visual basic programming course

How to Extract Text from PDF File in VB Net

Visual Basic Tips on How to Manipulate PDF Files

💽Intro

This course blog discusses dealing with PDF File Format (PDF). Since Adobe Acrobat PDF reader is the best tool until today, then I will use it. iTextSharp is the most common well known tool for manipulating PDF Files in most of development environments.
As stated here , there is a new release called itext7 which adds new security features when you move to itext7, you could get either commercial copy or AGPL from their official website.
Unless you purchase a commercial License, you are not permitted to change the PDF Info concerning 'PDF Producer'.
You can find Documentations on iTextSharp 5.0 here

📃Requirements

Microsoft Windows 32bit or 64bit
Microsoft Visual Studio 2010
iTextSharp 5.5.13.2 <<Download it from NuGet>> AGPL3 License 'Open Source'
Awesomium 1.7.5 <<Download it from NuGet>>

💥Visual Basic Project Logic

We will create a Visual Basic Project that accomplish those tasks :

Open PDF File using iTextSharp 5.5.13.2
Search for Word within PDF Text
Display a PDF File with Highlighted Search Results
Stamp the New PDF File with Highlighted Search Results with Watermark.

Our outputs will look like this:

iTextSharp Visual Basic .NET Project

The application Life Cycle is as follows :

User opens the Application.

User chooses the PDF File.

User attempts to search for a word or a phrase.

Application opens the PDF File and get the all Text within.

Application returns the number of pages in and the search results count in the PDF File.

Application replaces the search results with highlighted search results.

Application stamps the Temp PDF File with Watermark image.

Application creates a new PDF File 'Temp file' with the new highlighted search results.

Application displays the Temp PDF File with highlighted search results.

Application copies and pastes the Temp PDF File in the Project Directory 'overwrites it'

user closes the application.

Application removes the Temp PDF File.

👇Visual Basic Project Design

- We will need a PDF File sample to use it in our a Search task. <<Call it GNU GPL.pdf>>
- Create a new Visual Basic WinForms Project VS2010
- .NET Framework 4.0
- Form1.vb design is as follows:

iTextSharp Visual Basic. NET Project example

👩‍💻Visual Basic Code

VB .NET Code for choosing PDF File on Form1 TxtPdfFile.Text, using OpenFileDialog


  Try
Using OFD As New OpenFileDialog With {
.CheckPathExists = True,
.Filter = ("PDF File Format *pdf|*.pdf"),
.DefaultExt = "pdf",
.Multiselect = False,
.RestoreDirectory = True,
.InitialDirectory = (Application.StartupPath),
.SupportMultiDottedExtensions = False}
If OFD.ShowDialog = System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
TxtPdfPath.Text = OFD.FileName
End If
End Using
Catch ex As Exception
MsgBox(ex.Message)
End Try

👩‍💻Visual Basic Code for starting PDF File Reader using iTextSharp


  Private strSource As String = PDF_FILE_LOCATION
Using pdfFileReader = New PdfReader(strSource)
  End Using

🔬GitHub Repo - Full VB .NET Project iTextSharp

Visit GitHub Repo

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