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What's New in v25.0.0 🎉

Release Highlights​

Version 25.0.0 marks a complete rewrite of ng2-pdfjs-viewer with modern Angular patterns, enhanced performance, and a focus on developer experience.

Major Release

This is a major release with breaking changes. Please review the Migration Guide for upgrade instructions.

🚀 Complete Rewrite​

Why a Rewrite?​

After 8 years of evolution, we decided to rebuild ng2-pdfjs-viewer from scratch to:

  • Adopt modern Angular patterns and best practices
  • Improve performance with event-driven architecture
  • Enhance security with template-based UI
  • Provide better TypeScript support
  • Ensure long-term maintainability

Architecture Improvements​

  • Event-Driven: Pure event-based system with universal action dispatcher
  • Trust-Based: Eliminated defensive programming patterns
  • Single File Integration: All customizations in one file for easy PDF.js upgrades
  • Readiness Hierarchy: 5-level readiness system for reliable action execution

✨ New Features​

Template-Based UI​

Replace HTML strings with Angular templates for better security and maintainability:

<ng-template #loadingTemplate>
  <div class="custom-loader">
    <mat-spinner></mat-spinner>
    <p>Loading your document...</p>
  </div>
</ng-template>

<ng2-pdfjs-viewer [customSpinnerTpl]="loadingTemplate">
</ng2-pdfjs-viewer>

Advanced Theme System​

Complete visual customization through CSS custom properties:

themeConfig = {
  theme: 'dark',
  primaryColor: '#3f51b5',
  backgroundColor: '#1e1e1e',
  textColor: '#ffffff'
};

Convenience Configuration​

Object-based configuration for cleaner code:

groupVisibility = {
  "download": true,
  "print": true,
  "find": true,
  "fullScreen": true,
  "openFile": true,
  "viewBookmark": true,
  "annotations": false
};

Enhanced Event System​

24+ events covering all user interactions:

  • onDocumentLoad - Document loaded successfully
  • onDocumentError - Document failed to load
  • onPageChange - Page navigation
  • onZoomChange - Zoom level changed
  • onRotationChange - Document rotated
  • onProgress - Loading progress
  • And many more...

Mobile-First Design​

  • Touch-friendly interface
  • Responsive layout
  • Adaptive toolbar
  • Mobile navigation patterns

🔧 Technical Improvements​

TypeScript Strict Mode​

  • Full type safety throughout the codebase
  • Comprehensive type definitions
  • Better IntelliSense support
  • Compile-time error checking

Performance Enhancements​

  • No Polling: Eliminated all setTimeout/setInterval usage
  • Event-Driven: Immediate action execution when ready
  • Memory Efficient: Optimized resource management
  • Faster Loading: Improved initialization sequence

Security Improvements​

  • XSS Prevention: Template-based UI prevents injection attacks
  • Content Sanitization: Secure handling of user content
  • CORS Handling: Better cross-origin request management

Developer Experience​

  • Promise-Based API: All methods return promises
  • Consistent Error Handling: Unified error management
  • Better Debugging: Enhanced logging and error messages
  • Comprehensive Documentation: Complete API reference

📊 Updated Dependencies​

Core Dependencies​

  • PDF.js: Updated to v5.3.93 (latest)
  • Angular: Support for Angular 20+ (optimized) and 10+ (compatible)
  • TypeScript: Support for TypeScript 5.0+

Build Tools​

  • ng-packagr: Updated to latest version
  • Build Process: Streamlined and optimized
  • Testing: Enhanced test coverage

🗑️ Deprecated Features​

The following features are deprecated and will be removed in future versions:

Deprecated Properties​

DeprecatedReplacementNotes
[startDownload][downloadOnLoad]Clearer naming
[startPrint][printOnLoad]Clearer naming
[errorHtml][customErrorTpl]Template-based
[spinnerHtml][customSpinnerTpl]Template-based

Deprecated Methods​

DeprecatedReplacementNotes
setErrorHtml()Use [customErrorTpl]Template-based
setSpinnerHtml()Use [customSpinnerTpl]Template-based

🔄 Breaking Changes​

Major Breaking Changes​

  1. Template-Based UI: HTML string properties replaced with template inputs
  2. Event System: Enhanced event data structures
  3. Configuration: Some properties renamed for clarity
  4. API Methods: Updated method signatures for consistency

Migration Path​

We've provided comprehensive migration documentation:

📈 Performance Benchmarks​

Before vs After (v20.x → v25.x)​

  • Initial Load Time: 40% faster
  • Memory Usage: 25% reduction
  • Event Response: 60% faster
  • Bundle Size: 15% smaller

Reliability Improvements​

  • Zero Timeouts: Eliminated all polling-based code
  • Race Conditions: Solved through readiness hierarchy
  • Error Recovery: Enhanced error handling and recovery
  • Memory Leaks: Comprehensive cleanup on destroy

🌟 Community Highlights​

Downloads & Usage​

  • 7+ Million Downloads: Trusted by thousands of applications
  • 8+ Years: Continuous development since 2018
  • Global Usage: Applications worldwide
  • Enterprise Adoption: Used in production systems

Community Contributions​

  • Bug reports and feature requests
  • Community discussions and support
  • Documentation improvements
  • Testing and feedback

🔮 What's Next?​

Upcoming Features​

  • Docusaurus Documentation: Comprehensive documentation site
  • Advanced Customization: More theming options
  • Performance Optimizations: Further speed improvements
  • Mobile Enhancements: Enhanced touch support

PDF.js Updates​

  • Latest PDF.js: Continuous updates to latest versions
  • New Features: Adopt new PDF.js capabilities
  • Performance: Benefit from PDF.js improvements

🙏 Acknowledgments​

Special Thanks​

  • Mozilla PDF.js Team: For the amazing PDF.js library
  • Angular Team: For the excellent framework
  • Community Contributors: For bug reports, feature requests, and contributions
  • 7+ Million Users: For trusting us with your PDF viewing needs

📞 Support & Resources​

Getting Help​

Migration Support​

Ready to upgrade? Start with our Migration Guide and experience the power of ng2-pdfjs-viewer v25.x!