Class TextExtractionOrder

Strategy for determining word order when extracting text from PDFs. Controls how text is read from complex layouts like columns, tables, or edited documents.

// Extract from multi-column newsletter:
string columns = pdf.ExtractAllText(TextExtractionOrder.LogicalOrder);
// Reads: Column 1 top to bottom, then Column 2 top to bottom

// Extract from heavily edited document:
string visual = pdf.ExtractAllText(TextExtractionOrder.VisualOrder);
// Reads: Left to right, top to bottom as displayed

// Choose based on document type:
var order = pdf.PageCount > 50
    ? TextExtractionOrder.LogicalOrder  // Books, reports
    : TextExtractionOrder.VisualOrder;  // Forms, invoices
string text = pdf.ExtractAllText(order);

See: https://ironpdf.com/how-to/extract-text/

Inheritance

System.Object

TextExtractionOrder

Namespace: IronPdf

Assembly: IronPdf.dll

Syntax

public sealed class TextExtractionOrder : Enum

The TextExtractionOrder enumeration in IronPDF picks the strategy used to determine word order when ExtractAllText or ExtractTextFromPage reads content from a PDF.

It belongs to the IronPdf namespace and exposes two values: LogicalOrder (follows the PDF's underlying text stream, best for reading-order extraction) and VisualOrder (sorts tokens by on-page coordinates, best for multi-column layouts).

See Extract Text & Images for both modes in use.

Fields

LogicalOrder

Text extracted in original drawing order, preserving document structure. Best for newspapers, books, or multi-column layouts.

// Use for complex layouts with columns:
pdf.ExtractAllText(TextExtractionOrder.LogicalOrder);

Declaration

public const TextExtractionOrder LogicalOrder

Field Value

Type	Description
TextExtractionOrder

Remarks

Maintains reading flow as author intended

value__

Declaration

public int value__

Field Value

Type	Description
System.Int32

VisualOrder

Text extracted as it appears visually: left-to-right, top-to-bottom. Best for forms, invoices, or documents edited after creation.

// Use for simple layouts or edited PDFs:
pdf.ExtractAllText(TextExtractionOrder.VisualOrder);

Declaration

public const TextExtractionOrder VisualOrder

Field Value

Type	Description
TextExtractionOrder

Remarks

Ignores original drawing order, focuses on visual position