class PDF::Reader::ObjectHash

Provides low level access to the objects in a PDF file via a hash-like object.

A PDF file can be viewed as a large hash map. It is a series of objects stored at precise byte offsets, and a table that maps object IDs to byte offsets. Given an object ID, looking up an object is an O(1) operation.

Each PDF object can be mapped to a ruby object, so by passing an object ID to the [] method, a ruby representation of that object will be retrieved.

The class behaves much like a standard Ruby hash, including the use of the Enumerable mixin. The key difference is no []= method - the hash is read only.

Basic Usage

h = PDF::Reader::ObjectHash.new("somefile.pdf")
h[1]
=> 3469

h[PDF::Reader::Reference.new(1,0)]
=> 3469