Document Properties

Set the document title, author, subject and keywords, so documents are easy to identify and search.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this article, you’ll be able to:

• Set document properties in the template
• Use bound values in the properties
• Set properties in code
• Follow metadata best practices

Properties in the Template

The document properties are read from the template <head>.

<html xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<head>
    <title>Annual Financial Report</title>
    <meta name='author' content='Acme Corporation' />
    <meta name='description' content='2024 financial results' />
    <meta name='keywords' content='annual, report, financial, 2024' />
    <meta name='generator' content='Acme Reporting 2.5' />
</head>
<body>
    ...
</body>
</html>

The Creator and Producer are set to Paperwork Document Generator when they have no other value, and the creation and modified dates are set to the time the document was generated.

Bound Values

The title and meta content can use binding expressions, so each document gets its own properties.

<head>
    <title>Invoice {{model.number}}</title>
    <meta name='author' content='{{model.companyName}}' />
    <meta name='description' content='Invoice for {{model.customerName}}' />
    <meta name='keywords' content='invoice, {{model.number}}, {{model.customerName}}' />
</head>

await factory.NewDocument()
    .WithLayoutFile("invoice.html")
    .WithData("model", new
    {
        number = "INV-2024-1234",
        companyName = "Acme Corporation",
        customerName = "Client XYZ"
    })
    .SaveAsync("invoice.pdf");

The PDF has the title Invoice INV-2024-1234, the subject Invoice for Client XYZ, and so on.

Properties in Code

Properties can also be set on an engine Document, through doc.Info. See The Engine Document.

using Paperwork;
using Scryber.Components;

using var factory = PaperworkFactory.Create().Build();
using var doc = Document.ParseDocument("report.html");

doc.Info.Title = "Product Catalog 2025";
doc.Info.Author = "Acme Corporation";
doc.Info.Subject = "Complete product listing and specifications";
doc.Info.Keywords = "catalog, products, 2025, specifications";
doc.Info.Creator = "Acme Catalog System 2.0";
doc.Info.Producer = "Acme Catalog System 2.0";
doc.Info.CreationDate = new DateTime(2025, 1, 15, 9, 0, 0);
doc.Info.ModifiedDate = new DateTime(2025, 1, 15, 9, 0, 0);

await factory.NewDocument()
    .WithLayout(doc)
    .SaveAsync("catalog.pdf");

The template is applied after the code, when the document is bound. A <title> or <meta> in the template replaces the value set in code. Set a property in one place or the other.

Creator, Producer and the dates can only be set in code.

Property Descriptions

Title

The most important property - PDF viewers show it in the window or tab instead of the file name.

• Use descriptive, human-readable text
• Include the identifying information - a number, a name or a period
• Keep it under 100 characters

Author

The person or organisation responsible for the document: Acme Corporation, or Marketing Department, Acme Corporation.

Subject

A short description of what the document is about.

Keywords

Comma separated search terms. Include the identifying values and a few related terms: invoice, INV-2024-1234, Client XYZ, 2024.

Creator and Producer

The Creator is the application the document came from; the Producer is the software that produced the PDF. Set them when your document management needs to know which system generated a document.

Practical Example: Invoice Template Head

<?paperwork parser-mode='Lax' ?>
<html xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<head>
    <title>Invoice {{model.number}}</title>
    <meta name='author' content='{{model.company.name}}' />
    <meta name='description' content='Invoice {{model.number}} for {{model.customer.name}}' />
    <meta name='keywords' content='invoice, {{model.number}}, {{model.customer.name}}, {{format(date(model.date), "yyyy")}}' />
    <link rel='stylesheet' href='invoice.css' />
</head>
<body>
    ...
</body>
</html>

Viewing Metadata

• Adobe Acrobat: File → Properties → Description
• Preview (Mac): Tools → Show Inspector → the info tab
• Browsers: the title is shown in the tab

Try It Yourself

Exercise 1: Bound Properties

Add a bound <title> and <meta> tags to one of your templates, and check them in a PDF viewer.

Exercise 2: Code Properties

Set the Creator and the creation date in code for a document, and check they appear.

Exercise 3: Template or Code

Set a title in both the template and in code, and see which one is used.

Common Pitfalls

❌ No Title

Viewers show the file name instead, and search tools have nothing to show.

✅ Solution: Always add a <title> - bound if the document is generated for different data.

❌ Technical Values

<title>rpt_fin_2024_q4_final_v3</title>

✅ Solution:

<title>Q4 2024 Financial Report</title>

❌ Setting the Same Property in Code and the Template

The template value wins, and the code value is lost.

✅ Solution: Use the template for properties that come from the data, and code for properties the application controls.

Metadata Best Practices Checklist

• Title is descriptive and under 100 characters
• Author identified (person or organisation)
• Description provides context
• Keywords include the identifying values
• Each property set in one place - template or code
• Tested in a PDF viewer

Next Steps

1. Logging - Configure diagnostic logging
2. Error Handling & Conformance - Handle errors gracefully
3. Security - Protect your documents

Continue learning → Logging