Starting in 11.0.0.0, Atalasoft replaced the underlying Foxit library used for PDF rendering (PdfReader a.k.a. PdfDecoder) and PDF Text Extraction (PdfTextDocument and related classes)

Users with existing PdfReader licenses (PRP2 / PRPX2 serials) were provided with new PRP2 / PRPX2 serials for use in 11.0

As of September 2018, our contractual relationship with Foxit will end, and the old PDF Reader libraries used in 10.7 and older will no longer be sold or supported.

Additionally, as of DotImage 11.0.0.9, the Foxit libraries will no longer be included as a part of DotImage

What does this mean for you:

If you purchased DotImage PdfReader add-on after the release of 11.0 and are using 11.0 or newer along with PRP2 and/or PRPX2 serials, nothing changes for you.

If you were under active maintenance and had existing PdfReader licenses (PRS2 / PRSX2 serials) you should have received your updated PRP2 / PRPX2 serials.. If you have not, you can create a support case with your existing PRS2 / PRSX2 serial and a request for your 11.0 replacements and they will be provided.

In any case, if you're actively developing and deploying with 11.0 or newer, you likely will not see any changes (except for very special circumstances .. in those cases if you have a special case where you've been granted a temporary waiver to use Foxit engine in 11.0, please contact support)

If you're using an existing license under an older product (10.7 or older) and your licenses are under active maintenance, you can continue to use the older version (though support always suggests staying current for the best features and all the latest bug fixes).

However, if you have existing PRS2 / PRSX2 licenses and pre-11.0 deployments and require additional SDK or DEV/Build or server licenses, we can no longer sell serials for those components.. You would need to acquire new PRP2/PRPX2 serials and upgrade your applications to use 11.0.

TL;DR:

If you have any questions about how this change will affect you, your applications, your developers, your licensing, etc.. please create a support case or reach out to your Atalasoft sales representative and we will assist you.

As always, if you need help in upgrading to 11.0 please create a support case and we will assist you.

FAQ:

Q: Do I have to upgrade my application to 11.0 or later?

A: No: you can stay with your current version so long as you keep your maintenance active and you are not running into any bugs that require a fix from DotImage not present in 10.7.0.13 or older

Q: Why should I continue to pay for maintenance/renewals if I want to stay with an older version?

A: So long as you keep your maintenance /renewals, you can continue to develop and deploy solutions using the older version. If you stop your maintenance / renewals, our license terms say you must stop all new development and may not deploy any new applications (though you can continue to maintain an existing deployment). Also, See below: support will still assist you with older versions.. there are just some limits on what we can do.

Q: What support is available for older versions?

A: So long as you are under active maintenance, you're entitled to support through our case portal and via telephone during normal business hours. We will still provide support on questions of API usage, licensing, and deployment... Including moving licenses to new machines. If you run into a bug/issue, support will work with you to se if there's a workaround available or if the issue was addressed before the final 10.7.0.13 build.. If the bug /issue was resolved in 10.7.0.13 or before we can assist you to update to a version with the fix.

If support determines that the issue was not fixed until /after the 11.0.0.0 initial release.. or if your issue requires a code change to DotImage, the fix can not be and will not be back-ported to an older version.. the fix would be provided in a new 11.0 (or later) build and you would need to upgrade your solution to 11.0 (or newer) to receive the fix. This is non-negotiable as we are contractually forbidden from providing any "new" 10.7 or older build using the old PdfReader.

Q: How difficult is it to upgrade to 11.0?

A: To a large extent, this depends on what version you're upgrading from.

Mostly you just need to ensure you're targeting .NET 3.5 or .NET 4.5.2 or higher, change your Atalasoft DLL references to point to the correct 11.0 versions, and activate your licenses for 11.0.. There are some other changes in 11.0 which are detailed here.

We try very hard to introduce as few "breaking changes" and API / code changes in new releases as possible. There are certain key milestones within DotImage where various individual components did introduce significant changes..

v5.0 - Compete re-write of Annotation code - significant changes to go from 4.0 or lower to 5.0 or higher

v6.0 - Last version of DotImage to include support for .NET 1.1

v7.0b - Entirely new Barcode Reader engine and API introduced - users with Barcode reading solutions from 7.0a and older will have significant code changes.
Q10266 - INFO: Barcode Reader Basics (DotImage 7.0b thorugh DotImage 9.0d)

v10.0 - Barcode reader engine changed again, but only namespace and licensing and dll reference change... no API / code changes beyond namespace change

v10.3 - Major Assembly restructuring - several dlls removed from DotImage.. features moved into other DLLs - no major code changes.
INFO: AssemblyRestructuring Introduced In Version 10.3

v10.5.2 - Complete architecture change For WingScan web scanning - No more browser plugins. No customer can / should be using WingScan with any version priori to 10.5.2 at this point.
Q10408 - HOWTO: Migrating a WingScan based app to 10.5.2 (and newer - includes 10.6, 10.7 and 11.0)

v10.6 - Significant changes/improvements to WebDocumentViewer control - STRONGLY recommended to not use any version before 10.6.1 for WebDocumentViewer

v10.7 - Several minor, but well documented changes.
Q10436 - INFO: Changes Introduced in 10.7

v11.0 - PdfReader changed from old engine to Pdfium. No Code changed required, but license change means new PRP2 serials must be used instead of PRS2 serials. Also, dropped support for .NET 2.0/3.0 and dropped support for .NET 4.0/4.5/4.5.1 - use .NET 3.5 or 4.5.2 or higher.
Q10443 - INFO: Changes Introduced in DotImage 11.0

For assistance / questions regarding upgrading to 11.0, please create a support case or call in to support.

Q: Why can't you sell / provide a new PRS2/ PRSX2 serial so we don't have to upgrade?

A: Once our business relationship with Foxit ended, our contractual agreements require that we can never sell / provide any new licenses for the old PdfReader. To do so would be to violate Foxit's copyright / licensing. There is no "wiggle room" on this one. If you do not have all the PRS2/PRSX2 serials you need to properly develop and deploy your 10.7 and older needs, the only path forward would be to move to 11.0 or later to use the PRP2/PRPX2 serials. Support can assist with technical questions/issues arising from upgrading, though the vast majority of customers upgrading to 11.0 or later have had little to no issues doing so. Those who have had any difficulties have reached out to support and we've assisted them.

Q: Any other questions...

A: For assistance / questions regarding upgrading to 11.0, please create a support case or call in to support.

Original Article:
Q10454 - INFO: Changes to PDF Rendering Library (Foxit to PdfIum)