Split PDF Guide

How to integrate the Split PDF tool into your application using iLovePDF’s REST API.

Remember that in order to use our Tool Guides, you need to have previous knowledge about the basics to processing a PDF with our REST API. We strongly recommend that you read the Processing a PDF guide before starting this one.

Basic split

There are several ways to split a PDF but the most simple one is by defining ranges of pages to split:

Basic split

// Create a new task
$myTaskSplit = $ilovepdf->newTask('split');
// Add files to task for upload
$file1 = $myTaskSplit->addFile('path/to/file1_name.pdf');
// Set your tool options
$myTaskSplit->setRanges('2-4,6-8')
// Execute the task
$myTaskSplit->execute();
// Download the package files
$myTaskSplit->download();

// Create a new task
var taskSplit = api.CreateTask<SplitTask>();
// Add files to task for upload
var file1 = task.AddFile("path/to/file/file1_name.pdf");
// Set your tool options and Execute the task
taskSplit.Process(new SplitParams(new SplitModeRanges("2-4,6-8"))
// Download the package files
taskSplit.DownloadFile();

# Create a new task
my_task_split = ilovepdf.new_task :split
# Add files to task for upload
file1 = my_task_split.add_file 'path/to/file1_name.pdf'
# Set your tool options
my_task_split.ranges = '2-4,6-8'
# Execute the task
my_task_split.execute
# Download the package files
my_task_split.download

const task = ilovepdf.newTask('merge') as SplitTask;

task.start()
.then(() => {
    return task.addFile('path/to/file1_name.pdf');
})
.then(() => {
    return task.process({ ranges: '2-4,6-8' });
})
.then(() => {
    return task.download();
})
.then((data) => {
    fs.writeFileSync('path/to/local/file_name.pdf', data);
});

The property ranges can define multiple page ranges to split your document. You’ll have as a result a packaged file to download with as many files as ranges you have set.

According to this code example, the final output will be of two zipped PDF files. One will contain the pages from 2 to 4 and the other will contain pages 6 to 8.

Note that if you set a range greater than the maximum number of pages in your document, you will get as many pages as can be split from this document. However, if your range starts with a page number greater than the number of pages in your document, you will receive an error and the process will fail.

Advanced split

We have seen how to split a document by page ranges, but there are more ways to split. See the following:

Split by fixed ranges

// Choose your processing tool
$myTaskSplit = $ilovepdf->newTask('split');
// Set your tool options
$myTaskSplit->setFixedRange(2);

// Choose your processing tool
var taskSplit = api.CreateTask<SplitTask>()
// Set your tool options
taskSplit.Process(new SplitParams(new SplitModeFixedRanges(2)));

# Choose your processing tool
my_task_split = ilovepdf.new_task :split
# Set your tool options
my_task_split.fixed_range = 2

const task = ilovepdf.newTask('merge') as SplitTask;

task.start()
.then(() => {
    return task.addFile('path/to/file1_name.pdf');
})
.then(() => {
    return task.process({ fixed_range: 2 });
})
.then(() => {
    return task.download();
})
.then((data) => {
    fs.writeFileSync('path/to/local/file_name.pdf', data);
});

fixed_range will split your PDF every n pages. If you set a bigger fixed range number than the number of pages in your document, you will receive an error.

Split by removing pages

// Choose your processing tool
$myTaskSplit = $ilovepdf->newTask('split');
// Set your tool options
$myTaskSplit->setRemovePages('2-4, 6-8');

// Choose your processing tool
var taskSplit = api.CreateTask<SplitTask>()
// Set your tool options
taskSplit.Process(new SplitParams(new SplitRemovePages("2-4,6-8"))

# Choose your processing tool
my_task_split = ilovepdf.new_task :split
# Set your tool options
my_task_split.remove_pages = '2-4, 6-8'

const task = ilovepdf.newTask('merge') as SplitTask;

task.start()
.then(() => {
    return task.addFile('path/to/file1_name.pdf');
})
.then(() => {
    return task.process({ remove_pages: '2-4, 6-8' });
})
.then(() => {
    return task.download();
})
.then((data) => {
    fs.writeFileSync('path/to/local/file_name.pdf', data);
});

remove_pages allows you to set ranges of pages to be removed from your document and the resulting file comes back as a single PDF without the specified pages.

If you set a range as big as the number of pages in your document, you will receive an error.

Merge after split

// Choose your processing tool
$myTaskSplit = $ilovepdf->newTask('split');
// Set your tool options
$myTaskSplit->setRanges('2-4,6-8');
$myTaskSplit->setMergeAfter(true);

// Choose your processing tool
var taskSplit = api.CreateTask<SplitTask>()
// Set your tool options
var time = taskSplit.Process(new SplitParams(new SplitModeRanges("2-4,6-8"))
{
    MergeAfter = true
});

# Choose your processing tool
my_task_split = ilovepdf.new_task :split
# Set your tool options
my_task_split.ranges = '2-4,6-8'
my_task_split.merge_after = true

const task = ilovepdf.newTask('merge') as SplitTask;

task.start()
.then(() => {
    return task.addFile('path/to/file1_name.pdf');
})
.then(() => {
    return task.process({ ranges: '2-4,6-8', merge_after: true });
})
.then(() => {
    return task.download();
})
.then((data) => {
    fs.writeFileSync('path/to/local/file_name.pdf', data);
});

When you split a document by setting specific ranges you can merge all these ranges together in a single file with merge_after. You will get as a result a single PDF file.