How to remove hyperlinks in PDF Files

Question

2.33/5 (3 votes)

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I'm reading a PDF file using VB.net(iTextSharp library), How to remove HyperLinks and write the edited pdf file???

This is a piece of code where i'm reading pdf file..............

C#

string linkTextBuilder = "";
            string linkReferenceBuilder = "";   
                   
            
            PdfDictionary PageDictionary = default(PdfDictionary);
            PdfArray Annots = default(PdfArray);
            PdfReader reader = new PdfReader(pdfFilePath);           

            //Loop through each page
            for (int i = 1; i <= reader.NumberOfPages; i++)
            {
                //Get the current page
                PageDictionary = reader.GetPageN(i);
                
                //Get all of the annotations for the current page
                Annots = PageDictionary.GetAsArray(PdfName.ANNOTS);
                

                //Make sure we have something
                if ((Annots == null) || (Annots.Length == 0))
                {
                    continue;
                }
                    
                //Loop through each annotation
                foreach (PdfObject A in Annots.ArrayList)
                {
                    //Convert the itext-specific object as a generic PDF object
                    PdfDictionary AnnotationDictionary = (PdfDictionary)PdfReader.GetPdfObject(A);

                    //Make sure this annotation has a link
                    if (!AnnotationDictionary.Get(PdfName.SUBTYPE).Equals(PdfName.LINK))
                    {
                        continue;
                    }
                        
                    //Make sure this annotation has an ACTION
                    if (AnnotationDictionary.Get(PdfName.A) == null)
                    {
                        continue;
                    }
                        
                    //Get the ACTION for the current annotation
                    PdfDictionary AnnotationAction = (PdfDictionary)AnnotationDictionary.GetAsDict(PdfName.A);
                    if (AnnotationAction.Get(PdfName.S).Equals(PdfName.URI))
                    {                       
                        Get action link URL : linkReferenceBuilder
                        PdfString Link = AnnotationAction.GetAsString(PdfName.URI);
                       if (Link != null)
                       {
                            linkReferenceBuilder = Link.ToString();                                                        
                        }
}
                }

Posted 13-Jun-13 1:12am

NeerajGSoft

Updated 15-Jun-13 0:24am

v5

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Comments

Prasad_Kulkarni 13-Jun-13 7:15am

What exactly you want?

You want to remove hyperlinks [as you mentioned in head of question]
Or
You want to fetch the hyperlink [as you mentioned in question body]?

NeerajGSoft 13-Jun-13 7:20am

I want to remove hyperlink but when i am reading pdf file, getting the text but not hyperlink of that text...

Sunasara Imdadhusen 13-Jun-13 7:48am

Where is code?

Kschuler 13-Jun-13 11:05am

When you have more information that is helpful, it's better to click the Improve Question link and add it to your original question. That way we can see the code formatted nicely and don't have to search through comments to find it.

NeerajGSoft 14-Jun-13 2:28am

ok thanks for that...:-)

2 solutions

Solution 1

You should have a look at Remove hyperlinks from a PDF document (iTextSharp)[^]

--Amit

Posted 14-Jun-13 19:38pm

_Amy

Comments

NeerajGSoft 15-Jun-13 1:41am

ok sir, and after removing hyperlinks how to write text again as a pdf???

_Amy 15-Jun-13 1:47am

For writing text in specific location refer How to write in iTextSharp in a specific location the zapfdingbatslist in a pdf document[^].
--Amit

NeerajGSoft 15-Jun-13 2:01am

no its not....
Actually when i am writing pdf text, the path of my pdf file with name is inserted instead of previous link...
this is my entire code...

PdfDictionary PageDictionary = default(PdfDictionary);
PdfArray Annots = default(PdfArray);
PdfReader reader = new PdfReader(pdfFilePath);

//Loop through each page
for (int i = 1; i <= reader.NumberOfPages; i++)
{
//Get the current page
PageDictionary = reader.GetPageN(i);

//Get all of the annotations for the current page
Annots = PageDictionary.GetAsArray(PdfName.ANNOTS);

//Make sure we have something
if ((Annots == null) || (Annots.Length == 0))
{
continue;
}

//Loop through each annotation
foreach (PdfObject A in Annots.ArrayList)
{
//Convert the itext-specific object as a generic PDF object
PdfDictionary AnnotationDictionary = (PdfDictionary)PdfReader.GetPdfObject(A);

//Make sure this annotation has a link
if (!AnnotationDictionary.Get(PdfName.SUBTYPE).Equals(PdfName.LINK))
{
continue;
}

//Make sure this annotation has an ACTION
if (AnnotationDictionary.Get(PdfName.A) == null)
{
continue;
}

//Get the ACTION for the current annotation
PdfDictionary AnnotationAction = (PdfDictionary)AnnotationDictionary.GetAsDict(PdfName.A);
if (AnnotationAction.Get(PdfName.S).Equals(PdfName.URI))
{
//Removing Link
AnnotationAction.Remove(PdfName.URI);
}
}
}

using (FileStream FS = new FileStream(OutputFile, FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write, FileShare.None))
{
using (Document Doc = new Document())
{
using (PdfCopy writer = new PdfCopy(Doc, FS))
{
Doc.Open();
for (int j = 1; j <= reader.NumberOfPages; j++)
{
writer.AddPage(writer.GetImportedPage(reader, j));
}
Doc.Close();
}
}
}

_Amy 15-Jun-13 2:07am

The code where you are removing the link, you need to add text in that block only. Take the removed link text, hold it in a variable and then write it in PDF. You can use google if required.
--Amit

Member 9899837 7-Feb-14 7:50am

If you have some code snippet then kindly provide.

NeerajGSoft 15-Jun-13 2:14am

can u give an example????

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NeerajGSoft · Accepted Answer · 2013-06-28T20:42:00

I got solution by myself and solution is below..
You can remove the link and call the function before saving document...

PDFDoc doc = new PDFDoc(fileIn);
            RemoveCertainExistingLinks(doc, ExcusableLinks);
            doc.Save(fileOut, pdftron.SDF.SDFDoc.SaveOptions.e_linearized);

public void RemoveCertainExistingLinks(PDFDoc doc, ICollection<string> excusedLinks)
        {
            for (PageIterator itr = doc.GetPageIterator(); itr.HasNext(); itr.Next())
            {
                Page p = itr.Current();

                int numAnnots = p.GetNumAnnots();

                // Loops over the annotations backwards because the document is modified in
                // place.
                int i = numAnnots; 
                while (i != 0)
                {                    
                    i--;

                    Annot annot = p.GetAnnot(i);
                   
                    if (annot.GetType() != Annot.Type.e_Link || !annot.IsValid())
                    {
                        continue;
                    }

                    
                    pdftron.PDF.Action linkAction = annot.GetLinkAction();
                    if (linkAction.GetType() != pdftron.PDF.Action.Type.e_URI)
                    {
                        continue;
                    }


                    pdftron.SDF.Obj sdfobj = linkAction.GetSDFObj();

                    // this should be a dictionary
                     pdftron.SDF.Obj URIobj = sdfobj.FindObj("URI");
                     string URI = URIobj.GetAsPDFText();                   
                    
                  
                    p.AnnotRemove(i);

                  }
            }
        }