PSPDFKit 8.8 for Android Enhances Measurement Tools

We’re excited to announce the release of PSPDFKit 8.8 for Android! The focus of this release is the improvement of Measurement Tools. For one, we made some changes to make it easier to take the measurements of objects in a PDF. Additionally, we added new features to give users more options while using these tools.

Measurement Tools

Since the release of the Measurement Tools component in version 8.4, we’ve received valuable feedback, particularly from customers in the construction industry. Through this feedback, we were able to determine that the current version of the tools, while great, made it difficult for users to execute tasks quickly and easily while working with PDF files. So in this release, we improved the user experience of the flow and included fixes for some of the issues that we deemed the most impactful based on the feedback.

Improving the Measuring Process

To improve the user experience of measuring PDF files, we added some guiding features when a user is actively taking measurements. Users now have the ability to use helper lines for visual assistance when they’re drawing straight lines onscreen, a feature that can be enabled using a toggle option in the settings. Additionally, users can now double-click to close and finish a polygon shape automatically. Should they wish to close shapes manually, we also included a handy cross indicator to assist. The cross indicator is displayed once the user gets to within a certain threshold of the first point drawn.

Expanding Scale Options

We’ve also been working to add the ability to have multiple scales per document. We understand that configuring the scale for each document was cumbersome, as only one scale could be set at a time. With this new release, users can now store multiple scales and switch between them easily without the need to recalibrate. After opening a document and selecting a measurement annotation, the scale that’s in use will be displayed so your users can be informed at all times. Learn more about configuring scale in our guides.

Simplifying Calibration

We have an all-new calibration tool to simplify the process of scale creation. Added as a new menu option, the calibration tool allows users to set a name and precision and calibrate the length, and it displays the scale currently in use. Please note that this is a temporary annotation that will disappear once the calibration is done.

Fine-Tuning Precision

Previously, precision in Measurement Tools was limited to decimal options. In this release, we introduced a new feature that allows users to select fractional levels of precision as well. The levels of fractional precision added are 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16. Read our guide to learn more about configuring precision.

More Improvements and Fixes

Additionally, this release includes various improvements, such as enhanced FreeTextAnnotation functionality, improved rendering support for non-Latin alphabet text and OpenType collection fonts (.otc), support for exporting Instant JSON in v1 format, and many more fixes requested by our customers. For full details, check out the PSPDFKit 8.8 for Android changelog.

We hope you enjoy the enhanced features and improvements of Measurements Tools in PSPDFKit for Android, and we look forward to more of your feedback in future.