JavaScript Requires Chilkat v11.7.0+

Extract a PDF Table with Merged Cells

See more PDF Text Extraction Examples

Demonstrates how merged cells are reported by the "tables" operation: a header cell that spans several columns has colSpan greater than 1, and a row label that spans several rows has rowSpan greater than 1. Also shows the minRows and minColumns options. JavaScript

var success = false;

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

//  The PDF used in this example is available at spans_table.pdf

var pdf = new CkPdf();
success = pdf.LoadFile("qa_data/pdf/spans_table.pdf");
if (success == false) {
    console.log(pdf.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

var json = new CkJsonObject();
var jsonOut = new CkJsonObject();

//  Grids smaller than minRows x minColumns are not reported as tables.  The defaults are 2 and 2.
//  Setting them higher skips small boxes that are not really tables.
json.UpdateInt("minRows",3);
json.UpdateInt("minColumns",3);

success = pdf.ExtractText("tables",json,jsonOut);
if (success == false) {
    console.log(pdf.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

console.log("Tables found: " + jsonOut.IntOf("count"));
console.log(jsonOut.IntOf("tables[0].rows") + " rows x " + jsonOut.IntOf("tables[0].columns") + " columns");

//  A merged cell is reported once, at its top-left position, with its spans.
//  The positions it covers have no cell of their own.
var rowSpan;
var colSpan;
var j = 0;
var count_j = jsonOut.SizeOfArray("tables[0].cells");
while (j < count_j) {
    jsonOut.J = j;
    rowSpan = jsonOut.IntOf("tables[0].cells[j].rowSpan");
    colSpan = jsonOut.IntOf("tables[0].cells[j].colSpan");
    if ((rowSpan > 1) || (colSpan > 1)) {
        console.log("row " + jsonOut.IntOf("tables[0].cells[j].row") + ", col " + jsonOut.IntOf("tables[0].cells[j].col") + ": \"" + jsonOut.StringOf("tables[0].cells[j].text")
             + "\" spans " + rowSpan + " row(s) and " + colSpan + " column(s)");
    }

    j = j+1;
}

//  Sample output:

//  Tables found: 1
//  6 rows x 6 columns
//  row 0, col 0: "Area" spans 2 row(s) and 1 column(s)
//  row 0, col 1: "City" spans 2 row(s) and 1 column(s)
//  row 0, col 2: "First Half" spans 1 row(s) and 2 column(s)
//  row 0, col 4: "Second Half" spans 1 row(s) and 2 column(s)
//  row 2, col 0: "East" spans 2 row(s) and 1 column(s)
//  row 4, col 0: "West" spans 2 row(s) and 1 column(s)