Add a bookmark to a PDF with PyPDF2

Question

I'm trying to add a bookmark to a PDF using PyPDF2. I run the following with no problems. But a bookmark is never created. Any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong. The PDF is 2 pages long.

from PyPDF2 import PdfFileReader, PdfFileWriter

reader = PdfFileReader("test.pdf")  # open input
writer = PdfFileWriter()  # open output
writer.addPage(reader.getPage(0))  # insert page
writer.addBookmark("Hello, World Bookmark", 0, parent=None)  # add bookmark

Answer 1

I ran your code (adding the text below it to write out the pdf) and found a bookmark was, in fact, created.

from PyPDF2 import PdfFileReader, PdfFileWriter

writer = PdfFileWriter()  # open output
reader = PdfFileReader("test.pdf")  # open input
writer.addPage(reader.getPage(0))  # insert page
writer.addBookmark("Hello, World Bookmark", 0, parent=None)  # add bookmark
with open("result.pdf", "wb") as fp:  # creating result pdf JCT
    writer.write(fp)  # writing to result pdf JCT

Check the bookmarks panel in your result. Having bookmarks doesn't automatically cause a PDF to open to the bookmarks panel.

To make it open to the bookmarks panel with PyPDF2, add one line:

writer = PdfFileWriter()  # open output
reader = PdfFileReader("test.pdf")  # open input
writer.addPage(reader.getPage(0))  # insert page
writer.addBookmark("Hello, World Bookmark", 0, parent=None)  # add bookmark
writer.setPageMode("/UseOutlines")  # This is what tells the PDF to open to bookmarks
with open("result.pdf", "wb") as fp:  # creating result pdf JCT
    writer.write(fp)  # writing to result pdf JCT

Answer 2

Thanks for James' code. But it only outputs one-page pdf file and doesn't show how to add multiple bookmarks. Here is a revised version of his code to do so.

from PyPDF2 import PdfFileReader, PdfFileWriter

reader = PdfFileReader("test.pdf")  # open input
writer = PdfFileWriter()  # open output

n = reader.getNumPages()

for i in range(n):
    writer.addPage(reader.getPage(i))  # insert page


# add a bookmark on the first page
writer.addBookmark("Hello, World Bookmark", 0, parent=None)

# add a bookmark on the sixth page
par = writer.addBookmark("Second Bookmark", 5, parent=None)

# add a child bookmark on the eighth page
writer.addBookmark("Third Bookmark", 7, parent=par)

with open("result.pdf", "wb") as fp:  # creating result pdf JCT
    writer.write(fp)  # writing to result pdf JCT