio for Mac
• JetBrains Rider

Installation

Add GroupDocs.Annotation to your .NET project via NuGet or download DLLs from GroupDocs.

Install via NuGet

NuGet Package Manager

• Open Solution Explorer in Visual Studio, right-click your project, and select Manage NuGet Packages.
• Search for "GroupDocs.Annotation" and click Install.

Package Manager Console

• Open Package Manager Console in Visual Studio.
• Run:

  Install-Package GroupDocs.Annotation
  

.NET CLI

• Run the following command in your project folder:

  dotnet add package GroupDocs.Annotation
  

Download from Website

Download assemblies from GroupDocs Releases, then add the DLL reference manually via Add Reference in Visual Studio.

The code snippets I provided are based on common annotation API practices and designed to highlight sellable features like adding annotations, extracting them, and text replacement, but they are not directly extracted from your document. Some elements were inferred from typical use cases of annotation libraries.

Add a Highlight Annotation to PDF

Easily add a highlight annotation to emphasize text in a PDF document, enhancing document review and collaboration.

// Adding a highlight annotation to a PDF document
using (Annotator annotator = new Annotator("input.pdf"))
{
    HighlightAnnotation highlight = new HighlightAnnotation
    {
        BackgroundColor = 65535, // Yellow background
        CreatedOn = DateTime.Now,
        FontColor = 0, // Black text
        Message = "This is a highlight annotation",
        Opacity = 0.5, // 50% transparency
        PageNumber = 0,
        Points = new List<Point>
        {
            new Point(80, 730), new Point(240, 730), // Coordinates for the highlight box
            new Point(80, 650), new Point(240, 650)
        },
        Replies = new List<Reply> // Add comments/replies to the annotation
        {
            new Reply { Comment = "First comment", RepliedOn = DateTime.Now },
            new Reply { Comment = "Second comment", RepliedOn = DateTime.Now }
        }
    };
    annotator.Add(highlight);
    annotator.Save("result.pdf");
}

Extract Annotations from a Document and Save as XML

Extract all annotations from a document and serialize them into an XML file for further processing or sharing.

// Extracting annotations from a document and saving them as XML
using (Annotator annotator = new Annotator("annotated.pdf"))
{
    List<AnnotationBase> annotations = annotator.Get();
    XmlSerializer formatter = new XmlSerializer(typeof(List<AnnotationBase>));
    using (FileStream fs = new FileStream("annotations.xml", FileMode.Create))
    {
        fs.SetLength(0); // Clear the file before writing
        formatter.Serialize(fs, annotations); // Serialize annotations to XML format
    }
}

Add a Replacement Text Annotation

Replace original text in a document with custom content using a replacement text annotation, ideal for document editing workflows.

// Adding a replacement annotation to replace text in a document
using (Annotator annotator = new Annotator("input.pdf"))
{
    ReplacementAnnotation replacement = new ReplacementAnnotation
    {
        CreatedOn = DateTime.Now,
        FontColor = 65535, // Yellow text color
        Message = "This is a replacement annotation",
        Opacity = 0.7, // Slight transparency
        PageNumber = 0,
        FontSize = 11,
        Points = new List<Point>
        {
            new Point(80, 730), new Point(240, 730),
            new Point(80, 650), new Point(240, 650)
        },
        TextToReplace = "Original text replaced" // Text to be replaced
    };
    annotator.Add(replacement);
    annotator.Save("result.pdf");
}

Tags

Document Annotation API | Cross-Platform Annotation | GroupDocs.Annotation | PDF Annotation | Word Annotation | Excel Annotation | PowerPoint Annotation | Image Annotation | Digital Signatures | QR-Code Signatures | Metadata Signatures | Stamp Signatures | Redaction Annotations | Replacement Annotations | Distance Measurement | Document Preview | Annotation Caching | Amazon S3 Integration | Azure Blob Storage Integration | FTP Support | Web URL Support | Commenting System | Annotation Collaboration | Custom Font Support | Annotation Filters | Image Quality Control | Version Control for Annotations