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Glossary of Terms for flyfield

This glossary defines key terms and concepts used throughout the flyfield documentation and tooling.

Key Terms

AcroForm A PDF specification introduced in PDF version 1.2 that enables interactive forms within PDF documents. Forms created with AcroForm include elements such as text fields, checkboxes, and buttons.

Field (Form Field) An interactive area in a PDF where users can input or select data, such as text boxes, checkboxes, radio buttons, and dropdown menus.

Field Code A unique identifier automatically generated by flyfield for each detected white box placeholder in a PDF. It is used to map form fields to CSV data.

Filled PDF A PDF form that has been completed with data, either manually by a user or automatically using flyfield's filling scripts.

Interactive Field A form field in a PDF that users can modify and interact with, either within PDF viewers or programmatically.

Markup PDF A PDF generated by flyfield that visually annotates detected white box placeholders with boundary boxes and field codes to assist verification.

Placeholder Box (White Box) A rectangular area in a vector PDF identified as a placeholder for data input. flyfield detects these based on fill colour and size thresholds—commonly white boxes.

Working Copy PDF A duplicate of the original PDF used as a safe working file for detection, form field generation, filling, and data capture steps.

PyMuPDF An open-source Python library used by flyfield to parse and manipulate PDFs, extract graphical elements, and perform coordinate transformations.

PyPDFForm A Python library employed by flyfield to create, edit, and fill interactive form fields in PDFs.

Raster PDF A PDF consisting primarily of scanned images or bitmap graphics rather than vector objects. flyfield does not support raster PDFs for form field detection.

Vector PDF A PDF composed of vector graphics including shapes and lines. flyfield supports vector PDFs to detect and generate form fields accurately.

Common Terms

BBox (Bounding Box) The rectangular boundary defining the position and size of an element (such as a form field or graphic) in PDF coordinate space.

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) A plain text format used to exchange tabular data, including field codes and input values, between flyfield workflows and external tools.

Field Generator Script A standalone Python script created by flyfield that adds interactive form fields into PDFs based on detected white box placeholders.

Field Filler Script A standalone Python script generated by flyfield to programmatically fill interactive form fields in PDFs using CSV data.

Accessibility Terms

Tab Order The sequence in which form fields receive keyboard focus when navigating through a PDF form, important for usability and assistive technologies.

Screen Reader Software that reads the content of documents aloud for users with visual impairments; relies on properly tagged and labelled form fields.

AcroForm vs XFA There are two prominent PDF form technologies. AcroForm is the widely supported standard for interactive fields and is used by flyfield. XFA (XML Forms Architecture) is an older format that is less portable and often unsupported. flyfield converts documents relying on white box placeholders, including those with XFA templates, into modern AcroForm-based workflows by detecting placeholders and generating corresponding fields.