FormPro – FAQ

Using the graphical interface of FormPro you can configure the following automatic verifications:

• Regular Expressions (e.g. \d{1,2}/\d{1,2}/\d{2,4} for a date, see Help topic Zone Properties)
• Minimum and maximum values (see Zone Properties)
• Minimum and maximum length of values (see Zone Properties)
• Look-up lists and database checks (see Zone Properties / Look-up List)

More complex verifications like database look-ups or contextual validation rules can be realised by using the application programming interface (API) of FormPro to create an add-on. There are no limits to your creativity when using this interface but it requires substantial knowledge about the C# programming language. At your request, we are happy to inform you about the possibilities of add-ons or create an add-on for your specific needs.

In the processing view of FormPro, you can open multiple form templates at the same time if they contain different text or a form identification zone. This is a special type of zone intended for distinguishing a particular form layout from others. Typically, it will be drawn around a word or group of words of the printed text that is unique at this position among all forms you want to scan in the same batch.
The zone should be considerably larger than the enclosed word as the page will not be adjusted yet at the time of form identification. It does not matter if the zone also contains other text. The safest way of distinguishing forms automatically is by using barcodes.

FormPro saves all scanned forms as image files. The folder where the files are saved can be defined with Form / Settings (or Processing / Settings) on the Export tab. By default, all image files will be deleted when the data is exported and the form is closed. However, if you insert at any position on your form a zone of the special Image File type and enable the Save entire image option in the properties of this zone the image files will not be deleted. Instead, the file name of the image file linked to a particular record will be stored as the value of this zone’s database field.

Recognising handwritten values is one of the most difficult challenges FormPro can be confronted with. In order to achieve optimal results with handwriting you should follow our advice:

• If you can influence the form design please separate the characters to be entered by boxes or vertical lines.
• If possible, print the boxes in red or green and use a scanner capable of applying a drop-out color. If this should not be feasible print the boxes in a very light gray tone so they don’t appear in the scanned black-and-white image.
• Design your form in a way that the handwritten fields are not too small or to too densely spaced.
• Restrict the character set of each handwritten zone as strictly as possible (see Zone Properties / Character Set).

By default, FormPro filters all pre-printed information from the filled-out form before it begins with the actual text recognition. This is necessary for removing lines or boxes or pre-printed text within the reading zones.
If the processing of a filled-out form results in a completely empty record or all cells contain only “garbage” you are most likely to have used a non-blank, already filled-out form as the background of your form template. This will cause FormPro to filter out too much information. If this is the case switch back to Definition View, scan or open a blank form by using Form / Scan or Form / Open Image File, adjust the zone positions and save the form again.
If your form is printed in red or green and you are using a scanner capable of drop-out color scanning you can enable the corresponding filter instead of the default filtering by image comparison (see Form / Settings / Filtering).

Before FormPro can capture data from a form it must adjust it to compensate for skew or distortions that usually occur during scanning. The goal is to align all pages with the image of the blank form. For this fine adjustment, FormPro searches the blank form for printed text that is suitable as anchor points. If this crucial fine adjustment fails the cause can be one of the following:

• The blank form contains no suitable printed text or none at all.
• The blank form has too low a resolution (< 200 dpi).
• The blank form was scanned with a different scanner or has been copied before scanning.
• The blank form was created from an image file that contained invalid resolution information.
• The fine adjustment was disabled (see Form / Settings / Adjustment).

If one or more of the above apply please switch to Definition View, change your blank form and scan it again with a resolution of 300 dpi using Form / Scan. For image files with invalid resolution information you can correct the resolution using Form / Page Setup. Afterwards, save your form again.

By default, each zone must be assigned to a different database field in FormPro. This is also true for checkmark zones that are evaluated to 0 or 1 by default. For multiple-choice questions or other groups of mutually exclusive answers, however, you often don’t need a separate database field for each checkbox but a common field into which the value of the checked answer should be written.
For checkmark zones, FormPro exceptionally allows to assign multiple zones to the same database field. The so grouped checkmark zones will be underlaid with a light gray frame and will appear as a zone group in the Batch Explorer. In the Zone Properties dialog, you can enter a different value for each zone of the group that is to be used as the value of the database field when this zone is recognised as being checked.

If you are on the first tab of FormPro’s Scanner Setup and select the ISIS option the second tab will display a list of all ISIS drivers in use. If you are using Scanner Setup or any ISIS application for the first time this list may be empty even if there are ISIS drivers installed. In this case, click on Add to select the driver from a list of all installed ISIS drivers. If this list is also empty or does not contain your scanner this can be caused by one of the following:

• No ISIS driver has been installed for your scanner.
• You are using FormPro 2.0, 2.1 or 2.2 and have not used ISIS in any other software yet.

If an ISIS driver for your scanner has been installed the Scanner Setup of FormPro’s 32-bit edition will display a start tab with a choice between TWAIN and ISIS. On the second tab, the brand and model of your scanner should appear in the list of ISIS drivers. If, instead of the ISIS/TWAIN start page, only a list of TWAIN drivers appears or if the list of ISIS drivers does not contain your scanner model please install the ISIS driver from the CD that came with your scanner or from the web site of the scanner manufacturer.
If the list of ISIS drivers is completely empty although you have installed the ISIS driver for your scanner you are affected by an error in the Scanner Setup of FormPro 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2. This error prevents the creation of the ISIS driver list. The error can be circumvented by starting another ISIS-compliant application. Afterwards, the list shown in the Scanner Setup of FormPro will be up to date. Programs suited for this method are the test application Testappn.exe in the C:\Windows\Pixtran folder or the demo or full version of QuickScan. Alternatively, you can purchase an upgrade to FormPro 3.0.

FormPro supports two different scanner driver models: TWAIN and ISIS. While TWAIN are more suitable for scanning single pages or photos on flatbed scanners the ISIS standard has been developed specifically for scanning large numbers of pages on document scanners with automatic feeders. ISIS provides full control over all features of a scanner and enables scanning in a background task and with maximum speed. This is not always possible with TWAIN.
If possible, you should therefore install an ISIS driver for your scanner and select it during scanner setup in FormPro. Please note, however, that ISIS is supported only in the 32-bit version of FormPro. ISIS drivers can usually be found on the CD that comes with a document scanner or on the scanner manufacturer’s web site. The scanner setup of FormPro 3.0 can be started by selecting the Tools / Scanner Setup menu item. With older versions you have to launch the separate program Scanner Setup from the FormPro start menu group. On the first page of the scanner setup you should click on ISIS (if available) and on the second page you should select the driver of your scanner.