[PDFBOX-5297] class org.apache.pdfbox.cos.COSName cannot be cast to class org.apache.pdfbox.cos.COSString

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: 2.0.24
• Fix Version/s: 2.0.25, 3.0.0 PDFBox
• Component/s: AcroForm
• Assignee: Tilman Hausherr
• Reporter: Chris Newhouse
• Created: 19/Oct/21 22:05
• Updated: 17/Dec/21 06:50
• Resolved: 31/Oct/21 04:18

Description

A customer provided us with a PDF that contains an AcroForm and has some of the data filled in. There are various ways to trigger the error, but here's a stacktrace:

class org.apache.pdfbox.cos.COSName cannot be cast to class org.apache.pdfbox.cos.COSString (org.apache.pdfbox.cos.COSName and org.apache.pdfbox.cos.COSString are in unnamed module of loader 'app')
 at org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.interactive.form.PDVariableText.getDefaultAppearanceString(PDVariableText.java:91)
 at org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.interactive.form.AppearanceGeneratorHelper.<init>(AppearanceGeneratorHelper.java:114)
 at org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.interactive.form.PDTextField.constructAppearances(PDTextField.java:263)
 at org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.interactive.form.PDAcroForm.refreshAppearances(PDAcroForm.java:331)
 at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
 at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
 at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
 at java.base/java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:566)

The PDF contains sensitive user information, so I cannot post it here publicly, but I'd be willing to submit it to a private upload area. When I use an editor to remove/change the sensitive data, the problem goes away or sprouts up as a different error (related to fonts).

 

Here is a little bit of metadata I can provide right now:

{
 "Author": "SE:W:CAR:MP",
 "CreationDate": "D:20211012165530Z00'00'",
 "Creator": "Adobe LiveCycle Designer ES 9.0",
 "Keywords": "Fillable",
 "ModDate": "D:20211012165530Z00'00'",
 "Producer": "macOS Version 10.15.7 (Build 19H1417) Quartz PDFContext",
 "Subject": "Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification",
 "Title": "Form W-9 (Rev. October 2018)"
}