AutoIt Requires Chilkat v11.7.0+

Extract Text from a Two-Column PDF

See more PDF Text Extraction Examples

Demonstrates how multi-column pages are read. By default the columns are detected and each column is read top to bottom before the next ("columns": "auto"); "columns": "none" reads the full page width line by line, which interleaves the columns. The quality report tells how many columns were found. AutoIt

Local $bSuccess = False

;  This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
;  See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

;  The two-column PDF used in this example is available at two_column_article.pdf

$oPdf = ObjCreate("Chilkat.Pdf")
$bSuccess = $oPdf.LoadFile("qa_data/pdf/two_column_article.pdf")
If ($bSuccess = False) Then
    ConsoleWrite($oPdf.LastErrorText & @CRLF)
    Exit
EndIf

$oJson = ObjCreate("Chilkat.JsonObject")
$oJsonOut = ObjCreate("Chilkat.JsonObject")

;  With the default options the columns are detected, and the text of the left column
;  comes before the text of the right column.
$bSuccess = $oPdf.ExtractText("text",$oJson,$oJsonOut)
If ($bSuccess = False) Then
    ConsoleWrite($oPdf.LastErrorText & @CRLF)
    Exit
EndIf

ConsoleWrite("Columns detected: " & $oJsonOut.IntOf("quality.pages[0].columns") & @CRLF)
ConsoleWrite("Reading order: " & $oJsonOut.StringOf("quality.pages[0].readingOrderSource") & @CRLF)
ConsoleWrite($oJsonOut.StringOf("text") & @CRLF)

;  "none" switches column detection off: the page is read across its full width, line by line,
;  so each output line holds a line of the left column followed by a line of the right column.
;  This is rarely wanted, but it shows what the detection does.
$oJson.UpdateString("columns","none")
$oJson.UpdateString("layout","lines")
$bSuccess = $oPdf.ExtractText("text",$oJson,$oJsonOut)
If ($bSuccess = False) Then
    ConsoleWrite($oPdf.LastErrorText & @CRLF)
    Exit
EndIf

ConsoleWrite("---- columns: none ----" & @CRLF)
ConsoleWrite($oJsonOut.StringOf("text") & @CRLF)

;  Sample output (abbreviated):

;  Columns detected: 2
;  Reading order: visual
;  The Harbor Lighthouse, Season Two
;  
;  The harbor lighthouse was built in 1874 to mark the entrance to the inner channel. It operated continuously until 1968, ...
;  
;  The restoration society took ownership in 2021 with three goals: ...
;  ...
;  The lantern room frame was stripped, primed and repainted in the original dark green. ...
;  ...
;  ---- columns: none ----
;  The Harbor Lighthouse, Season Two
;  The harbor lighthouse was built in 1874 to The lantern room frame was stripped, primed
;  mark the entrance to the inner channel. It and repainted in the original dark green. New
;  ...