pdf to text

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  • Justin Koivisto
    #1

    pdf to text

    I am looking for a way to convert PDF files into text content. I don't
    care about layout or formatting, just the plain text that I can use to
    search against in a database.

    I've look into the pdftotext tool from:
    Download Xpdf and XpdfReader
    http://www.foolabs.com/xpdf/download.html


    However, when I use it via the command line, it works fine. If I issue
    the same command via a system() call, there are major problems that
    cause the server to crash. (Don't know why, there aren't any error
    messages been generated anywhere.)

    I am looking to use this when a PDF file is uploaded via a form and
    store the text in a database for a search function.

    TIA

    -- Justin
    Tags: None
    • NC
      #2
      Re: pdf to text

      Justin Koivisto wrote:[color=blue]
      >
      > I am looking for a way to convert PDF files into text content.[/color]

      I vaguely remember using Ghostscript for that...

      Cheers,
      NC

        Comment

        • Joe Blow
          #3
          Re: pdf to text

          I have not used pdftotext via system(). However you could try different
          versions of pdftotext. In my experience the version you use can have
          quite different effects. Different versions should be easily available.
          It's also possible to use ascii2txt, which depends on Ghostscript I
          think. When I tried it I got into a muddle of versions though, and
          pdftotext was much easier.

            Comment

            • Miguel Cruz
              #4
              Re: pdf to text

              Justin Koivisto <justin@koivi.c om> wrote:[color=blue]
              > I am looking for a way to convert PDF files into text content. I don't
              > care about layout or formatting, just the plain text that I can use to
              > search against in a database.
              >
              > I've look into the pdftotext tool from:
              > http://www.foolabs.com/xpdf/download.html
              >
              > However, when I use it via the command line, it works fine. If I issue
              > the same command via a system() call, there are major problems that
              > cause the server to crash. (Don't know why, there aren't any error
              > messages been generated anywhere.)[/color]

              What do you mean when you say the server crashes? The Apache process
              dies? The entire machine locks up? The server physically falls off the
              rack and lands on the floor?

              How about doing an experiment where you use system() to call a shell
              script that sets up some debugging and dumps the environment, and see
              what you come up with?

              miguel
              --
              Photos from 38 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu
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