How to Extract Text from PDF Documents in PHP, Including Unicode Characters?

Extract Text from PDF Documents in PHP

Many developers encounter difficulties extracting text from PDF documents, especially when Unicode characters are involved. While plain text functions may be inadequate, this article presents a solution using a PHP class.

Using the PDF2Text Class

To extract text from PDF documents using PHP, you can download the class.pdf2text.php class from Pastebin (https://pastebin.com/dvwySU1a) or Web Cheatsheet (https://webcheatsheet.com/php/scripts/pdf2text.zip).

Once you have the class, you can use the following code to extract text from a PDF file:

<code class="php">include('class.pdf2text.php');
$a = new PDF2Text();
$a->setFilename('filename.pdf'); 
$a->decodePDF();
echo $a->output(); </code>

This code includes the class file, initializes a new instance of the PDF2Text class, sets the PDF filename, decodes the PDF, and echoes the extracted text.

Additional Considerations

• Limitations: While the PDF2Text class is effective in many cases, it may not work with all PDFs.
• Alternatives: If PDF2Text is unsuccessful, consider using the PDF Parser library instead.

By leveraging the PDF2Text class or alternative libraries, you can effectively extract text from PDF documents in PHP, enabling you to handle Unicode characters and a wide range of PDF formats.

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