Visual FoxPro Requires Chilkat v11.7.0+

Exclude or Include Running Headers and Page Numbers

See more PDF Text Extraction Examples

Demonstrates the "repeatedHeadersFooters" filter. Text repeated at the same position on most pages, such as a running header and "Page N of 4" footers, is left out by default; set the filter to "include" to keep it. Visual FoxPro

LOCAL lnSuccess
LOCAL loPdf
LOCAL loJson
LOCAL loJsonOut

lnSuccess = 0

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

*  The four-page PDF used in this example is available at running_header.pdf

loPdf = CreateObject('Chilkat.Pdf')
lnSuccess = loPdf.LoadFile("qa_data/pdf/running_header.pdf")
IF (lnSuccess = 0) THEN
    ? loPdf.LastErrorText
    RELEASE loPdf
    CANCEL
ENDIF

loJson = CreateObject('Chilkat.JsonObject')
loJsonOut = CreateObject('Chilkat.JsonObject')

*  Every page has the header "Harbor Lighthouse Society - Annual Report 2026" at the top right
*  and "Page N of 4" at the bottom.  By default both are excluded, so the text of page 2 is just
*  its heading and paragraphs.
loJson.UpdateString("pages","2")
lnSuccess = loPdf.ExtractText("text",loJson,loJsonOut)
IF (lnSuccess = 0) THEN
    ? loPdf.LastErrorText
    RELEASE loPdf
    RELEASE loJson
    RELEASE loJsonOut
    CANCEL
ENDIF

? "---- default (repeated headers and footers excluded) ----"
? loJsonOut.StringOf("text")

*  Include them.  The detection looks at the neighbouring pages even when only one page is
*  selected, so a single page extracted on its own still loses its running head by default.
loJson.UpdateString("repeatedHeadersFooters","include")
lnSuccess = loPdf.ExtractText("text",loJson,loJsonOut)
IF (lnSuccess = 0) THEN
    ? loPdf.LastErrorText
    RELEASE loPdf
    RELEASE loJson
    RELEASE loJsonOut
    CANCEL
ENDIF

? "---- repeatedHeadersFooters: include ----"
? loJsonOut.StringOf("text")

*  Sample output:

*  ---- default (repeated headers and footers excluded) ----
*  The Work
*  
*  The restoration society took ownership in 2021 with three goals: make the structure watertight, return the tower to public access, and relight the lantern with a historically accurate lens. The first two were met in the second season, and the lens arrived on loan in November.
*  
*  The spiral stair is original and is the most fragile part of the building. Twelve of the ninety-one treads were cracked or missing, and the central column had corroded badly at the second landing. The treads were cast from patterns taken off an intact tread.
*  ---- repeatedHeadersFooters: include ----
*  Harbor Lighthouse Society - Annual Report 2026
*  
*  The Work
*  
*  The restoration society took ownership in 2021 with three goals: ...
*  
*  The spiral stair is original and is the most fragile part of the building. ...
*  
*  Page 2 of 4

RELEASE loPdf
RELEASE loJson
RELEASE loJsonOut