Find and copy text from PDF to clipboard

[aisvais]

Hello,

I am trying to find a way to write an AHK script for finding and copying number from PDF into clipboard.

Basically, I have a PDF file, one page per file. The field I need would look like this:

Comment

123456789

Field names never change. But there are other numbers in the file.

I would like to copy that number into the clipboard. Sometimes, the number can be longer or shorter, from 10 to 15 characters. Sometimes, the number can be inside a PDF comment.

I can turn a blind eye to the exceptions, so something to start with would be great too.


Thanks in advance for your ideas!

[SirRFI]

Normally I would use RegExMatch, but the PDF part can be messy.

[aisvais]

Sorry, I was sure I added my code:

Code: Select all

Send,^c
Clipboard := RegExReplace(Clipboard , "\s\s+", "")
StringReplace, clipboard, clipboard, -,, All

The thing is, I can do finding part manually. But the code keeps messing up with "-" removal. I launched the code three times for same instance and all three times there was a different result: 1. number not copied 2. number copied with - 3. number copied without -

I find it genuinely strange.

[Xeo786]

Sorry, I was sure I added my code:

Code: Select all

Send,^c
Clipboard := RegExReplace(Clipboard , "\s\s+", "")
StringReplace, clipboard, clipboard, -,, All

The thing is, I can do finding part manually. But the code keeps messing up with "-" removal. I launched the code three times for same instance and all three times there was a different result: 1. number not copied 2. number copied with - 3. number copied without -

I find it genuinely strange.

use clipwait right after sending ^C .... data copying from pdf take time ...

[aisvais]

Thanks, I did not think of that! This has improved the code a lot.

So what I have now is:

Code: Select all

^+I::
Send,^c
ClipWait, 2
Clipboard:= RegExReplace(Clipboard,"\s\s+","")
StringReplace, clipboard, clipboard,-,,All
Send {F10}
Send F
Send {Down}{Down}{Down}{Down}{Down}
Send {enter}
Sleep 2000
Send, name
Send {enter}
Send {tab}
Send {tab}
sleep 100
Send subject
sleep 100
Send {tab}
Send {tab}
Send {Enter}
Send {Enter}
sleep 100
Send text
Send {Enter}
sleep 100
Send number=
sleep 100
Send,%Clipboard%
Sleep 300
Send,{Enter}
sleep 100
Send text
return

It is really basic and I have not much experience with AHK.
But it does what I need it to: when I am in pdf, I mark the number I want to copy and then launch the code. Then from Adobe Reader it launches Outlook (pdf is added as attachment), this is the part with Sleep 2000. After that it completes the email I need to send.

Now everything seems to work except:
When sending text ("Send text" lines) it skips one letter, for example writes "ext" or "txt".

Any ideas what else I could add to fix it? I actually thought Sleep time would fix it but it did not.

[Barney]

try sending the clipboard with raw mode

[Guest]

Try adding SendMode, input at the top your script or perhaps a SetKeyDelay (look it up).

Also note that by using capital F in Send F it also (probably) sends a SHIFT key, so it actually sends shift+f not just an f.

[Xtra]

Paste the text using:

Code: Select all

Send, ^v

or

Code: Select all

Send, {Ctrl Down}v{Ctrl Up}

HTH