---
name: doc-parser-65edcfbb8b3f
description: Parse complex documents with IBM's docling - handles tables, figures, and multi-column layouts
author: claude-office-skills
version: "1.0"
tags: [document-parsing, docling, ibm, tables, layout]
models: [claude-sonnet-4, claude-opus-4]
tools: [computer, code_execution, file_operations]
library:
  name: docling
  url: https://github.com/DS4SD/docling
  stars: 51.5k
---

# Document Parser Skill

## Overview

This skill enables advanced document parsing using **docling** - IBM's state-of-the-art document understanding library. Parse complex PDFs, Word documents, and images while preserving structure, extracting tables, figures, and handling multi-column layouts.

## How to Use

1. Provide the document to parse
2. Specify what you want to extract (text, tables, figures, etc.)
3. I'll parse it and return structured data

**Example prompts:**
- "Parse this PDF and extract all tables"
- "Convert this academic paper to structured markdown"
- "Extract figures and captions from this document"
- "Parse this report preserving the document structure"

## Domain Knowledge

### docling Fundamentals

```python
from docling.document_converter import DocumentConverter

# Initialize converter
converter = DocumentConverter()

# Convert document
result = converter.convert("document.pdf")

# Access parsed content
doc = result.document
print(doc.export_to_markdown())
```

### Supported Formats

| Format | Extension | Notes |
|--------|-----------|-------|
| PDF | .pdf | Native and scanned |
| Word | .docx | Full structure preserved |
| PowerPoint | .pptx | Slides as sections |
| Images | .png, .jpg | OCR + layout analysis |
| HTML | .html | Structure preserved |

### Basic Usage

```python
from docling.document_converter import DocumentConverter

# Create converter
converter = DocumentConverter()

# Convert single document
result = converter.convert("report.pdf")

# Access document
doc = result.document

# Export options
markdown = doc.export_to_markdown()
text = doc.export_to_text()
json_doc = doc.export_to_dict()
```

### Advanced Configuration

```python
from docling.document_converter import DocumentConverter
from docling.datamodel.base_models import InputFormat
from docling.datamodel.pipeline_options import PdfPipelineOptions

# Configure pipeline
pipeline_options = PdfPipelineOptions()
pipeline_options.do_ocr = True
pipeline_options.do_table_structure = True
pipeline_options.table_structure_options.do_cell_matching = True

# Create converter with options
converter = DocumentConverter(
    allowed_formats=[InputFormat.PDF, InputFormat.DOCX],
    pdf_backend_options=pipeline_options
)

result = converter.convert("document.pdf")
```

### Document Structure

```python
# Document hierarchy
doc = result.document

# Access metadata
print(doc.name)
print(doc.origin)

# Iterate through content
for element in doc.iterate_items():
    print(f"Type: {element.type}")
    print(f"Text: {element.text}")
    
    if element.type == "table":
        print(f"Rows: {len(element.data.table_cells)}")
```

### Extracting Tables

```python
from docling.document_converter import DocumentConverter
import pandas as pd

def extract_tables(doc_path):
    """Extract all tables from document."""
    converter = DocumentConverter()
    result = converter.convert(doc_path)
    doc = result.document
    
    tables = []
    
    for element in doc.iterate_items():
        if element.type == "table":
            # Get table data
            table_data = element.export_to_dataframe()
            tables.append({
                'page': element.prov[0].page_no if element.prov else None,
                'dataframe': table_data
            })
    
    return tables

# Usage
tables = extract_tables("report.pdf")
for i, table in enumerate(tables):
    print(f"Table {i+1} on page {table['page']}:")
    print(table['dataframe'])
```

### Extracting Figures

```python
def extract_figures(doc_path, output_dir):
    """Extract figures with captions."""
    import os
    
    converter = DocumentConverter()
    result = converter.convert(doc_path)
    doc = result.document
    
    figures = []
    os.makedirs(output_dir, exist_ok=True)
    
    for element in doc.iterate_items():
        if element.type == "picture":
            figure_info = {
                'caption': element.caption if hasattr(element, 'caption') else None,
                'page': element.prov[0].page_no if element.prov else None,
            }
            
            # Save image if available
            if hasattr(element, 'image'):
                img_path = os.path.join(output_dir, f"figure_{len(figures)+1}.png")
                element.image.save(img_path)
                figure_info['path'] = img_path
            
            figures.append(figure_info)
    
    return figures
```

### Handling Multi-column Layouts

```python
from docling.document_converter import DocumentConverter

def parse_multicolumn(doc_path):
    """Parse document with multi-column layout."""
    
    converter = DocumentConverter()
    result = converter.convert(doc_path)
    doc = result.document
    
    # docling automatically handles column detection
    # Text is returned in reading order
    
    structured_content = []
    
    for element in doc.iterate_items():
        content_item = {
            'type': element.type,
            'text': element.text if hasattr(element, 'text') else None,
            'level': element.level if hasattr(element, 'level') else None,
        }
        
        # Add bounding box if available
        if element.prov:
            content_item['bbox'] = element.prov[0].bbox
            content_item['page'] = element.prov[0].page_no
        
        structured_content.append(content_item)
    
    return structured_content
```

### Export Formats

```python
from docling.document_converter import DocumentConverter

converter = DocumentConverter()
result = converter.convert("document.pdf")
doc = result.document

# Markdown export
markdown = doc.export_to_markdown()
with open("output.md", "w") as f:
    f.write(markdown)

# Plain text
text = doc.export_to_text()

# JSON/dict format
json_doc = doc.export_to_dict()

# HTML format (if supported)
# html = doc.export_to_html()
```

### Batch Processing

```python
from docling.document_converter import DocumentConverter
from pathlib import Path
from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor

def batch_parse(input_dir, output_dir, max_workers=4):
    """Parse multiple documents in parallel."""
    
    input_path = Path(input_dir)
    output_path = Path(output_dir)
    output_path.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
    
    converter = DocumentConverter()
    
    def process_single(doc_path):
        try:
            result = converter.convert(str(doc_path))
            md = result.document.export_to_markdown()
            
            out_file = output_path / f"{doc_path.stem}.md"
            with open(out_file, 'w') as f:
                f.write(md)
            
            return {'file': str(doc_path), 'status': 'success'}
        except Exception as e:
            return {'file': str(doc_path), 'status': 'error', 'error': str(e)}
    
    docs = list(input_path.glob('*.pdf')) + list(input_path.glob('*.docx'))
    
    with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=max_workers) as executor:
        results = list(executor.map(process_single, docs))
    
    return results
```

## Best Practices

1. **Use Appropriate Pipeline**: Configure for your document type
2. **Handle Large Documents**: Process in chunks if needed
3. **Verify Table Extraction**: Complex tables may need review
4. **Check OCR Quality**: Enable OCR for scanned documents
5. **Cache Results**: Store parsed documents for reuse

## Common Patterns

### Academic Paper Parser
```python
def parse_academic_paper(pdf_path):
    """Parse academic paper structure."""
    
    converter = DocumentConverter()
    result = converter.convert(pdf_path)
    doc = result.document
    
    paper = {
        'title': None,
        'abstract': None,
        'sections': [],
        'references': [],
        'tables': [],
        'figures': []
    }
    
    current_section = None
    
    for element in doc.iterate_items():
        text = element.text if hasattr(element, 'text') else ''
        
        if element.type == 'title':
            paper['title'] = text
        
        elif element.type == 'heading':
            if 'abstract' in text.lower():
                current_section = 'abstract'
            elif 'reference' in text.lower():
                current_section = 'references'
            else:
                paper['sections'].append({
                    'title': text,
                    'content': ''
                })
                current_section = 'section'
        
        elif element.type == 'paragraph':
            if current_section == 'abstract':
                paper['abstract'] = text
            elif current_section == 'section' and paper['sections']:
                paper['sections'][-1]['content'] += text + '\n'
        
        elif element.type == 'table':
            paper['tables'].append({
                'caption': element.caption if hasattr(element, 'caption') else None,
                'data': element.export_to_dataframe() if hasattr(element, 'export_to_dataframe') else None
            })
    
    return paper
```

### Report to Structured Data
```python
def parse_business_report(doc_path):
    """Parse business report into structured format."""
    
    converter = DocumentConverter()
    result = converter.convert(doc_path)
    doc = result.document
    
    report = {
        'metadata': {
            'title': None,
            'date': None,
            'author': None
        },
        'executive_summary': None,
        'sections': [],
        'key_metrics': [],
        'recommendations': []
    }
    
    # Parse document structure
    for element in doc.iterate_items():
        # Implement parsing logic based on document structure
        pass
    
    return report
```

## Examples

### Example 1: Parse Financial Report
```python
from docling.document_converter import DocumentConverter

def parse_financial_report(pdf_path):
    """Extract structured data from financial report."""
    
    converter = DocumentConverter()
    result = converter.convert(pdf_path)
    doc = result.document
    
    financial_data = {
        'income_statement': None,
        'balance_sheet': None,
        'cash_flow': None,
        'notes': []
    }
    
    # Extract tables
    tables = []
    for element in doc.iterate_items():
        if element.type == 'table':
            table_df = element.export_to_dataframe()
            
            # Identify table type
            if 'revenue' in str(table_df).lower() or 'income' in str(table_df).lower():
                financial_data['income_statement'] = table_df
            elif 'asset' in str(table_df).lower() or 'liabilities' in str(table_df).lower():
                financial_data['balance_sheet'] = table_df
            elif 'cash' in str(table_df).lower():
                financial_data['cash_flow'] = table_df
            else:
                tables.append(table_df)
    
    # Extract markdown for notes
    financial_data['markdown'] = doc.export_to_markdown()
    
    return financial_data

report = parse_financial_report('annual_report.pdf')
print("Income Statement:")
print(report['income_statement'])
```

### Example 2: Technical Documentation Parser
```python
from docling.document_converter import DocumentConverter

def parse_technical_docs(doc_path):
    """Parse technical documentation."""
    
    converter = DocumentConverter()
    result = converter.convert(doc_path)
    doc = result.document
    
    documentation = {
        'title': None,
        'version': None,
        'sections': [],
        'code_blocks': [],
        'diagrams': []
    }
    
    current_section = None
    
    for element in doc.iterate_items():
        if element.type == 'title':
            documentation['title'] = element.text
        
        elif element.type == 'heading':
            current_section = {
                'title': element.text,
                'level': element.level if hasattr(element, 'level') else 1,
                'content': []
            }
            documentation['sections'].append(current_section)
        
        elif element.type == 'code':
            if current_section:
                current_section['content'].append({
                    'type': 'code',
                    'content': element.text
                })
            documentation['code_blocks'].append(element.text)
        
        elif element.type == 'picture':
            documentation['diagrams'].append({
                'page': element.prov[0].page_no if element.prov else None,
                'caption': element.caption if hasattr(element, 'caption') else None
            })
    
    return documentation

docs = parse_technical_docs('api_documentation.pdf')
print(f"Title: {docs['title']}")
print(f"Sections: {len(docs['sections'])}")
```

### Example 3: Contract Analysis
```python
from docling.document_converter import DocumentConverter

def analyze_contract(pdf_path):
    """Parse contract document for key clauses."""
    
    converter = DocumentConverter()
    result = converter.convert(pdf_path)
    doc = result.document
    
    contract = {
        'parties': [],
        'clauses': [],
        'dates': [],
        'amounts': [],
        'full_text': doc.export_to_text()
    }
    
    import re
    
    # Extract dates
    date_pattern = r'\b\d{1,2}[/-]\d{1,2}[/-]\d{2,4}\b|\b(?:Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|May|Jun|Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec)[a-z]* \d{1,2},? \d{4}\b'
    contract['dates'] = re.findall(date_pattern, contract['full_text'], re.IGNORECASE)
    
    # Extract monetary amounts
    amount_pattern = r'\$[\d,]+(?:\.\d{2})?|\b\d+(?:,\d{3})*(?:\.\d{2})?\s*(?:USD|dollars)\b'
    contract['amounts'] = re.findall(amount_pattern, contract['full_text'], re.IGNORECASE)
    
    # Parse sections as clauses
    for element in doc.iterate_items():
        if element.type == 'heading':
            contract['clauses'].append({
                'title': element.text,
                'content': ''
            })
        elif element.type == 'paragraph' and contract['clauses']:
            contract['clauses'][-1]['content'] += element.text + '\n'
    
    return contract

contract_data = analyze_contract('agreement.pdf')
print(f"Key dates: {contract_data['dates']}")
print(f"Amounts: {contract_data['amounts']}")
```

## Limitations

- Very large documents may require chunking
- Handwritten content needs OCR preprocessing
- Complex nested tables may need manual review
- Some PDF types (encrypted) not supported
- GPU recommended for best performance

## Installation

```bash
pip install docling

# For full functionality
pip install docling[all]

# For OCR support
pip install docling[ocr]
```

## Resources

- [docling GitHub](https://github.com/DS4SD/docling)
- [Documentation](https://ds4sd.github.io/docling/)
- [IBM Research Blog](https://research.ibm.com/)


---
Source attribution: kbarbel640-del
Original project: https://github.com/kbarbel640-del/skills/blob/e7e336ac628c3e3bd771aff1aaa469c93778f94a/skills/lijie420461340/doc-parser/SKILL.md
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 clawdbot

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Mega AI Hub resource metadata

Creator / publisher: kbarbel640-del
Original project: https://github.com/kbarbel640-del/skills/blob/e7e336ac628c3e3bd771aff1aaa469c93778f94a/skills/lijie420461340/doc-parser/SKILL.md
Attribution basis: Source repository record

Fields of work: Content & Media, Data & Analytics, Education & Research
Roles: Data Analyst, Researcher, Technical Writer
Specialties: API, Backend, Cross Platform
Tools: Docling
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: 0c6364b8b4ebd8177d6c5a9cc31b78147b78b023a8d2af8d28b3bd401634b214