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Is it possible to utilize bookmarks when scraping data from a PDF with Power Automate or Power Automate Desktop?

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Posted on by FreeRangeDingo

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A customer has asked us to provide an automation solution that hinges on our ability to accurately split a PDF and resave. The way we would dynamically know which pages to group together would be through the use of bookmarks in PDFs.

Is it possible to use bookmark meta data in PDFs in either Power Automate or Power Automate desktop. For example, if we had a 40 page PDF, and bookmarks at pages 8, 12, and 26, I would like the ability to dynamically separate pages 1-7 in a new document, then 8-11, then 12-25, and then 26-40.

I googled this subject but mostly get hits on PowerBI reports. Thanks in advance.

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Power Automate Desktop

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UK_Mike on at

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Yes.
Ive used regex to identify a keyword etc within a multipage pdf, thereby giving me the page number.
Just a matter of identifying the other pages, once you know the pages, just a matter of splitting at said pages.
I had to automate Adobe to do this as just reading the pdf with pad was unreliable plus the fact I had no page numbers within the pdf 😂
MichaelAnnis 5,727 Moderator on at

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https://evermap.com/autosplit.asp

$100 for a single computer license and it’s cheaper the more licenses you buy. It has Windows UI elements, so PAD works very well with it.
FreeRangeDingo 114 on at

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Can you elaborate on that a little more? Are you using regex to find the specific page numbers? It sounds like no based on the statement "I had no page numbers," but I don't understand what you are looking for with regex. Maybe if you could talk a bit about your identification. And what do you mean when you say you had to automate Adobe to do this? Finally, was your solution run thru PAD or PA? Thanks,
UK_Mike on at

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Run through PAD.
Thats right, no pdf page numbers, even if you had 1,2,3 at the bottom of the page is no good.
Page 1, Page 2, Page 3 would certainly help.
Regex, looking for keywords / values.
Automate adobe to open each pdf in a folder, it always opens on page one.
Using regex, if its found on page one it gets noted as found on page 1, if not move to page 2.
Im automating type into Adobes page number, as I enter 3 for page 3 and its found, well you already have the page number, its 3.
Writing to Excel, I have all the values I require plus the page numbers they were found on.
Once you have the page numbers in your case, just a matter of splitting at those numbers.
As I dont really need the page numbers I dont use adobe, I just read pdf, then regex it.
Page numbers was just a learning exercise.
FreeRangeDingo 114 on at

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Thank you so much for the further detail. That was very helpful.