Merge encrypted Pdf files with iTextSharp

Question

Hi,

If I try to merge pdf using iTextSharp with versions 4.0.4 + I get the error "PdfReader not opened with owner password". My first solution is downgrade to version 4.0.3 and I'll be able to merge files, but I would like to heard more solutions if possible.

My application needs to merge all the documents related to some issue and show it to the final user. With the evolution of online documents, now we are getting problems with Secured files, because we can't merge it with iTextSharp 4.0.4+.

It's possible to merge encrypted pdf files into a single one only to presentation without downgrade iTextSharp library to 4.0.3?

Should I change the way I show the documentation, showing only the list of documents without merge it? The user would open 1 by 1.

Regards

Answer 1

If you don't use the owner password(s) of the pdfs you're merging, I don't think you have a choice but to use the older version of the library.

However, unless there's a compelling reason to use a later version of iTextSharp, I'd use version 4.0.3 and return your users' search results in a combined pdf. Your users would find navigation, saving and text searches much easier of you present the documents they're interested in in one combined pdf rather than split among several.