PSPDFKit 5.1 for Android

Today we’re launching PSPDFKit 5.1 for Android, our first large update to the fifth generation of PSPDFKit for Android. This release features a new free-form redaction tool, a fully AndroidX-compatible codebase, and many improvements to existing features and APIs. This blog post outlines the biggest improvements in this release. For a full list of changes, head over to our changelog for PSPDFKit 5.1 for Android.

Free-Form Redaction

In version 5, we introduced the all-new Redaction component, which enables secure and irreversible removal of text from PDF documents. With 5.1, we’re extending this tool’s functionality with support for content other than text — this includes images, paths/vector drawings, annotations, and form fields. Images and paths on a document page that are beneath a redaction annotation will only be redacted in the area that intersects with the redaction annotation, leaving the non-intersecting part of the content intact. Annotations and form fields will be completely removed if they intersect with a redaction annotation at any point.

To achieve this, we expanded the redaction annotation creation tool to be able to create rectangular shapes anywhere on the page. These mark-up behaviors are combined into the single, already existing, redaction annotation tool. Depending on where you start the selection gesture, the tool automatically decides if a rectangular area or text should be marked for redaction since it contains all functionality in a single tool.

AndroidX

After ensuring full Jetifier compatibility with PSPDFKit 5 for Android, we took the next step and migrated our entire framework codebase to the newer AndroidX libraries. This is a response to a popular customer demand, as most of our users already switched to AndroidX too. In order to make sure your app is fully prepared for the AndroidX upgrade, you can find the suggested migration steps in our PSPDFKit 5.1 for Android migration guide.

Empty PdfActivity

With PSPDFKit 5.1 for Android, we’re adding support for launching empty PdfActivity instances. Where previously it was only possible to launch a PdfActivity when loading a document right away, our new APIs allow launching of empty activities for loading documents in a second step. This feature is especially useful when handling multiple documents inside a single activity — for example, when using document tabs.

Launching PdfActivity empty is as simple as using the new emptyActivity() intent factory:

// Creates an intent for launching PdfActivity without a document.
val intent = PdfActivityIntentBuilder.emptyActivity(context).build()

// Creates an intent for launching PdfActivity without a document.
Intent intent = PdfActivityIntentBuilder.emptyActivity(context).build();

And More

• With PSPDFKit 5.1, we’re also updating PSPDFKit Instant and adding support for image annotations, which can now be synchronized in real time between Android, iOS, and Web.

• By popular demand, we added additional options to our SignaturePickerFragment. Using the new SignaturePickerFragment.Options, it is now possible to change saving strategies for new signatures, tweak the UI, and swap out entire signature stores for multi-user apps.

As always, this is just a sneak peek of the enhancements we added to this release. To see a complete list of changes, check out the PSPDFKit 5.1 for Android changelog.