How to Extract Text From PDF Line By Line

Extracting text from a PDF document is a task that developers frequently encounter. PDF files are popular for sharing documents, given their platform independence and fixed layout formatting. However, reading text from these PDF files programmatically can be tricky. Thanks to Python, many libraries are available to make this task a breeze. IronPDF is one of these popular Python libraries designed explicitly for PDF manipulation.

This guide will show the nuances of using IronPDF to extract text sequentially from PDF documents in Python. We'll cover everything from setting up your Python environment to executing your first Python program for PDF text extraction.

How to Extract Text from PDF Line by Line

1. Download and install the PDF library using Python to extract text from the PDF file line.
2. Create a Python project in your preferred IDE.
3. Load the desired PDF file for retrieving textual content.
4. Loop through the PDF and extract text sequentially using the built-in library's function.
5. Save the extracted text to a file.

IronPDF PDF Python Library

IronPDF is a handy tool that lets you work with PDF files in Python. Think of it as a helpful assistant that makes reading, creating, and editing PDF files accessible. Whether you aim to extract content from a PDF document, include fresh information, or transform a web page into a PDF format, IronPDF offers comprehensive solutions. It's a paid software package, but they offer a trial version for you to explore before committing to a purchase.

Before diving into the script, setting up your Python environment is essential. This step-by-step guide will help you configure your environment, create a new Python project in Visual Studio Code, and set up the IronPDF library environment configuration.

Download and Install Python: If you haven't installed Python, download the most recent release from the official Python website. Follow the installation instructions for your specific operating system.

Check Python Installation: Open your terminal or command prompt and type python --version. This command should print the installed Python version, confirming the installation was successful.

Update pip: Pip is the Python package installer. Make sure it's up to date by running pip install --upgrade pip.

Creating a New Python Project in Visual Studio

Download Visual Studio Code: If you don't have It, download it from the official website.

Install Python Extension: Open Visual Studio Code and head to the Extensions Marketplace. Search for the Python extension by Microsoft and install it.

Create a New Folder: Create a new folder where you want to house your Python project. Name it something relevant, like PDF_Text_Extractor.

Open the Folder in VS Code: Drag the folder into Visual Studio Code or use the File > Open Folder menu option to open the folder.

Create a Python File: Right-click in the VS Code Explorer panel and choose New File. Name the file main.py or something similar. This file will hold your Python program.

IronPDF Library Requirement and Setup

IronPDF is essential for retrieving textual content from PDFs. Here's how to install it:

Open Terminal in VS Code: You can open a terminal inside VS Code by going to terminal> New Terminal.

Install IronPDF: In the terminal, execute the following to install the latest version of IronPDF:

 pip install ironpdf

This process retrieves and installs the IronPDF library along with any required modules.

And there you have it! You've now successfully set up your Python environment, created a new project in Visual Studio Code, and installed the IronPDF library.

Extract Text From PDF Line By Line

Applying License Key

Before you proceed, make sure you apply your IronPDF license key.

from ironpdf import PdfDocument
License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY-HERE"

from ironpdf import PdfDocument
License.LicenseKey = "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY-HERE"

Replace YOUR-LICENSE-KEY-HERE with your actual IronPDF license key. This license allows you to unlock all library features for your project.

Loading the PDF File Format

You need to load an existing PDF file into your Python program. You can achieve this with the PdfDocument.FromFile method from IronPDF.

pdfFileObj = PdfDocument.FromFile("content.pdf")

pdfFileObj = PdfDocument.FromFile("content.pdf")

"content.pdf" refers to the PDF file you wish to read. This loaded PDF file is stored in the pdfFileObj variable, used as a PDF reader or the PDF file object pdfFileObj.

Extracting Text from the Entire PDF Document

If you want to grab all the text data from the PDF file at once, you can use the ExtractAllText method.

all_text = pdfFileObj.ExtractAllText()

all_text = pdfFileObj.ExtractAllText()

The ExtractAllText method is used here for demonstration purposes. This method extracts all the text from the PDF file and stores it in a variable called all_text.

Extracting Text from a Specific PDF Page

IronPDF enables text extraction from a specific page using the ExtractTextFromPage method. This method is useful when you only need text from some pages.

page_2_text = pdfFileObj.ExtractTextFromPage(1)

page_2_text = pdfFileObj.ExtractTextFromPage(1)

Here, we're extracting text from the second page, corresponding to an index of 1.

Initializing a Text File for Writing Extracted Text

with open("extracted_text.txt", "w", encoding='utf-8') as text_file:

with open("extracted_text.txt", "w", encoding='utf-8') as text_file:

We open a file named "extracted_text.txt," where we'll save the text data. We use Python's built-in open function for this, setting the file mode to "write" ("w"). Just add encoding='utf-8' as an argument to the open function. This function should allow the text document to handle Unicode characters like the one you're encountering.

Loop Through Each Page for Line by Line Text Extraction

for i in range(0, pdfFileObj.get_Pages().Count):

for i in range(0, pdfFileObj.get_Pages().Count):

We loop through each page in the PDF file using IronPDF's get_Pages().Count to get the total number of pages.

Extract Text and Segment It into Lines

page_text = pdf.ExtractTextFromPage(i)
lines = page_text.split('\n')

page_text = pdf.ExtractTextFromPage(i)
lines = page_text.split('\n')

For each page, we use ExtractTextFromPage to get all the text and then use Python's split method to break it into lines. This results in a list of lines that we can loop through.

Write Extracted Lines to Text File

for eachline in lines:
    print(eachline)
    text_file.write(eachline + '\n')

for eachline in lines:
    print(eachline)
    text_file.write(eachline + '\n')

Here, we are iterating through each line in the list of lines, printing it to the doc console, and writing it to the file. We add a newline character (\n) after each line to properly format this text.

Complete Code

Here is the comprehensive implementation:

from ironpdf import PdfDocument

# Apply your license key
License.LicenseKey = "Your-License-Key-Here"

# Load an existing PDF file
pdfFileObj = PdfDocument.FromFile("content.pdf")

# Extract text from the entire PDF file
all_text = pdfFileObj.ExtractAllText()

# Extract text from a specific page in the file (Page 2)
page_2_text = pdfFileObj.ExtractTextFromPage(1)

# Initialize a file object for writing the extracted text
with open("extracted_text.txt", "w") as text_file:
    # Print number of pages in pdf file print count of pages present in pdf file
    num_of_pages = pdfFileObj.get_Pages().Count
    print("Number of pages in given document are ", num_of_pages)

    # Loop through each page using the Count property
    for i in range(0, num_of_pages):

        # Extract text from the current page
        page_text = pdfFileObj.ExtractTextFromPage(i)

        # Split the text by lines from this page object
        lines = page_text.split('\n')

        # Loop through the lines and print/write them
        for eachline in lines:
            print(eachline)  # Print each eachline to the console
            text_file.write(eachline + '\n')  # Write each line to the text documents

from ironpdf import PdfDocument

# Apply your license key
License.LicenseKey = "Your-License-Key-Here"

# Load an existing PDF file
pdfFileObj = PdfDocument.FromFile("content.pdf")

# Extract text from the entire PDF file
all_text = pdfFileObj.ExtractAllText()

# Extract text from a specific page in the file (Page 2)
page_2_text = pdfFileObj.ExtractTextFromPage(1)

# Initialize a file object for writing the extracted text
with open("extracted_text.txt", "w") as text_file:
    # Print number of pages in pdf file print count of pages present in pdf file
    num_of_pages = pdfFileObj.get_Pages().Count
    print("Number of pages in given document are ", num_of_pages)

    # Loop through each page using the Count property
    for i in range(0, num_of_pages):

        # Extract text from the current page
        page_text = pdfFileObj.ExtractTextFromPage(i)

        # Split the text by lines from this page object
        lines = page_text.split('\n')

        # Loop through the lines and print/write them
        for eachline in lines:
            print(eachline)  # Print each eachline to the console
            text_file.write(eachline + '\n')  # Write each line to the text documents

Output

Run the Python file by writing the following command in the Visual Studio Code terminal:

python main.py

This outcome will show on the terminal:

It is the retrieved text from the PDF file. You'll also notice a text document created in your directory.

In this text file, you'll find the text format that has been retrieved, presented sequentially.

Conclusion

In conclusion, using IronPDF and Python to extract text from PDF files is a robust and straightforward approach, whether pulling text from the entire document, specific pages, or even line by line. The added benefit of saving this retrieved text into a text file enables you to efficiently manage and utilize the data for future processing. IronPDF proves to be an invaluable tool in handling PDFs, offering a range of functionalities beyond just text extraction. You can also convert PDF to Text in Python using IronPDF.

IronPDF is not an open-source Python library. If you're considering using IronPDF for your projects, the license for the package starts at $749. However, if you need clarification on the investment, IronPDF offers a free trial to explore its features thoroughly.