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PDF4me

Comprehensive PDF and document processing: generate barcodes, convert files, extract data, manipulate images, and automate workflows with the PDF4ME API

Actions80

Overview

This node operation converts PDF documents into PowerPoint presentations (PPTX format). It supports multiple input methods for the source PDF, including binary data from a previous node, base64-encoded content, or a URL pointing to the PDF file. The conversion process can be customized with quality settings and OCR language options to improve text recognition in scanned or image-based PDFs.

Typical use cases include:

  • Automating the transformation of reports, brochures, or manuals originally in PDF format into editable PowerPoint slides.
  • Extracting presentation-ready content from scanned documents using OCR.
  • Integrating PDF-to-PowerPoint conversion into larger workflows for document processing or content repurposing.

For example, a user might upload a PDF report as binary data, select "Quality" mode for better layout fidelity, specify English OCR for scanned pages, and receive a PowerPoint file ready for editing and presentation.

Properties

Name Meaning
Input Data Type Method to provide the PDF file:
• Binary Data — Use PDF file from previous node
• Base64 String — Provide PDF content as base64 encoded string
• URL — Provide URL to PDF file
Input Binary Field Name of the binary property containing the PDF file (used when Input Data Type is Binary Data). Usually "data".
Base64 PDF Content Base64 encoded string of the PDF document content (used when Input Data Type is Base64 String).
PDF URL URL pointing to the PDF file to convert (used when Input Data Type is URL).
Output File Name Desired filename for the output PowerPoint document (e.g., "my-presentation.pptx"). Defaults to "converted_document.pptx".
Document Name Reference name for the source PDF file (e.g., "original-file.pdf").
Quality Type Conversion quality setting:
• Draft — Faster conversion, suitable for simple PDFs with clear text.
• Quality — Slower but more accurate, better for complex layouts.
OCR Language Language used for OCR text recognition in images or scanned PDFs. Options include Arabic, Chinese (Simplified/Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish.
Advanced Options Collection of optional advanced settings:
• Custom Profiles — JSON string to adjust custom API properties.
• Max Retries — Maximum polling attempts for async processing.
• Merge All Sheets — Combine multiple pages into one flow.
• Preserve Output Format — Whether to keep original formatting.
• Retry Delay (Seconds) — Base delay between polling attempts, increases exponentially.
Binary Data Output Name Custom name for the binary data field in the node's output. Defaults to "data".

Output

The node outputs a single item per input with the following structure:

  • json: Contains metadata about the conversion result (not detailed in the provided code).
  • binary: Contains the converted PowerPoint file data under the specified binary data output name (default "data"). This binary data represents the PPTX file generated from the PDF.

Thus, downstream nodes can access the PowerPoint file either by referencing the binary property or saving it to disk.

Dependencies

  • Requires an external PDF processing service accessible via API to perform the actual PDF to PowerPoint conversion.
  • Needs appropriate API credentials configured in n8n to authenticate requests to this service.
  • Network access to URLs if the PDF input is provided as a URL.
  • No other explicit dependencies are indicated in the provided code snippet.

Troubleshooting

  • Common Issues:

    • Providing an invalid or inaccessible PDF URL will cause failures in fetching the source file.
    • Incorrect base64 encoding or corrupted binary data may lead to conversion errors.
    • Selecting "Quality" mode on very large or complex PDFs may increase processing time significantly.
    • OCR language mismatch can reduce text recognition accuracy on scanned documents.
  • Error Messages:

    • Errors related to file retrieval (e.g., network errors) suggest checking URL validity and connectivity.
    • Conversion failures may indicate unsupported PDF features or corrupted input files.
    • Authentication errors imply missing or incorrect API credentials configuration.
  • Resolutions:

    • Verify input data correctness and accessibility.
    • Adjust quality and retry settings in advanced options for complex documents.
    • Ensure proper API key setup in n8n credentials.
    • Use supported OCR languages matching the document's language.

Links and References

  • PDF4me API Documentation — For details on custom profiles and advanced API options.
  • General information on PDF to PowerPoint conversion tools and OCR technologies can help optimize usage scenarios.

Discussion