What is the easiest way to get the invoice number from a native PDF file?

The most effective method for extracting the invoice number from a native PDF file involves opening the PDF with Acrobat and scraping only the relevant information. This approach allows for precise targeting of specific text, such as the invoice number, without the need to convert the file into another format or rely on external tools.

Using Adobe Acrobat provides built-in capabilities for text recognition and extraction, which can directly access and manipulate the content of the PDF. This ensures the invoice number can be obtained efficiently and accurately, preserving the formatting and integrity of the original document.

Other methods, such as converting the PDF to a Word document or manually typing the invoice number, introduce additional steps, potential errors, and inefficiencies. Manually typing the invoice number is time-consuming and prone to human error, while conversion may lead to formatting issues that complicate the process. Using a barcode scanner is also limited in applicability, as it would only work if the invoice contained a scannable barcode. Thus, using Acrobat to scrape the necessary information stands out as the simplest and most reliable approach in this context.