Extract data from a .PDF into Access.

[spikepl]

I need to get data from a .PDF file.

I have checked out a number of PDFto EXCEL/Word applications, but the workflow required is far from ideal.

In a PDF-reader, I can Save As a .txt-file. I could decode that output in VBA. I'd prefer to keep the entire cycle within Access, but how do I from Access convince a PDF-reader to do a Save As .txt ? Some shell script? Key-logger?

Any suggestions would be welcome.

 

[gemma-the-husky]

is there a command line interface for the extractor

in which case, look at shell functions.

 

[darbid]

Adobe does expose some functions to COM (and thus Office VBA) I had a very quick look at their API and could not find this one. Also you might need a full verson of Adobe.
/http://www.khk.net/wordpress/2009/03/04/adobe-acrobat-and-vba-an-introduction/

 

[spikepl]

Located an open source pdftotext thinggy.

You can DL from this site: http://www.foolabs.com/xpdf/

and the documentation is here: http://manpages.unixforum.co.uk/man-pages/linux/suse-linux-10.1/1/pdftotext-man-page.html