http://www.perlmonks.org?node_id=930805


in reply to Example Of Using CAM::PDF Like HTML::TokeParser

Can you use XPath expressions to zero-in more directly on the particular nodes you're looking for? "Writing programmed logic" to navigate an XML or HTML tree is akin to writing a recursive-descent compiler by hand instead of using YACC.

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Re^2: Example Of Using CAM::PDF Like HTML::TokeParser
by Limbic~Region (Chancellor) on Oct 11, 2011 at 13:17 UTC
    Anonymous Monk,
    If you are referring to the non-existant PDF parser that this thread is about, then no. The internal structure of a PDF wouldn't lend itself to XPath diving.

    If you are referring to the way I go about creating an parser using HTML::TokeParser then the answer is "it depends". Node traversal is usually the last tool in the box I reach for. I am not even opposed to using regular expressions (*gasp*) if each page is consistent enough. It all depends on how consistent one page is to the next.

    Cheers - L~R