Integrating Electron with PDF.js Express

This guide will help you integrate a free trial of PDF.js Express into Electron applications on the browser. It will help you clone the Electron sample repository, walk through the project structure, and show you how to call other PDF.js Express APIs. Your free trial includes unlimited trial usage and support from solution engineers.

Get the Electron sample source code here

Prerequisites

• Node.js and npm

• Electron

• Platform specific prerequisites.

  Electron applications can be built for several platforms and each has its own prerequisites. Please ensure they are fulfilled for your required platform by referring to the electron.js documentation.

Initial setup

1. Clone the pdfjs-express-electron-sample repository:

   git clone https://github.com/pdfjs-express/pdfjs-express-electron-sample.git
   

2. Enter the directory and run npm install:

   cd pdfjs-express-electron-sample
   npm install
   

   This will automatically download and extract the PDF.js Express WebViewer Package.

You are now ready to run the sample or use more PDF.js Express APIs.

Sample overview

After initial setup, the pdfjs-express-electron-sample directory should be laid out like this:

pdfjs-express-electron-sample
├── LICENSE
├── package.json
├── README.md
├── node_modules
│   ├── ...
├── public
│   ├── index.html
│   ├── files
│   │   ├── ...
│   └── lib
│       ├── ...
└── src
    ├── App.js
    └── main.js

Notable files and directories include:

In short, main.js handles the OS checks and creates the main window for the application with a link to index.html.

App.js instantiates the WebViewer in the viewer element outlined by index.html. It is also where the WebViewer API calls are placed.

Run the sample

1. To run the sample, make sure you are in the pdfjs-express-electron-sample directory and execute

   npm start
   

   You should see the application start up. It will load the WebViewer and display the PDF sample in /public/files:

   

If you run into issues with installing and/or running the application, please return and ensure you have the prerequisites installed.

Use more WebViewer APIs

To call more WebViewer APIs, open /src/App.js in your favorite text editor and add the API calls to the callback for the WebViewer instantiation:

WebViewer({...}, wvElement
    .then(instance => {
        const { docViewer, annotManager } = instance;
        // call methods from instance, docViewer and annotManager as needed. 
        // you can also access major namespaces from the instance as follows:
        // const Tools = instance.Tools;
        // const Annotations = instance.Annotations;

        // See https://pdfjs.express/documentation/learn-more/overview for more info.
        docViewer.on('documentLoaded', () => {
            // call methods relating to the loaded document
        });
});

For example, if you want to change the theme of the WebViewer to dark mode, you would add the following:

instance.setTheme('dark');

Execute npm start again and the theme of the viewer will change:

Next step

Guides Samples API docs

Troubleshooting

Network Failure
More information about fixing the Network Failure issue on WebViewer.