PDA

View Full Version : Convert PDF file to Excel


Jats
10-27-2008, 04:41 PM
Hi:

Anyone know how to convert a PDF file (with data separated into rolls and columns) into an EXCEL file that will show the same rolls and columns so that I can edit as I wish?

I tried using a few different conversion sofware and they all turn out to have bunched all the data together into one huge paragraph which is going to take ages to separate.

Ay ideas?? Help??

jlilest
10-27-2008, 05:01 PM
I've used copy and paste in the past with ones that have the data as text.

It might take some manipulation of the data to split it into columns though.

Jats
10-27-2008, 06:05 PM
I've used copy and paste in the past with ones that have the data as text.

It might take some manipulation of the data to split it into columns though.

Yeah...that was what I used to do also on smaller data files. This one I am working on is 16 pages of data...big headache to split the columns one line at a time that why I am looking for alternative.

Thanks though.....

jlilest
10-27-2008, 06:11 PM
It is fun when you get data in a really bad format isn't it. :astonished:

I've also used search and replace in notepad to give a better structure to data.

If there is some consistency on the way they do the columns, you might be able to replace spaces with tabs for instance.

If you are up to coding a program, that might work, but for one shot stuff, doing it more manually can end up being a lot faster and easier, if tiresome.

Using Excel's text handling can get around a lot of issues with everything ending up in a column.

Jats
10-28-2008, 10:14 AM
It is fun when you get data in a really bad format isn't it. :astonished:

I've also used search and replace in notepad to give a better structure to data.

If there is some consistency on the way they do the columns, you might be able to replace spaces with tabs for instance.

If you are up to coding a program, that might work, but for one shot stuff, doing it more manually can end up being a lot faster and easier, if tiresome.

Using Excel's text handling can get around a lot of issues with everything ending up in a column.

Thanks James.
Finally got it figured out....