pdf-form-filler

What this skill does

# 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": "[email protected]",
        "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": "[email protected]",
        "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.