Delphi ActiveX Requires Chilkat v11.7.0+

Extract a PDF Table with Merged Cells

See more PDF Text Extraction Examples

Demonstrates how merged cells are reported by the "tables" operation: a header cell that spans several columns has colSpan greater than 1, and a row label that spans several rows has rowSpan greater than 1. Also shows the minRows and minColumns options. Delphi ActiveX

var
success: Integer;
pdf: TChilkatPdf;
json: TChilkatJsonObject;
jsonOut: TChilkatJsonObject;
rowSpan: Integer;
colSpan: Integer;
j: Integer;
count_j: Integer;

begin
success := 0;

//  This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
//  See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

//  The PDF used in this example is available at spans_table.pdf

pdf := TChilkatPdf.Create(Self);
success := pdf.LoadFile('qa_data/pdf/spans_table.pdf');
if (success = 0) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(pdf.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

json := TChilkatJsonObject.Create(Self);
jsonOut := TChilkatJsonObject.Create(Self);

//  Grids smaller than minRows x minColumns are not reported as tables.  The defaults are 2 and 2.
//  Setting them higher skips small boxes that are not really tables.
json.UpdateInt('minRows',3);
json.UpdateInt('minColumns',3);

success := pdf.ExtractText('tables',json.ControlInterface,jsonOut.ControlInterface);
if (success = 0) then
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(pdf.LastErrorText);
    Exit;
  end;

Memo1.Lines.Add('Tables found: ' + IntToStr(jsonOut.IntOf('count')));
Memo1.Lines.Add(IntToStr(jsonOut.IntOf('tables[0].rows')) + ' rows x ' + IntToStr(jsonOut.IntOf('tables[0].columns')) + ' columns');

//  A merged cell is reported once, at its top-left position, with its spans.
//  The positions it covers have no cell of their own.

j := 0;
count_j := jsonOut.SizeOfArray('tables[0].cells');
while j < count_j do
  begin
    jsonOut.J := j;
    rowSpan := jsonOut.IntOf('tables[0].cells[j].rowSpan');
    colSpan := jsonOut.IntOf('tables[0].cells[j].colSpan');
    if ((rowSpan > 1) or (colSpan > 1)) then
      begin
        Memo1.Lines.Add('row ' + IntToStr(jsonOut.IntOf('tables[0].cells[j].row')) + ', col ' + IntToStr(jsonOut.IntOf('tables[0].cells[j].col')) + ': "' + jsonOut.StringOf('tables[0].cells[j].text')
             + '" spans ' + IntToStr(rowSpan) + ' row(s) and ' + IntToStr(colSpan) + ' column(s)');
      end;
    j := j + 1;
  end;

//  Sample output:

//  Tables found: 1
//  6 rows x 6 columns
//  row 0, col 0: "Area" spans 2 row(s) and 1 column(s)
//  row 0, col 1: "City" spans 2 row(s) and 1 column(s)
//  row 0, col 2: "First Half" spans 1 row(s) and 2 column(s)
//  row 0, col 4: "Second Half" spans 1 row(s) and 2 column(s)
//  row 2, col 0: "East" spans 2 row(s) and 1 column(s)
//  row 4, col 0: "West" spans 2 row(s) and 1 column(s)