Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF)

The Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF) is an open source framework used to embed the Chromium (Chrome) browser engine in other applications.

PSPDFKit for Windows Vista/7/8/8.1 via CEF

With CEF, PSPDFKit can be integrated into almost any desktop-style application on any OS, similar to our Electron support. The most common use case is integrating PSPDFKit into apps that are built with WIN32 or WPF instead of UWP.

CefSharp, a popular binding for CEF, supports Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10.

Using CEF with CefSharp on Windows

Support for CefSharp on Windows is currently in beta. Please contact us for a sample app.

The 7zip file provided contains a modified version of the official CefSharp minimal example solution. It is a Git repository, and the last commit on master contains the complete changes necessary for using our SDK with CefSharp.

A scheme handler, which supplies the files requested by the CefSharp control, is registered for http. This is just a very basic custom scheme handler to demonstrate how to handle requests, and it is not production-ready code. To fully implement a custom scheme handler, please consult the CefSharp documentation.

Running the Sample

To get the sample to run, do the following:

  • Unzip the minimal example project and open the solution contained within it.
  • Make sure CefSharp.MinimalExample.Wpf is the active project.
  • In the Solution Explorer, open the file CefSharp.MinimalExample.Wpf\Properties\assets\license.
  • Replace the LICENSE_KEY_GOES_HERE text with your license key.
  • Right-click on the CefSharp.MinimalExample.Wpf\Properties\ assets and then click on Open Folder in File Explorer.
  • Copy all the files (i.e. pspdfkit.js, pspdfkit.css, pspdfkit.wasm, etc.) from the PSPDFKit for Web distributable folder, \package\dist, into the assets folder.
  • Ensure all the files you added are in the solution. Then right-click on the new files and select properties. In the properties panel, set the copy to output directory dropdown to copy if newer.
  • Open CefSharp.MinimalExample.Wpf\CefSharpSchemeHandlerFactory.cs and change the string cef.example.com to match the bundle ID of your license. This is essential!
  • Open CefSharp.MinimalExample.Wpf\MainWindow.xaml and change the string cef.example.com to match your bundle ID.
  • Right-click on the project CefSharp.MinimalExample.Wpf and click on Build.
  • Start the project and it should display default.pdf in the app.

Troubleshooting

If the PDF is not displayed, you can troubleshoot the app while it is running by opening a Chrome browser, navigating to http://localhost:8088/, and clicking on PSPDFKit for Web.

This will open a connection to the running app and you can switch to the Console tab of the developer tools and examine any error messages.

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The PSPDFKit SDK is a framework that allows you to view, annotate, sign, and fill PDF forms on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Web. PSPDFKit Instant adds real-time collaboration features to seamlessly share, edit, and annotate PDF documents.