EmbedPDF

Organizing pages

The page edit plugin changes the document’s pages: rotate, reorder, delete, duplicate, and insert new ones, blank or from another PDF. These are edits to the file, kept when it’s downloaded. Register pageEditPlugin() and use usePageEdit():

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<script setup lang="ts">
import { DocumentGate, Viewer } from '@embedpdf/vue/runtime';
import type { OpenInput } from '@embedpdf/vue/runtime';
import { renderPlugin } from '@embedpdf/vue/render';
import { pageEditPlugin } from '@embedpdf/vue/page-edit';
import { localEngine } from '@embedpdf/engine';
import PageOrganizer from './PageOrganizer.vue';

import '../organize.css';

const engine = localEngine();
const plugins = [renderPlugin(), pageEditPlugin()];

const ebook = async (): Promise<OpenInput> => {
  const response = await fetch('https://snippet.embedpdf.com/ebook.pdf');
  return { kind: 'bytes', id: 'ebook', bytes: new Uint8Array(await response.arrayBuffer()) };
};
</script>

<template>
  <Viewer :engine="engine" :plugins="plugins" :initial-documents="[{ source: ebook }]">
    <DocumentGate>
      <template #fallback><p class="loading">Loading…</p></template>
      <PageOrganizer />
    </DocumentGate>
  </Viewer>
</template>
await pageEdit.rotateBy([page.ref], 90);
await pageEdit.reorder([page.ref], 'start'); // to the front
await pageEdit.delete([page.ref]);

After an edit, everything that shows pages updates by itself: the Stage, thumbnails, page numbers. On a shared document, the others see the change too.

Calls that act on pages take a list of them, so one call works for a single page and for a multi-selection.

Rotate pages#

await pageEdit.rotateBy([page.ref], 90); // a quarter turn clockwise from where it is
await pageEdit.rotateBy([page.ref], -90); // and back
await pageEdit.setRotation([pageA.ref, pageB.ref], 180); // the same rotation for several

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<script setup lang="ts">
import { DocumentGate, Viewer } from '@embedpdf/vue/runtime';
import type { OpenInput } from '@embedpdf/vue/runtime';
import { Stage, stagePlugin } from '@embedpdf/vue/stage';
import { RenderLayer, renderPlugin } from '@embedpdf/vue/render';
import { pageEditPlugin } from '@embedpdf/vue/page-edit';
import { localEngine } from '@embedpdf/engine';
import RotateToolbar from './RotateToolbar.vue';

import '../rotate.css';

const engine = localEngine();
const plugins = [stagePlugin(), renderPlugin(), pageEditPlugin()];

const ebook = async (): Promise<OpenInput> => {
  const response = await fetch('https://snippet.embedpdf.com/ebook.pdf');
  return { kind: 'bytes', id: 'ebook', bytes: new Uint8Array(await response.arrayBuffer()) };
};
</script>

<template>
  <Viewer :engine="engine" :plugins="plugins" :initial-documents="[{ source: ebook }]">
    <DocumentGate>
      <template #fallback><p class="loading">Loading…</p></template>
      <RotateToolbar />
      <Stage class="stage">
        <template #page><RenderLayer /></template>
      </Stage>
    </DocumentGate>
  </Viewer>
</template>

This rotates the page in the file. To only turn how pages are shown, use the Stage’s view rotation. Keep the two on different buttons.

Reorder pages#

reorder() takes the pages and where they go:

await pageEdit.reorder([page.ref], 'start'); // to the front
await pageEdit.reorder([page.ref], 'end'); // to the back
await pageEdit.reorder([pageA.ref, pageB.ref], { after: pageC.ref }); // after another page
await pageEdit.reorder([page.ref], { before: pageC.ref });

Several pages keep their order and land together.

Loading live preview…

<script setup lang="ts">
import { DocumentGate, Viewer } from '@embedpdf/vue/runtime';
import type { OpenInput } from '@embedpdf/vue/runtime';
import { renderPlugin } from '@embedpdf/vue/render';
import { pageEditPlugin } from '@embedpdf/vue/page-edit';
import { localEngine } from '@embedpdf/engine';
import PageOrder from './PageOrder.vue';

import '../reorder.css';

const engine = localEngine();
const plugins = [renderPlugin(), pageEditPlugin()];

const ebook = async (): Promise<OpenInput> => {
  const response = await fetch('https://snippet.embedpdf.com/ebook.pdf');
  return { kind: 'bytes', id: 'ebook', bytes: new Uint8Array(await response.arrayBuffer()) };
};
</script>

<template>
  <Viewer :engine="engine" :plugins="plugins" :initial-documents="[{ source: ebook }]">
    <DocumentGate>
      <template #fallback><p class="loading">Loading…</p></template>
      <PageOrder />
    </DocumentGate>
  </Viewer>
</template>

Delete pages#

await pageEdit.delete([pageA.ref, pageB.ref]);

A document always keeps at least one page: deleting every page is refused.

Insert pages#

// A blank page after this one, the size of an A4 sheet
await pageEdit.insertBlank({ placement: { after: page.ref }, size: { width: 595, height: 842 } });
 
// Pages from another PDF: all of them, or the ones you name
await pageEdit.insertFromBytes(otherPdf, { placement: 'end' });
await pageEdit.insertFromBytes(otherPdf, { pageIndexes: [0, 2], placement: 'start' });
 
// Pages from another document open in the viewer
await pageEdit.insertFromDocument(otherDocumentId, [pageRef], { placement: 'end' });
 
// Copies of pages, right after them
await pageEdit.duplicate([page.ref]);

Each resolves with { pages }: the new pages, so you can scroll to them or select them. Without a size, a blank page takes the size of the page it’s placed next to.

Loading live preview…

<script setup lang="ts">
import { DocumentGate, Viewer } from '@embedpdf/vue/runtime';
import type { OpenInput } from '@embedpdf/vue/runtime';
import { Stage, stagePlugin } from '@embedpdf/vue/stage';
import { RenderLayer, renderPlugin } from '@embedpdf/vue/render';
import { pageEditPlugin } from '@embedpdf/vue/page-edit';
import { localEngine } from '@embedpdf/engine';
import InsertToolbar from './InsertToolbar.vue';

import '../insert.css';

const engine = localEngine();
const plugins = [stagePlugin(), renderPlugin(), pageEditPlugin()];

const ebook = async (): Promise<OpenInput> => {
  const response = await fetch('https://snippet.embedpdf.com/ebook.pdf');
  return { kind: 'bytes', id: 'ebook', bytes: new Uint8Array(await response.arrayBuffer()) };
};
</script>

<template>
  <Viewer :engine="engine" :plugins="plugins" :initial-documents="[{ source: ebook }]">
    <DocumentGate>
      <template #fallback><p class="loading">Loading…</p></template>
      <InsertToolbar />
      <Stage class="stage">
        <template #page><RenderLayer /></template>
      </Stage>
    </DocumentGate>
  </Viewer>
</template>

Extract pages#

extract() gives you some pages as a new PDF, without changing this document:

const bytes = await pageEdit.extract([pageA.ref, pageB.ref]);
saveFile(bytes, 'chapter-2.pdf');

Loading live preview…

<script setup lang="ts">
import { DocumentGate, Viewer } from '@embedpdf/vue/runtime';
import type { OpenInput } from '@embedpdf/vue/runtime';
import { renderPlugin } from '@embedpdf/vue/render';
import { pageEditPlugin } from '@embedpdf/vue/page-edit';
import { localEngine } from '@embedpdf/engine';
import ExtractPages from './ExtractPages.vue';

import '../extract.css';

const engine = localEngine();
const plugins = [renderPlugin(), pageEditPlugin()];

const ebook = async (): Promise<OpenInput> => {
  const response = await fetch('https://snippet.embedpdf.com/ebook.pdf');
  return { kind: 'bytes', id: 'ebook', bytes: new Uint8Array(await response.arrayBuffer()) };
};
</script>

<template>
  <Viewer :engine="engine" :plugins="plugins" :initial-documents="[{ source: ebook }]">
    <DocumentGate>
      <template #fallback><p class="loading">Loading…</p></template>
      <ExtractPages />
    </DocumentGate>
  </Viewer>
</template>

Where a page goes#

PlacementMeans
{ after: pageRef }Right after that page
{ before: pageRef }Right before that page
'start'Before the first page
'end'After the last page

A placement names a page, not a position, so it stays right when pages move while the edit waits its turn. The page can also be an index, as everywhere in this plugin: the page at that index when you call.

Methods#

Everything usePageEdit() gives you.

MethodWhat it does
rotateBy(pages, delta)Turns each page by 90, -90 or 180 degrees from where it is. Rotate pages
setRotation(pages, rotation)Gives every page the same rotation: 0, 90, 180 or 270
reorder(pages, placement)Moves pages to a new place. Several pages keep their order and land together. Reorder pages
delete(pages)Deletes pages. Deleting every page is refused. Delete pages
insertBlank({ placement?, size?, count? })Inserts blank pages, one unless you pass a count. Resolves { pages }, the new pages. Insert pages
insertFromBytes(bytes, { pageIndexes?, placement? })Inserts the pages of another PDF, or only the ones at pageIndexes. Resolves { pages }.
insertFromDocument(documentId, pages, { placement? })Inserts copies of pages from another document open in the viewer. Resolves { pages }.
duplicate(pages, { placement? })Copies pages, right after the last of them unless you pass a placement. Resolves { pages }.
extract(pages)Copies pages into a new PDF and resolves its bytes. This document doesn’t change. Extract pages
canEdit(), canExtract()Whether rotating, reordering, deleting and inserting are allowed, and whether copying pages out is. Permissions

placement is one of the values in Where a page goes; without one, new pages go at the end. Every method that returns a promise also takes a signal in its options, to cancel it.

Events#

Page changes are document events, so every part of your app hears them, whichever plugin made the change:

page-count.vue
<script setup lang="ts">
import { ref } from 'vue';
import { useDocumentsEvent } from '@embedpdf/vue/runtime';

const pageCount = ref(0);

useDocumentsEvent(
  (documents) => documents.onPagesChanged,
  ({ pages }) => (pageCount.value = pages.length),
);
</script>

<template>
  <span>{{ pageCount }} pages</span>
</template>

The page edit plugin has no events of its own. onPagesChanged and what it carries are listed under Opening documents.

Permissions#

PermissionWhat it allowsCheck
doc.pages.assembleRotate, reorder, delete and insert pagespageEdit.canEdit()
doc.downloadextract(), duplicate() and insertFromDocument(), which copy pages outpageEdit.canExtract()

Good to know#

Pages have a ref, not just a number#

Each page has a ref: its identity in the file. A page’s index changes the moment a page before it moves or goes; its ref never does. So a call still hits the page the user clicked, even if the document changed in between. You get refs from usePageList() (page.ref), and anything that points at a page carries one: a search result’s page, an annotation’s page.

What moves with a page#

Annotations, links and form fields belong to their page, so they move, rotate and go with it. Rotation leaves annotations where they are on the page; they turn with it.

Page edits are saved like every other change; see Saving & downloading.

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