[degado]

Hello people, I have python programming  problem with lists. I am trying to write a script that extracts the bookmark names. I am using PyPDF3  for this to work.
Help me out if you can

so, in its raw form the PyPDF3 returns me the following structure from the pdf.


{'/Title': 'Preface', '/Page': IndirectObject(45, 0), '/Type': '/XYZ', '/Left': <PyPDF3.generic.NullObject object at 0x00000181E2030E48>, '/Top': 576, '/Zoom': <PyPDF3.generic.NullObject object at 0x00000181E2030F60>}
[{'/Title': 'Mission', '/Page': IndirectObject(51, 0), '/Type': '/XYZ', '/Left': <PyPDF3.generic.NullObject object at 0x00000181E2030FD0>, '/Top': 349.12354, '/Zoom': <PyPDF3.generic.NullObject object at 0x00000181E203D0F0>}, {'/Title': 'Review', '/Page': IndirectObject(55, 0), '/Type': '/XYZ', '/Left': <PyPDF3.generic.NullObject object at 0x00000181E203D160>, '/Top': 367.72357, '/Zoom': <PyPDF3.generic.NullObject object at 0x00000181E203D278>}, {'/Title': 'Conventions Used in This Book', '/Page': IndirectObject(55, 0), '/Type': '/XYZ', '/Left': <PyPDF3.generic.NullObject object at 0x00000181E203D2E8>, '/Top': 192.3996, '/Zoom': <PyPDF3.generic.NullObject object at 0x00000181E203D400>}, {'/Title': 'Using Code Examples', '/Page': IndirectObject(65, 0), '/Type': '/XYZ', '/Left': <PyPDF3.generic.NullObject object at 0x00000181E203D470>, '/Top': 228.42026, '/Zoom': <PyPDF3.generic.NullObject object at 0x00000181E203D588>}, {'/Title': 'Safari® Books Online', '/Page': IndirectObject(78, 0), '/Type': '/XYZ', '/Left': <PyPDF3.generic.NullObject object at 0x00000181E203D5C0>, '/Top': 430.72357, '/Zoom': <PyPDF3.generic.NullObject object at 0x00000181E203D710>}, {'/Title': 'How to Contact Us', '/Page': IndirectObject(96, 0), '/Type': '/XYZ', '/Left': <PyPDF3.generic.NullObject object at 0x00000181E203D780>, '/Top': 581.32361, '/Zoom': <PyPDF3.generic.NullObject object at 0x00000181E203D860>}]

the output is bigger, but it is sufficient for illustration purposes

so as we can see it returns a dict or a arrys  of dicts depending if the bookmarks  are stored in the multi level  
1
2
3
3.1
3.2
etc

I want to print them all out in the list so there is my attempt below, but it does not work correctly  I susspect it  something wrong with the loop, can’t get this to work,


from PyPDF3 import*

pdf_input = PdfFileReader(open("test.pdf", "rb"))
pdf_output = PdfFileWriter()
pdf_bookmarks = pdf_input.getOutlines(node=None, outlines=None)
bookmark_name = "/Title"
bookmark_list = []

for count1 in range(pdf_bookmarks.__len__()):
   if isinstance(pdf_bookmarks[count1], dict):
       bookmark_sub = False
       bookmark_list.append(pdf_bookmarks[count1][bookmark_name])
       print(pdf_bookmarks[count1][bookmark_name])
       print("l1")

   if isinstance(pdf_bookmarks[count1], list):
       bookmark_sub = True
       for count2 in range(pdf_bookmarks[count1].__len__()):
           bookmark_list.append(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2][bookmark_name])
           print(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2][bookmark_name])
           print("l2")

           if isinstance(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2], list):
               for count3 in range(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2].__len__()):
                   bookmark_list.append(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2][count3][bookmark_name])
                   print(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2][count3][bookmark_name])
                   print("l3")
                   if isinstance(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2][count3], list):

                       for count4 in range(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2][count3].__len__()):
                           bookmark_list.append(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2][count3][count4][bookmark_name])
                           print(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2][count3][count4][bookmark_name])
                           print("l4")    

                           if isinstance(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2][count3][count4], list):
                               for count5  in range(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2][count3][count4].__len__()):
                                   bookmark_list.append(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2][count3][count4][count5][bookmark_name])
                                   print(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2][count3][count4][count5][bookmark_name])
                                   print("l5")
                                   
for bookmark_counter in range(bookmark_list.__len__()):
   print(bookmark_list[bookmark_counter])


output

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.17763.1039]
© 2018 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

D:\python\projects\pdf-tool>python pdf-helpper.py
Copyright
l1
Table of Contents
l1
Foreword
l1
Preface
l1
Mission
l2
Review
l2
Conventions Used in This Book
l2
Using Code Examples
l2
Safari® Books Online
l2
How to Contact Us
l2
Chapter 1. ES? Now & Future
l1
Versioning
l2
Transpiling
l2
Traceback (most recent call last):
 File "pdf-helpper.py", line 19, in <module>
   bookmark_list.append(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2][bookmark_name])
TypeError: list indices must be integers or slices, not str


You see my pdf that i am testing with has mor then 2 bookmark sublevels,  and it  get's   stuck when trying to read the third level

I have a suspicion that I am not accessing lists correctly
Thanks for help
l1, l2 etc   text is the indicator on which loop it gets stuck for debug Purposes  only.  


Thanks for help

[h0lyl337]

one of those indexes are coming back as str instead of an int. Convert it into an int.

[degado]

one of those indexes are coming back as str instead of an int. Convert it into an int.

I am using array length to go through the loop and there are no strings involved accept the actual bookmark names of course.
it works for 1st and 2nd level bookmars but does not for 3rd so it is not the str issue.

---

i checked the index with the folowing staitment

if isinstance(pdf_bookmarks[count1][count2], str):
print("string")
it is all good