The selection of the right document processing library has many aspects which are important for the right decision to be made. Aspects to consider include technology stack, feature set, reliability, transparent licensing costs, and vendor reputation.
In this article, you will find some important aspects to consider when making such an important decision.
Technology
Does the library provide full support for the technology stack that you are using? This includes support for key pieces of Azure DevOps, such as pipelines and artifacts, as well as the latest version of Visual Studio.
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Continuous Integration is a common practice to compile code on build servers periodically to run tests after commits or at specific development stages. This article shows how to use TX Text Control within such environments and in specific how to handle the licensing.
Compiling TX Text Control .NET Server 31.0 with Azure DevOps and Artifacts
As a Microsoft Visual Studio partner, Text Control is fully committed to supporting all the latest versions and other technologies in the Microsoft ecosystem. With direct access to the development teams, we test early versions of Visual Studio to ensure that we provide the support that is available.
Features
Does the library provide all the features you need for your project? It is important to check if all features are included or if additional libraries are required.
File Formats
The following industry-standard formats should be supported by the document processing library:
- MS Word (DOC)
- Office Open XML (DOCX)
- Rich Text Format (RTF)
- Adobe PDF
- Adobe PDF/A (PDF/A-3b)
- HTML
Document Editing
In addition to a non-UI document generation component, an online MS Word compatible editor is important to allow your users to create templates and documents in a WYSIWYG manner. In addition to typical word processing features, advanced functionality should be included:
- Track Changes
- Comments
- Document Protection
- MailMerge
- Form Fields
- Spell Checking
Live Demo
Try it live with our online demos.
Documentation
Good software should be accompanied by good documentation. All API members should be well documented and sample applications should be available. Getting Started tutorials and sample applications should be available in addition to the technical documentation.
Getting Started
The Getting Started section is a collection of hundreds of tutorials, samples, and articles.
Technical Support
It is very important to have direct access to support engineers by phone, chat or via a support system. Sometimes it is easier to have a conversation with someone about a problem or issue. Having the ability to show a specific problem in a screen sharing session can significantly speed up the support process.
Text Control has a dedicated support team made up of engineers with many years of experience. Because they are located in the same offices as our development teams, they have direct access to the right people and the right information first hand. Our sophisticated support system gives you a detailed and streamlined view of open and closed support cases. The ability to set up corporate teams in the support system allows your developers to open support cases and managers to keep track of open tickets.
Avoid Open Source
If you use commercial libraries, make sure they do not use open source. The purchase of a library should give you peace of mind, not create more problems for you.
What happens if used code is patented? Who protects you from violations?
Due to the fact that the included code is not based on open source, you can avoid legal and patent issues. Security and vulnerability is another aspect and advantage of closed source in used libraries.
Development
Be sure to have an understanding of the location of the development teams. Cybersecurity and legal barriers such as sanctions can make it impossible for organizations and companies to use software developed in certain countries. Get an understanding of where the country of origin is for the code portion of the components that you are going to integrate into your software.
All of Text Control's products and samples are developed and produced exclusively in Germany, Europe and the United States of America.
Transparent Licensing
Understanding the cost of licensing is probably the most important factor to consider when making a decision. Prices should be publicly available on the website. And the licensing model should be explained transparently.
It should also be possible to predict the prices for the following years.
Company
Be sure the vendor is trustworthy and has a global reputation and track record. Find out what other customers are using the software.
Text Control has been developing software libraries for more than 30 years. More than 250,000 developers in more than 80 countries use our products to create software that is used by millions of end users on a daily basis.
Ready? Talk to us!
If you are planning to integrate a document processing library, talk to our engineers. We have extensive knowledge of typical applications and can help you choose the right technology.
