
Query PDF
Query PDF is a REST API tool that provides a programmatic way to retrieve a wide range of insights about a PDF document. It allows developers to check for conditional properties, metadata, and content details such as forms, fonts, security settings, and digital signatures. This tool is essential for conditional processing, enabling you to automate workflows and trigger subsequent actions based on a file’s unique characteristics.
Key Benefits of Query PDF API
- Perform over 25 different queries in a single API call, including checks for document metadata, embedded fonts, and JavaScript, for a comprehensive overview of a PDF's properties.
- Validate PDF/A conformance with the industry-standard veraPDF validation engine, returning a simple true or false value for easy programmatic checks without complex reporting.
- Automate workflows with conditional processing, saving time and resources by using file properties to determine if you need to apply OCR, convert to PDF/A, or perform other operations.
- Identify accessibility features by checking for the presence of structure tags, ensuring your documents meet compliance standards.
- Retrieve and leverage custom metadata, returned as a JSON list of key:value pairs, enabling you to extract and use unique data properties that were added to the document by other applications.
- Extract key document information, including whether a file contains signatures, passwords, or forms (Acroforms or XFA), to drive secure and specialized workflows.
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Drive Conditional Processing
Query PDF pairs well with many other pdfRest API Tools by providing valuable information that can be used to programmatically assess and determine next steps for each document. Some common use cases include:
Key Benefits of Query PDF API
- Conditionally split PDFs based on number of pages or file size
- Convert PDFs to PDF/A only when they are not already conformant to that standard
- Encrypt files that do not already have security measures applied
- Confirm PDFs contain the expected content, such as tags, signatures, or forms, before sending them on to their intended audience
Validate PDF/A Conformance
pdfRest's Query PDF validates whether a document successfully conforms to any of the many PDF/A conformance levels. Powered by veraPDF, the industry-standard for PDF/A conformance validation, Query PDF produces results you can depend on. A simple true/false value in the JSON response provides straightforward, actionable information, so you won't waste time trying to parse results from complex reports.
Learn it All with One Call
Return all of the information you need about a PDF and its contents with one API Call. Choose from any of the 25+ query options, and send one API request with your PDF file and comma-separated list of queries. A quick response will return all of the information you requested with easy-to-parse key:value pairs in standard JSON format. All the answers you need without the overhead of complex reports to parse or superfluous data to sift out.
See Customize Your Solution below for more details about all of the supported queries.
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Start with a Tutorial for step-by-step guidance
Learn about the parameters for this tool to create your custom solution.
tagged
- Checks for presence of structure tags in the input document.
- Returns
true
orfalse
image_only
- Checks if the document is 'image only' meaning that it will only feature a series of embedded graphical image files, one per page and does not have any text or other features common to PDF documents, except for some metadata.
- Returns
true
orfalse
title
- The title of the PDF as listed in the metadata.
- Returns a
string
which may be empty if the document does not have a title
subject
- The subject of the PDF as listed in the metadata.
- Returns a
string
which may be empty if the document does not have a subject
author
- The author of the PDF as listed in the metadata.
- Returns a
string
which may be empty if the document does not have an author
producer
- The producer of the PDF as listed in the metadata.
- Returns a
string
which may be empty if the document does not have a producer
creator
- The creator of the PDF as listed in the metadata.
- Returns a
string
which may be empty if the document does not have a creator
creation_date
- The creation date of the PDF as listed in the metadata.
- Returns a
string
which may be empty if the document does not have a creation date
modified_date
- The most recent modification date of the PDF as listed in the metadata.
- Returns a
string
which may be empty if the document does not have a modification date
keywords
- The keywords of the PDF as listed in the metadata.
- Returns a
string
which may be empty if the document does not have keywords
custom_metadata
- Retrieves custom metadata from the PDF
- Returns a JSON list of key:value pairs, where each pair represents a custom property and its value.
doc_language
- The language that the file claims to be written in.
- Returns a
string
page_count
- The number of pages in the PDF document.
- Returns an integer
contains_annotations
- Checks whether the document contains annotations, such as notes, highlighted text, file attachments, crossed out text, and text callout boxes.
- Returns
true
orfalse
contains_signature
- Checks if the document contains any digital signatures.
- Returns
true
orfalse
pdf_version
- Retrieves the version of the PDF standard that the document was created with.
- Returns a
string
of the form X.Y.Z where X, Y, and Z are the major, minor, and extension versions respectively
file_size
- Retrieves the size of the input file in bytes.
- Returns an integer
filename
- The name of the input file.
- Returns a
string
restrict_permissions_set
- Checks whether the document has restrict permissions set to prevent printing, copying, signing etc.
- Returns
true
orfalse
contains_xfa
- Checks whether the document contains XFA forms.
- Returns
true
orfalse
contains_acroforms
- Checks whether the document contains Acroforms.
- Returns
true
orfalse
contains_javascript
- Checks whether the document contains javascript.
- Returns
true
orfalse
contains_transparency
- Checks whether the document contains transparent objects.
- Returns
true
orfalse
contains_embedded_file
- Checks whether the document contains one or more embedded files.
- Returns
true
orfalse
uses_embedded_fonts
- Checks whether the document contains fully embedded fonts.
- Returns
true
orfalse
uses_nonembedded_fonts
- Checks whether the document contains non-embedded fonts.
- Returns
true
orfalse
pdfa
- Checks whether the document claims and conforms to a PDF/A standard.
- Returns
true
orfalse
requires_password_to_open
- Checks whether the document requires a password to open.
- Returns
true
orfalse
. - Note: A document requiring a password cannot be opened by this route and will not be able to return much other information
Safe & Secure
Confidently process your sensitive data with pdfRest. Our platform is fortified for robust, Enterprise-grade security and compliance, including GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2 Type 2 certification in progress. Your data's protection is our priority.