> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.workflowgen.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.workflowgen.com/admin/workflow-applications/extracttext.md). # EXTRACTTEXT ## Overview The **EXTRACTTEXT** workflow application extracts text content from an input file (`.pdf`, `.docx`, `.txt`, `.xml`, `.htm`, `.html,` or `.md`) and returns the extracted text and its length. It supports optional parameters for maximum file size, trimming, and text normalization (Unix-style line breaks). ## Parameters ### Required parameters

Parameter	Type	Direction	Description
`FILE`	FILE	IN	The file from which to extract the text (must be `.pdf`, `.docx`, `.txt`, `.xml, .htm`, `.html`, or `.md`)
`TEXT`	TEXT	OUT	The extracted (and possibly normalized/trimmed) text
`LENGTH`	NUMERIC	OUT	The length (number of characters) of the extracted text

### Optional parameters

Parameter Type Direction Description

MAX_FILE_SIZE NUMERIC IN Maximum allowed file size in MB

TRIM_SIZE NUMERIC IN Maximum number of characters to keep from the extracted text

Parameter	Type	Direction	Description
`MAX_FILE_SIZE`	NUMERIC	IN	Maximum allowed file size in MB
`TRIM_SIZE`	NUMERIC	IN	Maximum number of characters to keep from the extracted text
`NORMALIZE`	TEXT	IN	Whether to normalize line endings Possible values: `Y` `N` `true` `false`

NORMALIZE

TEXT

Whether to normalize line endings
Possible values:

Y
N
true
false

## Supported file types Documents must be provided in one of the following formats. The system validates file format before processing extraction.

Format	Extension	Description
PDF	`.pdf`	Portable Document Format Text is extracted from all pages, including form fields.
Word	`.docx`	Microsoft Word documents (Office Open XML) Text is extracted from paragraphs, tables, headers, footers, and text boxes.
Plain text	`.txt`	Plain text files Content is returned as-is.
XML	`.xml`	XML documents All text content from XML nodes is extracted; element tags are stripped. Processing is secured against XXE (XML External Entity) attacks.
HTML	`.html`, `.htm`	HTML documents Readable text is extracted after removing `<script>`, `<style>`, and `<noscript>` elements. `<br>` tags are converted to line breaks. HTML entities (e.g., `&`, `<`, `©`) are decoded to their characters. Whitespace is normalized.
Markdown	`.md`	Markdown files Content is returned as-is, preserving all markdown syntax (headings, links, formatting, etc.). Markdown is human-readable and well-suited for semantic search without syntax stripping.

## Error messages

Error message	Cause
`ExtractText: File must be a PDF, DOCX, TXT, XML, HTM, HTML or MD.`	File extension is not one of the supported types
XML parsing error (e.g. `DtdProcessing is set to Prohibit`)	XML file contains a DTD declaration (blocked for security)
XML parsing error (e.g. `Data at the root level is invalid`)	XML file is malformed or not valid XML

--- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.workflowgen.com/admin/workflow-applications/extracttext.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.