How to use Google Docs to extract text from images programmatically?

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1

Hey everyone! I’m working on a script that needs to extract text from images using Google Docs. You know how Google Docs can do OCR when you open an image file? That’s what I’m trying to do, but programmatically.

I’ve tried using this code:

let imageUrl = myFile.getUrl();
try {
  let document = DocumentApp.openByUrl(imageUrl);
} catch (error) {
  console.log('Oops! Something went wrong: ' + error.message);
}

But it’s not working. I just get an error without any details. Does anyone know how to make this work? Or is there another way to perform OCR on images using Google Apps Script?

I’d really appreciate any help or ideas. Thanks!

2

I’ve actually been down this road before, and I can tell you it’s a bit of a tricky one. Google Docs’ OCR capabilities are great, but they’re not easily accessible through Apps Script.

One approach that worked for me was using the Google Cloud Vision API. It’s more powerful and flexible than trying to hack something together with Docs. You’ll need to set up a project in Google Cloud, enable the Vision API, and get your credentials sorted. It might seem like overkill at first, but trust me, it’s worth it for the accuracy and control you get.

The Vision API lets you send image files directly and get back structured text data. You can even specify regions of interest if you only need text from certain parts of the image. It’s been a game-changer for my projects that involve text extraction from images.

Just remember to keep an eye on your usage if you’re processing a lot of images - the API isn’t free after a certain point. But for most use cases, it’s an excellent solution.

3

hey mate, you might wanna use the google cloud vision api instead. it does ocr with better results. you do need setu credentials but works way smoother from my experience. give it a whirl!

4

I’ve encountered a similar issue before. Unfortunately, Google Docs doesn’t provide a direct API for OCR functionality in Google Apps Script. However, there’s a workaround using Google Drive API.

First, upload your image to Google Drive. Then, use the Drive API to create a Google Doc from that image. The OCR process happens automatically during this conversion. Finally, you can extract the text from the newly created Doc.

Here’s a rough outline of the steps:

  1. Upload image to Drive
  2. Use Drive API to create a Doc from the image
  3. Wait for the conversion to complete
  4. Use Docs API to extract text from the new Doc

This method requires additional setup with the Drive and Docs APIs, but it’s currently the most reliable way to programmatically extract text from images using Google services. Hope this helps point you in the right direction!