ObviousPDF.Csv 1.5.0

ObviousPDF.Csv

CSV-to-PDF renderer for the ObviousPDF library.

Overview

ObviousPDF.Csv accepts a CSV document conforming to the ObviousPDF CSV Format and produces a tagged, accessible PDF. It is a format peer of ObviousPDF.Json and ObviousPDF.Xml, sharing the same rendering pipeline and accessibility guarantees.

Quick Start

using ObviousPDF.Csv;

// Render from CSV string to file
PdfCsvRenderer.Render(csvString, "output.pdf");

// Render from CSV file to PDF file
PdfCsvRenderer.RenderFromFile("document.csv", "output.pdf");

// Validate without rendering
var validator = new PdfCsvValidator();
var result = validator.Validate(csvString);
if (!result.IsValid)
    Console.WriteLine(result);

// Generate a starter form template for users to fill in
var templateCsv = PdfCsvRenderer.CreateFormTemplate("Expense Reimbursement Form");
File.WriteAllText("expense-form-template.csv", templateCsv);

Form Template Generator

PdfCsvRenderer.CreateFormTemplate() creates a starter CSV file for form-based documents. The generated template includes:

• [DOCUMENT] settings with accessibility defaults enabled
• [FONTS] entries for common title and field text
• A sample [PAGE 1] section with form field placeholders

Use the optional pageCount parameter to generate multiple sample page sections.

CSV Format

The ObviousPDF CSV format uses section headers to organize document structure:

[DOCUMENT]
coordinateOrigin,bottomLeft
language,en-US
tagged,true

[FONTS]
id,mode,standardFont,bundledFont,path,description,data
heading,bundled,,SerifBold,,Heading font,

[PAGE 1]
type,x,y,...,text,...,fontRef,fontSize,...
text,72,720,...,Hello World!,...,heading,24,...

Key Features

• Section-based — [DOCUMENT], [PAGE n], [FONTS], [IMAGES], [STRUCTURE], etc.
• Spreadsheet-friendly — Designed for creation in Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice Calc
• Full accessibility — Tagged PDF, PDF/UA-1, structure tree, alt text

Easy Accessibility (Recommended)

Make any CSV-to-PDF document fully accessible with a single line:

[DOCUMENT]
coordinateOrigin,topLeft
accessible,true
language,en-US
displayDocTitle,true
info.title,"My Document"

With accessible,true, the renderer automatically enables tagged PDF, PDF/UA-1 conformance, auto-tagging for text and images, standard font auto-upgrade, and correct form field structure placement. No manual structure tree is required.

Use the structureTag column to override the default <P> auto-tag:

text,160,28,,,,,,,U.S. Individual Income Tax Return,title-font,14,black,,,,,,,,,,,,,H1,,
text,36,90,,,,,,,Filing Status,section-font,10,white,,,,,,,,,,,,,H2,,

See the Form 1040 Easy Accessibility example for a complete 3-page IRS form with checkboxes, text fields, and dropdowns.

Sister Projects

All three pipelines produce identical PDF output and share the same accessibility features.

• Compact color syntax — rgb(0.2,0.4,0.8), gray(0.5), cmyk(...), #1A4C99, red
• All content types — Text, images, graphics, form fields, annotations, transforms

Requirements

• .NET 6.0, .NET 8.0, .NET 9.0, or .NET 10.0
• ObviousPDF core package (referenced automatically)

License

See LICENSE.md for details.