Strategies for Testing PDF Files

A staple in the toolbox of the Software Engineer is a solid test suite. Unit tests, Integration tests, and System tests are just a selection out of the vocabulary used on a daily basis. As PDF developers we also have a responsibility to make sure that the PDF files we produce and consume are conforming to the specifications that we write and maintain. This seems like a given, but there is a lot more than meets the eye. PDF files are complex constructs that require a thorough knowledge of the standard and industry practices. There are many roads to test PDF files and in this talk we’ll go through various options that you can use. This goes from the obvious, more simple ways of assessing PDF output to the more zany and wacky options that have you wondering “why?” at first, but have you experience an “aha”-moment.