FormReader provides special design tools that help to create forms and prepare documents for processing. The preparation takes not much time thanks to user-friendly interface and handy wizards.

FormDesigner

FormDesigner module allows users to create blanks of machine-readable forms from the stretch. The forms may be grey drop-out or black-white linear or raster. FormDesigner supports various predefined form elements:

• entry fields: text, numbers, date,
• static text,
• picture,
• unique barcode,
• separator,
• frame,
• reference mark (black squares, corners).

The main advantages of FormDesigner over usual design tool are as follows:

• automatic checking machine-readability of form at any time of its creation
• once a form is created, the template for processing is generated automatically

Template Editor module enables preparing a form template, which is a combination of blocks positions as well as their recognition, verification, validation and export parameters. Templates can be either created form the scratch on the base of image of the form or generated automatically by importing a blank of form created in FormDesigner.

Template Creation Wizard guides you friendly through all steps of the process.

The first step is to scan/open an image of a form blank or import form created in FormDesigner. If the template is created from the stretch, the next step is drawing blocks that are required for proper template matching and data extraction. The routine work of the manual drawing of fixed form blocks is eliminated by automatic selection of such form elements as separator lines, static text blocks, checkboxes, black squares and barcodes. If the task is to process semi-structured forms and documents the blocks location are defined by FlexiLayout created in ABBYY FlexiCapture Studio.

The next step is to specify blocks properties, such as data type, text type, marking type, verification and export parameters. Data type is a combination of alphabet and dictionary that helps ABBYY FormReader to interpret the information in the field in the most reliable way. For example, name field will be recognized much more correctly with the data type that contains names only.

Once the blocks are created, various validation rules can be applied to the extracted data. The rules allow automatic checking and correction of the recognized data. FormReader provides a set of predefined validation rules: search against a database, replace values from the list, check sums, etc. Any custom validation rule can be created by using Visual Basic language.

Template creation is the most important part of the preparatory stage. Proper blocks properties and validation rules definition significantly improve recognition accuracy and drastically reduce time spent on verification.

eFormDesigner*

eFormDesigner module provides possibility to create and test electronic forms. The forms can be created either from the scratch on the base of any image or generated automatically from blank of form created in FormDesigner.

Features of electronic forms created in eFormDesigner:

• various types of entry fields
• Visual Basic validation rules executed during form completing
• possibility to submit data from the completed form and send them to an URL address

Electronic forms created in eFormDesigner can be completed and submitted in eFormFiller application on the end-user side.

*eFormDesigner is available in ABBYY FormReader Enterprise Edition only!

ABBYY FlexiCapture Studio

ABBYY FlexiCapture Studio tool provides possibility to create FlexiLayout for processing semi-structured forms and documents.

Scanning stage of forms processing