Proposal: Add XFA Support to jsPDF

[JDziurlaj]

This proposal requests the addition of XML Forms Architecture (XFA) support to jsPDF.

XFA is an XML-based forms language carried within the PDF’s AcroForms dictionary, beginning with PDF 1.5. XFA documents are widely used in government, banking, legal, and other regulated domains that require advanced forms processing. Support for XFA has become more relevant as client-side rendering tools evolve; for example, pdf.js now implements XFA, which makes browser-based XFA workflows feasible. Aligning jsPDF with this capability would open new use cases where XFA forms are generated, embedded, or manipulated directly in JavaScript applications.

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Proposed Approach

Extend the existing AcroForms module with a new function:

addXFA(XFAPayload, needsRendering) → { jsPDF }

• XFAPayload
  May be either:

  • A stream containing the complete XML Data Package, or
  • An array of text string/stream pairs corresponding to the discrete packets comprising the XML Data Package (see PDF 1.7, §8.6, p. 673).

• needsRendering
  Boolean flag that sets the NeedRendering entry in the Catalog dictionary. When true, this usually indicates a dynamic XFA form requiring client rendering logic. (see PDF 1.7, §3.6, p. 142).

No further architectural changes are necessary. The AcroForms mechanism remains fully supported within an XFA-enabled PDF. The AcroForms content in such files continues to act as a “fallback” for viewers that lack XFA processing capability.

See also PDF 1.7, §8.6.7 (pp. 722-724)

[AnkitForge]

hey @JDziurlaj ,
I’d like to work on this feature. Could you provide guidance on where in the codebase the AcroForms module is implemented so I can explore adding XFA support?

[JDziurlaj]

Have you looked here? Look for sections referencing the AcroFormDictionary. NB: I am not a maintainer of this project.

[pranjalarora98]

@JDziurlaj can you please assign me this issue? I would like to actively working and contribute on it