Class AFRelationship

Defines relationship between embedded file and PDF/A document. Specifies how the attachment relates to the main document content.

// Invoice XML as alternative representation:
var config = new EmbedFileConfiguration(EmbedFileType.xml) {
    AFRelationship = AFRelationship.Alternative,
    AFDesc = "Structured invoice data"
};

// Raw data file:
var dataConfig = new EmbedFileConfiguration(EmbedFileType.pdf) {
    AFRelationship = AFRelationship.Data
};

// Source document:
var sourceConfig = new EmbedFileConfiguration(EmbedFileType.pdf) {
    AFRelationship = AFRelationship.Source,
    AFDesc = "Original document before conversion"
};

Alternative = machine-readable version (XML invoices)

Relationship affects PDF/A compliance validation

See: https://ironpdf.com/how-to/pdfa/

Inheritance
System.Object
AFRelationship
Namespace: IronPdf
Assembly: IronPdf.dll
Syntax
public sealed class AFRelationship : Enum

The AFRelationship enumeration in IronPDF declares the relationship between an embedded file and a PDF/A-3 document, which matters most for ZUGFeRD and Factur-X e-invoicing workflows.

It belongs to the IronPdf namespace and exposes 5 values: Unspecified (default), Alternative, Source, Data, and Supplement. Each value tells PDF/A readers how the attached XML or supporting file relates to the visual document.

See Export PDF/A Format Docs in C# for the full PdfAOptions configuration.

Fields

Alternative

Alternative representation of document content. Used for XML invoices providing machine-readable data.

// ZUGFeRD invoice XML:
config.AFRelationship = AFRelationship.Alternative;
Declaration
public const AFRelationship Alternative
Field Value
Type Description
AFRelationship

Data

Raw data used to create the document. For datasets, CSV files, or calculation sources.

// Attach source data:
config.AFRelationship = AFRelationship.Data;
Declaration
public const AFRelationship Data
Field Value
Type Description
AFRelationship

Source

Original source file before PDF conversion. For Word docs, spreadsheets, or HTML sources.

// Original document:
config.AFRelationship = AFRelationship.Source;
Declaration
public const AFRelationship Source
Field Value
Type Description
AFRelationship

Supplement

Supplementary material to main content. For appendices, terms, or additional information.

// Additional terms:
config.AFRelationship = AFRelationship.Supplement;
Declaration
public const AFRelationship Supplement
Field Value
Type Description
AFRelationship

Unspecified

Relationship not specified (default for non-XML). Use when relationship doesn't fit other categories.

// Generic attachment:
config.AFRelationship = AFRelationship.Unspecified;
Declaration
public const AFRelationship Unspecified
Field Value
Type Description
AFRelationship

value__

Declaration
public int value__
Field Value
Type Description
System.Int32