Document Parsing – Extract Text from PDF File in Java

Have you ever encountered a situation where you needed to extract text from a PDF file programmatically? Extracting text from PDF files programmatically can be a complex task, especially when dealing with large documents. If you’re a Java developer and looking for a reliable solution, the GroupDocs.Parser Cloud SDK for Java provides an efficient way to extract text from PDF files. In this article, we will explore how to extract text from PDF file in Java using REST API.

The following topics shall be covered in this article:

Java REST API to Extract Text from PDF Files and SDK Installation

GroupDocs.Parser Cloud SDK for Java is a powerful, user-friendly and feature-rich software development kit that provides comprehensive PDF parsing capabilities. With its comprehensive set of APIs, you can effortlessly extract text, metadata, images, and parse data from over 50 types of document formats. It also provides C# .NET, Java, PHP, Ruby, and Python SDKs as its document parser family members for the Cloud API. The SDK can be integrated into a Java-based application to simplify your development process and enhance productivity.

You can either download the API’s JAR file or install it using Maven by adding the following repository and dependency into your project’s pom.xml file:

Maven Repository:

<repository>
    <id>groupdocs-artifact-repository</id>
    <name>GroupDocs Artifact Repository</name>
    <url>https://repository.groupdocs.cloud/repo</url>
</repository>

Maven Dependency:

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.groupdocs</groupId>
    <artifactId>groupdocs-parser-cloud</artifactId>
    <version>23.3</version>
    <scope>compile</scope>
</dependency>

Next, sign up for a free trial account or purchase a subscription plan on the GroupDocs website and get your API key. Once you have the Client Id and Client Secret, add below code snippet to a Java-based application:

How to Extract All Text from PDF Files in Java using REST API

Extracting text from PDF files in Java using GroupDocs.Parser Cloud SDK is a straightforward process. Here’s how to do it:

Upload the File

Firstly, upload the PDF document to the cloud using the code example given below:

As a result, the uploaded PDF file will be available in the [files section][https://dashboard.groupdocs.cloud/files] of your dashboard on the cloud.

Extract Text from PDF Document in Java

Follow the steps and an example code snippet to extract all text from the PDF files programmatically in Java using GroupDocs.Parser Cloud SDK for Java:

  • Firstly, import the required classes into your Java file.
  • Secondly, create an instance of the ParseApi class.
  • Thirdly, create an instance of the FileInfo class.
  • Next, set the path to the PDF file as input.
  • Then, create an instance of the TextOptions() class.
  • Next, assign fileInfo to setFileInfo method.
  • Now, create an instance of the TextRequest() class and pass TextOptions parameter.
  • Finally, get results by calling the ParseApi.text() method and passing the TextRequest parameter.

The following code sample shows how to extract all text from a PDF file using a REST API in Java:

You can see the output in the image below:

Java Extract Text from PDF Document

Extract Text from PDF Document in Java

Extract Specific Text from PDF in Java by Page Number Range

This section provides step-by-step instructions and an example code snippet for extracting specific text from a PDF file programmatically in Java:

  • Firstly, import the required classes into your Java file.
  • Secondly, create an instance of the ParseApi class.
  • Thirdly, create an instance of the FileInfo class.
  • Next, set the path to the PDF file as input.
  • Then, create an instance of the TextOptions() class.
  • Now, provide setStartPageNumber and setCountPagesToExtract values.
  • Then, assign fileInfo to setFileInfo method.
  • Now, create an instance of the TextRequest() class and pass TextOptions parameter.
  • Finally, get results by calling the ParseApi.text() method and passing the TextRequest parameter.

The following code sample shows how to extract specific text from PDF file by page range number in Java using REST API:

Free Online Document Parser

What is the best way to extract text from PDF online for free? Please try an online PDF document parser software to extract text out of PDF. This PDF Parser tool is developed using the above-mentioned Java parser library.

Conclusion

In conclusion, GroupDocs.Parser Cloud SDK for Java is a valuable tool for Java developers that allows you to extract text, metadata and images efficiently. The following is what you have learned from this article:

  • how to extract all text from PDF files using REST API in Java;
  • programmatically upload a PDF file to the cloud using Java;
  • how to extract content from PDF in Java using REST API;
  • and online PDF text extraction tool to parse PDF documents.

Besides, you can learn more about GroupDocs.Parser Cloud API using the documentation. We also provide an API Reference section that lets you visualize and interact with our APIs directly through the browser. Java SDK’s complete source code is freely available on Github.

Finally, we keep writing new blog articles on different file formats and parsing using REST API. So, please get in touch for the latest updates.

Ask a question

In case you would have any queries or confusion about how to extract text from PDF files, please feel free to contact us via our forum.

FAQs

How do I extract all text from a PDF file using Java?

You can extract all text from a PDF file using GroupDocs.Parser Cloud SDK for Java in your Java applications. This powerful SDK provides an efficient and straightforward way to extract text from PDF files using Java.

Can I extract text from password-protected PDF files using GroupDocs.Parser Cloud SDK for Java?

Yes, the SDK supports text extraction from password-protected PDF files. You can provide the password as an option during the extraction process.

Is it possible to extract text from specific pages within a PDF file?

Yes, GroupDocs.Parser Cloud SDK for Java allows you to specify the page range number from which you want to extract text. In this way, you can easily extract text from specific sections of a PDF document.

See Also

Here are some related articles that you may find helpful: