PDFtk Builder [PDFtk GUI]

[Yucca]

[Present is now the official forum topic of PDFtk Builder -- https://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=1066]

PDFtk Builder (v. 2.35) is another GUI -- and I think an excellent one -- for use with PDFtk's command line pdf tools.

The program file (and, optionally, a small help file) should be extracted from the zip volume into the same directory as PDFtk.exe. To run the program, just double click on PdftkBuilder.exe.

I did not find any registry or user directory writes from running the program.

The uncompressed executable is 508kb, and it includes an optional help file that is an additional 19kb (but you probably won't need that). The executable can be UPX-compressed to 201kb without any loss of functionality -- but I don't think Andrew reports compressed sizes, only uncompressed sizes, in the database.

I much prefer PDFtk Builder to GUI for PDFtk (1MB), which is also in the database, as PDFtk Builder is much smaller and I find it to be more functional (for example, in reordering pages within a pdf file or creating a new file from selected pages of multiple source pdf files). For comparison, see the database entry for GUI for PDFtk at http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=17#post.

Actually, I have written my own interactive batch files to use with PDFtk and I think they work better than any of the GUI's -- but Andrew doesn't allow batch files in the database. My batch files are, of course, tiny (about 2kb).

Download zip volume of PDFtk Builder v. 2.35 (updated 7/22/06) from http://www.angusj.com/pdftkb .
(Download PDFtk command line version at http://www.accesspdf.com/pdftk )

Screenshot of PDFtk Builder is at http://www.angusj.com/pdftkb/pdftkb.gif .

-- Yucca

[Andrew Lee]

Posted to the database. Thanks!

[Yucca]

Andrew,

The uncompressed size of PDFtk Builder is 508kb for the executable and 19kb for the help file -- not 2MB as posted in the database. That's a huge difference for folks who use USB sticks and need the smallest programs possible. It also might lead folks to choose "GUI for PDFtk" (1MB), thinking it is half the size -- when, in fact, it is twice the size of PDFtk Builder.

The setup file for PDFtk Builder is 2MB, but that is largely because of the useless installer bloat. I recommended the zip file, which is only 310kb and which includes files that decompress to only 527kb total.

-- Yucca

[Andrew Lee]

The total size includes pdftk.exe, which is a hefty 1.4MB, without which the frontend won't function.

Note that the total size for GUI for PDFTK also includes pdftk.exe

[Yucca]

The total size includes pdftk.exe, which is a hefty 1.4MB, without which the frontend won't function.

Note that the total size for GUI for PDFTK also includes pdftk.exe

I stand corrected.

I deleted GUI for PDFtk as soon as I found PDFtk Builder, so I did not realize you were including the pdftk.exe in the computations. What you're doing certainly makes sense, but I just didn't know you were doing it.

Thanks for responding.

-- Yucca

[Checker]

TPFC: http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=1066 is on V2.3.4

Version 3.2 is available on: http://portableapps.com/apps/office/pdf ... r_portable

[ashghost]

PDFTK Builder doesn't need the PortableApps treatment. The website is still the same:

http://www.angusj.com/pdftkb/

but the zip package is no longer available (the PFC download link no longer works). The download link for the setup files is:

http://www.angusj.com/pdftkb/pdftkb_setup.exe

It can be extracted with Universal Extractor (application files are in the {app} subdirectory), and pdftk 1.41 is included.

It is indeed on version 3.2, and AFAIK is still portable. It doesn't store any settings anyway, and the changelog doesn't indicate anything that would make it less portable.

[Lupo73]

It's available a new version of this app:
http://www.angusj.com/pdftkb/

[ashghost]

It's worth noting that the author removed the compiled zip package, so the TPFC "download" link is broken.

TPFC entry: http://www.portablefreeware.com/?sc=202

The new download link should point to http://www.angusj.com/pdftkb/pdftkb_setup.exe

Universal extractor works fine - the files are in the {App} subfolder. There are still no settings to save so it's just as portable as before.

Also, the version is 3.51

Cheers,
Joe

[Checker]

TPFC: http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=1066 is on V3.5.3

V3.6 is available.
Download: http://angusj.com/pdftkb/

[webfork]

Real good news.

[Midas]

Old topic update: PDFTK Builder v3.9.9 released, dated 2018-04-03 (changelog and download at http://www.angusj.com/pdftkb/)

Only installer download available, but it can easily be (Uni)extracted and settings will be kept in program folder. License is GPL3 and source is available.

Note that PDFtk version included with PDFtk Builder is still a very old v1.41 (released 2006), while the one included with the official PDF Labs free PDFtk GUI is v2.02 {viewtopic.php?t=21856; changelog at https://www.pdflabs.com/docs/pdftk-version-history/; it can be (Uni)extracted from the free version download offered at www.pdftk.com; and please note that 'libiconv2.dll' must also be kept.}

[webfork]

Note that PDFtk version included with PDFtk Builder is still a very old v1.41 (released 2006), while the one included with the official PDF Labs free PDFtk GUI is v2.02 {viewtopic.php?t=21856; changelog at https://www.pdflabs.com/docs/pdftk-version-history/; it can be (Uni)extracted from the free version download offered at www.pdftk.com; and please note that 'libiconv2.dll' must also be kept.}

Wait, as the program is just a front-end, does it still function correctly with the latest back-end? Why doesn't PDFTK Builder update to the latest version?

[Midas]

Beats me -- but I bet it's has got to do with licensing...

[JohnTHaller]

I'm unsure why the author isn't bundling the latest version. Licensing isn't an issue as it is GPL. Not the pdftk Windows front end, the pdftk Server command line tool that PDFTK Builder bundles. I tried replacing with the current version and doing a join as a test and it worked without issue. Split also works. Rotate fails as the command line parameters have changed.

UPDATE: It compiles on Delphi XE2 with a couple syntax updates. And you can get rotate working by changing 3 lines of code.