# PDF Library - Reading the PDF Document

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-library-reading-the-pdf-document/51759>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [January 6, 2006, 8:06pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-library-reading-the-pdf-document/51759 "2006-01-06T20:06:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Chintakrindi\_Meghan](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chintakrindi\_Meghan](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Chintakrindi_Meghan)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 8:06pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-library-reading-the-pdf-document/51759/1 "2006-01-06T20:06:48Z")

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Hi

Thanks for everyone.  
I downloaded the PDF library and going through the documentation.  
Most of the documentation mentioned , how to create the documents.  
Can anyone tell me the which method to use to read the PDF and its  
contents.

Thanks

Meghanath

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**Author:** ![Chintakrindi\_Meghan](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chintakrindi\_Meghan](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Chintakrindi_Meghan)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2006, 8:33pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-library-reading-the-pdf-document/51759/2 "2006-01-06T20:33:51Z")

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On 06/01/06, Chintakrindi Meghanath  
[removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> Thanks for everyone.  
> I downloaded the PDF library and going through the documentation.  
> Most of the documentation mentioned , how to create the documents.  
> Can anyone tell me the which method to use to read the PDF and its contents.

I answered that already.

_All_ of the documentation for PDF::Writer is about writing.

PDF::Writer does not and will not support reading. There is going to  
be a secondary package released sometime later this year (there is a  
high probability of fall '06) that will support reading. The  
combination of reading and writing will thus support modification.

If you want reading now, you need to use something that isn’t written in  
Ruby.

-austin

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**Author:** ![Chintakrindi\_Meghan](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chintakrindi\_Meghan](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Chintakrindi_Meghan)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 9:30am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-library-reading-the-pdf-document/51759/3 "2006-01-09T09:30:58Z")

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As a matter of fact there is a pure-ruby PDF-reading library.  
Unfortunately I have not had the time to document it properly, but here  
it is anyway:

[http://download.ywesee.com/rpdf2txt/rpdf2txt-1.0.tar.bz2](http://download.ywesee.com/rpdf2txt/rpdf2txt-1.0.tar.bz2)  
[http://scm.ywesee.com/?p=rpdf2txt](http://scm.ywesee.com/?p=rpdf2txt)

glad to answer any questions you might have, eager to get your Feedback.

cheers  
Hannes

On Sat, Jan 07, 2006 at 04:32:51AM +0900, Austin Z. wrote:

> ```
> * Alternate: removed_email_address@domain.invalid
> 
> ```

–  
Mit freundlichen Grüssen / best regards

Hannes W.  
Konzeption & Entwicklung

pub 1024D/60312B5F 2003-10-09 Hannes W. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)  
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