Hi, you could use PDFStreamEngine and overwrite http://pdfbox.apache.org/docs/1.8.4/javadocs/org/apache/pdfbox/util/PDFStreamEngine.html#processTextPosition%28org.apache.pdfbox.util.TextPosition%29
this gives you the position of all characters. You would then need to match/compare these to the string pattern you are looking for accumulating the positions. After that you would have the area covered by the string which you could use to e.g. overlay a button and/or link element. BR Maruan Sahyoun Am 06.03.2014 um 21:30 schrieb Olaf Drümmer <[email protected]>: > You could use x and y position and rotation information to determine whether > two given characters - given their size - are relatively close to each other > or not and are on the same line. > > BT / ET is not at all guaranteed to give you strings as perceived by a human. > > Olaf > > > Am 6 Mar 2014 um 21:06 schrieb HQS <[email protected]>: > >> Well, thanks sirs for your reactivity. >> >> The PDFs are generated by Autodesk Inventor (even the latest version >> produces that kind of output). >> >> It is for one of my clients who wants an automatic transformation >> of some specific strings in the PDF into a clickable link. >> >> My problem is very simple : with such a structure I have no way to know when >> the string ends. >> >> As a matter of fact all the references to be transformed are prefixed >> with an ‘I-‘ but there is no termination character, for instance : « >> I-HOIST-042 ». >> Given that in the PDF I, -, H, O, (etc.), 2 are separated characters I >> cannot rebuild the original string. >> >> I was hoping that there is a block of text (BT … ET) but, as I mentioned, >> each character is put in its own block... >> >> Regards, >> >> >> Le 6 mars 2014 à 18:57, Maruan Sahyoun <[email protected]> a écrit : >> >>> Hi Julien, >>> >>> for 1) that’s possible and supported - how was the document generated? DTP >>> application? >>> for 2) PDFBox doesn’t enforce a PDF version. In general it supports all PDF >>> files but it doesn’t have full coverage of all features defined within >>> certain PDF versions but it should have a reasonable coverage. There is no >>> documentation on coverage yet so I can’t guarantee that a specific feature >>> is supported. Is there something special you are looking for? >>> >>> BR >>> Maruan Sahyoun >>> >>> Am 06.03.2014 um 18:39 schrieb HQS <[email protected]>: >>> >>>> Hello all, >>>> >>>> 1. >>>> Have you ever seen PDFs having this kind of (pseudo) structure : >>>> >>>> BT >>>> <character> >>>> Tj >>>> ET >>>> >>>> ? >>>> >>>> Which means, the strings are split into characters and there is one block >>>> of text per character ? >>>> It seems to be ill-formed doesn't it ? >>>> >>>> 2. Reminder of my first mail, what is the library compliancy regarding PDF >>>> standards ? 1.3 to 1.7 ? >>>> >>>> >>>> Thanks and regards >>>> >>>> Julien >>>> >>> >> >
