Adding absolute positioned text

Question

I'm trying to generate a letter, leaving an empty spot and then paste over the top of it the address, depending on where the envelope window is going to be.

So I start off doing this:

Document doc = new Document(PageSize.LETTER, 72, 72, 72, 72);
var w = PdfWriter.GetInstance(doc, output);
Font font = FontFactory.GetFont("arial", 10);
doc.Open();
doc.Add(new Paragraph("date", font) { SpacingAfter = 5 });
doc.Add(new Paragraph("\n\n\n\n\n\n", font));//empty spot
doc.Add(new Paragraph("long\n paragraph\ns panning\ multiple\n lines\n", font) { SpacingAfter = 5 });
doc.Add(new Paragraph("long\n paragraph\ns panning\ multiple\n lines\n", font) { SpacingAfter = 5 });
doc.Add(new Paragraph("long\n paragraph\ns panning\ multiple\n lines\n", font) { SpacingAfter = 5 });
doc.Add(new Paragraph("long\n paragraph\ns panning\ multiple\n lines\n", font) { SpacingAfter = 5 });
doc.Add(new Paragraph("long\n paragraph\ns panning\ multiple\n lines\n", font) { SpacingAfter = 5 });

float llx = 63f, lly = 450f, urx = 387f, ury = 531f;
?? Somehow add "name\n address line 1\n address line2\n city state zip"

doc.Close();

I was hoping to be able to add some text at those coordinates, but I couldn't figure out how... anybody know a way to do it?

Answer 1

Found the answer "Here". (Below is quoted answer from Yannick Smits)

===============

Try this:

ColumnText ct = new ColumnText(cb);
Phrase myText = new Phrase("TEST paragraph\nNewline");
ct.SetSimpleColumn(myText, 34, 750, 580, 317, 15, Element.ALIGN_LEFT);
ct.Go();

parameters of SetSimpleColumn are:

1. the phrase
2. lower-left-x
3. lower-left-y
4. upper-right-x (llx + width)
5. upper-right-y (lly + height)
6. leading (The amount of blank space between lines of print)
7. alignment.

Answer 2

You can also use a ContentByte with a Text Matrix to draw text wherever you want.

PdfContentByte cb = writer.DirectContent;
cb.BeginText();
BaseFont f_cn = BaseFont.CreateFont("c:\\windows\\fonts\\calibri.ttf", BaseFont.CP1252, BaseFont.NOT_EMBEDDED);
cb.SetFontAndSize(f_cn, 6);
cb.SetTextMatrix(475, 15);  //(xPos, yPos)
cb.ShowText("Some text here and the Date: " + DateTime.Now.ToShortDateString());
cb.EndText();

The benefit is that if you don't have to draw the full size of the box the text will go into. With Simple Column, you are drawing a rectangle on the document, and positioning the text within it. With ContentByte, you dodge the rectangle, and position the text by itself.