Save Annotations to XFDF

Annotations are stored to an XFDF file or variant using the same methods as those used for saving annotation data to a .nxp file or variant:

Save Annotations To An XFDF File

Set the AnnotationType to NX_XFDF_Compatible, and the use the StoreAnnotation method to store annotations to file. If saving to a multi-page XFDF annotation file, set the PageNumber property to specify which page to save the annotations to. If the file exists, NotateXpress™ will append the specified page's annotations with the annotations being saved. NotateXpress will add the annotations, if the page does not exist.

VB Example	Copy Code
' Save annotations to an XFDF file NotateXpress1.TIFFAnnotationType = NX_XFDF_Compatible NotateXpress1.StoreAnnotation "c:\annotations.xfdf"

Save Annotations to XFDF Via Variant

NotateXpress™ also provides methods for saving annotations via variant variables. First set the AnnotationType property is set to NX_AnnotationType_XFDF. Second set the PageNumber property to specify from which page annotations should be saved. Finally when the application calls GetAnnIntoVariant or GetLayerIntoVariant, a variant byte array is created, which can be stored to database or any other store.

Translation of NotateXpress Annotations to XFDF Supported Annotations

Many of the annotations that can be expressed in NotateXpress have a direct corresponding annotation within XFDF. These annotations are saved to XFDF without modification:

NotateXpress Annotation	XFDF Annotation
Ellipse	Ellipse
Rectangle	Rectangle
Polygon	Polygon
Line	Line
Freehand	Ink
BlockHighlight	Highlight
Text	FreeText
Note	Text

The following NotateXpress annotations do not have a direct equivalent within XFDF. These are translated to XFDF as follows:

NotateXpress Annotation	XFDF Annotation	Translation / Modification
Stamp	FreeText
Image	Stamp
Button	FreeText
Ruler	Line
Note	Popup	An annotation that is grouped with one Note annotation will be converted to an annotation containing an XFDF popup. This does not apply to an annotation that is converted to an XFDF text or XFDF freetext annotation, as these XFDF annotations do not support containing popup annotations.

Translation of NotateXpress Annotation Position to XFDF

NotateXpress will automatically map NotateXpress coordinates to PDF coordinates. Should you need to override these values, use the MappingOutput event to access the original NotateXpress X and Y values and the new XFDF mapped X and Y values for an annotation. You can set the new mapped values to modify the position of the saved annotation.

Translation of NotateXpress Supported Annotation Attributes to XFDF

The following NotateXpress supported annotation attributes do not have a direct equivalent within XFDF. These attributes are translated to XFDF as follows:

NotateXpress Annotation Attribute	XFDF Annotation Attribute	Translation / Modification
ToolTipText	Title
ItemName	Name
Visible	Flags	The NotateXpress Visible annotation attribute is saved to the XFDF flags attribute as "noview".
Locked	Flags	The NotateXpress Locked annotation attribute is saved to the XFDF flags attribute as "locked".
PenWidth	Width	The NotateXpress penwidth attribute is twice that of the XFDF Width. Therefore, a NotateXpress PenWidth of 7 will be saved as an XFDF width of 3.5.
Opacity	Opacity	A NotateXpress annotation with an opacity of opaque will be converted to an XFDF annotation with an opacity of 1.0. A NotateXpress annotation with an opacity of transparent will be converted to an XFDF annotation with an opacity of 0.0. A NotateXpress annotation with an opacity of translucent will be converted to an XFDF annotation with an opacity of 5.0.