Text File Reader

Extract raw text from images, text documents, and PDFs using OCR technology

The Text File Reader uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to extract raw text content from images, text-based documents, and PDFs. This reader is ideal for simple text extraction when you need to convert visual content into editable text for use in automation workflows.

Key Features

• OCR Technology — Extracts text from images and scanned documents.
• Raw Text Extraction — Plain text content without structure analysis.
• Automation Ready — Integrates with automation workflows for document processing.

Supported File Types

The Text File Reader can process:

Document Formats

• PDF - Text-based and scanned PDFs
• DOC/DOCX - Microsoft Word documents
• TXT - Plain text files
• RTF - Rich text format documents

Image Formats

• JPG/JPEG - Compressed image files
• PNG - Portable network graphics
• TIFF - Tagged image file format
• BMP - Bitmap image files

Scanned Documents

• Business letters and memos
• Contracts and agreements
• Forms and applications
• Reports and documentation

Create a Text File Reader

1. Navigate to File Readers

   In your application, go to File Readers section

2. Create New Reader

   Click + File Reader and select Text from the document type options

3. Configure Basic Settings

   Name: Enter a descriptive name (e.g., “Contract Text Extraction”)

   Description: Optional description for team reference

4. Set Up Text Fields

   Configure the text fields you want to extract:

   Field Name: Descriptive name for the extracted text Field Type: Select “Text” for raw text extraction Required: Mark if this field must contain content

5. Test with Sample Document

   Upload a sample document to validate text extraction accuracy

Configuration Options

Field Configuration

The Text File Reader extracts content into configurable text fields:

Single Text Field

Use Case: Extract all text into one field

Configuration:

• Field Name: “extracted_text”
• Field Type: Text
• Description: “Complete document text content”

Best for: Simple text extraction, content analysis

Multiple Text Fields

Use Case: Extract specific sections or types of content

Configuration:

• Field 1: “document_title” (Text)
• Field 2: “main_content” (Text)
• Field 3: “footer_text” (Text)

Best for: Structured text extraction, section-specific processing

OCR Quality and Document Preparation

OCR accuracy depends on document quality. For best results, use high-resolution images and clear text formatting.

Factors affecting OCR accuracy: Image resolution (higher is better), text clarity and contrast, font size and style, document orientation, and background interference. Use documents with clear, dark text on light backgrounds, proper orientation, and good contrast. Optimize image resolution (300 DPI is typically sufficient) and consider splitting very large documents.

Using in Automations

Integration with Automation Workflows

The Text File Reader integrates seamlessly with automation workflows:

Email Received → Text File Reader → AI Classification → Create Record → Send Notification

Common Automation Patterns

Document Processing

Trigger: Email Received (with PDF attachment) File Reader: Extract text from PDF Actions:

• AI Classification to categorize content
• Create Record with extracted text
• Send Email Notification to confirm processing

Content Analysis

Trigger: Attachment Added File Reader: Extract text from image Actions:

• AI Summarization to create brief summary
• Post Comment with extracted content
• Update Record Fields with text data

Text Search and Indexing

Trigger: Record Created File Reader: Process uploaded document Actions:

• Transform Data to clean text
• Update Record Fields for searchability
• Generate Report with text content

File Reader Action Configuration

When adding a File Reader action to your automation:

1. Select File Reader Type: Choose your configured Text File Reader
2. Configure Input Source:
   • File from Email Received trigger
   • Attachment from Record
   • Upload from user interaction
3. Map Output Fields: Use extracted text in subsequent actions
4. Handle Errors: Add IF conditions for missing or invalid content

Best Practices

• Field Validation — Implement validation checks in automations for critical text extraction.
• Error Handling — Use IF conditions to handle cases where text extraction fails.
• Performance Optimization — Consider file size limits and processing time for large documents.

Advanced Features

Post-processing: After extraction, use automation actions to clean text (Transform Data with AI), categorize content (AI Classification), or summarize (AI Summarization).

Batch processing: Use a Repeat For Each action to iterate over multiple uploaded files, run the Text File Reader on each, then process the extracted text with subsequent actions.

File Reader Comparison

When to Use Text File Reader

Choose Text File Reader when:

• You need simple text extraction without structure
• Processing scanned documents or images
• Working with various document formats
• OCR accuracy is sufficient for your use case

When to Consider Alternatives

Consider alternatives when:

• You need structured data extraction (Purchase Orders Reader)
• Working with spreadsheets (Table File Reader)
• Requiring AI-powered analysis (Elementum Intelligence Reader)
• Processing JSON data (JSON File Reader)

Error Handling and Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Poor Text Recognition

Symptoms: Inaccurate or garbled text extraction

Causes: Low image resolution, poor document quality, or unusual fonts and formatting.

Solutions: Improve source document quality (see OCR Quality and Document Preparation) or use Elementum Intelligence File Reader for complex documents.

Missing Text Content

Symptoms: Text fields return empty values

Causes:

• Document contains only images/graphics
• Text is embedded in unsupported format
• OCR failed to detect text regions

Solutions:

• Verify document contains readable text
• Use supported file formats
• Test with different document samples

Processing Timeouts

Symptoms: File Reader action fails with timeout error

Causes:

• Document is too large
• High complexity image processing
• System resource limitations

Solutions:

• Reduce document size or resolution
• Split large documents into smaller sections
• Process during off-peak hours

Always test your Text File Reader with representative sample documents before deploying in production automations.

Next Steps

Automation System

Learn how to integrate Text File Readers with automation workflows

AI Services

Enhance text processing with AI classification and summarization

Purchase Orders Reader

Process structured business documents with specialized OCR

Elementum Intelligence Reader

Upgrade to AI-powered document analysis for complex extraction

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The Text File Reader provides reliable OCR-based text extraction for a wide variety of document types. Use it for simple text extraction needs or as a foundation for more complex document processing workflows.