PDF comparison tool

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1

Hi All,

I am looking for a tool that will not only compare the text in a PDF but also the GUI of the PDF… Usually it would compare the previous version to the current version. Is there any existing framework ? I need this to run continuously in the pipeline and report the failures on some CI tool like bamboo or Jenkins and report any failures using pro differences in the screenshot. Is there any?

Thanks in advance.
Rajee

2

Hello @rajee!

I have used Spire to inspect PDFs. As a matter of risk, I favor inspecting the text directly rather than scraping it from the PDF. If you have requirements to inspect the appearance of the PDF, I recommend a manual inspection.

Joe

3

HI @devtotest Joe, Thanks for your reply. I found i-net PDFC a good comparison tool https://www.inetsoftware.de/download?dl=products%3Apdf-content-comparer . But still I would like to automate the whole process of pdf comparison for regression

4

Hello @rajee!

That looks like a useful tool. My needs were different from making a comparison of two documents so I was using Spire.

I noted your intent to automate the whole process. I leave it to you to demonstrate that automating the whole process adds value and benefit. Typically, the planned work of automation is evaluated to verify that the benefits will justify the cost of implementation.

I encourage you review the high priority/high risk information objectives of the test and deliver those first. After that, you may receive feedback that helps determine lower priority/lower risk information objectives and their automation value.

Joe

5

Hey Rajee,
If you are comfortable using c# I wrote something which is quite similar which allows you to compare PDF’s. You can give it a specific page or ask it to compare a whole PDF against another - it may be worth a look depending on what you need. https://github.com/vivrichards600/automatedvisualtesting/

6

Not necesarily automated although perhaps could be with some investment of time. But this is a good tool https://applitools.com/tutorials/pdf-forms.html

7

If you’re looking to do a visual inspection still, at Draftable we’ve been working on an API that you might find helpful.

We have a default free trial API but if you need to extend the trial or increase the limits just ping me and I can do that for you. Right now what we’re looking for is feedback from people who are comparing PDFs to help know which features to build next.

If you want to do a quick test of the tool, we have an online version up at Draftbale.com/compare so you can see the standard outpoint

Anyway, hope that helps.

8

You can try applitools - 3 Steps to Visual Testing for PDF Files [with Code] - Automated Visual Testing | Applitools

I have never used applitools, but I know that they do visual UI testing for web pages and pdfs also. They are a reputable company and some of their employees are well known people from the testing community.