Extract Text Using Text Device

This tutorial will guide you through the process of extracting text from a PDF document using the Text Device in Aspose.PDF for .NET. The provided C# source code demonstrates the necessary steps.

Requirements

Before you begin, ensure that you have the following:

• Visual Studio or any other C# compiler installed on your machine.
• Aspose.PDF for .NET library. You can download it from the official Aspose website or use a package manager like NuGet to install it.

Step 1: Set up the project

1. Create a new C# project in your preferred development environment.
2. Add a reference to the Aspose.PDF for .NET library.

Step 2: Import required namespaces

In the code file where you want to extract text, add the following using directives at the top of the file:

using Aspose.Pdf;
using Aspose.Pdf.Devices;
using System.IO;
using System.Text;

Step 3: Set the document directory

In the code, locate the line that says string dataDir = "YOUR DOCUMENT DIRECTORY"; and replace "YOUR DOCUMENT DIRECTORY" with the path to the directory where your documents are stored.

Step 4: Open the PDF document

Open an existing PDF document using the Document constructor and passing the path to the input PDF file.

Document pdfDocument = new Document(dataDir + "input.pdf");

Step 5: Extract text using Text Device

Create a StringBuilder object to hold the extracted text. Iterate through each page of the document and use a TextDevice to extract the text from each page.

StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
string extractedText = "";
foreach(Page pdfPage in pdfDocument.Pages)
{
using (MemoryStream textStream = new MemoryStream())
{
TextDevice textDevice = new TextDevice();
TextExtractionOptions textExtOptions = new TextExtractionOptions(TextExtractionOptions.TextFormattingMode.Pure);
textDevice.ExtractionOptions = textExtOptions;
textDevice.Process(pdfPage, textStream);
textStream. Close();
extractedText = Encoding.Unicode.GetString(textStream.ToArray());
}
builder. Append(extractedText);
}

Step 6: Save the extracted text

Specify the output file path and save the extracted text to a text file using the File.WriteAllText method.

dataDir = dataDir + "input_Text_Extracted_out.txt";
File.WriteAllText(dataDir, builder.ToString());

Sample source code for Extract Text Using Text Device using Aspose.PDF for .NET

// The path to the documents directory.
string dataDir = "YOUR DOCUMENT DIRECTORY";
// Open document
Document pdfDocument = new Document( dataDir + "input.pdf");
System.Text.StringBuilder builder = new System.Text.StringBuilder();
// String to hold extracted text
string extractedText = "";
foreach (Page pdfPage in pdfDocument.Pages)
{
	using (MemoryStream textStream = new MemoryStream())
	{
		// Create text device
		TextDevice textDevice = new TextDevice();
		// Set text extraction options - set text extraction mode (Raw or Pure)
		TextExtractionOptions textExtOptions = new
		TextExtractionOptions(TextExtractionOptions.TextFormattingMode.Pure);
		textDevice.ExtractionOptions = textExtOptions;
		// Convert a particular page and save text to the stream
		textDevice.Process(pdfPage, textStream);
		// Convert a particular page and save text to the stream
		textDevice.Process(pdfDocument.Pages[1], textStream);
		// Close memory stream
		textStream.Close();
		// Get text from memory stream
		extractedText = Encoding.Unicode.GetString(textStream.ToArray());
	}
	builder.Append(extractedText);
}
dataDir = dataDir + "input_Text_Extracted_out.txt";
// Save the extracted text in text file
File.WriteAllText(dataDir, builder.ToString());
Console.WriteLine("\nText extracted successfully using text device from page of PDF Document.\nFile saved at " + dataDir);

Conclusion

You have successfully extracted text from a PDF document using the Text Device in Aspose.PDF for .NET. The extracted text has been saved to the specified output file.

FAQ’s

Q: What is the purpose of this tutorial?

A: This tutorial provides guidance on extracting text from a PDF document using the Text Device feature in Aspose.PDF for .NET. The accompanying C# source code demonstrates the necessary steps to achieve this task.

Q: What namespaces should I import?

A: In the code file where you plan to extract text, include the following using directives at the beginning of the file:

using Aspose.Pdf;
using Aspose.Pdf.Devices;
using System.IO;
using System.Text;

Q: How do I specify the document directory?

A: In the code, find the line that says string dataDir = "YOUR DOCUMENT DIRECTORY"; and replace "YOUR DOCUMENT DIRECTORY" with the actual path to your document directory.

Q: How do I open an existing PDF document?

A: In Step 4, you’ll open an existing PDF document using the Document constructor and providing the path to the input PDF file.

Q: How do I extract text using the Text Device?

A: Step 5 involves creating a StringBuilder object to hold the extracted text. You’ll then iterate through each page of the document and use a TextDevice along with TextExtractionOptions to extract text from each page.

Q: How do I save the extracted text to a file?

A: In Step 6, you’ll specify the output file path and use the File.WriteAllText method to save the extracted text to a text file.

Q: What is the key takeaway from this tutorial?

A: By following this tutorial, you’ve learned how to leverage the Text Device feature in Aspose.PDF for .NET to extract text from a PDF document. The extracted text has been saved to a specified output file, enabling you to manipulate and utilize the extracted content as needed.