PdfSearch version-0.2

Carlo B. Bifulco

Abstract

Contents

0.1  How it works

PdfSearch creates a mirror directory (textmirror) inside the search root directory you are indexing. The textmirror contains a copy of the entire search root directory tree and has, in the appropriate location, a the text version of all the indexed pdf files . A text index database (actually a simple pickled zipped Python dictionary ) is then created from the textmirror.

This means that:

• To index a directory you need to have write permission to it

• Text copies of the pdf files, copies of the directory tree and the text index database are going to take space on your hard drive space (on a test I run on a directory containing 313 pdf files for a total of 78.7 MB the textmirror directory took 27 MB of space)

• Indexing will require time, how much depending again on the dimension and the number of your pdf files

0.1.1  Pattern of use

Keep your Pdf files in a dedicated directory tree. In this way database updates will be optimized and as pain free as possible. You can (but probably should not) use PdfSearch to build an archive of your entire hard drive; just be aware that this will make database updates extremely lengthy.

0.2  Interfaces

Three interfaces are available, respectively:

• A local GUI interface (PdfSearchGui)

• A server web interface (PdfSearchServer)

• A command line interface (command.py)

0.3  Gui interface: PdfSearchGui

0.3.1  Installation

*nix (Unix or Linux)

The program has the following dependencies, which have to be properly in place, for it to run:

• Python = 2.2 and greater (freely down-loadable from http://www.python.org)

• Pmw (freely down-loadable from http://download.sourceforge.net/pmw/)

• Tk 8 and greater (should come included with your python installation)

• pdftotext (included in most Linux distributions and downloadable from http://www.foolabs.com/xpdf)

tar -xzvf PdfSearch.tar.gz

cd PdfSearch

python ./PdfSearchGui.py

W32

If you downloaded the executable PdfSearchGui.exe:

• Run the installer by double clicking 'PdfSearchGui.exe'

• Start the program by double clicking on the 'PdfSearchGui.py' file in the PdfSearch main directory

• Or enter from the command line the following:

  cd PdfSearch

  python PdfSearchGui.py

0.3.2  Use

Create your pdf database

Clicking on the Config button with the left mouse button will open a tree view of your hard drive. Choose the search root directory and press the submit button. Select the updatedb button with the mouse. Relax, as the first run may take a lot of time, depending on the number of pdf files needing to be indexed. All the pdf files present in the selected dir and in it's subdirs will now be available for text searches.

Search and View

Enter the text and press either enter or double click on the search button. Words divided by a spaces are considered as being united by a logical AND.

A list of all the files matching your search entry will appear. Just double click on the ones you would like to review .

0.4  Web browser interface: PdfSearchServer

PdfSearchServer offers the same features as PdfSearch, but through an html web browser interface and in a client-server fashion.

0.4.1  Installation

*nix (Unix or Linux)

PdfSearchServer.py is included in the PdfSearch source release.

The program has the following dependencies, which have to be properly in place, for it to run:

• Python = 2.2 and greater (freely down-loadable from http://www.python.org)

• pdftotext (included in most Linux distributions and down-loadable from http://www.foolabs.com/xpdf)

tar -xzvf PdfSearch.tar.gz

cd PdfSearch

python ./PdfSearchServer.py

W32

If you downloaded the executable PdfSearchGui.exe:

• Run the installer by double clicking 'PdfSearchGui.exe'. The PdfSearchGui icon will appear in the desktop and in the startup menu.

• Unzip the release
  • Start the program by double clicking on the 'PdfSearchServer.py' file in the PdfSearch main directory.

  • Or enter from the command line the following:

  cd PdfSearch

  python PdfSearchServer.py

0.4.2  Use

Search and View  

Enter the text and press either enter or double click on the search button. Words divided by a spaces are considered as being united by a logical AND.

A list of all the files containing the selected words will appear. Just double click on the names of the files you would like to view .

0.4.3  Configuring PdfSearchServer

By default PdfSearchServer will be serving content on port 8000 and will consider the PdfSearchServer directory as the search root. You can however modify both parameters. To do this you have to edit the PdfSearchServer.cfg configuration file, located in the PdfSearch main directory.

E.g., let's say you would like to configure PdfSearchServer to serve content on port 80 (the default of most web browsers) and you have your pdf repository in c:/All_my_docs/PDF and you have already indexed it's content, and you do not want to re-index the search root directory again. You will have to change the PdfSearchServer.cfg file as follows:

From:

[staticContent]

static=./static

[server]

socketPort=8000

[PdfSearch]

working_dir=Here_your_path

updatedb=1

[staticContent]

static=./static

[server]

socketPort=80

[PdfSearch]

working_dir=c:/All_my_docs/PDF

updatedb=0

0.4.4  Customizing PdfSearchServer (source release only)

You can completely modify the user interface, editing the html files present in the PdfSearch static directory (home.html, results.html, noresults.html, configure.html), using any WYSIWYG editor. Just remember to:

• Leave the <py-xyz> tags intact

• Leave a link to license.html in each html page

• Do not alter license.html

python cherrypy.py PdfSearch.cpy 

0.5  Command line interface: PdfSearchCmd.py (source release only)

0.5.1  Use

Change directory to the PdfSearch directory containing ``PdfSearchCmd.py''.

You will need to have pdftotext in your search path.

From the commands line run:

python PdfSearchCmd.py 

-h/-help: this message

-u/-update: update text and pdf database

-f/-find: interactive search; type quit/q to exit

-d=directory/-dir: search root directory

0.6  Support

The author can be reached at mailto:carlo_bif@yahoo.com. Any feedback welcomed.

0.7  Thanks

Thanks to:

• Derek B. Noonburgand, author of pdftotext

• David Mertz, author of of the indexer module

• Charles E. "Gene" Cash, author of the tree Tkinter widget

• Remi Delon, author of CherryPy

0.8  Copyright and Warranty

PdfSearch: a simple pdf text search utility with Gui, Web and command line interfaces.

Copyright (C) 2002 Carlo B. Bifulco

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA