User Guide

Automated forms processing: step by step
Setting up FormReader
When you are setting up FormReader to capture data from a
particular kind of form, you are "telling" the program where to look
for data fields and what "hints" are available on printed forms.
Setting up the program correctly is just as important as designing
the form.
Creating a form template. Below follows a brief treatment of
all the steps you need to perform in order to create a form tem
plate.
1. First, you must obtain an image of a blank form. You can either
scan a blank form or use an image file obtained form any other
source. If the form was created in ABBYY FormDesigner, simply
import the *.xfd file created in FormDesigner. This template
already includes all the required blocks.
If you do not have an *.xfd file, you will need to scan a blank
form and follow steps 2 to 8
.
2. Mark out reference points and identifiers. These blocks can be
marked out either manually or automatically. Sometimes
unchangeable text or bar codes are used as identifiers.
3. The next step is to test your template to make sure that it
matches the original form.. Try placing the template on the
form to see whether the reference points and identifiers
enable the program to match the form and its template cor
rectly.
4. Mark out data fields. Use your mouse to draw blocks around
those fields from which data must be captured.
5. Now you need to specify the properties of the fields, i.e. tell the
program what kind of field borders are used and what kind of
information will be entered into these fields. To optimise this
process, we recommend first analysing the template and deter
mining the properties that are common to most of the fields.
You can then specify them as default properties for all blocks.
6. Next you need to add validation rules. These are the conditions
that the data entered in the fields must satisfy. The program will
use these rules to validate the format of the data and to nor
malize them if required (e.g. the program may convert the dates
into a specific format). Rules can also be used to compare
entered data with similar data in a database to make sure, for
example, that sums written in figures correspond to the same
sums written in words.
7. The right parameters under Recognition and Verification may
also have a great impact on the quality of recognition..
8. If the captured data are to be exported to a database using an
ODBC connection, the latter must also be set up in the
Template editor..
Before you can start capturing data you must also select a scanner.
Specifying reference points and identifiers in form template designer.
Specifying barcode as a form identifier.
Specifying field propeties in form template designer.
Specifying recognition options.