Convert PDF file to text document

[Larry1700]

Ye Olde Luddite here. Is there a way to "convert" a PDF file into Open Office? Someone has sent me a long PDF document which he wants me to edit. Thank you.

[RoryOF]

Ask if they have an original file, be it .odt, .txt, .doc, .docx or other non PDF format. Using OpenOffice or LibreOffice with some PDF opening application is not the best way to edit a PDF file. In any case, no matter how you convert the file to edit in OpenOffice, you are likely to have much reformatting to do. Getting an original text file will preserve much of the formatting.

[Larry1700]

OK, thank you very much.

[LastUnicorn]

As far as I am aware this can't be done as Normal PDF files are non-editable. So you would have to select all the text in the PDF in a PDF management application and paste the selected text into OpenOffice though this assumes the PDF is not a scan of a hard-copy document (a book for example). Having done that you would then need to deal with tidying the pasted text up in OpenOffice. This would be a manual process but you might find find/replace can speed that up by a long margin.

Another way, not open to you I would think, would have been that if the PDF file had been created via LibreOffice then it could have been exported/created as a Hybrid PDF file. What that does is it incorporates, as a buried element (if I can put it that way) in the PDF file the text of a normal LibreOffice .odt file. So, if ever, it was desired to edit the PDF then the PDF could be loaded into LibreOffice Writer, editing done on the buried Writer text (inside the PDF). Once the editing is done then just Export/Create the Hybrid PDF file anew and all changes in the Writer text will be included in the new Hybrid PDF. You would though be well advised to save the Writer file as a normal .odt file as well so you always have an alternative route to creating a new PDF.

Perhaps you could mention LibreOffice and Hybrid PDFs to the author of the PDF file you are having to deal with.

If you want to test this out yourself you might find this useful: There are several good reasons for making the switch anyway, some of which are mentioned here: [Tutorial] Considering a Switch from OpenOffice to LibreOffice? Some Useful Information

[RoryOF]

As LastUnicorn says, there are other ways, but the simplest is to ask first if there is a text file. If not, we can go into those ways.

[Larry1700]

thank you to everyone who responded -

[JeJe]

LibreOffice may open it - as a Draw file - but not OO.

[RoryOF]

Using
https://www.zamzar.com/converters/document/pdf/
one can convert PDF to ODT format.

There will almost certainly be some reformatting required.

[Larry1700]

thank you for this information

[Bidouille]

LibreOffice may open it - as a Draw file - but not OO.

For AOO, we need to install an OXT
https://extensions.openoffice.org/en/pr ... openoffice
LibO simply embeds it

[JeJe]

@Bidouille » Interesting:

https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Faq ... PDF_Hybrid

[Bidouille]

Original code from Ariel Constenla-Haile

Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's

[Hagar Delest]

The point with hybrid PDF is that it's a not a very known feature. And the author has to think about that possibility, which is quite unlikely in most cases. Especially for such request (as OP's). If a PDF has been sent for edition, it is very likely the source file is not available anymore.

[Bidouille]

If a PDF has been sent for edition, it is very likely the source file is not available anymore.

PDF is originally an output format (viewing or printing).
Cross-posted with same issue: viewtopic.php?p=551917#p551917

[Hagar Delest]

So what?
OP issue is that someone sent him a PDF to be edited. If the sender had the source file, then there would be no issue at all. Since PDF is made for output indeed, then the question is how to kind of reverse engineer the document.
I would not call that cross-posting (except if you are talking about your posts) since the topics are not from the same user. This question is quite frequent in the forum.