pdftools

PDF tools to merge PDF files (using JSON5 or YAML or TOML file) and extract pages (from command line or using a text file). This cli exposes two binaries: pdftools and pdf-tools.

It can be used to update PDF's metadata using the process command, see test/docs/example.yaml for more details.

• pdftools
• Usage
• Commands

اقرأ عن المشروع بالعربية.

Requirements

• Node.js (at least v 18.11.0)
• PDFtk server

Let me know if I should use any other program or library to perform the current tasks or any other suggested tasks.

Usage

$ npm install -g @bader-nasser/pdftools
$ pdftools COMMAND
running command...
$ pdftools (--version|-v)
@bader-nasser/pdftools/2.4.1 linux-x64 node-v21.1.0
$ pdftools --help [COMMAND]
USAGE
  $ pdftools COMMAND
...

Commands

There are many commands but the most important ones are:

• extract
  • aliases: ext, ex, e, split & s
• process
  • alias: p

In the JSON data file you can add:

"$schema": "https://github.com/bader-nasser/pdftools/raw/main/data.schema.json",

to get some help in your editor.

• pdftools autocomplete [SHELL]
• pdftools compress INPUT
• pdftools convert INPUT
• pdftools extract
• pdftools help [COMMANDS]
• pdftools merge
• pdftools plugins
• pdftools plugins:inspect PLUGIN...
• pdftools plugins:install PLUGIN...
• pdftools plugins:link PLUGIN
• pdftools plugins:uninstall PLUGIN...
• pdftools plugins update
• pdftools process FILE
• pdftools repair INPUT
• pdftools uncompress INPUT
• pdftools update-metadata INPUT

pdftools autocomplete [SHELL]

display autocomplete installation instructions

USAGE
  $ pdftools autocomplete [SHELL] [-r]

ARGUMENTS
  SHELL  (zsh|bash|powershell) Shell type

FLAGS
  -r, --refresh-cache  Refresh cache (ignores displaying instructions)

DESCRIPTION
  display autocomplete installation instructions

EXAMPLES
  $ pdftools autocomplete

  $ pdftools autocomplete bash

  $ pdftools autocomplete zsh

  $ pdftools autocomplete powershell

  $ pdftools autocomplete --refresh-cache

See code: @oclif/plugin-autocomplete

pdftools compress INPUT

Restore page stream compression

USAGE
  $ pdftools compress INPUT [-D] [-s] [-o <value>]

ARGUMENTS
  INPUT  Uncompressed PDF file

FLAGS
  -D, --dry-run         Pretend to work!
  -o, --output=<value>  Output file
  -s, --silent          Work silently unless there is an error!

DESCRIPTION
  Restore page stream compression

ALIASES
  $ pdftools c

EXAMPLES
  $ pdftools compress uncompressed.pdf

  $ pdftools compress uncompressed.pdf -o compressed.pdf

See code: src/commands/compress/index.ts

pdftools convert INPUT

Convert PDF to text file

USAGE
  $ pdftools convert INPUT [-D] [-s] [-o <value>]

ARGUMENTS
  INPUT  PDF file to convert

FLAGS
  -D, --dry-run         Pretend to work!
  -o, --output=<value>  Output file
  -s, --silent          Work silently unless there is an error!

DESCRIPTION
  Convert PDF to text file

EXAMPLES
  $ pdftools convert file.pdf

  $ pdftools convert file.pdf -o file-text.txt

See code: src/commands/convert/index.ts

pdftools extract

Extract pages from PDF file

USAGE
  $ pdftools extract -i <value> -o <value> [-D] [-s] [-c] [-f <value> | -p <value> | -d <value>] [-l <value>
    |  | ] [-q even|odd] [-r north|south|east|west|left|right|down] [-k]

FLAGS
  -D, --dry-run              Pretend to work!
  -c, --compress             Reduce file size
                             See: https://www.pdflabs.com/docs/pdftk-man-page/#dest-compress
                             You also may want to try: https://www.ilovepdf.com/compress_pdf
  -d, --data=<value>         Data file (lines of page ranges)
                             See: https://github.com/bader-nasser/pdftools/blob/main/test/docs/data.txt
  -f, --first-page=<value>   First page (defaults to last-page)
  -i, --input=<value>        (required) Relative or absolute path to the PDF file to be used.
                             Use / in the path. On Windows, \ can be changed to either / or \\.
                             Surround the path by " or ' if it contains spaces.
  -k, --keep                 Keep output's name
  -l, --last-page=<value>    Last page (defaults to first-page)
  -o, --output=<value>       (required) Relative or absolute path to the PDF file to be created.
                             Use / in the path. On Windows, \ can be changed to either / or \\.
                             Surround the path by " or ' if it contains spaces.
  -p, --page-ranges=<value>  Comma/Space-seperated list of page ranges (eg. "1-3, 5east, 4, 7-10even, 22-11odd")
                             See: https://www.pdflabs.com/docs/pdftk-man-page/#dest-op-cat
                             See also: https://github.com/bader-nasser/pdftools/blob/main/test/docs/data.txt
  -q, --qualifier=<option>   See: https://www.pdflabs.com/docs/pdftk-man-page/#dest-op-cat
                             <options: even|odd>
  -r, --rotation=<option>    See: https://www.pdflabs.com/docs/pdftk-man-page/#dest-op-cat
                             <options: north|south|east|west|left|right|down>
  -s, --silent               Work silently unless there is an error!

DESCRIPTION
  Extract pages from PDF file

ALIASES
  $ pdftools ext
  $ pdftools ex
  $ pdftools e
  $ pdftools split
  $ pdftools s

EXAMPLES
  Extract page number 5 from input.pdf to output.pdf

    $ pdftools extract --input input.pdf --output output.pdf -f 5

  Extract page number 5 from input.pdf to output.pdf

    $ pdftools extract -i input.pdf -o output.pdf -l 5

  Extract pages from 1 to 3 from input.pdf to output.pdf

    $ pdftools extract -i input.pdf -o output.pdf -f 1 -l 3

  Extract *even* pages from 9 to 4, compress it and rotate it to the left

    $ pdftools extract -i input.pdf -o output.pdf -f 9 -l 4 -c -r left -q even

  Extract pages from 1 to 3, with the 5th page rotated to the east, and *odd* pages from 7 to 4

    $ pdftools extract -i input.pdf -o output.pdf -p "1-3, 5east, 7-4odd"

  Extract pages as declared in file.txt

    $ pdftools extract -i input.pdf -o output.pdf --data file.txt

See code: src/commands/extract/index.ts

pdftools help [COMMANDS]

Display help for pdftools.

USAGE
  $ pdftools help [COMMANDS] [-n]

ARGUMENTS
  COMMANDS  Command to show help for.

FLAGS
  -n, --nested-commands  Include all nested commands in the output.

DESCRIPTION
  Display help for pdftools.

See code: @oclif/plugin-help

pdftools merge

Merge PDFs

USAGE
  $ pdftools merge -i <value> -o <value> [-D] [-s] [-c]

FLAGS
  -D, --dry-run           Pretend to work!
  -c, --compress          Reduce file size
                          See: https://www.pdflabs.com/docs/pdftk-man-page/#dest-compress
                          You also may want to try: https://www.ilovepdf.com/compress_pdf
  -i, --input=<value>...  (required) Input files (e.g. cover.pdf part-*.pdf)
  -o, --output=<value>    (required) Output file
  -s, --silent            Work silently unless there is an error!

DESCRIPTION
  Merge PDFs

ALIASES
  $ pdftools m
  $ pdftools join
  $ pdftools j

EXAMPLES
  Merge all .pdf files

    $ pdftools merge -i *.pdf -o output.pdf

  Merge all .pdf files that start with input- & compress the output

    $ pdftools merge -i input-*.pdf -o output.pdf -c

  Merge cover.pdf with all .pdf files that start with input-, and notes.pdf

    $ pdftools merge -i cover.pdf input-*.pdf notes.pdf -o output.pdf

See code: src/commands/merge/index.ts

pdftools plugins

List installed plugins.

USAGE
  $ pdftools plugins [--json] [--core]

FLAGS
  --core  Show core plugins.

GLOBAL FLAGS
  --json  Format output as json.

DESCRIPTION
  List installed plugins.

EXAMPLES
  $ pdftools plugins

See code: @oclif/plugin-plugins

pdftools plugins:inspect PLUGIN...

Displays installation properties of a plugin.

USAGE
  $ pdftools plugins:inspect PLUGIN...

ARGUMENTS
  PLUGIN  [default: .] Plugin to inspect.

FLAGS
  -h, --help     Show CLI help.
  -v, --verbose

GLOBAL FLAGS
  --json  Format output as json.

DESCRIPTION
  Displays installation properties of a plugin.

EXAMPLES
  $ pdftools plugins:inspect myplugin

See code: @oclif/plugin-plugins

pdftools plugins:install PLUGIN...

Installs a plugin into the CLI.

USAGE
  $ pdftools plugins:install PLUGIN...

ARGUMENTS
  PLUGIN  Plugin to install.

FLAGS
  -f, --force    Run yarn install with force flag.
  -h, --help     Show CLI help.
  -v, --verbose

DESCRIPTION
  Installs a plugin into the CLI.
  Can be installed from npm or a git url.

  Installation of a user-installed plugin will override a core plugin.

  e.g. If you have a core plugin that has a 'hello' command, installing a user-installed plugin with a 'hello' command
  will override the core plugin implementation. This is useful if a user needs to update core plugin functionality in
  the CLI without the need to patch and update the whole CLI.


ALIASES
  $ pdftools plugins add

EXAMPLES
  $ pdftools plugins:install myplugin

  $ pdftools plugins:install https://github.com/someuser/someplugin

  $ pdftools plugins:install someuser/someplugin

See code: @oclif/plugin-plugins

pdftools plugins:link PLUGIN

Links a plugin into the CLI for development.

USAGE
  $ pdftools plugins:link PLUGIN

ARGUMENTS
  PATH  [default: .] path to plugin

FLAGS
  -h, --help      Show CLI help.
  -v, --verbose
  --[no-]install  Install dependencies after linking the plugin.

DESCRIPTION
  Links a plugin into the CLI for development.
  Installation of a linked plugin will override a user-installed or core plugin.

  e.g. If you have a user-installed or core plugin that has a 'hello' command, installing a linked plugin with a 'hello'
  command will override the user-installed or core plugin implementation. This is useful for development work.


EXAMPLES
  $ pdftools plugins:link myplugin

See code: @oclif/plugin-plugins

pdftools plugins:uninstall PLUGIN...

Removes a plugin from the CLI.

USAGE
  $ pdftools plugins:uninstall PLUGIN...

ARGUMENTS
  PLUGIN  plugin to uninstall

FLAGS
  -h, --help     Show CLI help.
  -v, --verbose

DESCRIPTION
  Removes a plugin from the CLI.

ALIASES
  $ pdftools plugins unlink
  $ pdftools plugins remove

See code: @oclif/plugin-plugins

pdftools plugins update

Update installed plugins.

USAGE
  $ pdftools plugins update [-h] [-v]

FLAGS
  -h, --help     Show CLI help.
  -v, --verbose

DESCRIPTION
  Update installed plugins.

See code: @oclif/plugin-plugins

pdftools process FILE

Merge PDF files using data file. Can be used to merge some pages from each file.

USAGE
  $ pdftools process FILE [-D] [-s] [-c] [-k]

ARGUMENTS
  FILE  Data file to process (can be JSON5 or YAML or TOML)
        See: https://github.com/bader-nasser/pdftools/blob/main/test/docs/data.json
        See also: https://github.com/bader-nasser/pdftools/blob/main/test/docs/example.yaml
        Set "$schema" to "https://github.com/bader-nasser/pdftools/raw/main/data.schema.json"
        Use / in the paths. On Windows, \ can be changed to either / or \\

FLAGS
  -D, --dry-run   Pretend to work!
  -c, --compress  Reduce file size
                  See: https://www.pdflabs.com/docs/pdftk-man-page/#dest-compress
                  You also may want to try: https://www.ilovepdf.com/compress_pdf
  -k, --keep      Keep output's name
  -s, --silent    Work silently unless there is an error!

DESCRIPTION
  Merge PDF files using data file. Can be used to merge some pages from each file.

ALIASES
  $ pdftools p

EXAMPLES
  $ pdftools process data.json

See code: src/commands/process/index.ts

pdftools repair INPUT

Repair a PDF's corrupted XREF table and stream lengths, if possible

USAGE
  $ pdftools repair INPUT [-D] [-s] [-o <value>]

ARGUMENTS
  INPUT  Broken PDF

FLAGS
  -D, --dry-run         Pretend to work!
  -o, --output=<value>  Output file
  -s, --silent          Work silently unless there is an error!

DESCRIPTION
  Repair a PDF's corrupted XREF table and stream lengths, if possible

ALIASES
  $ pdftools r

EXAMPLES
  $ pdftools repair broken.pdf

  $ pdftools repair broken.pdf -o fixed.pdf

See code: src/commands/repair/index.ts

pdftools uncompress INPUT

Uncompress PDF page streams for editing the PDF in a text editor

USAGE
  $ pdftools uncompress INPUT [-D] [-s] [-o <value>]

ARGUMENTS
  INPUT  Compressed PDF file

FLAGS
  -D, --dry-run         Pretend to work!
  -o, --output=<value>  Output file
  -s, --silent          Work silently unless there is an error!

DESCRIPTION
  Uncompress PDF page streams for editing the PDF in a text editor

ALIASES
  $ pdftools u
  $ pdftools decompress
  $ pdftools d

EXAMPLES
  $ pdftools uncompress doc.pdf

  $ pdftools uncompress doc.pdf -o doc-uncompressed.pdf

See code: src/commands/uncompress/index.ts

pdftools update-metadata INPUT

Update PDF's metadata

USAGE
  $ pdftools update-metadata INPUT [-D] [-s] [-f <value>] [-t <value>] [-a <value>] [-S <value>] [-k <value>] [-p
    <value>] [-c <value>] [-d <value>] [-m <value>] [-o <value>]

ARGUMENTS
  INPUT  Input PDF to update

FLAGS
  -D, --dry-run                    Pretend to work!
  -S, --subject=<value>
  -a, --author=<value>
  -c, --creator=<value>
  -d, --creation-date=<value>
  -f, --file=<value>               Metadata file (.json or .yaml or .toml)
  -k, --keywords=<value>...
  -m, --modification-date=<value>
  -o, --output=<value>             Output file
  -p, --producer=<value>
  -s, --silent                     Work silently unless there is an error!
  -t, --title=<value>

DESCRIPTION
  Update PDF's metadata

ALIASES
  $ pdftools up-meta
  $ pdftools meta

EXAMPLES
  $ pdftools update-metadata input.pdf -f meta.json

  $ pdftools update-metadata input.pdf -f meta.toml -o updated.pdf

  $ pdftools update-metadata input.pdf -o updated.pdf -f meta.yaml -a "Bader Nasser" -t awesome

See code: src/commands/update-metadata/index.ts

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