Text Extraction (Too many / less spaces in text)

[TuningGuide]

Link to PDF file (or attach file here):
http://dipbt.bundestag.de/dip21/btp/18/18145.pdf

Configuration:

• Web browser and its version: Node 5.10.1
• Operating system and its version: Mac OSX Latest
• PDF.js version: Latest
• Is an extension: ?

Steps to reproduce the problem:

1. Execute following script:

 * Created by velten on 13.05.16.
 */
"use strict";

require('pdfjs-dist');
const fs = require('fs');
const o_o = require('yield-yield');

const pdfPath = '/Users/velten/Downloads/18145.pdf';
const pdfUrl = "http://dipbt.bundestag.de/dip21/btp/18/18145.pdf";

o_o(function* () {
    try {
        var data = new Uint8Array(yield fs.readFile(pdfPath, yield));
        let pdfDocument = yield PDFJS.getDocument(data);
        let page = yield pdfDocument.getPage(1);
        let content = yield page.getTextContent();

        let stop = false;

        var strings = content.items.map(function (item) {
            if(stop) {
                console.log(item.str);
                exit();
            }
            if(item.str.indexOf('Dr') != -1) stop = true;
            return item.str;
        });
    }
    catch (err) {
        ServerError(err);
    }
})();

What is the expected behavior? (add screenshot)
Output = "." or ". "

What went wrong? (add screenshot)
Output is " . "

[TuningGuide]

I saw that @speedplane and @yurydelendik did some work in this direction. Maybe they can tell me which functions are relevant?

[TuningGuide]

The error is also directly inspectable in firefox:

1. Open http://dipbt.bundestag.de/dip21/btp/18/18145.pdf in Firefox
2. Inspect the Page: display:none the canvasWrapper and disable '.textLayer > div { color: transparent }
3. Look at Dr . Angela Merkel

[TuningGuide]

Maybe I found a quick fix for this issue:
The elements "Dr" and " . " are overlapping.
So the x-position + width of "Dr" are greater then the x-position of " . ". So my code will include now:
if(item.str.startsWith(' ') && item.transform[4] < prev_item.transform[4]+prev_item.width) { return item.str.substring(1); }

[jasonparallel]

I'm seeing the same issue with extra spaces in words. Example pdf available at https://github.com/jasonparallel/pdf.js-issues/blob/master/webSnapshot.pdf

For example at the bottom of the first page several spaces are inserted into n148584.rar and a space is inserted into the word energy right before that.

This causes issues for copying text out of the pdf and for searching for text in the pdf.

[luomancs]

I'm seeing the same issue with extra spaces in words. Example pdf available at https://github.com/jasonparallel/pdf.js-issues/blob/master/webSnapshot.pdf

For example at the bottom of the first page several spaces are inserted into n148584.rar and a space is inserted into the word energy right before that.

This causes issues for copying text out of the pdf and for searching for text in the pdf.

Hi,

have you solve this problem, I have the same issue, my search query has one space in between each word, however, the pdf expect two spaces. do you have a solution ? thank you.

[timvandermeij]

Fixed by #13257 and possibly other patches.