Search and identify functionality.

[mattm5562875]

I am needing a process that can automate the Adobe search function and highlight/draw a box around found matching text in an existing PDF.  The red boxes in the image are how native Adobe handles it in the installed client.  I'd like to have this handled in the background from a web UI triggered process.

I am building an application in Oracle Application Express (browser based UI) however am willing to utilize a Javascript or Apache server solution to achieve this solution.

[try67]

Do you want to add actual highlights/comments to the file, or just temporary "search results"? The former will require a stand-alone application. It can't be done with Acrobat. The latter can be done using the PDF Open Parameters.

[mattm5562875]

Currently the end user open native Adobe, performs a search function and uploads a text file.  Adobe then highlights the found matches as provided above and spits out a new PDF in which gets printed.

My objective here is to take a library of existing PDF's, perform searches on demand and save the completed file back to the server/database.

Ideally all of this is handled on the back end and if the user desires to view the completed file then, I'll provide a link to that provided file at that time.

[Joel Geraci]

If you want this to be done on a backend server then the only tool that has the features you need is the Datalogics PDF Java Toolkit. The technology is by Adobe and sold and supported through Datalogics. It's the only toolkit on the market that will create appearances for annotations, your highlights, based on the annotation properties like the word bounding box. It's also the only server tool on the market that will both assemble words out of some of the crazy PDF instructions and provide the coordinates of those words.  

[try67]

Not the only one... I've also developed a Highlighter tool that can be deployed on a server and use to produce highlighted PDF files on-the-fly. It doesn't use Adobe technology, though, but an open-source Java PDF library.

[Joel Geraci]

Interesting... Is it creating highlight annotations and if so, are those annotations visible when opened in a non-Adobe viewer like Preview. 

[try67]

Yes, and yes.

[mattm5562875]

Try67.  What language is this in?  Is it available to others if something I want to work with?

[try67]

Java, and yes. You can contact me privately (try6767 at gmail.com) to discuss it further.

[mattm5562875]

I'm looking at the above mentioned link.  Just putting it out there if someone else reads this far and has a suggestion I am still open for suggestions as I have never touched Java and want to explore a variety of options I can manage first.

Try, I may reach out at some point in the near future.  I'll chat with my boss on the Java aspect first.

[Joel Geraci]

Clarifying...

If you want this to be done on a backend server then the only commercially available tool that has the features you need is the Datalogics PDF Java Toolkit. The technology is by Adobe and sold and supported through Datalogics.