Create a table of content with links for PDF

3 minute read

Did you ever think to create a table of content with links to a PDF ebook without a proprietary software? Here is a solution by adding a table of conetent in the form of hyperlink hierarchical bookmarks with PDFtk.

Installation of PDFtk

Windows

Downlad HERE, and execute a normal installation.

Linux

  • KDE Neon 5.19.4 (based on Ubuntu 20.04):
    PDFtk can be installed with its dependencies in Synaptic. Or, 
    sudo install pdftk
  • Fedora 32:
    PDFtk is not contained in any Fedora 32 offical repositories. Fortunately, PDFtk has been built in Fedora 30, and successfully tested in Fedora 32. We can download its rpm packages HERE. Then, install by the following command-line on your local PC. 
    sudo dnf install [downloaded rpm path]

Note: There are two packages to be downloaded. The package gcc6-libgcj-6.5.0-2.fc30.x86_64.rpm should be firstly installed since it is the dependency of the package pdftk-2.02-2.fc30.x86_64.rpm.

Creating table of content with PDFtk

This section consists of three subsections:

  1. Export meta data of PDF into a text file
  2. Add table of content by editing the text file
  3. Import the new meta data (saved in the text file) back to the PDF

1. Export meta data of PDF ebook

Using the following command-line to export the meta data of a PDF to a text file:

pdftk [pdf source] dump_data output [text file]

For example, we have an ebook named JavaCookBook.pdf, and we want to export its meta data to bookmark.txt in the same directory. Therefore, we change the current directory to where the PDF file JavaCookBook.pdf is saved. Then, we type:

pdftk ./JavaCookBook.pdf dump_data output ./bookmark.txt

Here, we find the meta data of the PDF saved in bookmark.txt

2. Insert bookmark in meta data of PDF ebook

Open bookmark.txt in your favorite editor, and you might have the similar content like this:

InfoBegin
InfoKey: ModDate
InfoValue: D:20140413195235+08'00'
InfoBegin
InfoKey: CreationDate
InfoValue: D:20140413112352+08'00'
InfoBegin
InfoKey: PXCViewerInfo
InfoValue: PDF-XChange Viewer;2.5.210.0;Feb 25 2013;15:35:42;D:20140413195235+08'00'
InfoBegin
InfoKey: Creator
InfoValue: pdfFactory Pro www.fineprint.cn
InfoBegin
InfoKey: Producer
InfoValue: pdfFactory Pro 3.22 (Windows XP Professional Chinese)
PdfID0: 9ddb8aba3cd22eb6222a807e8238fde8
PdfID1: 9ddb8aba3cd22eb6222a807e8238fde8
NumberOfPages: 987
PageMediaBegin
PageMediaNumber: 1
PageMediaRotation: 0
PageMediaRect: 0 0 595 842
PageMediaDimensions: 595 842
PageMediaBegin
PageMediaNumber: 2
PageMediaRotation: 0
PageMediaRect: 0 0 595 842
PageMediaDimensions: 595 842
PageMediaBegin
PageMediaNumber: 3
PageMediaRotation: 0
PageMediaRect: 0 0 595 842
PageMediaDimensions: 595 842

Add the four following tags after the tag NumberOfPages:

BookmarkBegin
BookmarkTitle:
BookmarkLevel:
BookmarkPageNumber:

The four tags are ALL necessary for each chapter. Repeatedly append these four tags for all the chapters, and fill the values of BookmarkTitle, BookmarkLevel and BookmarkPageNumber as per every chapter’s infomation. Here is what I have done with the three first chapters of Java Cookbook:

BookmarkBegin
BookmarkTitle: Chapter 1. Getting Started: Compiling, Running, and Debugging
BookmarkLevel: 1
BookmarkPageNumber: 22
BookmarkBegin
BookmarkTitle: Chapter 2. Interacting with the Environment
BookmarkLevel: 1
BookmarkPageNumber: 73
BookmarkBegin
BookmarkTitle: Chapter 3. Strings and Things
BookmarkLevel: 1
BookmarkPageNumber: 91

Once all the chapters have been done, we save the text file, and the text file is ready to be imported into the oringinal PDF file.

3. Import meta data to PDF Ebook

Use the following command-line to import meta data that has been saved and updated in the text file back to PDF file.

pdftk [source pdf] update_info [text file] output [destination pdf]

Here, we continue our example:

pdftk ./JavaCookBook.pdf update_info ./bookmark.txt output ./JavaCookBookToC.pdf

Voilà, We get an ebook with its clickable table of content saved in JavaCookBookToc.pdf!

Conclusion

PDFtk only has command-line version for Linux, which is a little bit hard to use comparing to GUI version. However, Linux users are not scared of command lines. For more usage, you could type pdftk --help.

Enjoy!

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