Find Text in Table with AI

Detect tables in PDF and scanned documents using AI, returning the page, coordinates, and detected column structure for each table.

Try it live: Find Text in Table with AI → API Tester — send a real request from your browser.

POST /v1/pdf/find/table

This function finds tables in documents using an AI-powered table detection engine.

This endpoint locates tables in an input PDF document and returns JSON with:

• The array of tables objects.

• X, Y, Width, and Height coordinates for every table found.

• Rect param for every table that you can re-use with pdf/convert/to/json, pdf/convert/to/csv, pdf/convert/to/csv, and other endpoints to extract a selected table only.

• PageIndex page index for a page with a table. The very first page is 0 .

• Columns array with the set of X coordinates for every column inside the table that was found.

To extract the table into CSV, JSON, or XML please use pdf/convert/to/csv, pdf/convert/to/json2, and pdf/convert/to/xml endpoints with rect parameter value from rect output param for this table accordingly.

To extract the table into CSV, JSON, or XML please use pdf/convert/to/csv, pdf/convert/to/json2, and pdf/convert/to/xml endpoints with rect parameter value from rect output param for this table accordingly.

Attributes

Attributes are case-sensitive and should be inside JSON for POST request. for example: { "url": "https://example.com/file1.pdf" }

Attribute	Type	Required	Default	Description
url	string	Yes	-	URL to the source file url attribute
callback	string	No	-	The callback URL (or Webhook) used to receive the POST data. see Webhooks & Callbacks. This is only applicable when async is set to true.
httpusername	string	No	-	HTTP auth user name if required to access source URL.
httppassword	string	No	-	HTTP auth password if required to access source URL.
pages	string	No	all pages	Specify page indices as comma-separated values or ranges to process (e.g. “0, 1, 2-” or “1, 2, 3-7”). The first-page index is 0. Use ”!” before a number for inverted page numbers (e.g. “!0” for the last page). If not specified, the default configuration processes all pages. The input must be in string format.
inline	boolean	No	false	Set to true to return results inside the response. Otherwise, the endpoint will return a URL to the output file generated.
password	string	No	-	Password for the PDF file.
async	boolean	No	false	Set async to true for long processes to run in the background, API will then return a jobId which you can use with the Background Job Check endpoint. Also see Webhooks & Callbacks
profiles	object	No	-	See Profiles for more information.
DataEncryptionAlgorithm	string	No	-	Controls the encryption algorithm used for data encryption. See User-Controlled Encryption for more information. The available algorithms are: AES128, AES192, AES256.
DataEncryptionKey	string	No	-	Controls the encryption key used for data encryption. See User-Controlled Encryption for more information.
DataEncryptionIV	string	No	-	Controls the encryption IV used for data encryption. See User-Controlled Encryption for more information.
DataDecryptionAlgorithm	string	No	-	Controls the decryption algorithm used for data decryption. See User-Controlled Encryption for more information. The available algorithms are: AES128, AES192, AES256.
DataDecryptionKey	string	No	-	Controls the decryption key used for data decryption. See User-Controlled Encryption for more information.
DataDecryptionIV	string	No	-	Controls the decryption IV used for data decryption. See User-Controlled Encryption for more information.

Find only bordered tables

You can limit search to bordered tables only by enabling the legacy table search mode with the following profiles config:

{
 "profiles": "{ 'Mode': 'Legacy',
 'ColumnDetectionMode': 'BorderedTables',
 'DetectionMinNumberOfRows': 1,
 'DetectionMinNumberOfColumns': 1,
 'DetectionMaxNumberOfInvalidSubsequentRowsAllowed': 0,
 'DetectionMinNumberOfLineBreaksBetweenTables': 0,
 'EnhanceTableBorders': false
 }"
}

Query parameters

No query parameters accepted.

Responses

Parameter	Type	Description
body	object	Response body.
pageCount	integer	Number of pages in the PDF document.
error	boolean	Indicates whether an error occurred (false means success)
status	string	Status code of the request (200, 404, 500, etc.). For more information, see Response Codes.
name	string	Name of the output file
credits	integer	Number of credits consumed by the request
remainingCredits	integer	Number of credits remaining in the account
duration	integer	Time taken for the operation in milliseconds

Example Payload

To see the request size limits, please refer to the Request Size Limits.

{
  "url": "pdfco-test-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.compdf-to-text/sample.pdf",
  "async": "false",
  "inline": "true",
  "password": ""
}

Example Response

To see the main response codes, please refer to the Response Codes page.

{
  "body": {
    "tables": [
      {
        "PageIndex": 0,
        "X": 36,
        "Y": 34.4400024,
        "Width": 523.44,
        "Height": 160.82,
        "Columns": [
          357.675
        ],
        "rect": "36, 34.4400024, 523.44, 160.82"
      },
      {
        "PageIndex": 0,
        "X": 36,
        "Y": 316.249969,
        "Width": 523.44,
        "Height": 120.620026,
        "Columns": [
          157.117,
          340.68,
          475.84
        ],
        "rect": "36, 316.249969, 523.44, 120.620026"
      }
    ]
  },
  "pageCount": 1,
  "error": false,
  "status": 200,
  "name": "sample.json",
  "remainingCredits": 98892697,
  "credits": 21
}

Inconsistent URL Encoding in cURL Output: When using cURL to make API requests, the output JSON may show URL characters encoded as Unicode escape sequences. For example, the ampersand character (&) may appear as \u0026 in the cURL output. This is normal JSON encoding behavior and does not affect the validity of the URL. The URL will function correctly when used, as JSON parsers automatically decode these escape sequences. If you’re parsing the response programmatically, your JSON parser will handle this conversion automatically.

Code Samples

CURL

curl --location --request POST 'https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/find/table' \
--header 'x-api-key: *******************' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data-raw '{
"url": "pdfco-test-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.compdf-to-text/sample.pdf",
"async": "false",
"inline": "true",
"password": ""
}'

JavaScript/Node.js

var https = require("https");
var path = require("path");
var fs = require("fs");

// `request` module is required for file upload.
// Use "npm install request" command to install.
var request = require("request");

// The authentication key (API Key).
// Get your own by registering at https://app.pdf.co
const API_KEY = "***********************************";

// Direct URL of source PDF file.
// You can also upload your own file into PDF.co and use it as url. Check "Upload File" samples for code snippets: https://github.com/pdfdotco/pdf-co-api-samples/tree/master/File%20Upload/    
const SourceFileUrl = "https://pdfco-test-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/pdf-to-text/sample.pdf";

// Comma-separated list of page indices (or ranges) to process. Leave empty for all pages. Example: '0,2-5,7-'.
const Pages = "";

// PDF document password. Leave empty for unprotected documents.
const Password = "";

// Prepare URL for PDF Table Search API call.
// See documentation: https://docs.pdf.co
var query = `https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/find/table`;
let reqOptions = {
    uri: query,
    headers: { "x-api-key": API_KEY },
    formData: {
        password: Password,
        pages: Pages,
        url: SourceFileUrl
    }
};

// Send request
request.post(reqOptions, function (error, resp, body) {
    if (error) {
        return console.error("Error: ", error);
    }

    var jsonBody = JSON.parse(body);

    // Loop through all found tables, and get json data
    if (jsonBody.body.tables && jsonBody.body.tables.length > 0) {
        for (var i = 0; i < jsonBody.body.tables.length; i++) {
            getJSONFromCoordinates(SourceFileUrl, jsonBody.body.tables[i].PageIndex, jsonBody.body.tables[i].rect, `table_${i + 1}.json`);
        }
    }

});

/**
* Get JSON from specific co-ordinates
*/
function getJSONFromCoordinates(fileUrl, pageIndex, rect, outputFileName) {

    // Prepare request to `PDF To JSON` API endpoint
    var jsonQueryPath = `https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/convert/to/json`;

    // Json Request 
    let jsonReqOptions = {
        uri: jsonQueryPath,
        headers: { "x-api-key": API_KEY },
        formData: {
            pages: pageIndex,
            url: fileUrl,
            rect: rect
        }
    };

    // Send request
    request.post(jsonReqOptions, function (error, resp, body) {
        if (error) {
            return console.error("Error: ", error);
        }

        var outputJsonUrl = JSON.parse(body).url;

        // Download JSON file
        var file = fs.createWriteStream(outputFileName);
        https.get(outputJsonUrl, (response2) => {
            response2.pipe(file)
                .on("close", () => {
                    console.log(`Generated JSON file saved as "${outputFileName}" file.`);
                });
        });

    });
}

Python

import requests
  import os

  # The authentication key (API Key).
  # Get your own by registering at https://app.pdf.co
  API_KEY = "***************************************"

  # Direct URL of source PDF file.
  SourceFileUrl = "https://pdfco-test-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/pdf-to-text/sample.pdf"

  # Comma-separated list of page indices (or ranges) to process. Leave empty for all pages. Example: '0,2-5,7-'.
  Pages = ""

  # PDF document password. Leave empty for unprotected documents.
  Password = ""

  # Prepare URL for PDF Table Search API call.
  query = "https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/find/table"
  reqOptions = {
      'password': Password,
      'pages': Pages,
      'url': SourceFileUrl
  }
  headers = {
      'x-api-key': API_KEY
  }


  def getJSONFromCoordinates(fileUrl, pageIndex, rect, outputFileName):
      # Prepare request to `PDF To JSON` API endpoint
      jsonQueryPath = "https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/convert/to/json"

      # Json Request
      jsonReqOptions = {
          'pages': pageIndex,
          'url': fileUrl,
          'rect': rect
      }

      # Send request
      response = requests.post(jsonQueryPath, headers=headers, data=jsonReqOptions)
      if response.status_code == 200:
          outputJsonUrl = response.json()['url']

          # Download JSON file
          res = requests.get(outputJsonUrl)
          with open(outputFileName, 'wb') as outfile:
              outfile.write(res.content)
          print(f'Generated JSON file saved as "{outputFileName}" file.')
      else:
          print(f"Request error: {response.status_code} {response.reason}")


  # Send request
  response = requests.post(query, headers=headers, data=reqOptions)
  if response.status_code == 200:
      jsonBody = response.json()

      # Loop through all found tables, and get json data
      if 'tables' in jsonBody['body'] and len(jsonBody['body']['tables']) > 0:
          for i, table in enumerate(jsonBody['body']['tables']):
              getJSONFromCoordinates(SourceFileUrl, table['PageIndex'], table['rect'], f"table_{i + 1}.json")
  else:
      print(f"Request error: {response.status_code} {response.reason}")

C#

using Newtonsoft.Json;
  using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq;
  using System;
  using System.Collections.Generic;
  using System.Net;

  namespace PDFcoApiExample
  {
      class Program
      {
          // The authentication key (API Key).
          // Get your own by registering at https://app.pdf.co
          const String API_KEY = "*****************************************";
          
          // Direct URL of source PDF file.
          // You can also upload your own file into PDF.co and use it as url. Check "Upload File" samples for code snippets: https://github.com/pdfdotco/pdf-co-api-samples/tree/master/File%20Upload/
          const string SourceFileUrl = "https://pdfco-test-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/pdf-to-text/sample.pdf";
          
          // Comma-separated list of page indices (or ranges) to process. Leave empty for all pages. Example: '0,2-5,7-'.
          const string Pages = "";
          
          // PDF document password. Leave empty for unprotected documents.
          const string Password = "";
          
          static void Main(string[] args)
          {
              // Create standard .NET web client instance
              WebClient webClient = new WebClient();

              // Set API Key
              webClient.Headers.Add("x-api-key", API_KEY);

              // URL for PDF Table Search API call.
              // See documentation: https://docs.pdf.co
              string url = "https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/find/table";

              // Prepare requests params as JSON
              Dictionary<string, object> parameters = new Dictionary<string, object>();
              parameters.Add("password", Password);
              parameters.Add("pages", Pages);
              parameters.Add("url", SourceFileUrl);

              // Convert dictionary of params to JSON
              string jsonPayload = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(parameters);

              try
              {
                  // Execute POST request with JSON payload
                  string response = webClient.UploadString(url, jsonPayload);

                  // Parse JSON response
                  JObject json = JObject.Parse(response);

                  if (json["status"].ToString() != "error")
                  {
                      Console.WriteLine(response);
                  }
                  else
                  {
                      Console.WriteLine(json["message"].ToString());
                  }
              }
              catch (WebException e)
              {
                  Console.WriteLine(e.ToString());
              }

              webClient.Dispose();


              Console.WriteLine();
              Console.WriteLine("Press any key...");
              Console.ReadKey();
          }
      }
  }

Java

package com.company;

  import com.google.gson.JsonElement;
  import com.google.gson.JsonObject;
  import com.google.gson.JsonParser;
  import okhttp3.*;

  import java.io.*;
  import java.net.*;

  public class Main
  {
      // The authentication key (API Key).
      // Get your own by registering at https://app.pdf.co
      final static String API_KEY = "***********************************";

      // Direct URL of source PDF file.
      // You can also upload your own file into PDF.co and use it as url. Check "Upload File" samples for code snippets: https://github.com/pdfdotco/pdf-co-api-samples/tree/master/File%20Upload/    
      final static String SourceFileURL = "https://pdfco-test-files.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/pdf-to-text/sample.pdf";

      // Comma-separated list of page indices (or ranges) to process. Leave empty for all pages. Example: '0,2-5,7-'.
      final static String Pages = "";

      // PDF document password. Leave empty for unprotected documents.
      final static String Password = "";

      public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException
      {
          // Create HTTP client instance
          OkHttpClient webClient = new OkHttpClient();

          // Prepare URL for PDF Table Search API call.
          // See documentation: https://docs.pdf.co
          String query = "https://api.pdf.co/v1/pdf/find/table";

          // Make correctly escaped (encoded) URL
          URL url = null;
          try
          {
              url = new URI(null, query, null).toURL();
          }
          catch (URISyntaxException e)
          {
              e.printStackTrace();
          }

          // Create JSON payload
          String jsonPayload = String.format("{\"password\": \"%s\", \"pages\": \"%s\", \"url\": \"%s\"}",
                  Password,
                  Pages,
                  SourceFileURL);

          // Prepare request body
          RequestBody body = RequestBody.create(MediaType.parse("application/json"), jsonPayload);
          
          // Prepare request
          Request request = new Request.Builder()
              .url(url)
              .addHeader("x-api-key", API_KEY) // (!) Set API Key
              .addHeader("Content-Type", "application/json")
              .post(body)
              .build();
          
          // Execute request
          Response response = webClient.newCall(request).execute();

          if (response.code() == 200)
          {
              // Parse JSON response
              JsonObject json = new JsonParser().parse(response.body().string()).getAsJsonObject();

              boolean error = json.get("error").getAsBoolean();
              if (!error)
              {
                  System.out.println(response.body().string());
              }
              else
              {
                  // Display service reported error
                  System.out.println(json.get("message").getAsString());
              }
          }
          else
          {
              // Display request error
              System.out.println(response.code() + " " + response.message());
          }
      }
  }