I'm writing a serial protocol to interface with this infernal Japanese device whose manual won't let me copy. For example:



There are pages and pages of these messages that I need to program, and the damn manual won't let me copy out of it to paste into my program. It's really slowing my productivity and introducing opportunity for data entry errors. Why on earth would they protect the document this way? It's a manual, available for download by the public on their website.

Is there any way to get around this?

 

And before you ask, yes it's text, not image format. I have the copy option but it doesn't work. CTRL+C doesn't work.

 

If I recall Microchip copy protects some of their datasheets too. It is really annoying.


Have you tried printing the PDF to PDF with one of the PDF printers? I have never tried that so don't know if it works.

You also might trying printing to paper then scanning back in with OCR.

 

If I recall Microchip copy protects some of their datasheets too. It is really annoying.


Have you tried printing the PDF to PDF with one of the PDF printers? I have never tried that so don't know if it works.

You also might trying printing to paper then scanning back in with OCR.

Yeah I tried that, no dice.
I just downloaded this OCR program which can read directly from PDF.



It does what I need but still not 100% awesome. I have to navigate one page at a time by clicking "next page" through hundreds of pages. Does what I want though, on the most basic of levels. If there's a better solution I'm open to suggestion

 

What PDF viewer are you using?

Does it say anything to the effect that the document is secured?

 

Do you have Acrobat? Not just reader, but full blown Acrobat? It might allow more flexibility. If you can share the file (or part of it), I’d be glad to take a look. I’ve used a number of tricks through the years.

 

What PDF viewer are you using?

Does it say anything to the effect that the document is secured?

Acrobat Reader DC - secured

 

Do you have Acrobat? Not just reader, but full blown Acrobat? It might allow more flexibility. If you can share the file (or part of it), I’d be glad to take a look. I’ve used a number of tricks through the years.

Thank you, PM sent

 

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Try printing to XPS and then to PDF.

Chrome may also read PDF and allow printing to PDF.

There are a bunch of free online PDF unlock sites. Most limit the number of pages unlocked for free.

 

Chrome may also read PDF and allow printing to PDF.

This worked. How stupid simple! I don't know why I didn't think of that - probably because it's so simple that "it would never work."

Thank you!