How to read a PDF file in MSAccess 2010

[JrMontgom]

Any help would be appreciated as I am way beyond my skills trying to read these files.
I am trying to read *.pdf files using VBA. I have tried using some code

 Dim AcroApp As Acrobat.CAcroApp
    Dim theForm As Acrobat.CAcroPDDoc
    Dim jso As Object
    Dim text1, text2 As String
  'error occurs here stating"ActiveX component can't create object"


    Set AcroApp = CreateObject("AcroExch.App")
    Set theForm = CreateObject("AcroExch.PDDoc")
    theForm.Open ("C:\temp\sampleForm.pdf")
    Set jso = theForm.GetJSObject


    ' get the information from the form fields Text1 and Text2
    text1 = jso.getField("Text1").Value
    text2 = jso.getField("Text2").Value


    MsgBox "Values read from PDF: " & text1 & " " & text2


    ' set a text field
    Dim field2 As Object
    Set field2 = jso.getField("Text2")


    field2.Value = 13   ' assign the number 13 to the fields value


    ' get the information from the form fields Text1 and Text2
    text1 = jso.getField("Text1").Value
    text2 = jso.getField("Text2").Value


    MsgBox "Values read from PDF: " & text1 & " " & text2


    theForm.Close


    AcroApp.Exit
    Set AcroApp = Nothing
    Set theForm = Nothing


    MsgBox "Done"

I have set a reference to Adobe 10 Type Library and Adobe Access 3 Type library.
Any help would be appreciated. I am using Adobe Acrobat Reader X if that helps. I now read them by converting to text file and using FileObject to read the text file and VBA text commands to get the right fields.

[ranman256]

Paste this code into a module, it will open ANY file in its Native appliation...

usage: OpenNativeApp "c:\folder\file.pdf"
will open it in acrobat
and
OpenNativeApp "c:\folder\file.doc"
will open the doc in Word, etc.

'Attribute VB_Name = "modNativeApp"
'Option Compare Database
Option Explicit
Private Declare Function ShellExecute Lib "shell32.dll" Alias "ShellExecuteA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lpszOp As String, ByVal lpszFile As String, ByVal lpszParams As String, ByVal lpszDir As String, ByVal FsShowCmd As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetDesktopWindow Lib "user32" () As Long
Const SW_SHOWNORMAL = 1
Const SE_ERR_FNF = 2&
Const SE_ERR_PNF = 3&
Const SE_ERR_ACCESSDENIED = 5&
Const SE_ERR_OOM = 8&
Const SE_ERR_DLLNOTFOUND = 32&
Const SE_ERR_SHARE = 26&
Const SE_ERR_ASSOCINCOMPLETE = 27&
Const SE_ERR_DDETIMEOUT = 28&
Const SE_ERR_DDEFAIL = 29&
Const SE_ERR_DDEBUSY = 30&
Const SE_ERR_NOASSOC = 31&
Const ERROR_BAD_FORMAT = 11&

Public Sub OpenNativeApp(ByVal psDocName As String)
Dim r As Long, msg As String
r = StartDoc(psDocName)
If r <= 32 Then
    'There was an error
    Select Case r
        Case SE_ERR_FNF
            msg = "File not found"
        Case SE_ERR_PNF
            msg = "Path not found"
        Case SE_ERR_ACCESSDENIED
            msg = "Access denied"
        Case SE_ERR_OOM
            msg = "Out of memory"
        Case SE_ERR_DLLNOTFOUND
            msg = "DLL not found"
        Case SE_ERR_SHARE
            msg = "A sharing violation occurred"
        Case SE_ERR_ASSOCINCOMPLETE
            msg = "Incomplete or invalid file association"
        Case SE_ERR_DDETIMEOUT
            msg = "DDE Time out"
        Case SE_ERR_DDEFAIL
            msg = "DDE transaction failed"
        Case SE_ERR_DDEBUSY
            msg = "DDE busy"
        Case SE_ERR_NOASSOC
            msg = "No association for file extension"
        Case ERROR_BAD_FORMAT
            msg = "Invalid EXE file or error in EXE image"
        Case Else
            msg = "Unknown error"
    End Select
'    MsgBox msg
End If
End Sub
Private Function StartDoc(psDocName As String) As Long
Dim Scr_hDC As Long
Scr_hDC = GetDesktopWindow()
StartDoc = ShellExecute(Scr_hDC, "Open", psDocName, "", "C:\", SW_SHOWNORMAL)
End Function

[ranman256]

But I see you were assigning values so my above solution wont do.

[JrMontgom]

Paste this code into a module, it will open ANY file in its Native appliation...

usage: OpenNativeApp "c:\folder\file.pdf"
will open it in acrobat
and
OpenNativeApp "c:\folder\file.doc"
will open the doc in Word, etc.

'Attribute VB_Name = "modNativeApp"
'Option Compare Database
Option Explicit
Private Declare Function ShellExecute Lib "shell32.dll" Alias "ShellExecuteA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lpszOp As String, ByVal lpszFile As String, ByVal lpszParams As String, ByVal lpszDir As String, ByVal FsShowCmd As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function GetDesktopWindow Lib "user32" () As Long
Const SW_SHOWNORMAL = 1
Const SE_ERR_FNF = 2&
Const SE_ERR_PNF = 3&
Const SE_ERR_ACCESSDENIED = 5&
Const SE_ERR_OOM = 8&
Const SE_ERR_DLLNOTFOUND = 32&
Const SE_ERR_SHARE = 26&
Const SE_ERR_ASSOCINCOMPLETE = 27&
Const SE_ERR_DDETIMEOUT = 28&
Const SE_ERR_DDEFAIL = 29&
Const SE_ERR_DDEBUSY = 30&
Const SE_ERR_NOASSOC = 31&
Const ERROR_BAD_FORMAT = 11&

Public Sub OpenNativeApp(ByVal psDocName As String)
Dim r As Long, msg As String
r = StartDoc(psDocName)
If r <= 32 Then
    'There was an error
    Select Case r
        Case SE_ERR_FNF
            msg = "File not found"
        Case SE_ERR_PNF
            msg = "Path not found"
        Case SE_ERR_ACCESSDENIED
            msg = "Access denied"
        Case SE_ERR_OOM
            msg = "Out of memory"
        Case SE_ERR_DLLNOTFOUND
            msg = "DLL not found"
        Case SE_ERR_SHARE
            msg = "A sharing violation occurred"
        Case SE_ERR_ASSOCINCOMPLETE
            msg = "Incomplete or invalid file association"
        Case SE_ERR_DDETIMEOUT
            msg = "DDE Time out"
        Case SE_ERR_DDEFAIL
            msg = "DDE transaction failed"
        Case SE_ERR_DDEBUSY
            msg = "DDE busy"
        Case SE_ERR_NOASSOC
            msg = "No association for file extension"
        Case ERROR_BAD_FORMAT
            msg = "Invalid EXE file or error in EXE image"
        Case Else
            msg = "Unknown error"
    End Select
'    MsgBox msg
End If
End Sub
Private Function StartDoc(psDocName As String) As Long
Dim Scr_hDC As Long
Scr_hDC = GetDesktopWindow()
StartDoc = ShellExecute(Scr_hDC, "Open", psDocName, "", "C:\", SW_SHOWNORMAL)
End Function

Thanks for the effort but I need to parse thru the PDF file and extract or add new data (RW). Thanks for the effort

[June7]

Is this a form-fill PDF or an OCR PDF?

Review https://www.accessforums.net/program...lds-46717.html

[JrMontgom]

Is this a form-fill PDF or an OCR PDF?

Review https://www.accessforums.net/program...lds-46717.html

June I don't know what a form-fill PDF or an OCR PDF are. I receive a PDF file from an outside entity, it is called "Quarterly Report of CEF", and I currently change the "Quarterly Report of CEF" PDF to a text file using "Save as " text file choice on the Adobe menu. I then parse this new text file using VBA and string commands to find the data I need. I would like to try "reading" the PDF file when parsing. If I can't do that I would like to automate the making of the text file as I am manually completing this task but it would be complicated for new users to correctly and consistently do this process and without the data the Access report would not be created. Once the Access report is created I send the report by email as a PDF file.

[June7]

A form-fill document is like the one you provided with the link. It is set up to allow text input into 'fields' on the PDF. Pressing tab key advances to the next 'field'. Need to know the names of these 'fields' for code to reference and pull values.

OCR - Optical Character Recognition - allows text search within an image file. Depending on how the PDF is created, it can be searchable or it is just a picture.

Whether or not VBA can automate saving PDF form-fill document to text file might be possible. Probably involve VBA opening and manipulating PDF object. I have done this to split and merge PDF documents. AFAIK, for VBA to open and manipulate PDF object requires an install of Acrobat Professional. I do know my code works at the office where I have AcrobatPro but not at home where I do not have it.

[JrMontgom]

A form-fill document is like the one you provided with the link. It is set up to allow text input into 'fields' on the PDF. Pressing tab key advances to the next 'field'. Need to know the names of these 'fields' for code to reference and pull values.

OCR - Optical Character Recognition - allows text search within an image file. Depending on how the PDF is created, it can be searchable or it is just a picture.

Whether or not VBA can automate saving PDF form-fill document to text file might be possible. Probably involve VBA opening and manipulating PDF object. I have done this to split and merge PDF documents. AFAIK, for VBA to open and manipulate PDF object requires an install of Acrobat Professional. I do know my code works at the office where I have AcrobatPro but not at home where I do not have it.

So unless I spend $499.00 for AAPro I am out of luck. Is there anywhere I can get a "cheaper' version say V 7 that will allow me to open a PDF file and parse through the file? IF not how can I automate the creation of a text file from a PDF file? or can I? Thanks for all your help I really appreciate the effort but I seem to always have these esoteric problems that require a Gandalf to solve ;-)

[June7]

Here is another recent thread about interacting with PDF. https://www.accessforums.net/modules...ile-46789.html
I don't know if the poster has AcrobatPro. If you can get the code to work without it, that would indicate some manipulation can be done without AcrobatPro.

I might do test at home.

Sorry don't have more info.

[JrMontgom]

Here is another recent thread about interacting with PDF. https://www.accessforums.net/modules...ile-46789.html
I don't know if the poster has AcrobatPro. If you can get the code to work without it, that would indicate some manipulation can be done without AcrobatPro.

I might do test at home.

Sorry don't have more info.

Thanks for the try but in order to do what I want I need to be able to
"emulate" Adobe Acrobat as others have done with version 7.0 Adobe Acrobat but I guess Adobe decided enough is enough as my Adobe Reader doesn't have the library to "emulate" Adobe Acrobat.