How to program a text search and replace in PDF files

Question

How would I be able to programmatically search and replace some text in a large number of PDF files? I would like to remove a URL that has been added to a set of files. I have been able to remove the link using javascript under Batch Processing in Adobe Pro, but the link text remains. I have seen recommendations to use text touchup, which works manually, but I don't want to modify 1300 files manually.

Answer 1

Finding text in a PDF can be inherently hard because of the graphical nature of the document format -- the letters you are searching for may not be contiguous in the file. That said, CAM::PDF has some search-replace capabilities and heuristics. Give changepagestring.pl a try and see if it works on your PDFs.

To install:

 $ cpan install CAM::PDF  # start a new terminal if this is your first cpan module  $ changepagestring.pl input.pdf oldtext newtext output.pdf 

Answer 2

I have also become desperate. After 10 PDF Editor installations which all cost money, and no success:

pdftk + editor suffice:

Replace Text in PDF Files

• Use pdftk to uncompress PDF page streams

  pdftk original.pdf output original.uncompressed.pdf uncompress

• Replace the text (sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't) within original.uncompressed.pdf

• Repair the modified (and now broken) PDF

  pdftk original.uncompressed.pdf output original.uncompressed.fixed.pdf

(from Joel Dare)

Answer 3

I just finished trying out infix for a text that is comprised of text ladened with diacritics with the hope of generating another text where characters with double and composed diacritics are replaced by alternate with single diacritics. Infix is such definitely a good solution for someone who does not care for the trouble of understanding the working of programmatic solutions. All the request changes were effected. Still need to understand how to effect reflow of words that change the layout of text.

Answer 4

You can use the 'redaction' feature in Adobe Acrobat Pro to find & replace all references in a single document in one step...not sure if it can be automated to multiple steps.

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Acrobat/9.0/Professional/WS5E28D332-9FF7-4569-AFAD-79AD60092D4D.w.html