How to add XMP metadata to a PDF using C# and VB.NET?

Metadata describes the characteristics or properties of a document. To work multiple applications effectively with metadata, XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) is designed to provide a common standard. It standardizes the definition, creation, and processing of metadata.

Syncfusion Essential PDF is a .NET PDF library used to create, read, and edit PDF documents. Using this library, you can add XMP metadata to PDF using C# and VB.NET.

Steps to add XMP metadata to PDF programmatically:

1. Create a new C# console application project.
2. Install the Syncfusion.Pdf.WinForms NuGet package as reference to your .NET Framework application from NuGet.org.
3. Include the following namespaces in the Program.cs file.

C#

using Syncfusion.Pdf;
using Syncfusion.Pdf.Xmp;

VB.NET

Imports Syncfusion.Pdf
Imports Syncfusion.Pdf.Xmp

4. Use the following code snippet to add XMP metadata to PDF.

C#

//Create a PDF document
PdfDocument pdfDoc = new PdfDocument();
//Create a page
PdfPage page = pdfDoc.Pages.Add();
//Get XMP object
XmpMetadata metaData = pdfDoc.DocumentInformation.XmpMetadata;
 
//XMP Basic Schema
BasicSchema basic = metaData.BasicSchema;
//Set the basic details of the document
basic.Advisory.Add("Essential PDF");
basic.BaseURL = new Uri("http://syncfusion.com");
basic.CreateDate = DateTime.Now;
basic.CreatorTool = "Syncfusion";
basic.Identifier.Add("PDF");
basic.Label = "Essential PDF sample";
basic.MetadataDate = DateTime.Now;
basic.ModifyDate = DateTime.Now;
basic.Rating.Add(5);
 
//Save the document
pdfDoc.Save("Metadata.pdf");
//Close the document
pdfDoc.Close(true);
//This will open the PDF file so, the result will be seen in default PDF viewer 
Process.Start("Metadata.pdf");

VB.NET

'Create a PDF document
Dim pdfDoc As New PdfDocument()
'Create a page
Dim page As PdfPage = pdfDoc.Pages.Add()
' Get XMP object
Dim metaData As XmpMetadata = pdfDoc.DocumentInformation.XmpMetadata
 
' XMP Basic Schema
Dim basic As BasicSchema = metaData.BasicSchema
'Set the basic details of the document
basic.Advisory.Add("Essential PDF")
basic.BaseURL = New Uri("http://syncfusion.com")
basic.CreateDate = DateTime.Now
basic.CreatorTool = "Syncfusion"
basic.Identifier.Add("PDF")
basic.Label = "Essential PDF sample"
basic.MetadataDate = DateTime.Now
basic.ModifyDate = DateTime.Now
basic.Rating.Add(5)
 
'Save the document
pdfDoc.Save("Metadata.pdf")
'Close the document
pdfDoc.Close(True)
'This will open the PDF file so, the result will be seen in default PDF viewer 
Process.Start("Metadata.pdf")

A complete working sample can be downloaded from XMPMetadataSample.zip.

By executing the program, you will get the output document Metadata properties as follows.

Take a moment to peruse the documentation, where you can find other options like adding XMP metadata in an existing document, supported schema types, adding custom schema and custom metadata to the PDF document, removing custom metadata from an existing PDF document, set PDF document information, read and modify the document properties of an existing PDF document with code examples.

Refer here to explore the rich set of Syncfusion Essential PDF features.

An online sample link for adding PDF document properties.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed learning about how to add XMP metadata to a PDF using C# and VB.NET.

You can refer to our WinForms PDF’s feature tour page to know about its other groundbreaking feature representations. You can also explore our WinForms PDF documentation to understand how to present and manipulate data.

For current customers, you can check out our WinForms components from the License and Downloads page. If you are new to Syncfusion, you can try our 30-day free trial to check out our WinForms Excel and other WinForms components.

If you have any queries or require clarifications, please let us know in comments below. You can also contact us through our support forums, Direct-Trac, or feedback portal. We are always happy to assist you!