pLp: PDF Literature Processor

A VS Code extension that automatically processes PDF literature files into organized research notes.

Features

• PDF Processing: Extract bibliographic information from PDF files
• Automatic Citation: Generate BibTeX citations using DOI or OpenAI
• Custom Templates: Use your own Markdown templates
• File Organization: Rename PDFs with standardized naming convention
• Batch Processing: Process entire folders of PDFs

Installation

1. Download the .vsix file
2. Open VS Code
3. Go to Extensions → "..." → Install from VSIX
4. Select the downloaded file
5. install
   1. openai
   2. pypdf
   3. python-dotenv
   4. requests

Usage

Process Single PDF

• Right-click on a PDF file → "Process Single PDF"
• Or use Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P) → "PDF Processor: Process Single PDF"

Process Folder

• Right-click on a folder → "Process PDF Folder"
• Or use Command Palette → "PDF Processor: Process PDF Folder"

Configuration

Open VS Code settings and search for "PDF Processor":

• Output Path: Where to save processed files (default: ~/Downloads/PDF_Output)
• Template Path: Custom Markdown template file (optional)
• OpenAI API Key: For title extraction when DOI not found
• Bibtex Path: Custom BibTeX file name

Set Paths via Commands

• PDF Processor: Select Output Directory
• PDF Processor: Select Template File
• PDF Processor: Select Bibtex File

Template Variables

If using custom templates, include these variables:

• {{title}} - Paper title
• {{bibtex}} - Generated BibTeX citation
• {{date}} - Current date

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Required Python packages (auto-installed):
  • openai
  • pypdf
  • requests
  • python-dotenv

Output

For each PDF, generates:

• Renamed PDF file (e.g., smith2023machine.pdf)
• Markdown note file (e.g., smith2023machine.md)
• BibTeX entry in reference.bib

Troubleshooting

Permission Issues: Ensure output directory is writable. Change output path in settings if needed.

Missing Citations: Add OpenAI API key for better title extraction.

Python Errors: Check Python installation and internet connection.

License

MIT

Contributing

Report issues and feature requests on GitHub