PDF::AP...DF::Dict(3)

💖 NAME 💖

PDF::API2::Basic::PDF::Dict — okay bestie, this is the low-level dictionary and stream object situation. It's a Perl man page from section 3 (User Contributed Perl Documentation), and it's giving "I'm the plumbing behind your PDFs" energy. No cap. 🫶

---

✨ INSTANCE VARIABLES ✨

So there are these special instance variables that exist mostly to babysit streams, and here's the iconic detail: every single one of them starts with a space. Yes, a literal space. That's not a typo, that's the whole vibe. 🎀

• stream — holds the stream contents for output. Simple. Elegant. Main character.
• streamfile — holds the stream contents in an external file instead of in memory. And ngl, important note: this is not the same as a PDF file stream. The data is stored in its unfiltered form. 💅
• streamloc — if both stream and streamfile are empty, this tells you where in the source PDF the stream starts. It's the little map pin. 📍

---

🌈 METHODS 🌈

🦋 $type = $d->type($type)

Get/Set the standard Type key. You can pass it a text value and it'll hand you back a text value too — not a Name object. It's giving convenient. ✨

🦋 @filters = $d->filter(@filters)

Get/Set one or more filters that the optional stream attached to the dictionary is using. Plural filters, plural business. 💜

🦋 $d->outobjdeep($fh)

Outputs the contents of the dictionary to a PDF file. Heads up: this is a recursive call, so it goes deep-deep, iykyk. 🔥

It also outputs a stream if the dictionary has a stream element. And when that happens? This method calculates the length of the stream and inserts it into the stream's dictionary. It's doing the math for you, bestie, you're welcome. 😌

🦋 $d->read_stream($force_memory)

Reads in a stream from a PDF file. Here's where it gets interesting: if the stream is greater than PDF::Dict::mincache bytes to be stored, the default action is to create a file for it somewhere and use that file as a data cache. And what's the default value of PDF::Dict::mincache? It's 32768. Remember that number, it might come up. 🍓

But if $force_memory is set, that caching will not happen — the data all gets stored in the $self->{' stream'} variable instead. Straight into memory, no detours. 💀

🦋 $d->val

Returns the dictionary. Which is itself. It's the dictionary returning itself, which is honestly the most self-assured thing I've ever seen. 👑 It's giving main character energy fr fr.

---

Okay but for real: those variable names all start with a space. stream, streamfile, streamloc. Miss that space and you're gonna have a bad time. 🙈

---

And that's the whole page, bestie! 🎀 Sending you off with the deets from the footer: this was perl v5.42.0, dated 2025-09-01, and it lives under PDF::AP...DF::Dict(3) — slay, go forth and dictionary responsibly. 💖✨🦋