To use any callas product on a computer, you need to activate it first. This is true if you have bought a license key but also if you want to run the trial software. This article explains how the normal activation procedure for pdfaPilot Desktop and DeviceLink Add-on Desktop works and which steps you have to go through. 

Launch the application. You will see the main window with a blue bar at the top with the following options:

1. Activate License (if you have purchased a license key)
2. Request a trial (2-week trial license)
3. Enter Activation PDF
4. Use License Server
5. Free tools

If you have bought a license for callas pdfaPilot Desktop, click on the "Activate License" button. To active the full version you will need a valid license key that can be found on your License.pdf.  You'll need to fill out the window in step 2.

After clicking "Activate License" the Activation Window appears. Here you have to fill out your Name, Company, Email address and a valid License key. It is important to enter a valid email because the Activation PDF will be sent to that email address. You can enter the License Key by dragging and dropping your License PDF onto the lighter gray area. 

Afterwards click the "Next" button. This will sent your activation request to the activation server. Please continue now with step 3.

If you simply want to try the product, click on "Request a trial". The Activation Window appears. Here you have to fill out your Name, Company and Email address. You can select which version of the software you want to activate a trial for. It is important to enter a valid email because the Activation PDF for your trial will be sent to that email address.

Afterwards click the "Next" button. This will sent your activation request to the activation server. Please continue now with step 3.

After submitting your details (and clicked on the "Next" button), it will typically take only a few seconds to receive an email from the callas activation server containing an attachment called "Activation.pdf". 

If no response is received or in the event of an error, please contact [email protected] to determine the exact cause.

You can either drag and drop the Activation.pdf file onto the lighter gray area or copy and paste the information from the email into the field below. It is generally safer to drag and drop the file than to copy and paste the information.  Dragging and dropping the file will automatically fill in the information in the field.

Click "Next" and your callas pdfaPilot will be activated. You can click "Close" and start using the software.

You can also install and activate callas software on a system that doesn't have an Internet connection. In order to make this work, you can do an offline activation. Follow to normal activation procedure until the point where you have entered your details:

1. Click on the "Details" button to get the activation information. 
2. Click on the "Send via E-Mail" button to reveal the full email text that needs to be sent to the activation server. 
3. Copy and paste this text into a text document and take it to a system where you have email access. Create a new email with the subject, content and "To" address as described.
4. Once you receive the response email with the attached “Activation.pdf”, take this file back to the system without Internet access and use it to go through the rest of the procedure.

As the activation (and the resulting license file) is bound to the hardware, it is necessary to deactivate a license on one machine before an activation takes place on a new machine. 

1. Launch the application.
2. Go to "Help > About callas pdfaPilot".
3. Click "Deactivate".
4. Choose the product "callas pdfaPilot (Desktop)".
5. Fill out your email address.
6. Click "Next".
7. Click "Yes".

After the procedure, your callas pdfaPilot Desktop license will be deactivated.

NOTE: The deactivation procedure is the same for DeviceLink Add-on Desktop (in step 3 you have to select the product "callas DeviceLink Add-on (Desktop)").

To run pdfaPilot Desktop without activating a hardware-bound licence, you can use the Licence Server. Here you have several options:

1. To use the License Server on-premise to activate pdfaPilot Desktop, you must enter the IP address of the server here. More information on how to activate the License Server on-premise can be found here.
2. Input field to specifying a cartridge pool. More information can be found here.
3. To use the License Server (SaaS solution) to activate pdfaPilot Desktop, you must enter the Wallet ID here. More information on how to use the License Server can be found here.

pdfaPilot also includes free tools that can be used without activation. The tools allow detailed insight into PDF files, for example into the internal structure, fonts, metadata, existing DPart or tagging structures or the reading of barcodes and QR codes. pdfaPilot also contains free tools that can be used without activation. The tools allow detailed insight into PDF files, e.g. the internal structure, fonts, metadata, existing DPart or tagging structures or the reading of barcodes and QR codes.