I am starting to build a library that will consist almost entirely of PDF files. I want the default search not only to search the metadata against all documents but also to search the content.
I know this can be done through the Advanced Search page but that is hugely complicated and has a UI that is deeply confusing to all but the most IT literate. I need any search to search content as well as keywords.
How can this be done?
The default search should already cover any content, at least anything that could be picked up by the advanced search.
Are you using the PDF Text plugin?
Wierd! IT no longer finds any test in the body of the PDF.
It's a scanned file that has been OCR-ed with Acrobat. I can open it in Reader and search for text successfully. But apparently PDF Text isn't doing anything.
When you look at the file in /admin/files/show, is the text showing up? It should look something like
[Thumbnail]
PDF Text
Text Lorem ipsum dolor..
There is no such folder as /admin/files. All that is under /admin is the themes directory.
There is a /files directory, but that doesn't have a subdirectory called "show"
Sorry! I completely misunderstood the question there.
If I go to examine the file then all I see is a thumbnail that links to the PDF, with lists of metadata on the righthand side. But I do not see any text.
If that's the case, and you are using the PDF Text plugin John linked to, then you need to go to your plugins page, click the Configure button next to PDF Text, and check the box to "Process existing PDF files." It will take a while, but should solve your problem.
Done that already. But I'll try it again
It returns almost immediately with "The PDF Text plugin was successfully configured"
Going back to look at the file still shows no text.
It sounds like PDF Text might not be working for you.
If you upload a new OCRed PDF in a new item, does the "PDF Text" data appear?
I put up a very simple pdf file with a few words of text and get the same thing - no text shown other than when I open the PDF
Is it true that pdf2text is needed on the server in order for this plugin to work? If so, what happens if it is not there?
It's not there. According to my hosting provider they cannot install it either.
At this point am I correct in thinking that my only option is to extract the text myself and add it in the PDF text field myself?
It needs pdftotext, which I believe is different from pdf2text.
http://www.foolabs.com/xpdf/home.html
Yes, my mistake with the name. But pdftotext is not there and cannot be installed either
Ah, I was hoping maybe your provider's response was only for pdf2t(e)xt. Sorry. :\