Initial implementation for OCRmyPDF by ZiadAbdElFatah · Pull Request #15712 · JabRef/jabref

ZiadAbdElFatah · 2026-05-11T07:26:10Z

Related issues and pull requests

Initial implementation for #13267

PR Description

Initial implementation for OCR integration in JabRef, which uses OCRmyPDF as the only engine, and has a very simple implementation to just test the feature integration.

Steps to test

Select any entry in any library and link jablib/src/test/resources/pdfs/scanned-image-only.pdf file to it

2. Right click it and choose "Perform OCR and embed text to a new PDF file"

3. The new OCRed PDF is created in the same directory `jablib/src/test/resources/pdfs/scanned-image-only_ocr.pdf`

Differences between the old and new PDF:
Selecting text
Searching text

Checklist

I own the copyright of the code submitted and I license it under the MIT license
I manually tested my changes in running JabRef (always required)
[/] I added JUnit tests for changes (if applicable)
I added screenshots in the PR description (if change is visible to the user)
[/] I added a screenshot in the PR description showing a library with a single entry with me as author and as title the issue number
I described the change in CHANGELOG.md in a way that can be understood by the average user (if change is visible to the user)
I checked the user documentation for up to dateness and submitted a pull request to our user documentation repository

calixtus · 2026-05-11T07:38:23Z

I like the data oriented approach very much.

Please use '///' markdown javadoc

Siedlerchr · 2026-05-12T06:41:56Z

can you add some more info the PR, like how and where to install ocrmypdf so it works?

ZiadAbdElFatah · 2026-05-12T06:50:52Z

can you add some more info the PR, like how and where to install ocrmypdf so it works?

Yeah, for sure, all of this stuff will be added. This PR is only the start of the project, we just want to test the feature and make sure it's working.
If you want to try it, you can download OCRmyPDF from here, but I haven't implemented the GUI part yet, so there is no button for perform OCR yet.

subhramit

Great progress, Ziad!
Some comments from my side.

subhramit · 2026-05-13T16:28:58Z

+    public TaskExecutor getTaskExecutor() {
+        return taskExecutor;


Inject downstream from JabRefGUI via constructors. See AIService for example.

jabref/jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/JabRefGUI.java

Lines 231 to 236 in 355e201

JabRefGUI.aiService = new AiService(

preferences.getAiPreferences(),

preferences.getFilePreferences(),

preferences.getCitationKeyPatternPreferences(),

dialogService,

taskExecutor);

In the "View" you use; @Inject TaskExecutor taskExecutor, then when you create a view model, pass it in the constructor

Would it not be better to do it the OCRService way as an analogue?

You know, I was thinking, should we make an OCRService or not?

I have an idea to create an engine only when it’s needed. So the action will look (in the future) to the selected OCR engine and then different class will be created.

But IDK. The reason I propose this idea is to be more decentralized and also to not having a new injected dependency in many UI components. Because with AiService I had to put it in a lot of places, because some specific component C depends on B, and B depends on A. But then B and A are instantiated in many places, so in the end AiService was in a lot of constructors

Makes sense. In my mind, I was trying to see the symmetry between OCR and existing AI (the taskexecutor, dialogservice, prefs passed via constructors) but I think what you propose is better and more loosely coupled.

Looping @calixtus in as well as this might be a decision costly to change if we ever have to move towards a uniform model.

subhramit · 2026-05-13T16:43:23Z

    // We have to put Entry Editor Previous before, because otherwise the decrease font size is found first
    ENTRY_EDITOR_PREVIOUS_PANEL_2("Entry editor, previous panel 2", Localization.lang("Entry editor, previous panel 2"), "shortcut+MINUS", KeyBindingCategory.VIEW),
    DELETE_ENTRY("Delete entry", Localization.lang("Delete entry"), "DELETE", KeyBindingCategory.BIBTEX),
+    PERFORM_OCR("Perform OCR", Localization.lang("Perform OCR"), "", KeyBindingCategory.FILE),


I think this should have an appropriate shortcut. Pinging @Siedlerchr for suggestions.

github-actions · 2026-05-20T04:32:38Z

Your pull request conflicts with the target branch.

Please merge with your code. For a step-by-step guide to resolve merge conflicts, see https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests/collaborating-with-pull-requests/addressing-merge-conflicts/resolving-a-merge-conflict-using-the-command-line.

InAnYan

I think you only need to run openrewrite, fix changelog conflict and address subhramit's coments. Overall, I think the PR is ready to go!

ZiadAbdElFatah · 2026-05-21T19:27:17Z

Sorry I was out of home today and yesterday and didn't have my laptop.
Tomorrow morning I am going to resolve the merge conflicts and address the comments.
The openrewrite command produce errors.

subhramit

LGTM

@InAnYan

* Initial implementation for OCRmyPDF * Addressed the review comments * Used pre-existing StreamGobbler for BufferedReader * Reomved unused variables * Reformated the code to meet JabRef's code guidelines * Added GUI to perform OCR * Added localized messages * Addressed the review comments * Reverted unintended change * Addressed the review comments * Solved checkstyle failing check * Added linking the new OCRed file to the used entry * Addressed the review commits * Added localized string to JabRef_en.preperties * Added check for OCRMYPDF availability * Added a comment for readability * Reduced the time of checking the avaialabilty of OCRmyPDF * Added --skip-text to handle partial searchable pdfs * Update jabgui/src/main/java/org/jabref/gui/linkedfile/OcrLinkedFileAction.java Co-authored-by: Ruslan <ruslanpopov1512@gmail.com> * Apply suggestion from @InAnYan Co-authored-by: Ruslan <ruslanpopov1512@gmail.com> * Extracted the wait time in a single variable * Apply suggestion from @InAnYan * Added the PDF file type for the new OCRed file * Added some missing strings to JabRef_en.propeties * Fix comment formatting for LinkedFile constructor * Addressed some openrewrite comments * Added a changelog entry * Link OCRed file to entries * Improve OCRed file linking * Remove unintended file * Address review comments * Fix comment formatting in LinkedFile constructor * Fix comment formatting in LinkedFile constructor * Address review comment * fix(ocr): fix failure message --------- Co-authored-by: Ruslan <ruslanpopov1512@gmail.com>

* upstream/main: Add github-actions output format to jabkit check (#15789) Fixes of some nullaway warnings (#15792) Citations: Double click on entry should add and focus it (#15624) fix(ai): hide LLM varians if AI is disabled (#15812) Initial implementation for OCRmyPDF (#15712) fix(null): fix nullable warnings in CSLAdapter (#15803) Chore(deps): Bump com.autonomousapps:dependency-analysis-gradle-plugin (#15808) Chore(deps): Bump com.autonomousapps:dependency-analysis-gradle-plugin (#15809) New translations jabref_en.properties (Italian) (#15807) New Crowdin updates (#15796) Chore(deps): Bump com.autonomousapps:dependency-analysis-gradle-plugin (#15802) Chore(deps): Bump org.openrewrite.recipe:rewrite-recipe-bom (#15800) Chore(deps): Bump org.openrewrite.rewrite from 7.32.2 to 7.33.0 (#15801) Chore(deps): Bump com.autonomousapps:dependency-analysis-gradle-plugin (#15795) Chore(deps): Bump com.autonomousapps:dependency-analysis-gradle-plugin (#15794) Chore(deps): Bump jablib/src/main/resources/csl-styles (#15793) fix: remove tabs and unused AI exports (#15791)

Initial implementation for OCRmyPDF

d1bf4c4

github-actions Bot added the status: changes-required Pull requests that are not yet complete label May 11, 2026