PDF4QT
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JakubMelka
Is REAL pdf text editing planned ?
Thanks for your great work! REAL pdf text editing means I can edit the original text of the pdf , rather than add cooments text on pdf. There are almost no free pdf editor can achieve this feature，most commercial editor will charge for that.
Hello,
Yes, I am planning this feature! Multiple people requested this feature, so I am considering to postpone 3D PDF development and create fully capable PDF page content editor, where you can edit text, add text, remove text, edit pictures etc. and much more!
Hello, yes, LibreOffice is usable. It is a hard task to implement PDF editing, and it will take probably 3 more months to finish it. Please be patient :-)
Anyone else who needs a PDF Editor, Libre office Draw will do the job :)
thx, it is a tradeoff. But Libre will change the text front for chinese docs. it is not accepted sometimes.
Seriously, there should be a note on the webpage that the software currently doesn't support text editing, just adding notes. Finding out the software doesn't support editing text what the page says it does (but the page means something else) is not a nice experience.
To @lukolszewski, actually you are right. Where do you think it should be put?
Anyone else who needs a PDF Editor, Libre office Draw will do the job :)
Last time I checked, LibreOffice Draw tended to mess up the layout of objects in the page, as well as the fonts
@JakubMelka I assume that you came across PDFedit http://pdfedit.cz/en/index.html . It is an outdated open source PDF editor that was actually capable of manipulating content (text and objects) of PDF files. The user interface was very clumsy and (too) difficult, though, but I think, it is worth to look at how they implemented the editing of PDF content.
Editing of PDF text is highly appreciated, which no open source application can do as of today. The only solutions that run on Linux seem to be the proprietary applications Qoppa PDF Studio and Master PDF Editor. I wouldn't consider LibreOffice Draw a PDF editor, as it imports the PDF into LibreOffice text and drawing objects; there you can edit it; then you can export it again to PDF.
Hello @GerryT11, I have looked on that. I dont like how they did it. I would like to generate list of objects (images, paths, texts etc.) to be editable via tools.
Of course, in PDF4QT, I have also access to the content streams.
Can you already say when the tool (edit original text of the pdf) will come?
I was focusing on bugfixing now and implementing Blend2D rendering. I will be bugfixing for another week and then I hopefuly resume work on editation.
Currently I am using an old free version of Master PDF Editor (4.3.89).
This was the last free version and is still available on most linux distros, but sadly has some bugs..
I hope PDF4QT gets similar editing capabilities soon :)
@JakubMelka I assume that you came across PDFedit http://pdfedit.cz/en/index.html . It is an outdated open source PDF editor that was actually capable of manipulating content (text and objects) of PDF files. The user interface was very clumsy and (too) difficult, though, but I think, it is worth to look at how they implemented the editing of PDF content.
Editing of PDF text is highly appreciated, which no open source application can do as of today. The only solutions that run on Linux seem to be the proprietary applications Qoppa PDF Studio and Master PDF Editor. I wouldn't consider LibreOffice Draw a PDF editor, as it imports the PDF into LibreOffice text and drawing objects; there you can edit it; then you can export it again to PDF.
I would rename this issue to include all PDF objects, content streams, paths, images and other fantastic creatures. I know it's a lot to ask, but I would really like to edit schematics and other technical drawings directly in PDF without having to resort to inkscape, libreoffice draw or scribus and risk data loss.
Hello @pjhfggij, I am working hard on first version. In first version, images will be editable, text will be editable, very limited editation of paths (setting of appearance, color etc.), and move these graphic items via drag and drop.
Hello @pjhfggij, @githuber-chen, @lukolszewski @raffaem, @GerryT11, @J0HannJ0, @boustanihani,
I'm excited to announce the completion of the Editor plugin! This robust tool transforms how you interact with PDF content, offering a suite of editing features designed for flexibility and ease of use:
- Text Editing: Effortlessly modify text on any page. I've optimized this for simple fonts to ensure a seamless editing experience.
- Text Management: Add new text or delete existing ones as needed.
- Graphics Handling: Remove or alter graphic elements like texts, images, and paths.
- Image Operations: You can now add, remove, or replace images within the document.
- Object Manipulation: Move objects around with a simple drag-and-drop interface, clone them or introduce various shapes like rectangles, curves, dots, and lines.
- Object Alignment: Align graphic elements quickly to tidy up your layouts.
- Styling: Dive into the style settings of paths to adjust stroking, filling, colors, and transparency.
- Text Color: Change the color of your text to match your desired aesthetics.
This feature-packed release is a significant enhancement and requires thorough testing to ensure everything works flawlessly. Please take some time to explore these new capabilities, and don't hesitate to flag any issues you encounter. I'm looking forward to your feedback and hope you find these additions as exciting as I do!
Enjoy the new features, and thank you in advance for your contributions to refining this tool!
@Thatoo, you can test it on daily builds (https://github.com/JakubMelka/PDF4QT/actions/runs/9680116094), Linux build is being prepared.
To @raffaem, how is that possible? Did you run PDF4QT Editor? I have renamed the application.
Kudos for tackling this @JakubMelka :tada: however I failed to find any object editing capability, and the toolbar icons are much less recognizable than the ones on the left.. This is version 1.3.7, the newer 1.4.0(.0) require qt6.7 which is not available right now even on debian experimental..
@eMPee584 , all plugins are turned off. Please check desired checkboxes in the first column (at least for "Editor" plugin) and restart the program.
I was confused by eMPee584's comments in regard to failing to find any object editing capability in version 1.3.7, and version 1.4.0.0 requiring Qt 6.7. Why does PDF4QT 1.4.0.0 require Qt 6.7? Is that for compiling from sources, or for running the application?
Running PDF4QT-1.4.0.0-x86_64.AppImage on Kubuntu 22.04, I think all editing capability was there in the menu under Insert. I was able to make annotations for testing: inserting rectangles, highlighting text, underlining text, and adding sticky notes.
Also, I was confused by JakubMelka's comments regarding the plugins. Using PDF4QT-1.4.0.0-x86_64.AppImage, in Tools\ Options\ Plugins I noticed no plugins were displayed as active. I wondered: were the plugins not required for editing, not even the Editor plugin?
I decided to reset the application: Tools\ Reset to Factory Settings. After resetting, PDF4QT Editor now shows all plugins are active. Also, the toolbar is now filled with many more icons. The previous state must have been because of testing PDF4QT 1.3.7 and daily builds earlier on. The reset changed the settings to the version 1.4.0.0 defaults, I suppose.
Edit I'm sorry. I was indeed confused. I overlooked the fact that this issue is essentially about editing page content and not just simple annotations. In PDF4QT-1.4.0.0-x86_64.AppImage, after the reset to factory settings, the option to edit page content is in Tools\ Editor\ Edit page content, and it has an icon in the toolbar as well. I am not sure if it was in Tools before the reset to factory settings. Anyhow, the option to edit page content is now in PDF4QT 1.4.0.0.
To @raffaem, how is that possible? Did you run PDF4QT Editor? I have renamed the application.
I think the compilation process for Linux is messed up.
I fixed the issue by compiling with PDF4QT_LINUX (see PKGBUILD) and applying this patch (a leading / is missing)