Can Anyone Help with these PDF's Please?

Thargor

Hi, I need to copy and paste a load of info from hundreds of these PDF datasheets over the next few days but some way they're formatted means its completely random what gets highlighted when you click and drag, Ive uploaded a couple of examples:

http://www.2shared.com/document/T8J-HsiO/11004.html

http://www.2shared.com/document/mkKvKc-O/11023.html

Is there anything I can try with them? The text is definitely there as I had a look at it in HTML, its not like the scanned photos you get sometimes in PDF format. Any help at all would be seriously appreciated. Thanks.

Victor

Do you know who created the documents and has access to the original non-PDf files?

Screenshot + text reader.

See if google search has a html version of the document.

bonzodog2

I tried the first one with Foxit, and while it did seem a liitle odd, I managed to selct various parts of it OK. Try changing the direction you drag-select ? E.g. most people would drag topleft to bottomright, try changing that.

Thargor

I tried Foxit there and the text selection is slightly better alright but when you copy and paste its like throwing a can of paint at a wall, totally random what comes out.

@ Victor, I have no access to the original info, as for your suggestion, thats a good idea but I need a programme to do it in a batch for me as there are hundreds of these and manual is not an option, any suggestions? Thanks.

rcdk1

Given the scale of what you're proposing I think you need to get your hands on Adobe Acrobat which is the original pdf creation software and has a pdf to word function (not sure about batch conversion though). I assume from the sample pdfs that you're a PhD student or Post Doc? Ask around the dept to see of there's any one who already has it. Failing that a teacher/ student copy is €119 plus VAT.
https://store2.adobe.com/cfusion/store/index.cfm?store=OLS-EDU-EU#store=OLS-EDU-EU&loc=en_xeu&view=ols_prod&category=/Applications/AcrobatProSTE

bonzodog2

Maybe open/libre office can do it ?

Kenny Logins

I've had a look at one of those PDFs and it is a mess, whatever application was used to produce it has broken the text lines up into chunks, making it very difficult to copy, edit, or convert to Word or .rtf.

Nitro PDF (demo) allows PDF to Word conversion, if you want to give that a go.

rmathur

try Onlinedocumentconversion.com upload your PDFs and press convert to doc button. Also ask theiroperators to proof read and edit converted document to look exactly like original PDF. There may a be a small fee for proofing but its worth it. check it out