python3 script to merge pdf files with option to skip first or last page, based on https://stackoverflow.com/a/3444735

pdf-merge.py

from argparse import ArgumentParser
from glob import glob
from PyPDF2 import PdfFileReader, PdfFileWriter



def PDF_cat(files, output_filename, skipfirstpage, skiplastpage):
    # First open all the files, then produce the output file, and
    # finally close the input files. This is necessary because
    # the data isn't read from the input files until the write
    # operation. Thanks to
    # https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6773631/problem-with-closing-_
    #    python-pypdf-writing-getting-a-valueerror-i-o-operation/6773733

    writer = PdfFileWriter()
    skipfirst = 1 if skipfirstpage else 0
    skiplast = 1 if skiplastpage else 0

    # collect and open input files
    inp = [open(f,'rb') for f in sorted(glob(files)) if f != output_filename]
    n = len(inp)
    print ('merging %d files' % n)
    for i, fh in enumerate(inp, 1):
        reader = PdfFileReader(fh)
        for pg in range(skipfirst, reader.getNumPages() - skiplast):
            writer.addPage(reader.getPage(pg))

    print('writing output file...')
    with open(output_filename, 'wb') as fout:
        writer.write(fout)
    # finallly...
    for fh in inp:
        fh.close()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    parser = ArgumentParser()

    # add more options if you like
    parser.add_argument('-o', '--output',
                        dest='output_filename',
                        help='write merged PDF files to FILE',
                        metavar='FILE')
    parser.add_argument(dest='files',
                        help='PDF files to merge')
    parser.add_argument('-f', '--skipfirstpage',
                        dest='skipfirstpage',
                        action='store_true',
                        help='skip first page of each merged PDF')
    parser.add_argument('-l', '--skiplastpage',
                        dest='skiplastpage',
                        action='store_true',
                        help='skip last page of each merged PDF')
    parser.set_defaults(output_filename='mergedPDFs.pdf', files='.\*.pdf',
                        skipfirstpage=False, skiplastpage=False, verbose=False)

    args = parser.parse_args()
    PDF_cat(args.files, args.output_filename, args.skipfirstpage, args.skiplastpage)