FrankenCampus Canteen Menu PDF Parser aka Mahlzeit!
Project Description
Make a PDF parser command line tool that brings the Nuremberg Canteen's Menu to a usable format (Plain text, JSON) that can be used in WebApps, Smart Displays or a Slack/IRC Bots.
Goal for Hackweek 22
Get at least a list of meals for each day.
Status
It works for more than ten months (39 menus) now.
Check out the JSON file and the Web View
Goal for Hackweek 23
Make it a Progressive Web App! Can be installed on desktops using Chrome and mobile devices using Android and iOS. Also works if offline!
Status
Done! See code in https://github.com/cwh42/mahlzeit/tree/main/web
Unfortunately syncing homes on users.suse.com is broken for a month, now. So it cannot be deployed. :(
Goal for Hackweek 24+
Maybe: Create a Slack Preview
Resources
Used Tools and Libraries
- ripMIME
- Ruby: pdf-reader
Looking for hackers with the skills:
This project is part of:
Hack Week 22 Hack Week 23
Activity
Comments
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over 2 years ago by digitaltomm | Reply
Related: https://hackweek.opensuse.org/22/projects/bring-to-life-the-studio-kiosk-in-frankenstrasse
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over 2 years ago by dirkmueller | Reply
is there a public version of the RSS feed? then that could be integrated into slack
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over 2 years ago by enavarro_suse | Reply
It seems so. From the README.md [1] file of the GitHub project:
Find cli tools in ./utils, if you prefer subscribing to a RSS feed choose the Internal or the External one.
[1] https://github.com/cwh42/mahlzeit#usage
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about 1 month ago by ericmenk33 | Reply
That’s a creative and practical Hack Week project! For anyone building tools like this PDF parser, automation can take it further Digital Business Transformation helps developers and teams streamline similar workflows using AI and low-code platforms like Zapier and n8n, making integrations with Slack bots or web apps more scalable and efficient. Their automation-first approach is ideal for turning prototypes into powerful, real-time systems.
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29 days ago by mnb56 | Reply
Brilliant work turning a messy PDF feed into usable JSON and a PWA — that’s exactly the kind of pragmatic tooling that makes small data sources truly useful. Offline installability + a clean web view opens up lots of real-world use cases (smart displays in cafeterias, Slack/Teams integrations, or kiosks). A couple of ideas that might add immediate value: 1) add a lightweight OCR fallback for any poorly formatted PDFs, 2) expose a small REST endpoint so other apps can poll the menu, and 3) ship a simple Slack preview webhook for quick sharing.
These same techniques scale well beyond canteens — for example, retail businesses use PWAs and parsed catalogs to give customers fast, reliable access to product lists even on flaky networks. See how an installable online jewellery showroom benefits from similar patterns: offline-first viewing, quick product lookups, and simple embeds for chat or POS systems. Great job — excited to see a Slack preview land for Hackweek 24!
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24 days ago by SoulFrameARVROS | Reply
This FrankenCampus Canteen Menu PDF Parser is a brilliant example of turning structured data into practical, usable formats for multiple platforms. It’s impressive to see how tools like PDF parsers, JSON, and PWAs can simplify daily tasks and enhance accessibility. Similarly, businesses can leverage an AI automation marketplace to streamline repetitive processes, automate workflows, and make information instantly actionable across web apps and smart systems.
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