Extract Data from PDF in .NET MAUI

25 May 20268 minutes to read

The Syncfusion^® Smart Data Extractor is a .NET library used to extract structured data and document elements from PDFs and images in .NET MAUI applications.

Steps to Extract Data from PDF in .NET MAUI

• Visual Studio
• Visual Studio Code

Prerequisites:

• Visual Studio 2022.
• Install .NET 8 SDK or later.
• For more details about installation, refer here.

Step 1: Create a new C# .NET MAUI app. Select .NET MAUI App from the template and click the Next button.

Step 2: Enter the project name and click Create.

Step 3: Install the Syncfusion.SmartDataExtractor.NET NuGet package as a reference to your project from NuGet.org.

NOTE

If you reference Syncfusion^® assemblies from trial setup or from the NuGet feed, you also have to add “Syncfusion.Licensing” assembly reference and include a license key in your projects. Please refer to this link to know about registering a Syncfusion^® license key in your application to use our components.

Step 4: Add a new button to the MainPage.xaml as shown below.

C#

<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             x:Class="Extract_Data_MAUI.MainPage">

    <ScrollView>
        <VerticalStackLayout
            Padding="30,0"
            Spacing="25">

            <Label
                Text="Smart Data Extractor Demo"
                Style="{StaticResource Headline}"
                SemanticProperties.HeadingLevel="Level1" />

            <Button
                Text="Extract Data from PDF"
                SemanticProperties.Hint="Extract structured data from PDF"
                Clicked="OnExtractDataClicked"
                HorizontalOptions="Fill" /> 

        </VerticalStackLayout>
    </ScrollView>
</ContentPage>

Step 5: Include the following namespaces in the MainPage.xaml.cs file.

C#

using System.Text;
using Syncfusion.SmartDataExtractor;

Step 6: Add a new action method OnExtractDataClicked in MainPage.xaml.cs and include the following code snippet to Extract Data from PDF.

C#

// Load the input PDF from the app package (include it in the project as a MauiAsset)
using Stream inputStream = await FileSystem.OpenAppPackageFileAsync(Path.Combine("Data", "Input.pdf"));
// Initialize Smart Data Extractor
DataExtractor extractor = new DataExtractor();
// Extract data as JSON string
string data = extractor.ExtractDataAsJson(inputStream);
// Save the extracted JSON data into an output file inside the application directory
string outputPath = Path.Combine(Environment.CurrentDirectory, "Output", "Output.json");
Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.GetDirectoryName(outputPath));
File.WriteAllText(outputPath, data, Encoding.UTF8);
// Show success message
await DisplayAlert("Success", $"Extracted data saved to {outputPath}", "OK");

Step 7: Run the Application.

1. Select the target framework, device or emulator.
2. Press F5 to run the application.

By executing the program, you will get the JSON file as follows.

Click here to explore the rich set of Syncfusion^® Data Extraction library features.

Prerequisites:

• Install the latest .NET SDK and Visual Studio Code.
• Open Visual Studio Code and install the .NET MAUI for Visual Studio Code extension from the Extensions Marketplace.
• Follow the step-by-step setup guide:
  • Set up .NET MAUI with Visual Studio Code
  • Steps for each platform

Step 1: Create a new C# .NET MAUI app project.

• Open the command palette by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P and type .NET:New Project and enter.
• Choose the .NET MAUI App template.

• Select the project location, type the project name and press enter.
• Then choose Create project.

Step 2: To Extract Data from PDF Document in .NET MAUI app, install Syncfusion.SmartDataExtractor.NET to the MAUI project.

• Press Ctrl + ` (backtick) to open the integrated terminal in Visual Studio Code.
• Ensure you’re in the project root directory where your .csproj file is located.
• Run the command dotnet add package Syncfusion.SmartDataExtractor.NET to install the NuGet package.

dotnet add package Syncfusion.SmartDataExtractor.NET

Step 3: Add a new button to the MainPage.xaml as shown below.

C#

<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             x:Class="Extract_Data_MAUI.MainPage">

	<ScrollView>
		<VerticalStackLayout
            Padding="30,0"
            Spacing="25">

			<Label
                Text="Smart Data Extractor Demo"
                Style="{StaticResource Headline}"
                SemanticProperties.HeadingLevel="Level1" />

			<Button
                Text="Extract Data from PDF"
                SemanticProperties.Hint="Extract structured data from PDF"
                Clicked="OnExtractDataClicked"
                HorizontalOptions="Fill" /> 

		</VerticalStackLayout>
	</ScrollView>
</ContentPage>

Step 4: Include the following namespaces in the MainPage.xaml.cs file.

C#

using System.Text;
using Syncfusion.SmartDataExtractor;

Step 5: Add a new action method OnExtractDataClicked in MainPage.xaml.cs and include the following code snippet to Extract Data from PDF.

C#

// Load the input PDF from the app package (include it in the project as a MauiAsset)
using Stream inputStream = await FileSystem.OpenAppPackageFileAsync(Path.Combine("Data", "Input.pdf"));
// Initialize Smart Data Extractor
DataExtractor extractor = new DataExtractor();
// Extract data as JSON string
string data = extractor.ExtractDataAsJson(inputStream);
// Save the extracted JSON data into an output file inside the application directory
string outputPath = Path.Combine(Environment.CurrentDirectory, "Output", "Output.json");
Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.GetDirectoryName(outputPath));
File.WriteAllText(outputPath, data, Encoding.UTF8);
// Show success message
await DisplayAlert("Success", $"Extracted data saved to {outputPath}", "OK");

Step 6: Run the Application.

1. Select the target framework, device or emulator.
2. Press F5 to run the application.

By executing the program, you will get the JSON file as follows.