Camelot: Free, Blazing-Fast PDF Table Extraction Made Easy

In today’s information-saturated world, we often face the challenge of extracting critical data from vast numbers of PDF documents. Whether it’s financial reports, market research data, or legal documents, the tabular information contained within these PDFs frequently needs to be converted into actionable data formats for further analysis and processing. However, manually extracting table data from PDFs is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors—a significant hurdle for professionals seeking efficiency and precision.

Meet Camelot: Your Go-To PDF Table Extraction Solution

Camelot is an open-source PDF table extraction tool that simplifies the process of extracting tabular data from PDFs. With Camelot, you can easily convert PDF tables into widely-used formats such as CSV and Excel, making your data readily available for editing, analysis, and visualization.

GitHub: https://github.com/camelot-dev/camelot

How Camelot Works Its Magic

Camelot leverages advanced text recognition technology to accurately identify and extract table data from PDFs. By intelligently analyzing the structure and layout of PDF documents, Camelot can precisely locate and extract tabular information with minimal user intervention.

Parse the generated CSV table

Cycle NameKI (1/km)Distance (mi)Percent Fuel Savings
Improved SpeedDecreased AccelEliminate StopsDecreased Idle
2012_23.301.35.9%9.5%29.2%17.4%
2145_10.6811.22.4%0.1%9.5%2.7%
4234_10.5958.78.5%1.3%8.5%3.3%
2032_20.1757.821.7%0.3%2.7%1.2%
4171_10.07173.958.1%1.6%2.1%0.5%

Getting Started with Camelot

To start harnessing the power of Camelot, follow these simple steps:

  1. Install Ghostscript, a PDF parsing library. For macOS users, you can use Homebrew:
   brew install ghostscript
  1. Install Camelot using pip:
   pip install "camelot-py[base]"
  1. Create a new Python file (e.g., main.py) and add the following code:
   import camelot

   tables = camelot.read_pdf('your_pdf_file.pdf')
   tables.export('output.csv', f='csv', compress=False)
  1. Run the Python script:
   python3 main.py

Note: If you encounter a Ghostscript-related error on macOS or Linux, set the DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable before running the script:

   export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/path/to/ghostscript/lib/

Upon successful execution, Camelot will generate a CSV file containing the extracted table data in the same directory as your script.

Excalibur: The Web Interface for Camelot

To further streamline the PDF table extraction process, the Camelot team has developed Excalibur—a user-friendly web interface for Camelot. With Excalibur, you can easily upload your PDF files and extract tables through an intuitive point-and-click interface.

Setting Up Excalibur

  1. Install Excalibur using pip:
   pip install excalibur-py
  1. Initialize the database:
   excalibur initdb
  1. Start the Excalibur server:
   excalibur webserver
  1. Open your web browser and navigate to http://127.0.0.1:5000/files to access the Excalibur interface.

Extracting Tables with Excalibur

Once you’ve accessed the Excalibur interface, simply click the “Upload PDF” button to select your PDF file. Excalibur will then display the detected tables, allowing you to easily extract the desired data with just a few clicks.

Unleash the Power of PDF Table Extraction

With Camelot and Excalibur at your disposal, you can effortlessly extract valuable tabular data from PDFs, saving time and ensuring accuracy. Whether you’re a data analyst, researcher, or business professional, these powerful tools will revolutionize the way you work with PDF documents.

So why wait? Start harnessing the power of Camelot and Excalibur today and unlock the full potential of your PDF data!

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