EmbedPDF Headless (Vite + React + TS)

Minimal, client-only test project that composes a headless PDF viewer with EmbedPDF core + engine + plugins.

Install

npm install

If you prefer explicit packages:

npm install \
  @embedpdf/core @embedpdf/engines \
  @embedpdf/plugin-document-manager @embedpdf/plugin-viewport @embedpdf/plugin-scroll @embedpdf/plugin-render \
  @embedpdf/plugin-interaction-manager @embedpdf/plugin-selection \
  @embedpdf/plugin-annotation @embedpdf/plugin-history \
  @embedpdf/plugin-zoom @embedpdf/plugin-search @embedpdf/plugin-fullscreen

Run

npm run dev

Architecture (short)

• Engine: usePdfiumEngine() from @embedpdf/engines creates a client-side PDFium engine instance.
• Plugins: createViewerPlugins() in src/pdf/plugins.ts registers core plugins + feature plugins in the recommended order.
• Viewer tree:
  • <EmbedPDF> provides context + plugin registry
  • <DocumentContent> loads the active document
• <Viewport> + <Scroller> handle layout and paging
• renderPage() composes layers inside <PagePointerProvider>:
  • <RenderLayer>
  • <SelectionLayer>
  • <AnnotationLayer>
  • <MarqueeZoom>
  • <SearchLayer>

Where To Add New Plugins

• Add the plugin package registration in src/pdf/plugins.ts.
• If the plugin has a render layer, add it to renderPage() in src/pdf/PDFViewer.tsx.
• Add UI (controls/hooks) under src/pdf/toolbar/.

Persistence

Annotation state is persisted to localStorage in useAnnotationPersistence() (src/pdf/hooks/useAnnotationPersistence.ts). Storage key is derived from the document URL when available.

Known Limitations

• Search/fullscreen hook names are assumed from EmbedPDF's headless patterns. If the package exports differ, update src/pdf/toolbar/SearchBar.tsx and src/pdf/toolbar/FullscreenButton.tsx accordingly.
• Local file persistence uses the document name/id if no URL is available.

Feature Checklist

• PDF renders
• Text selection overlay
• Highlight + underline annotations
• Zoom controls
• Marquee (area) zoom toggle
• Search UI (next/prev + count)
• Fullscreen toggle
• Annotation persistence (localStorage)