> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.elementum.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Text File Reader

> Extract raw text from images, text documents, and PDFs using OCR technology

The Text File Reader uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to extract raw text content from images, text-based documents, and PDFs. This reader is ideal for simple text extraction when you need to convert visual content into editable text for use in [automation workflows](/workflows/automation-system).

## Key Features

* **OCR Technology** — Extracts text from images and scanned documents.
* **Raw Text Extraction** — Plain text content without structure analysis.
* **Automation Ready** — Integrates with [automation workflows](/workflows/automation-system) for document processing.

## Supported File Types

The Text File Reader can process:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Document Formats">
    * **PDF** - Text-based and scanned PDFs
    * **DOC/DOCX** - Microsoft Word documents
    * **TXT** - Plain text files
    * **RTF** - Rich text format documents
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Image Formats">
    * **JPG/JPEG** - Compressed image files
    * **PNG** - Portable network graphics
    * **TIFF** - Tagged image file format
    * **BMP** - Bitmap image files
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Scanned Documents">
    * Business letters and memos
    * Contracts and agreements
    * Forms and applications
    * Reports and documentation
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Create a Text File Reader

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate to File Readers">
    In your application, go to **File Readers** section
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create New Reader">
    Click **+ File Reader** and select **Text** from the document type options
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure Basic Settings">
    **Name**: Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "Contract Text Extraction")

    **Description**: Optional description for team reference
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set Up Text Fields">
    Configure the text fields you want to extract:

    **Field Name**: Descriptive name for the extracted text
    **Field Type**: Select "Text" for raw text extraction
    **Required**: Mark if this field must contain content
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test with Sample Document">
    Upload a sample document to validate text extraction accuracy
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Configuration Options

### Field Configuration

The Text File Reader extracts content into configurable text fields:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Single Text Field">
    **Use Case**: Extract all text into one field

    **Configuration**:

    * **Field Name**: "extracted\_text"
    * **Field Type**: Text
    * **Description**: "Complete document text content"

    **Best for**: Simple text extraction, content analysis
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Multiple Text Fields">
    **Use Case**: Extract specific sections or types of content

    **Configuration**:

    * **Field 1**: "document\_title" (Text)
    * **Field 2**: "main\_content" (Text)
    * **Field 3**: "footer\_text" (Text)

    **Best for**: Structured text extraction, section-specific processing
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### OCR Quality and Document Preparation

<Info>
  OCR accuracy depends on document quality. For best results, use high-resolution images and clear text formatting.
</Info>

**Factors affecting OCR accuracy**: Image resolution (higher is better), text clarity and contrast, font size and style, document orientation, and background interference. Use documents with clear, dark text on light backgrounds, proper orientation, and good contrast. Optimize image resolution (300 DPI is typically sufficient) and consider splitting very large documents.

## Using in Automations

### Integration with Automation Workflows

The Text File Reader integrates seamlessly with [automation workflows](/workflows/automation-system):

```
Email Received → Text File Reader → AI Classification → Create Record → Send Notification
```

### Common Automation Patterns

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Document Processing">
    **Trigger**: Email Received (with PDF attachment)
    **File Reader**: Extract text from PDF
    **Actions**:

    * AI Classification to categorize content
    * Create Record with extracted text
    * Send Email Notification to confirm processing
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Content Analysis">
    **Trigger**: Attachment Added
    **File Reader**: Extract text from image
    **Actions**:

    * AI Summarization to create brief summary
    * Post Comment with extracted content
    * Update Record Fields with text data
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Text Search and Indexing">
    **Trigger**: Record Created
    **File Reader**: Process uploaded document
    **Actions**:

    * Transform Data to clean text
    * Update Record Fields for searchability
    * Generate Report with text content
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### File Reader Action Configuration

When adding a File Reader action to your automation:

1. **Select File Reader Type**: Choose your configured Text File Reader
2. **Configure Input Source**:
   * File from Email Received trigger
   * Attachment from Record
   * Upload from user interaction
3. **Map Output Fields**: Use extracted text in subsequent actions
4. **Handle Errors**: Add IF conditions for missing or invalid content

## Best Practices

* **Field Validation** — Implement validation checks in automations for critical text extraction.
* **Error Handling** — Use IF conditions to handle cases where text extraction fails.
* **Performance Optimization** — Consider file size limits and processing time for large documents.

## Advanced Features

**Post-processing**: After extraction, use automation actions to clean text (Transform Data with AI), categorize content (AI Classification), or summarize (AI Summarization).

**Batch processing**: Use a **Repeat For Each** action to iterate over multiple uploaded files, run the Text File Reader on each, then process the extracted text with subsequent actions.

## File Reader Comparison

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="When to Use Text File Reader">
    **Choose Text File Reader when**:

    * You need simple text extraction without structure
    * Processing scanned documents or images
    * Working with various document formats
    * OCR accuracy is sufficient for your use case
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="When to Consider Alternatives">
    **Consider alternatives when**:

    * You need structured data extraction ([Purchase Orders Reader](/workflows/purchase-orders-file-reader))
    * Working with spreadsheets ([Table File Reader](/workflows/table-file-reader))
    * Requiring AI-powered analysis ([Elementum Intelligence Reader](/workflows/elementum-intelligence-file-reader))
    * Processing JSON data ([JSON File Reader](/workflows/json-file-reader))
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Error Handling and Troubleshooting

### Common Issues

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Poor Text Recognition">
    **Symptoms**: Inaccurate or garbled text extraction

    **Causes**: Low image resolution, poor document quality, or unusual fonts and formatting.

    **Solutions**: Improve source document quality (see OCR Quality and Document Preparation) or use [Elementum Intelligence File Reader](/workflows/elementum-intelligence-file-reader) for complex documents.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Missing Text Content">
    **Symptoms**: Text fields return empty values

    **Causes**:

    * Document contains only images/graphics
    * Text is embedded in unsupported format
    * OCR failed to detect text regions

    **Solutions**:

    * Verify document contains readable text
    * Use supported file formats
    * Test with different document samples
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Processing Timeouts">
    **Symptoms**: File Reader action fails with timeout error

    **Causes**:

    * Document is too large
    * High complexity image processing
    * System resource limitations

    **Solutions**:

    * Reduce document size or resolution
    * Split large documents into smaller sections
    * Process during off-peak hours
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Info>
  Always test your Text File Reader with representative sample documents before deploying in production automations.
</Info>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Automation System" icon="gear" href="/workflows/automation-system">
    Learn how to integrate Text File Readers with automation workflows
  </Card>

  <Card title="AI Services" icon="brain" href="/ai-agents/ai-services">
    Enhance text processing with AI classification and summarization
  </Card>

  <Card title="Purchase Orders Reader" icon="receipt" href="/workflows/purchase-orders-file-reader">
    Process structured business documents with specialized OCR
  </Card>

  <Card title="Elementum Intelligence Reader" icon="sparkles" href="/workflows/elementum-intelligence-file-reader">
    Upgrade to AI-powered document analysis for complex extraction
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

*The Text File Reader provides reliable OCR-based text extraction for a wide variety of document types. Use it for simple text extraction needs or as a foundation for more complex document processing workflows.*