Export Form Data in ASP.NET Core PDF Viewer

14 Aug 20265 minutes to read

The PDF Viewer allows you to export form field data in multiple formats for easy storage or integration. Supported formats:

Available methods

How to export

Use exportFormFields() with an optional destination path and the format type.

Export as FDF

The following example exports form field data as FDF.

<button id="exportFdf">Export FDF</button>
<div class="text-center">
    <ejs-pdfviewer id="pdfviewer" style="height:640px; width:100%" resourceUrl="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/31.1.23/dist/ej2-pdfviewer-lib" documentPath="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/content/pdf/form-filling-document.pdf">
    </ejs-pdfviewer>
</div>

<script type="text/javascript">
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {
  var pdfviewer = document.getElementById('pdfviewer').ej2_instances[0];
  document.getElementById('exportFdf').addEventListener('click', function () {
    if (!pdfviewer) { console.warn('PDF Viewer not ready'); return; }
    // Destination is optional; if omitted the browser will prompt.
    pdfviewer.exportFormFields('FormData', 'Fdf');
  });
});
</script>

Export as XFDF

The following example exports form field data as XFDF.

<div class="text-center">
    <ejs-pdfviewer id="pdfviewer" style="height:640px; width:100%" resourceUrl="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/31.1.23/dist/ej2-pdfviewer-lib" documentPath="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/content/pdf/form-filling-document.pdf">
    </ejs-pdfviewer>
</div>

<button id="exportXfdf">Export XFDF</button>

<script type="text/javascript">
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {
  var pdfviewer = document.getElementById('pdfviewer').ej2_instances[0];
  document.getElementById('exportXfdf').addEventListener('click', function () {
    if (!pdfviewer) { console.warn('PDF Viewer not ready'); return; }
    pdfviewer.exportFormFields('FormData', 'Xfdf');
  });
});
</script>

Export as JSON

The following example exports form field data as JSON.

<div class="text-center">
    <ejs-pdfviewer id="pdfviewer" style="height:640px; width:100%" resourceUrl="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/31.1.23/dist/ej2-pdfviewer-lib" documentPath="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/content/pdf/form-filling-document.pdf">
    </ejs-pdfviewer>
</div>

<button id="exportJson">Export JSON</button>

<script type="text/javascript">
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {
  var pdfviewer = document.getElementById('pdfviewer').ej2_instances[0];
  document.getElementById('exportJson').addEventListener('click', function () {
    if (!pdfviewer) { console.warn('PDF Viewer not ready'); return; }
    pdfviewer.exportFormFields('FormData', 'Json');
  });
});
</script>

Export as Object

Use exportFormFieldsAsObject() to obtain form data as a JavaScript object for database or API integration. The format parameter is required and accepts Fdf, Xfdf, Xml or Json.

<div class="text-center">
    <ejs-pdfviewer id="pdfviewer" style="height:640px; width:100%" resourceUrl="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/31.1.23/dist/ej2-pdfviewer-lib" documentPath="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/content/pdf/form-filling-document.pdf">
    </ejs-pdfviewer>
</div>

<button id="exportObj">Export Object</button>

<script type="text/javascript">
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {
  var pdfviewer = document.getElementById('pdfviewer').ej2_instances[0];
  var exportedData;
  document.getElementById('exportObj').addEventListener('click', function () {
    if (!pdfviewer) { console.warn('PDF Viewer not ready'); return; }
    pdfviewer.exportFormFieldsAsObject('Fdf').then(function (data) {
      exportedData = data; // Persist or send to server
      console.log('Exported object:', exportedData);
    });
    // Alternatives:
    // pdfviewer.exportFormFieldsAsObject('Xfdf').then(...)
    // pdfviewer.exportFormFieldsAsObject('Json').then(...)
  });
});
</script>

Common Use Cases

  • Save user-entered data to your server without altering the original PDF.
  • Export as JSON for REST API integration.
  • Export as FDF/XFDF for compatibility with other PDF tools.
  • Export as Object to merge with app state or store securely.
  • Automate exports after validation using validateFormFields()

View Sample on GitHub

See also