Get PDF Metadata using n8n action

PDF4me Get PDF Metadata extracts comprehensive document information and technical properties from PDF files through n8n automation workflows. Process PDFs via n8n triggers, binary data, base64 strings, or public URLs to retrieve detailed metadata including document properties, page count, file size, creation date, author information, and technical specifications. This enterprise-grade solution is ideal for document management systems, compliance workflows, content analysis, audit trails, and automated document inspection that require accurate property analysis and reliable metadata extraction with seamless n8n integration.

Setup

Add the PDF4me "Get PDF Metadata" node to your n8n workflow and configure the required parameters. For initial setup instructions, see our n8n Integration Guide.

Prerequisites:

• PDF4me API credentials
• n8n workflow access

Get Your API Key

Configuration:

1. Add PDF4me node to workflow
2. Select "Get PDF Metadata" action
3. Configure input parameters (see below)

Parameters

Complete list of parameters for the Get PDF Metadata action. Configure these parameters to control PDF metadata extraction.

Important: Parameters marked with an asterisk (***) are required and must be provided for the action to function correctly.

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
Input Data Type***	String	PDF Input Format Selection • Choose the format of your PDF data input • PDF4me supports multiple input types • Options: Binary Data, Base64 String, or URL	Binary Data
Input Binary Field	Binary	Binary PDF File Input (Required if Binary Data) • Reference PDF file from previous n8n node or file upload • PDF4me processes binary PDF files with automatic format detection • Required when Input Data Type is "Binary Data"	{{ $binary.data }}
Base64 Document Content	String	Base64 Encoded PDF Input (Required if Base64 String) • Provide PDF data as base64 encoded string • PDF4me automatically decodes and processes the PDF content • Required when Input Data Type is "Base64 String"	UEsDBBQABgAI...
File URL	String	Public PDF URL Input (Required if URL) • Provide a public/open permission URL to the PDF file • PDF4me downloads and processes the file from the provided URL • Required when Input Data Type is "URL"	https://abc.com/sample.pdf
Output File Name***	String	Metadata Output Filename • Specify the name for the generated metadata file • Must include .json extension • PDF4me ensures unique naming and format validation	pdf_metadata.json
Binary Data Output Name***	String	Binary Data Mapping • Define the variable name for accessing generated metadata binary data • Used in subsequent workflow actions • Essential for workflow data flow	data
Async	Boolean	Asynchronous Processing • Enable asynchronous processing for large files • When enabled, operation runs in background and returns immediately • Recommended for large PDF files	true

Advanced Options

The following parameters are available in the Advanced Options section and are optional:

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
Custom Profiles	String	No	PDF4me custom configuration profiles - Set additional options for the PDF4me Get PDF Metadata operation using custom profiles. A custom profile is a string in JSON-like format containing predefined parameters for advanced metadata extraction settings. Supports options like outputDataFormat, preserveMetadata, optimizeForPrinting, compressionLevel, detectionSensitivity, preserveAnnotations, and colorSpaceOptimization

Output

Output Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
success	Boolean	PDF4me metadata extraction status indicator - Boolean flag indicating the success or failure of the metadata extraction process. PDF4me returns true for successful operations and false for any errors, enabling robust error handling in automated workflows	true
message	String	PDF4me metadata extraction status message - Human-readable status message providing details about the metadata extraction process result. Includes success confirmation or error details for troubleshooting	PDF metadata extracted successfully
fileName	String	PDF4me generated metadata filename - The complete filename of the successfully generated metadata file with proper .json extension. PDF4me ensures unique naming and validates file format compliance for seamless integration with downstream processes	pdf_metadata.json
mimeType	String	PDF4me output MIME type - MIME type of the generated metadata file, always "application/json" for JSON metadata files. Useful for content type validation and proper file handling in web applications	application/json
fileSize	Number	PDF4me metadata file size in bytes - The exact size of the generated metadata file in bytes, provided by PDF4me for storage planning, bandwidth optimization, and file transfer monitoring. Essential for enterprise document management and workflow automation	125430
docName	String	PDF4me document name reference - The name of the processed document for reference and tracking purposes. This matches the fileName for consistency in document management workflows	pdf_metadata.json
metadataExtracted	Boolean	PDF4me metadata extraction confirmation - Boolean flag confirming that metadata has been successfully extracted from the PDF document. Useful for verifying that metadata extraction was applied correctly	true
metadataFields	Number	PDF4me metadata fields count - The number of metadata fields that were successfully extracted from the PDF document. Useful for tracking extraction completeness and document analysis results	25

N8N Action Response

The PDF4me Get PDF Metadata API returns a response that can be viewed in multiple formats. Choose the view that best fits your needs:

JSON

JSON Response Format

The raw JSON response from the API:

[
  {
    "success": true,
    "message": "PDF metadata extracted successfully",
    "fileName": "pdf_metadata.json",
    "mimeType": "application/json",
    "fileSize": 125430,
    "docName": "pdf_metadata.json",
    "metadataExtracted": true,
    "metadataFields": 25
  }
]

Table

Table View

Response data in a structured table format:

Parameter	Value
success	true
message	PDF metadata extracted successfully
fileName	pdf_metadata.json
mimeType	application/json
fileSize	125430
docName	pdf_metadata.json
metadataExtracted	true
metadataFields	25

Schema

Schema View

The data structure and types of the response:

1 item
success: ☑ true
message: AB PDF metadata extracted successfully
fileName: AB pdf_metadata.json
mimeType: AB application/json
fileSize: # 125430
docName: AB pdf_metadata.json
metadataExtracted: ☑ true
metadataFields: # 25

Type Indicators:

• AB = String
• # = Number
• ☑ = Boolean

Binary

Binary Data View

The actual metadata file data and information:

data
─────────────────────────────
File Name: pdf_metadata.json
File Extension: json
Mime Type: application/json
File Size: 122.5 KB

Binary Data Access:

• n8n Binary Object: $binary.data.data
• Base64 Content: Available for direct use
• File Operations: Ready for download, email, or storage

Use Cases

Document Analysis and Inspection

• Extract document properties and technical information for compliance auditing
• Analyze PDF structure and content for quality assessment and validation
• Inspect document metadata for security analysis and content verification

Content Management and Organization

• Extract metadata for automated document categorization and tagging
• Analyze document properties for search optimization and indexing
• Process document information for content management system integration

Enterprise Document Intelligence

• Automate metadata extraction in document processing workflows
• Analyze document properties for business intelligence and reporting
• Extract technical details for document lifecycle management and archiving

Get Help

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