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Do you use a tool to organize your PDFs?

Started by mcbobbo, January 09, 2024, 02:27:46 PM

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mcbobbo

January 09, 2024, 02:27:46 PM
As a 5e refugee, I'm moving back in to games that are PDF-driven, and I find it frustrating that I lack a unified interface to (at least) search them.

Use case:  I have 46 PDF files for Savage Rifts in a (cloud-backed) folder on a Windows machine and want to know if Archie Three (originally in Sourcebook One) is discussed.

What are you doing to solve this type of problem for yourself?

I've looked at Paperless, dumping them out to text, and importing them to OneNote.

I have about 2300 PDF files in my RPG share (mostly thanks to Humble Bundle, I'm sure), so a solution here is probably a good use of time...
"It is the mark of an [intelligent] mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Krazz

#1
January 09, 2024, 03:46:25 PM
DriveThru has a combination reader/collection keeper that has a search function. I didn't like it much, but it may hit your use-case spot on.
"The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing;
Rush in and die, dogs—I was a man before I was a king."

REH - The Phoenix on the Sword

GeekyBugle

#2
January 09, 2024, 04:01:40 PM
Haven't used it myself (yet) but PrivateGPT has a built in way to read your PDFs if you put them in a folder and tell it to use it.

https://github.com/imartinez/privateGPT



So you can use it for exactly that.
Quote from: Rhedyn

Here is why this forum tends to be so stupid. Many people here think Joe Biden is "The Left", when he is actually Far Right and every US republican is just an idiot.

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."

― George Orwell

BadApple

#3
January 09, 2024, 04:06:38 PM
So I'm really old school but I keep the PDFs organized by simply sorting them into folders based system, then setting, the into the type of material it is.  It's good enough for me in that regard.

As far as using the PDFs, I use a native Linux Document Viewer and it does everything I want including limited editing.
>Blade Runner RPG
Terrible idea, overwhelming majority of ttrpg players can't pass Voight-Kampff test.
    - Anonymous

honeydipperdavid

#4
January 09, 2024, 04:13:47 PM
Quote from: mcbobbo on January 09, 2024, 02:27:46 PM
As a 5e refugee, I'm moving back in to games that are PDF-driven, and I find it frustrating that I lack a unified interface to (at least) search them.

Use case:  I have 46 PDF files for Savage Rifts in a (cloud-backed) folder on a Windows machine and want to know if Archie Three (originally in Sourcebook One) is discussed.

What are you doing to solve this type of problem for yourself?

I've looked at Paperless, dumping them out to text, and importing them to OneNote.

I have about 2300 PDF files in my RPG share (mostly thanks to Humble Bundle, I'm sure), so a solution here is probably a good use of time...

Search is your friend.

https://www.floridabar.org/tech-tips/how-to-search-multiple-pdf-files-using-acrobat-reader/#:~:text=Open%20Acrobat%20or%20Acrobat%20Reader,term%20in%20the%20input%20box.

mcbobbo

#5
January 09, 2024, 04:33:18 PM
Quote from: Krazz on January 09, 2024, 03:46:25 PM
DriveThru has a combination reader/collection keeper that has a search function. I didn't like it much, but it may hit your use-case spot on.

Can you bring in PDFs that aren't from them?
"It is the mark of an [intelligent] mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

mcbobbo

#6
January 09, 2024, 04:33:35 PM Last Edit: January 09, 2024, 04:47:15 PM by mcbobbo
Quote from: GeekyBugle on January 09, 2024, 04:01:40 PM
Haven't used it myself (yet) but PrivateGPT has a built in way to read your PDFs if you put them in a folder and tell it to use it.

https://github.com/imartinez/privateGPT

I'll give this a try...
"It is the mark of an [intelligent] mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

mcbobbo

#7
January 09, 2024, 04:35:29 PM
Quote from: honeydipperdavid on January 09, 2024, 04:13:47 PMSearch is your friend.

https://www.floridabar.org/tech-tips/how-to-search-multiple-pdf-files-using-acrobat-reader/#:~:text=Open%20Acrobat%20or%20Acrobat%20Reader,term%20in%20the%20input%20box.

I don't know if you followed that link or not, but "open them all up at once and CTRL+F" is not viable.  Did I mention there are 47 for Savage Rifts alone?  443 MBs.
"It is the mark of an [intelligent] mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Opaopajr

#8
January 09, 2024, 05:01:59 PM
Nothing that complex, I'm afraid. Though I used to use Apple OSX Automator to rename en masse my PDFs for adding system in the front of the name. That way I can quickly sort for dumping into folders (another Automator task, too).
Just make your fuckin\' guy and roll the dice, you pricks. Focus on what\'s interesting, not what gives you the biggest randomly generated virtual penis.  -- J Arcane
 
You know, people keep comparing non-TSR D&D to deck-building in Magic: the Gathering. But maybe it\'s more like Katamari Damacy. You keep sticking shit on your characters until they are big enough to be a star.
-- talysman

Krazz

#9
January 09, 2024, 05:12:10 PM
Quote from: mcbobbo on January 09, 2024, 04:33:18 PM
Quote from: Krazz on January 09, 2024, 03:46:25 PM
DriveThru has a combination reader/collection keeper that has a search function. I didn't like it much, but it may hit your use-case spot on.

Can you bring in PDFs that aren't from them?

I don't believe so.
"The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing;
Rush in and die, dogs—I was a man before I was a king."

REH - The Phoenix on the Sword

mcbobbo

#10
January 09, 2024, 06:52:46 PM
Quote from: GeekyBugle on January 09, 2024, 04:01:40 PM
Haven't used it myself (yet) but PrivateGPT has a built in way to read your PDFs if you put them in a folder and tell it to use it.

https://github.com/imartinez/privateGPT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFiof0V3nhA

So you can use it for exactly that.

IT'S ALIVE!!! IT'S ALIVE!!!!

Loaded two documents and tested.  Next I'm loading all the Rifts docs I have.

I may look at loading up only the player-facing information and plugging that into a Discord bot...  MUWAHAHAHAA...
"It is the mark of an [intelligent] mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Hzilong

#11
January 10, 2024, 03:08:25 PM
I organize mine manually. I was the tool all along!
Resident lurking Chinaman

mcbobbo

#12
January 10, 2024, 05:29:44 PM
I'm on day two and I've gotten much better results by limiting the content in the LLM's database.  I made truncated versions of the Savage PDFs for them to use, and have fed those into the GPT thingy.  Now I'm trying to hook that to Discord so they can query it with a '/rifts' command.

Needs to use curated data.

And it gets stuff wrong sometimes.

Not really the best tool for the purpose, but still very cool in a different way...
"It is the mark of an [intelligent] mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

mcbobbo

#13
January 11, 2024, 02:35:01 PM
Discord integration is done.  It's hackery, but as you can see from the attachment, there's some promise here...
"It is the mark of an [intelligent] mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Reckall

#14
January 12, 2024, 04:32:47 AM
Quote from: Hzilong on January 10, 2024, 03:08:25 PM
I organize mine manually. I was the tool all along!

Same here. And it is not a big chore. I never felt the need to use a tool.
For every idiot who denounces Ayn Rand as "intellectualism" there is an excellent DM who creates a "Bioshock" adventure.
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