Evaluation and Licensing

GemBox.Pdf works in three different modes:

• Free mode - free of charge, limited to two pages.
• Time Limited mode - free of charge, limited to 30 days.
• Professional mode - requires purchasing a license key, no limitations.

All modes use the same GemBox.Pdf DLL, so there is no need to reinstall the component when switching modes.

The first thing to do when coding with GemBox.Pdf is to instruct the component in which mode it will be used. This is accomplished by calling ComponentInfo.SetLicense(String) method with the specific license key parameter:

• FREE-LIMITED-KEY, to use the component in Free mode.
• The temporary license key that you receive after sending us a request for Time Limited mode.
• The professional license key that you receive after purchasing GemBox.Pdf, to use the component in Professional mode.

Important

ComponentInfo.SetLicense method must be called before using any other class from the GemBox.Pdf component.

Tip

ComponentInfo.SetLicense method can be called multiple times. What is important is that it is called with the same license key. Ideally, it should be called at the start-up of your application. For example, it can be called in a Main method, an application start-up event or a static constructor of your main class.

Evaluation

You can evaluate GemBox.Pdf free of charge and for an unlimited time period, just download the component, install it and use it in Free mode.

Free mode delivers the same performance and set of features as Professional mode, with the following limitations:

• FreeLimitReachedException will be thrown if more than two pages are read or written.
• The contents of the rest of the pages (except the first two pages that were read or written) will be cleared, if you handle ComponentInfo.FreeLimitReached event and set the FreeLimitEventArgs.FreeLimitReachedAction to FreeLimitReachedAction.Stop.

Licensing

If you have evaluated the component and are satisfied with it, you can purchase the license key to use the component in the Professional mode - without any limitations.

After purchase, the only thing you need to do is to replace FREE-LIMITED-KEY with your purchased license key in ComponentInfo.SetLicense(String) method call.

Note

There is no other installer or DLL for the Professional mode. You should continue to use the reference to the existing GemBox.Pdf DLL in your project when switching to Professional mode.

Professional mode also includes technical support with prompt bug fixes. For more information, see Technical Support.