OCR_Implementation_Plan.md

OCR Implementation Plan for JabRef

This document outlines the implementation plan for adding OCR (Optical Character Recognition) support to JabRef, focusing on improved handling of ancient documents and scanned PDFs. This plan demonstrates my understanding of JabRef's architecture and how OCR functionality can be integrated in a clean, modular way.

1. OCR Service Interface Prototype

Architecture Overview

Following JabRef's hexagonal architecture, I'll create a clean separation of concerns with:

• Domain core: Define OCR operations and models
• Ports: Interfaces that define boundaries between components
• Adapters: Implementations that connect to specific OCR engines

Key Components

org.jabref.logic.ocr/
  ├── OcrService.java             # Core interface (port) defining OCR operations
  ├── models/
  │   ├── OcrResult.java          # Domain model for OCR results
  │   ├── OcrLanguage.java        # Domain model for OCR language options
  │   └── OcrEngineConfig.java    # Domain model for engine configuration
  ├── exception/
  │   └── OcrProcessException.java # Domain-specific exceptions
  ├── engines/                    # Package for engine adapters
  │   ├── OcrEngineAdapter.java   # Base adapter interface
  │   └── TesseractAdapter.java   # Adapter for Tesseract (placeholder)
  └── OcrManager.java             # Facade coordinating OCR operations

Implementation Approach

I'll follow these principles to match JabRef's architecture:

1. Interface-first design: Define clear interfaces before implementation
2. Adapter pattern: Wrap OCR engines in adapters that implement common interface
3. Dependency inversion: Core logic depends on abstractions, not concrete implementations
4. Domain-driven design: Create proper domain models for OCR concepts

Integration Points

The OCR service will integrate with JabRef through:

• Entry processing: Attach to entry import workflow
• PDF handling: Integrate with PDF utilities
• Search system: Connect to Lucene indexer

2. PDF Text Layer Proof-of-Concept

Architecture Overview

This component will demonstrate how to add OCR-extracted text as a searchable layer to PDFs, following JabRef's existing patterns for PDF manipulation.

Key Components

org.jabref.logic.ocr.pdf/
  ├── TextLayerAdder.java         # Utility to add text layers to PDFs
  ├── OcrPdfProcessor.java        # Processor for PDF OCR operations
  └── SearchableTextLayer.java    # Model for searchable text layers

Implementation Approach

The proof-of-concept will:

1. Use PDFBox in a similar way to existing JabRef PDF utilities
2. Follow the same patterns as XmpUtilWriter for metadata operations
3. Create a clean API for adding text layers to PDFs
4. Demonstrate how OCR text can be indexed by Lucene

Integration Points

• Connect with IndexManager for search indexing
• Integrate with JabRef's PDF processing pipeline
• Utilize existing PDF utilities where appropriate

3. Preference Panel for OCR Configuration

Architecture Overview

I'll create a preference panel that follows JabRef's existing UI patterns and preference management system.

Key Components

org.jabref.gui.preferences.ocr/
  ├── OcrTab.java                 # UI component extending AbstractPreferenceTabView
  ├── OcrTabViewModel.java        # ViewModel for the OCR preferences
  └── OcrPreferences.java         # Preference model for OCR settings

Implementation Approach

The preference panel will:

1. Follow MVVM pattern like other JabRef preference tabs
2. Use JavaFX controls with property binding
3. Implement validation for preference values
4. Integrate with JabRef's preference persistence

Integration Points

• Register in PreferencesDialogViewModel
• Access through GuiPreferences
• Coordinate with OCR service implementation

API Design

The core OCR service interface will define these operations:

public interface OcrService {
    /**
     * Process a PDF file using OCR to extract text
     * @param pdfPath Path to the PDF file
     * @return OCR result containing extracted text and metadata
     */
    OcrResult processPdf(Path pdfPath) throws OcrProcessException;
    
    /**
     * Process an image file using OCR to extract text
     * @param imagePath Path to the image file
     * @return OCR result containing extracted text and metadata
     */
    OcrResult processImage(Path imagePath) throws OcrProcessException;
    
    /**
     * Add OCR-extracted text as a searchable layer to a PDF file
     * @param pdfPath Path to the source PDF file
     * @param outputPath Path to save the modified PDF
     * @param ocrResult OCR result containing extracted text to add
     */
    void addTextLayerToPdf(Path pdfPath, Path outputPath, OcrResult ocrResult) throws OcrProcessException;
    
    /**
     * Set the language for OCR processing
     * @param language OCR language to use
     */
    void setLanguage(OcrLanguage language) throws OcrProcessException;
    
    /**
     * Get the name of the OCR engine
     * @return Engine name
     */
    String getEngineName();
    
    /**
     * Check if the OCR engine is available
     * @return true if the engine is ready to use
     */
    boolean isAvailable();
}

The adapter base class will provide common functionality:

public abstract class OcrEngineAdapter implements OcrService {
    protected OcrLanguage currentLanguage;
    protected OcrEngineConfig config;

    // Common implementation details for OCR engines
    // Engine-specific subclasses will override key methods
}

Implementation Strategy

I'll implement this project in phases:

1. Phase 1: Core interfaces and models
2. Phase 2: Basic adapter implementation (placeholder)
3. Phase 3: PDF text layer utility (demonstration)
4. Phase 4: Preference panel integration

This phased approach allows for early feedback and iterative improvement.

Coding Standards and Testing

I'll follow JabRef's existing patterns for:

• Code style and organization
• JavaDoc documentation
• Unit testing with JUnit 5
• Separation of concerns

Next Steps

1. Implement core interfaces and models
2. Create basic adapter implementations
3. Develop PDF text layer proof-of-concept
4. Design and integrate preference panel
5. Document and submit PR for review