Manipulate Tables in existing PDF

Manipulate tables in existing PDF

Aspose.PDF for Python shows how to modify the content of a specific cell within a table in a PDF document. It uses the TableAbsorber class to locate tables on the first page, accesses a particular text fragment within the first cell of the first table, updates its text, and saves the modified PDF to a new file.

1. Open the PDF file using ‘ap.Document()’.
2. Create a TableAbsorber object to detect tables in the PDF.
3. Calls absorber.visit() to find all tables on the first page.
4. Access a specific text fragment:
   • Retrieves the first table.
   • Gets the first row of the table.
   • Selects the second text fragment in the cell.
5. Modify the text.
6. Save the updated PDF.
7. Prints confirmation of the saved file.

    import aspose.pdf as ap
    from os import path

    # Define file names and data directory
    data_dir = "."  # or specify your data directory
    infile = "input.pdf"   # replace with your input PDF file name
    outfile = "output.pdf" # replace with your desired output PDF file name

    # Open PDF document
    path_infile = path.join(data_dir, infile)
    path_outfile = path.join(data_dir, outfile)
    document = ap.Document(path_infile)

    # Create TableAbsorber object to find tables
    absorber = ap.text.TableAbsorber()

    # Visit first page with absorber
    absorber.visit(document.pages[1])

    # Get access to first table on page, their first cell and text fragments in it
    fragment = absorber.table_list[0].row_list[0].cell_list[0].text_fragments[1]

    # Change text of the first text fragment in the cell
    fragment.text = "hi world"

    # Save PDF document

    document.save(path_outfile)
    print(f"File saved at: {path_outfile}")

Replace old Table with a new one in PDF document

Aspose.PDF allows replacing an existing table in a PDF with a new table. The code snippet opens a PDF, identifies the first table on the first page using TableAbsorber, creates a new table with custom column widths and content, and then replaces the original table with the new one. Finally, it saves the updated PDF to a new file.

It demonstrates how to modify table structure and content in a PDF without altering the rest of the document.

    import aspose.pdf as ap
    from os import path

    # Open PDF document
    path_infile = path.join(self.data_dir, infile)
    path_outfile = path.join(self.data_dir, outfile)
    document = ap.Document(path_infile)

    # Create TableAbsorber object to find tables
    absorber = ap.text.TableAbsorber()

    # Visit first page with absorber
    absorber.visit(document.pages[1])

    # Get first table on the page
    table = absorber.table_list[0]

    # Create new table
    new_table = ap.Table()
    new_table.column_widths = "100 100 100"
    new_table.default_cell_border = ap.BorderInfo(ap.BorderSide.ALL, 1.0)

    row = new_table.rows.add()
    row.cells.add("Col 1")
    row.cells.add("Col 2")
    row.cells.add("Col 3")
    row = new_table.rows.add()
    row.cells.add("Col 12")
    row.cells.add("Col 22")
    row.cells.add("Col 32")

    # Replace the table with new one
    absorber.replace(document.pages[1], table, new_table)

    # Save PDF document
    document.save(path_outfile)
    print(f"File saved at: {path_outfile}")