Bookmarks

The outlines object creates a document outline (also called bookmarks or a table of contents tree) that appears in the PDF viewer's navigation panel. Bookmarks link to specific pages and can be nested to represent document structure.

Properties

Property	Type	Description
title	string	The bookmark label displayed in the outline
pageNumber	number	The page the bookmark opens, from 1. Absent, the bookmark is a folder for its children
children	array	Bookmarks nested under this one

A document that claims PDF/UA-2 or a WTPDF level cannot carry authored bookmarks, since every destination must point into the structure tree: there, headings with a toc whose outlines is true make the bookmarks instead.

Examples

Flat bookmark list

{
  "document": {
    "outlines": {
      "title": "Document",
      "pageNumber": 1,
      "children": [
        { "title": "Introduction", "pageNumber": 1 },
        { "title": "Financial Summary", "pageNumber": 2 },
        { "title": "Regional Breakdown", "pageNumber": 4 },
        { "title": "Appendix", "pageNumber": 8 }
      ]
    },
    "content": [
      { "p": "Introduction content..." }
    ]
  }
}

Nested bookmarks

{
  "document": {
    "outlines": {
      "title": "Annual Report 2026",
      "pageNumber": 1,
      "children": [
        {
          "title": "Operations",
          "pageNumber": 2,
          "children": [
            { "title": "North America", "pageNumber": 2 },
            { "title": "Europe", "pageNumber": 3 },
            { "title": "Asia Pacific", "pageNumber": 4 }
          ]
        },
        {
          "title": "Financials",
          "pageNumber": 5,
          "children": [
            { "title": "Revenue", "pageNumber": 5 },
            { "title": "Expenses", "pageNumber": 6 },
            { "title": "Projections", "pageNumber": 7 }
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    "content": [
      { "p": "Report content..." }
    ]
  }
}

Where bookmarks appear

Bookmarks are displayed in the PDF viewer's bookmarks/outline panel. In most viewers, click the bookmark icon in the left sidebar to expand the navigation tree. Each entry jumps to the target page when clicked.