PVADE - Document Automation Platform

A document automation platform with a visual template designer, expression engine, and multi-format export/import, built on .NET 10 and React/TypeScript. Current validation and rollout gates are tracked in the rename checklist.

Naming Glossary

Name	Meaning
PVADE	Platform, website and Designer display name
PVAD	Technical identity for APIs, packages, namespaces, CLI and configuration
PVADP / PVADS	PDF / Spreadsheet product names; native formats `.pvadp` / `.pvads`
PXA / `PXA.*`	Previous identity, retained only for documented compatibility and historical evidence

Features

Visual Template Designer

Drag-and-drop canvas with pixel-precise positioning and resize handles
Element library: Text, RichText, Image, Table, Barcode, QR Code, Signature, Field, Checkbox, Shape (Rect, Circle, Line), Repeater, Chart, Note
Word/DOCX-specific elements: Footnote, Endnote, Bookmark, Comment, Content Control
Inspector panels per element type; layer ordering; multi-select
Real-time data-binding preview with JSON payloads
Multi-language text — per-element language tag (BCP-47) and LTR/RTL direction; canvas preview uses native browser shaping; PDF export embeds Noto fonts
Document localization — active language tabs per document; {{KEY}} template variables with Global (all languages, each fills own value) or Own (single-language) scope; Export Code panel shows language-specific JSON and C# code; multi-language ZIP export

Template Engine

{{ expression }} data binding with JSON-path resolution and fallbacks
Safe JavaScript expression evaluation (sandboxed)
Conditional show/hide per element
Repeater loops for tables and sections
Value formatters: currency, date, number, text, custom

Export Formats

Format	Notes
PDF	Custom .NET renderer, no external library. Per-element: embedded Noto fonts (Arabic, Hebrew, CJK, Devanagari, Thai, Cyrillic), UTF-16BE encoding, RTL visual order. Document-level: `{{KEY}}` substitution with Global/Own property scopes; single-language or multi-language ZIP export
DOCX	Full OOXML: styles, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, comments, content controls, track changes, protection, digital signature
ODT	ODF 1.3 ZIP with draw frames for pixel-accurate layout
XLSX	Excel via ClosedXML
HTML	Inline-styled
CSV	Flat table export
Markdown	Text-based
PNG / JPEG / TIFF	Page-by-page image export; multi-page TIFF for print/archival

Import Formats

Format	Notes
PDF	PVAD importer/editable PDF model - page tree, text, paths, inline images, XObject images, marked content, clipping, colors, fonts, shading operators; bridge regeneration currently covers text, vector paths, JPEG/Flate XObject images, soft masks, and resource-preserved shading cases
DOCX	OpenXML SDK — paragraphs, tables, inline images, typography
DOC	Pure C# CFBF parser — reads WordDocument stream via FIB offsets
ODT	System.IO.Compression + LINQ to XML — paragraphs, styles, draw:frame images
SVG	Dedicated SVG importer for vector-oriented PVAD designs
PPTX	PowerPoint slide import into PVAD pages/elements
Images	Raster image import plus image-analysis/OCR conversion paths

Document Operations (API)

Find & Replace — plain-text, case-sensitive, whole-word, regex modes
Clone — deep copy with fresh IDs and optional new name
Extract Pages — subset of pages into a new document
Digital Signing — OOXML XML-DSig (RSA-SHA256) with X.509/PFX certificate

Document Features

Track Changes / Revisions — per-element revision metadata + <w:ins> / <w:del>
Document Protection — readOnly / comments / trackedChanges / formFields modes + password hash
Named Styles — paragraph, character, list, table styles with inheritance (basedOn / nextStyle)
Custom Document Properties — key/value pairs for DMS integration
Footnotes & Endnotes, Bookmarks, Word-native Comments, Content Controls, Auto-Hyphenation

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Node.js 22+
.NET 10 SDK

Frontend

cd pvad-designer
npm install
npm run dev

Opens at http://localhost:5173

Backend

cd PVAD.WebApi
dotnet run

API at http://localhost:5086 - Swagger UI at http://localhost:5086/swagger

API Reference

Export

POST /api/export                  # Export design to PDF/DOCX/ODT/XLSX/HTML/CSV/Markdown/PNG/JPEG/TIFF
GET  /api/export/formats          # List supported export formats

Document Operations

POST /api/document/find-replace   # Find and replace across all text elements
POST /api/document/clone          # Deep-clone a design with a new ID
POST /api/document/extract-pages  # Extract a page subset into a new design
POST /api/document/sign-docx      # Apply X.509 digital signature to a DOCX

POST /api/document/import-pdf-engine      # Import PDF -> DesignExportDto through the PVAD importer facade
POST /api/document/debug-pdf-engine       # Debug PDF importer output
POST /api/document/import-docx    # Import DOCX → DesignExportDto
POST /api/document/import-doc     # Import DOC (Word 97-2003) → DesignExportDto
POST /api/document/import-odt     # Import ODT → DesignExportDto
POST /api/document/import-svg     # Import SVG -> DesignExportDto
POST /api/document/import-pptx    # Import PPTX -> DesignExportDto
POST /api/document/import-image   # Import raster image -> DesignExportDto
POST /api/document/import-image-analysis  # Import raster image through analysis pipeline
POST /api/document/convert-image-to-pdf   # Convert raster image to PDF

Migrations

GET  /api/pvad/v1/migrations/catalog                                      # Discover PDF, Spreadsheet, and Report providers
GET  /api/pvad/v1/migrations/{domain}/{kind}/{provider}                    # Read one provider contract
GET  /api/pvad/v1/migrations/{domain}/{kind}/{provider}/examples           # Load backend-owned examples when available
POST /api/pvad/v1/migrations/{domain}/{kind}/{provider}/convert            # Convert to typed migration artifacts
POST /api/pvad/v1/migrations/{domain}/{kind}/{provider}/preview            # Preview providers that support it

# Compatibility adapters retained for one major release:
GET  /api/migration/frameworks
POST /api/migration/convert
POST /api/migration/report-to-design
POST /api/migration/preview

Templates

GET    /api/templates             # List templates
POST   /api/templates             # Create template
GET    /api/templates/{id}        # Get template
POST   /api/templates/render      # Render template with data
POST   /api/templates/render/async# Async render job
POST   /api/templates/validate    # Validate template
POST   /api/templates/render-design  # Render raw DesignExportDto
POST   /api/templates/csharp-code-to-pdf   # Compile C# → PDF
POST   /api/templates/csharp-to-json       # Compile C# → DesignExportDto JSON
POST   /api/templates/csharp-code-to-json  # Compile raw C# → JSON

Auth

POST /api/auth/login
POST /api/auth/logout
GET  /api/auth/me

Architecture

PVAD.WebApi                  ← ASP.NET Core presentation layer with stable API routes and PXA aliases
  ↓
PVAD.Application             ← Use-case orchestration
  ↓
PVAD.Core                    ← Contracts, DTOs, abstractions
  ↑ (all infrastructure projects implement PVAD.Core contracts)
PVAD.Pdf                     ← Imperative PDF engine
PVAD.Infrastructure.Pdf      ← Custom PDF renderer/services
PVAD.Importer                ← Editable PDF parsing/model/rewrite/regeneration internals
PVAD.Infrastructure.Word     ← DOCX exporter/importer, signing, style/footnote/comment services
PVAD.Infrastructure.Spreadsheet ← XLSX/CSV spreadsheet services
PVAD.Infrastructure.Converters ← ODT, HTML, CSV, Markdown, Image, TIFF exporters
PVAD.Domain                  ← Template/domain models

Frontend (pvad-designer/):

src/
  components/
    Editor/       ← SimplePvadSurface, ExportModal, FindReplaceModal, inspector panels
    Gallery/      ← TemplatePage, CategoryFilter, TemplateCard
  services/       ← ExportService (export, import, sign, find-replace, clone, extract)
  hooks/          ← useTemplateLoader (loadTemplate, loadBlank, loadFromFile)
  store.ts        ← Zustand store with undo/redo and bulkReplaceContent
  types.ts        ← SimpleElement, Page, PageSettings, NamedStyle, CustomProperty, …
  pages/          ← TemplatePage, EditorPage, HomePage

Technology Stack

Layer	Technology
Frontend	React 18, TypeScript, Vite, Zustand, react-icons
Backend	.NET 10, ASP.NET Core
PDF export	Custom .NET renderer (no iTextSharp/PDFsharp)
PDF edit/regenerate	PVAD importer and `PVAD.Pdf` regeneration bridge
DOCX export/import	DocumentFormat.OpenXml 3.5.1
DOCX signing	System.Security.Cryptography.Xml 10.0.8 (RSA-SHA256 XML-DSig)
Excel	ClosedXML
PDF import	PVAD importer low-level parser/object graph/editor pipeline
DOC import	Pure C# CFBF parser
ODT import/export	System.IO.Compression + LINQ to XML (ODF 1.3)
Image export	System.Drawing / SkiaSharp

Testing

# Backend
dotnet test PVAD.sln

# Frontend
cd pvad-designer && npm test

Test projects include PVAD.Core.Tests, PVAD.Application.Tests, PVAD.Infrastructure.Pdf.Tests, PVAD.Export.Tests, and PVAD.Api.Tests.

Deployment

# Frontend production build
cd pvad-designer && npm run build

# Backend publish
cd PVAD.WebApi && dotnet publish -c Release

# Docker
docker build -f PVAD.WebApi/Dockerfile -t pvad-api:local .
# Retain the existing Compose project name and physical volumes.
node tools/configuration/pvad-compose.mjs up -d

Multi-Language PDF — Font Files

To enable non-Latin PDF export, place Noto font files in the fonts/ directory next to the published assembly (or configure Pdf:FontsDirectory in appsettings.json). See fonts/README.md for the full list and download instructions.

Further Documentation

Document	Description
`ARCHITECTURE.md`	Project layer diagram and responsibilities
`PROJECT_SUMMARY.md`	Compact project inventory, endpoints, project groups, and test groups
`docs/index.md`	PVAD PDF engine quick start and API reference entry point
`pvad-designer/MULTILANGUAGE.md`	UI guide for per-element language and RTL controls
`fonts/README.md`	Noto font download and deployment instructions
`CONTRIBUTING_RENDERERS.md`	How to add renderers, importers, migrations, and report converters
`TESTING.md`	Test structure and conventions
`checklists/Documentation-Audit.md`	Documentation ownership map and update tracker
`checklists/PvadPdf-Provider-Feature-Gaps.md`	PVAD-compatible PDF feature gaps compared with major PDF providers

Documentation Map

Topic	Start here
Architecture and boundaries	`ARCHITECTURE.md`
Product/project inventory	`PROJECT_SUMMARY.md`
PDF engine API	`docs/index.md`, `docs/api/index.md`, and `docs/csharp-cookbook.md`
Renderer/importer/migration contributions	`CONTRIBUTING_RENDERERS.md`
Test commands and project groups	`TESTING.md`
PDF provider migration status	`checklists/Code-Migrations.md`
Report migration status	`checklists/Code-Migration-DevExpressReport.md`, `checklists/Code-Migration-SyncfusionRdl.md`, `checklists/Code-Migration-ActiveReportsRpx.md`
PDF encryption	`checklists/Pdf-Encryption.md`
Importer roadmap	`checklists/UI-Importer-Features.md`, `checklists/Importer-New-Featuers.md`, `checklists/PDF-Importer.md`
UI and localization	`pvad-designer/MULTILANGUAGE.md`, `checklists/UI-Improvements-2026.md`, `checklists/multi-languages.md`

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.agents/skills/pvad-release-author		.agents/skills/pvad-release-author
.config		.config
.github		.github
PVAD.WebApi		PVAD.WebApi
assets/fonts/liberation		assets/fonts/liberation
checklists		checklists
deploy		deploy
designer-simples		designer-simples
docs		docs
fonts		fonts
operator-docs		operator-docs
product-metadata		product-metadata
pvad-designer		pvad-designer
samples/PVAD.Demo		samples/PVAD.Demo
src		src
test-assets		test-assets
tests		tests
tools		tools
websites		websites
.dockerignore		.dockerignore
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
ARCHITECTURE.md		ARCHITECTURE.md
CONTRIBUTING_RENDERERS.md		CONTRIBUTING_RENDERERS.md
Directory.Build.props		Directory.Build.props
PROJECT_SUMMARY.md		PROJECT_SUMMARY.md
PVAD.sln		PVAD.sln
PVAD.slnx		PVAD.slnx
README.md		README.md
Removing-PDFImporter.md		Removing-PDFImporter.md
TESTING.md		TESTING.md
VERSION		VERSION
deploy.sh		deploy.sh
docker-compose.yml		docker-compose.yml
handoff.md		handoff.md
implementation_plan.md		implementation_plan.md
llms-full.txt		llms-full.txt
llms.txt		llms.txt

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PVADE - Document Automation Platform

Naming Glossary

Features

Visual Template Designer

Template Engine

Export Formats

Import Formats

Document Operations (API)

Document Features

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Frontend

Backend

API Reference

Export

Document Operations

Migrations

Templates

Auth

Architecture

Technology Stack

Testing

Deployment

Multi-Language PDF — Font Files

Further Documentation

Documentation Map

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Repository files navigation

PVADE - Document Automation Platform

Naming Glossary

Features

Visual Template Designer

Template Engine

Export Formats

Import Formats

Document Operations (API)

Document Features

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Frontend

Backend

API Reference

Export

Document Operations

Migrations

Templates

Auth

Architecture

Technology Stack

Testing

Deployment

Multi-Language PDF — Font Files

Further Documentation

Documentation Map

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