The keys every annotation shares, the version of each subtype and the flags are on Interactive features. This page gives the keys of each subtype in PDF 1.0 to 1.4. A key listed is optional unless marked required.
Borders
A border is Border, or from PDF 1.2 a border style dictionary in
BS, which supersedes it:
| Key | Meaning |
|---|---|
Type | Border |
W | Width in points, default 1; 0 means no border |
S | Style: S solid (default), D dashed, B beveled, I inset, U underline |
D | The dash array, default [3], for style D |
Appearance characteristics
MK holds what a widget annotation needs to draw its appearance, from
PDF 1.2:
| Key | Meaning |
|---|---|
R | Rotation of the widget, a multiple of 90 |
BC | Border colour |
BG | Background colour |
CA | Button: normal caption |
RC | Button: rollover caption |
AC | Button: down caption |
I | Button: normal icon, a form XObject |
RI | Button: rollover icon |
IX | Button: down icon |
IF | Icon fit, from 1.3, below |
TP | Caption position: 0 no icon, 1 no caption, 2 below, 3 above, 4 right, 5 left, 6 overlaid |
The icon fit dictionary, IF, has SW, when to scale:
A always (default), B if bigger than the box,
S if smaller, N never; S, how:
A anamorphic, P proportional (default); and
A, the fraction of leftover space to the left and below, default
[0.5 0.5].
Keys of each subtype
Text
Open, whether it starts opened, default false. Name, the
icon: Comment, Key, Note (default),
Help, NewParagraph, Paragraph,
Insert.
Link
| Key | Meaning |
|---|---|
Dest | A destination |
A | An action (1.1), instead of Dest |
H | Highlight mode: N none, I invert (default), O outline, P push |
PA | A URI action for the link’s original web address (1.3) |
FreeText
DA (required, 1.3), the default appearance string, and Q
(1.4), alignment: 0 left, 1 centre, 2 right.
Line
| Key | Since | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
L | 1.3 | Required. Start and end: [x1 y1 x2 y2] |
BS | 1.3 | Border style |
LE | 1.4 | Line endings for both ends, default [/None /None]: Square, Circle, Diamond, OpenArrow, ClosedArrow, None |
IC | 1.4 | Interior colour, for filled line endings |
Square and Circle
BS border style; IC interior colour.
Highlight, Underline, Squiggly and StrikeOut
QuadPoints (required): groups of eight numbers, one group a
quadrilateral of text.
Stamp
Name, the icon: Approved, Experimental,
NotApproved, AsIs, Expired,
NotForPublicRelease, Confidential, Final,
Sold, Departmental, ForComment,
TopSecret, Draft (default),
ForPublicRelease.
Ink
InkList (required), an array of arrays of coordinates, one a stroke;
BS.
Popup
Parent, the annotation it belongs to; Open, whether it
starts open.
FileAttachment
FS (required), the file specification; Name, the icon:
Graph, PushPin (default), Paperclip,
Tag.
Sound and Movie
Sound: Sound (required), a sound object; Name:
Speaker (default) or Mic. Movie: T, a title;
Movie (required), a movie dictionary; A, a movie activation
dictionary or a boolean.
Widget
| Key | Meaning |
|---|---|
H | Highlight mode, as Link, with T toggle added |
MK | Appearance characteristics |
A | An action to perform when activated |
AA | Additional actions |
BS | Border style |
Parent | The field it belongs to, when not merged with it |
PrinterMark and TrapNet
PrinterMark (1.4): MN, the name, usually ColorBar,
RegistrationTarget or CutMark. TrapNet (1.3):
LastModified (1.4) or Version (1.3), saying which content
the trap network was made for; AnnotStates, the appearance states applied;
FontFauxing, the fonts faked.