Nuance ScanSoft OmniForm User’s Manual

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OmniForm Reference

Version 2 for Windows 95/NT/3.1

CAERE CORPORATION

100 Cooper Court Los Gatos, California 95030

European Offices: Caere GmbH Innere Wiener Strasse 5 81667 Munich Germany

Please Note

In order to use this program, you should know how to work in the Microsoft Windows environment. Please refer to your Windows documentation if you have questions about how to use menu commands, dialog boxes, scroll bars, edit boxes, and so on.

OmniForm Reference Version 2 for Windows 95/NT/3.1

are trademarks of Caere Corporation.

Formonix is a trademark of Formonix, Inc.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Such designations appearing in this manual have been printed in initial caps.

Product Serial Number:

_______________________________________________ (from Disk #1 label)

Chapter 1

Introduction

OmniForm is the easy way to convert your paper forms to electronic forms. Use OmniForm to edit, design, and fill forms, manage information databases, and print, fax, and mail forms among other functions.

This chapter gives an overview of the form creation and information management capabilities OmniForm provides, as well as an explanation of how to use the documentation.

This chapter contains the following sections:

• OmniForm Features

• Using the Documentation

Introduction - 3

OmniForm Features

OmniForm, an easy-to-use environment for working with forms, is more than just form-recognition software. OmniForm includes the following features:

Form Input

OmniForm uses Logical Form Recognition™ to convert your scanned paper forms or imported image files into electronic, editable forms.

Fill View

OmniForm Features

Use OmniForm’s Information entered can easily be searched and sorted.

Design View

Use OmniForm’s forms. A variety of toolbars make formatting easy and convenient. Use the scrapbook to store or copy form objects.

OmniForm Database

All information you enter into a form is stored as a part of an OmniForm database. You can create, duplicate, sort, and search records, and import and export database information.

Field Validation

You can set up OmniForm to OmniForm displays a prompt if you enter incorrect information.

Field Calculations

OmniForm’s built-in operators and functions let you define calculations that display the correct value as you fill the appropriate field(s) in a form. This automates data entry and reduces the possibility of errors.

Form Printing, Faxing, and Mailing

You can print or fax forms from OmniForm. You have a choice of printing or faxing just the form, or just the data entered in a form, or both the form and its information.

fill view

design view

to fill a form with the information you need.

to design your own forms or edit existing

validate

a fillable field automatically.

Use electronic mail to send forms to other users if you have Microsoft Exchange/Mail or Lotus cc:Mail/Notes installed. Microsoft Exchange/ Mail users can also add routing slips to mailed forms.

Introduction - 4

Using the Documentation

This section explains the various instructional and formatting conventions used in this manual.

Screenshots and Instructions

Most screenshots in this manual were taken in Windows 95. Your dialog boxes and windows may look slightly different if you are using Windows NT or Windows 3.1. For example, dialog box titles in Windows 95 appear in the top left of the box. Dialog box titles in Windows NT and Windows 3.1 appear in the top middle of the box.

Both screenshot versions are displayed when they differ significantly. Instructions appropriate to each version of Windows are given where

necessary — for example, double-clicking an icon in a program group (Windows 3.1 and NT) versus using the Taskbar (Windows 95). Any instruction specific to Windows NT and 3.1 appears immediately after the Windows 95 instruction.

Online Help

OmniForm has both online help and context-sensitive help. Use the commands in the Help menu to find information on OmniForm topics and on using Help itself.

Using the Documentation

Click the Help button in the OmniForm standard toolbar to turn your cursor into a question mark icon. Click any command, button, or portion of the window to open context-sensitive help for that topic.

Formatting

Two formatting conventions are used throughout the manual.

Italicized Text

• Labeled buttons, menu commands, dialog box text, and any text in an onscreen form are italicized; for example, “Choose the File menu.”

Menu titles, icon names, dialog box names, and unlabeled buttons are not italicized.

• A new term may be italicized the first time it is used; for example, “This is a Glossary section of the manual.

• Variable entries are italicized; for example, “The entry n must be between 4 and 18.”

field.” These terms and others are defined in the

fill text

Introduction - 5

Open

Courier font

Symbols

Using the Documentation

• The Courier font indicates text that you are supposed to enter; for example, “Type Sample1 in the

• The Courier font is also used to distinguish file paths and file and folder names from the rest of the text; for example, “Locate the Sample form in the OmniForm folder.”

Two symbols are used in this manual to highlight text.

File Name

text box and click

OK.

”

This symbol means

It introduces a tip or an item of note.

Note.

Warning.

It introduces cautionary text.

Introduction - 6

Chapter 2

Installation and Setup

This chapter describes how to install OmniForm and begin using it. It contains the following sections:

• Registering OmniForm

• System Requirements

• Installing OmniForm

• Starting OmniForm

Installation and Setup - 7

System Requirements

To install and run OmniForm, you need the following setup:

• Computer with an 80386 or higher processor.

• VGA or SVGA monitor.

• Windows-compatible mouse.

• 1.44MB high-density floppy disk drive and internal hard disk.

• A minimum of 11MB hard disk space for the US version; 15MB for the International English version.

• If you plan to scan forms, you need a Hewlett-Packard (ScanJet Plus or above), Visioneer, or TWAIN-compatible scanner.

• Total system memory of at least 8MB RAM for Windows 95 and Windows 3.1; 12MB for Windows NT.

• At least a 4MB permanent swap file for Windows 3.1.

• MS-DOS 5.0 or above for Windows 3.1.

OmniForm 2.01 for Windows 95 and Windows NT will not run on earlier versions of Windows.

System Requirements

Registering OmniForm

Registering your copy of OmniForm entitles you to technical support, notification of special offers and upgrades, and the lowest price offered on the next OmniForm upgrade.

Please complete and send in the registration card included in your OmniForm package.

See “Caere Product Support” on page 271 for information on technical support.

Installation and Setup - 8

Installing OmniForm

This section describes how to install OmniForm on Windows 95, and on Windows NT and 3.1.

OmniForm automatically decides which version of the program to install. If you are running Windows 3.1, for example, OmniForm installs the 16-bit Windows 3.1 version of OmniForm.

Close all applications — including screen savers and mail applications — to free up memory before installing OmniForm.

Installing on a Windows 95 System

1 Start Windows 95.

Installing OmniForm

2 Click

The Control Panel appears.

3 Double-click

The Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box appears. 4 Click 5 Insert OmniForm disk #1 in your computer’s floppy drive and

follow the instruction in the dialog boxes.

Windows fills the

automatically and the InstallShield Wizard appears to guide

you through the setup process. 6 Follow the instructions in each dialog box that appears, and

insert other installation disks as prompted. (Installation may

not require all the disks provided.)

OmniForm installs by default to the location c:\Program

Files. You can select another location if you wish.

in the Taskbar and choose

Start

Add/Remove Programs.

Install...

in the

Install/Uninstall

Command line for installation program

Settings

tab.

Control Panel



text box

Installation and Setup - 9

Installing on a Windows NT or 3.1 System

1 Start Windows NT or 3.1 and open the Program Manager

window. 2 Insert OmniForm disk #1 in drive a: (or b:) of your computer.

Installing OmniForm

3 Choose

The Run dialog box appears. 4Type a:\setup (or b:\setup) in the

and click OK.

The InstallShield Wizard appears to guide you through the

setup process. 5 Follow the instructions in each dialog box that appears.

OmniForm creates a Caere Applications folder if necessary. You

can select another folder in the Select Program Folder dialog

box if you wish. 6 Insert other installation disks as prompted. (Installation may

not require all the disks provided.)

An OmniForm icon is added to the Caere Applications

program group when installation is complete.

in the Program Manager File menu.

Run

Command Line

text box

Installation and Setup - 10

Starting OmniForm

This section describes how to launch OmniForm after it is installed. Any instruction for Windows NT and 3.1, when different from that for Windows 95, appears immediately after the Windows 95 instruction.

Starting OmniForm

Install your scanner and test it in Windows OmniForm. Consult your scanner documentation or the scanner manufacturer to resolve any scanner problems that occur.

To start OmniForm:

1 Click

Windows NT and 3.1 users: double-click the OmniForm icon in

the Caere Applications folder.

Form Assistant appears. It contains six options. Each is a basic

OmniForm procedure.

in the Taskbar and choose

Start

using it with

before

Programs

OmniForm



2 Select an option and click

Click

choose a particular option.

See Chapter 5, OmniForm Procedures, for detailed information on the basic OmniForm procedures.

to close Form Assistant if you do not want to

Cancel

Next>.

Installation and Setup - 11

Chapter 3

Tutorials

These tutorials guide you through some of the main features of OmniForm. There are four sections in this chapter:

• Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

• Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form

• Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

• Tutorial 4 — The OmniForm Database

Perform these exercises in order if you are new to OmniForm. Each new exercise builds upon skills learned in the previous one. Choose the tutorial you want to practice if you already know the basics of scanning, designing, and using forms.

The tutorials cross-reference sections in this manual for additional information on each subject. Read the other chapters in the manual to learn about OmniForm features not discussed here.

Most screenshots in this chapter were taken in Windows 95. Your dialog boxes and windows may look slightly different if you are using Windows NT or Windows 3.1.

Tutorials - 12

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

You will load the Sample form in this exercise in one of three ways:

• Scan in the Sample form with a scanner if you have one. The form

is supplied inside this manual.

• Fax the Sample form to your computer’s fax modem if you have

no scanner, use your fax software to save it as a PCX or TIFF file, and open it in OmniForm. The form is inside this manual.

• Locate and open the Sample.tif file if you have no scanner and

no fax modem. It was placed in your OmniForm\Sample Forms folder during installation.

Decide which method you want to use. You can try all three methods eventually if you own both a scanner and a fax modem.

After you have loaded the form into OmniForm, you will practice various features of the program.

Launch OmniForm

Click

Windows NT and 3.1 users: double-click the OmniForm icon in

the Caere Applications folder.

The Form Assistant dialog box appears.

in the taskbar and choose

Start

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

Programs

OmniForm



If you accidentally close the Form Assistant dialog box, click the Form Assistant button in the standard toolbar to reopen it.

Tutorials - 13

• See the next section if you have a scanner and want to scan the

form.

• See “Fax the Sample Form” on page 17 if you have a fax machine

and a fax modem and want to fax the form to your computer.

• See “Import an Image File” on page 17 if you do not have a

scanner or a fax modem, or if you want to use this method instead of the other two methods.

Scan the Sample Form

1 Select 2 Select a source for the form in the next window.

Scan in a form

and then click

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

Next>

•Select

3 Click 4 Users who selected

Source...

• Select a source in the Select Source dialog box.

• Click

• Proceed to step 8 on page 15.

5 Click

Hewlett-Packard Scanner

proceed to step 5.

TWAIN (all other scanners)

compatible scanner that is not an HP scanner.

Next>

TWAIN

in the next window to select a TWAIN source.

to return to Form Assistant.

Select

to continue.

Next>

if you have an HP scanner and

if you have a TWAIN-

as the source can click

Select

Tutorials - 14

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

6Select

in the next window if this option is not selected

Letter

already.

The Sample form is a letter-sized page. 7 Click

Next>

The next window offers two form usage options. 8 Select the second option.

You will just fill the form in this exercise, not work on its

design. 9 Click

Next>

The next window prompts you to place a page in your scanner. 10 Make sure the page is aligned correctly in your scanner, and

click

Finish.

Tutorials - 15

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

OmniForm scans the form. The OmniForm window displays

scanning, designing, and straightening progress.

The Sample form opens as Form1 in fill view. It should look the

same as the original copy of the form. 11 Click the Save button or choose

in the File menu.

Save

The Save As dialog box appears. 12 Type Sample1 in the

File name

text box and click

Save.

Proceed to the section “Filling in the Form” on page 21 to begin using OmniForm’s tools.

Tutorials - 16

Fax the Sample Form

To fax the Sample form, you need the following:

• a fax modem connected to your computer

• fax software that is compatible with your fax modem

• access to a regular fax machine

To fax the form:

1 Make sure your fax modem is turned on and that your fax

software is set up to receive a call.

Refer to your fax manual(s) for information. 2 Place the Sample form in the fax machine.

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

3 Set faxing resolution to

This setting faxes the form at a resolution of 200 x 200 dots per

inch (dpi). OmniForm may have trouble recognizing

documents faxed at a lower resolution. (

200 x 100 dpi.) Check your fax machine’s manual if you need

more information about its settings. 4 Dial your fax modem’s number and fax the Sample form as you

normally would. 5 Once received, use your fax software to open the Sample form

and save it as a PCX or TIFF file.

Again, refer to your fax software manual if you do not know

how to do this. 6 See the next section, “Import an Image File” for instructions on

how to convert your fax file into an electronic form in

OmniForm.

Import an Image File

OmniForm can recognize PCX or TIFF image files. An image is an electronic picture of text and/or graphics. This could be a form created in another program or one received as a fax file. See the previous section, “Fax the Sample Form” if you want to create a fax file to import.

You will import an image file in this exercise. You can import a fax file if you have one, or import the Sample.tif form that was placed in your OmniForm/Sample Forms folder during installation.

Fine

Best

Standard

resolution is

Tutorials - 17

Load the Image File in OmniForm

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

1 Select 2Select

3 Click

Scan in a form Fax or Image

Browse...

in Form Assistant and then click

in the next window and then click

in the next window.

Next>

The Browse dialog box appears.

Tutorials - 18

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

4 This is how the dialog box looks in Windows 3.1 and NT.

5 This is how the dialog box looks in Windows 95.

•Select

TIFF Files

in the

Files of type

drop-down list if you want

to import the Sample.tif file. Locate and select the Sample file in the OmniForm\Sample Forms (omniform\samples in Windows 3.1) folder.

• Locate and select your fax file if you created one in the previous exercise.

• Click

The file name appears in the

6 Click

Next>.

to return to Form Assistant.

Open

File name

text box.

The next window offers two form usage options.

Tutorials - 19

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

7 Select the second option.

You will just fill the form in this exercise, not work on its design.

8 Click

Finish>

The OmniForm window displays scanning, designing, and straightening progress.

The Sample form opens as Form1 in fill view.

Tutorials - 20

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

Filling in the Form

Standard toolbar in fill view

9 Click the Save button or choose

in the File menu.

Save

The Save As dialog box appears.

10 Type Sample1 in the

File Name

text box and click

Save.

The next section shows you how to begin using OmniForm’s tools.

The Sample form you scanned or imported in the previous exercise opens in fill view.

Status text

If you closed the form after the last exercise, click

Cancel

in Form

Assistant if it opens when you next launch OmniForm. Choose in the File menu and locate the Sample1 file where you saved it.

Tutorials - 21

Open...

Fill View Overview

The standard toolbar appears below the menus. The buttons correspond to various menu commands. See “Menu Commands” on page 110 for a description of all menu commands.

Hold the cursor over any button in the toolbar to see its function.

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

1 Place your cursor over one of the buttons and hold it there

without clicking. A ToolTip describes the button’s function.

Corresponding status text simultaneously appears in the status bar at the bottom of the window.

2 Click the Highlight button in the toolbar or choose

Areas

OmniForm highlights all recognized fields in yellow. This

makes it easy to see which fields you can fill. 3 Click the button again to turn field highlighting back on. 4 Click the Zoom button and select a page view in the drop-

down list.

Alternatively, choose

in the cascading menu.

You have a choice of

400%, Page Width, or Whole Page

Fill in the Fields

1 Click the field after

place the cursor there.

This is a 2 Type your name in the fill text field.

Highlight Fill

in the View menu to turn off field highlighting.

in the View menu and select a view

Zoom

50%, 75%, 100%, 150%, 200%, 300%,

views.

on the form or press the Tab key to

Name

fill text

field. The word

on the form is

Name

text

Tutorials - 22

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

3 Continue to press the Tab key to move to and fill in the

City,

and

fields (or click to place the cursor there).

State

You can press Shift-Tab to move to a previous field. 4 Tab to or click in the

This is a

elements.

field. This is a field that is subdivided into

comb

The next fields,

Zip Code

field.

Phone Number

and

Fax Number,

also comb fields. 5 Type five numbers in the

Zip Code

field.

You do not have to click in each box in the field. OmniForm

moves the cursor automatically for you. 6 Tab to or click in the

Phone Number

comb field and type ten

numbers.

The parentheses are already on the form, but you have to type a

hyphen between numbers yourself.

7 Fill in the

The next item is a

Fax Number

comb field.

. A table contains

table

and each cell

cells

contains a field. The cells in the table are all fill text fields. The

headers in the table are text and cannot be changed in fill view.

• Click in the field under

Description

and type Elvis Dancing

Dinner Set.

Address,

comb

are

• Press the Tab key to move to the field under

79.99

• Fill in as many fields as you like.

Quantity

and type

Cost

and type

Tutorials - 23

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

8 Move down the page and click in the square next to the words

Check here to receive our next magazine.

OmniForm provides tools to compensate for missing information on forms. The next section describes how to create the circle text field, as well as other design and formatting techniques.

Design View

There are two views in OmniForm: fill view and design view. You fill in fields in fill view. In design view, you can create and format objects (these become fields in fill view) and add graphics to a form, among other functions.

Click the Design button in the standard toolbar or choose View menu.

As a handy shortcut, click the right mouse button to open a shortcut menu. Choose

An “X” appears in the box. This is a 9 Click the word

more information?

Nothing happens. This should be a

no circle on the form to indicate this to OmniForm during form

recognition.

Design

next to the words

Ye s

in this menu.

check box

Would you like to receive

circle text

field.

field but there was

Design

in the

Tutorials - 24

Standard toolbar

Drawing toolbar

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

OmniForm switches to design view. Any text you entered in fill view disappears in design view. It still exists in fill view.

Font/text toolbar Arrange toolbar

There are four toolbars in design view: the standard toolbar (different in design view than in fill view), the font/text toolbar, the drawing toolbar, and the arrange toolbar.

• Use the standard toolbar for basic file operations such as saving

and printing, and for working with objects.

• Use the font/text toolbar to format characters and paragraphs.

• Use the drawing toolbar to create objects: circles, tables, text, etc.

• Use the arrange toolbar to arrange and align objects on a form.

(Design view also contains the calculation toolbar which appears when you choose

Calculation

in the Tools menu. See Chapter 9, Using

Calculations, for more information.)

Tutorials - 25

Create a Circle Text field

1 Click the Circle Text tool in the drawing toolbar.

Your cursor changes to a plus sign with a circle.

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

2 Draw a circle (or oval) around the word

Format Text

1 Click the table to select it. 2 Click the first field under the word

3 Click the Right Alignment button in the font/text toolbar.

4 Choose

5Select

next to the words

Ye s

Would you like to receive more information?

You will select this circle later in fill view.

in the table to select it.

Cost

In an object with multiple elements — a comb or table — you

must always click to select the whole object first and then click

again to select the specific element.

Hold your cursor over the button without clicking to see the

ToolTip if you have trouble finding the button.

Now numbers entered in this

you format the other cells under

cell will be right-aligned. If

Cost

all the decimal points will

Cost

line up.

Select Special...

in the Edit menu.

The Select Special dialog box opens.

Fill Text

and click

OK.

All fill text fields are selected, including the fill text fields in the

table cells. 6 Click the Bold button in the font/text toolbar

Now all text in the fill text fields will be bold.

Tutorials - 26

Return to Fill View

1 Click the Fill button in the standard toolbar to return to fill

view.

The text in fill fields is now bold and the number in the table’s

cell is right-aligned.

Cost

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

2Click the word

next to the words

Yes

Would you like to receive

more information?

This time, a circle appears around the word

Ye s .

Print the Form

1 Click the Save button or choose 2 Choose

Print...

in the File menu.

Save

The Print dialog box appears. 3 Select the print options you want. 4 Click OK in the Print dialog box to print a copy of your form.

See “Using the Print... Command” on page 97 for detailed information on the Print dialog box.

Fax the Form

You must have fax hardware and software installed in order to fax a form. Refer to your fax documentation for instructions on how to set up your equipment for faxing. Faxing uses the

1 Choose

Print...

in the File menu.

command.

The Print dialog box appears. 2 Select the print options you want. 3 Click OK in the Print dialog box to fax a copy of your form.

Depending on your fax software, more dialog boxes may

appear after you click OK in the Print dialog box.

See “Using the Print... Command” on page 97 for detailed information on the Print dialog box.

You will practice more advanced form editing and design in the next tutorial.

Tutorials - 27

Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form

You will scan or import the Sample form into OmniForm again in this exercise. This time, you will bypass the Form Assistant dialog box so that you can see which buttons and menu commands to use. You will verify and correct OCR, and practice redesigning the form. See Chapter 6, Designing a Form, for detailed information on form design.

Launch OmniForm

If OmniForm is already open, proceed to the next section.

Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form

1 Click

launch OmniForm if it is not open already.

Windows NT and 3.1 users: double-click the OmniForm icon in

the Caere Applications folder. 2 Click

in the taskbar and choose

Start

in the Form Assistant dialog box when it appears.

Cancel

Scan or Import the Sample Form

See below for instructions on scanning the sample form. See page 29 instructions on importing the sample.tif image file.

To scan the form:

1 Click the Scan Form button in the standard toolbar or choose

Scan Form...

The Scan Form dialog box appears.

in the File menu.

Programs

OmniForm



2 Select an option in the

•Select

HP Scanner

HP scanner. Proceed to step 3.

TWAIN

TWAIN-compatible scanner.

in the

drop-down list.

Source

drop-down list if you have an

Source

drop-down list if you have a

Source

Tutorials - 28

Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form

Click

Select Source...

to select a TWAIN source. Click OK to

return to the Scan Form dialog box. Proceed to step 3.

3Select

Auto Form Design

to use Logical Form Recognition to

recognize text and fillable fields in the form. 4 Click

OK.

OmniForm scans the form, recognizes both text and fields, and

opens it in design view. 5 Click the Save button or choose

in the File menu.

Save

The Save As dialog box appears. 6Type Sample2 in the

File Name

text box and click

Save.

Proceed to the section “Verifying the OCR” on page 31 to begin using OmniForm’s design tools.

To import the form as an image file:

1 Click the Scan Form button in the standard toolbar or choose

Scan Form...

in the File menu.

The Scan Form dialog box appears.

2Select 3 Click

Image File(s)

Select Files...

•Select

TIFF Files

in the

drop-down list.

Source

to open the Select Files dialog box.

in the

Files of Type

drop-down list.

• Windows 95/NT users: locate the sample.tif file in the OmniForm\Sample Forms folder.

• Windows 3.1 users: locate the sample.tif file in the omniform\samples directory.

Tutorials - 29

Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form

• Double-click the file to place it in the

Files to Process

list box.

• Click OK to return to the Scan Form dialog box.

4 Click OK in the Scan Form dialog box. 5 OmniForm loads the form, recognizes both text and fields, and

opens it in design view.

6 Click the Save button or choose

in the File menu.

Save

The Save As dialog box appears.

7Type Sample2 in the

File Name

text box and click

OK.

The next section explains how to begin using OmniForm’s design tools.

Tutorials - 30

Verifying the OCR

In this exercise, you will verify and correct OCR as necessary and copy a graphic to the new form.

Edit the Text

OCR is not always perfect. Text that is very small, very light or broken, or difficult to read in any other way can cause recognition problems. This is easily corrected in OmniForm.

Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form

Recognized, editable form

Horizontal bar

Original scanned image of the form before OCR

1 Choose

Form Image

in the View menu.

The screen splits to show the form both as it was designed with OCR and as it was scanned originally.

2 Compare the recognized text in the top view with the original

text in the bottom view. Each view window has its own scroll bar so you can scroll to

the same portion of each form. Click a window to make it active. Use the horizontal bar in-between the two windows to resize the view. Your cursor turns into a resize cursor over the bar.

Tutorials - 31

Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form

3 Use the Zoom button’s drop-down list to zoom your page view

in and out.

4 If you find text in the top window that does not match text in

the bottom window:

• Click the Selection tool in the drawing toolbar if it is not selected already.

• Click any text object with erroneous text in the top window to select it.

Your cursor turns into an I-beam when it is positioned over the editable area.

• Use the cursor to select the portion of the text that does not match the original.

• Retype the highlighted portion of the text so that it matches the original.

5 Correct any text as needed this way.

Your text may need no editing, but you can practice selecting and changing text if you like.

6 Click the Save button or choose

in the File menu to save

Save

your changes.

Tutorials - 32

Copy the Arrow Graphic

Graphic box where arrow will be placed.

Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form

1 Scroll to the arrow at the bottom of the page in the bottom

window and to where it should be in the top window. Because graphics are not retained during Logical Form

Recognition, the arrow does not appear in the top window.

2 Click the Graphic tool in the drawing toolbar.

Your cursor changes to a Graphic tool shape in the top window and a crosshair in the second.

3 Use the crosshair to draw a box around the arrow in the bottom

window. A corresponding box is drawn in the first window.

Arrow in original form.

4 With the new object still selected, click the Object Definition

button in the standard toolbar or choose

Object Definition...

the Format menu.

Tutorials - 33

Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form

The Graphic Definition dialog box appears.

5Select 6 Click

7 Choose

Form Image

OK.

The arrow appears in the top window.

Form Image

window. Alternatively, double-click the horizontal bar or drag it all the

way to the top or bottom of the Form window.

in the

Modifying the Form’s Design

In the first tutorial, you modified the form’s design only by adding a circle field that OmniForm had not recognized. You can do much more than that. Suppose, for example, you wanted to take the Sample form and change it into an order form. In this exercise, you will edit some objects and create new objects to modify the form.

Edit Text and Fill Text Objects

1 Click the Selection tool in the drawing toolbar.

drop-down list.

Source

in the View menu to close the bottom

2 Click the title

Your cursor changes to an I-beam.

3 Highlight

Sample

4 Click the fill text object next to the text object

Sample Form

and then type the word Order to replace

Sample

to select it.

Name

Tutorials - 34

Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form

5 Place the cursor over the middle handle on the right end of the

object and hold down the mouse button.

6 Move the cursor to the left to make the

smaller. You will create another fill text object next to this one later in

the exercise.

Edit the Table Object

1 Click the table object to select it.

Click the Object Definition button in the standard toolbar or choose

Object Definition...

The Table Definition dialog box appears.

• Select the number in the number 10 to replace it.

• Leave 0.25 in the

in the Format menu.

Number of Rows

Height of Rows

text box.

fill text object

Name

text box and type the

2 Click

OK.

The table reduces in size to 10 rows long. This creates more space to add the objects you will create.

You can use the Scrapbook to store any object in your form. This way, you can create an object once but use it in as many different forms as you need. See “Using the Scrapbook” on page 164 for detailed information.

Tutorials - 35

Create Text and Fill Text Objects

1 Click the Text tool in the drawing toolbar. 2 Click the mouse button once or hold the mouse button and

drag the cursor to create a a text object anywhere on the form. The object has the word

3 With the text object still selected, type the word Title:.

You do not have to select the word text object itself needs to be selected.

4 Click outside the text object to change the cursor back to the

Selection tool.

Label

Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form

in it.

to replace it. Just the

Label

5 Select the

text object and drag to the end of the Name fill

Title

text object. 6 Click the Fill Text tool in the drawing toolbar. 7 Draw a fill text object next to the word

Do not worry about aligning all the objects precisely right now.

You can do this later.

Create a Check Box Object

1 Click the Check Box tool in the drawing toolbar. 2 Draw a Check Box object above the one already on the form.

Hold the Shift key while you draw to constrain the shape to a

square. The tool turns back into the Selection tool. 3 Select the word

Ye s ,

Would you like to receive more information?

4 Press the Delete key to delete the text or choose Delete in the

Edit menu. 5 Click the Text tool in the drawing toolbar.

6 Click the Lock tool in the drawing toolbar.

You can draw more than one object at a time when the lock is

on. Otherwise, the cursor reverts back to the Selection tool after

you draw one object.

Title

and Shift-click to also select the words

Tutorials - 36

7 Draw a text object next to the check box and type Check here

to receive our next catalogue.

8 Draw a text object below the check boxes and type Number of

times a year you use our catalogue:.

9 Click the Lock tool to deselect it.

Create Circle Text Objects

1 Click the Circle Text tool in the drawing toolbar. 2 Draw a circle below the check boxes.

Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form

3 Select the circle and choose 4 Choose

in the Edit menu, then choose

Paste

two new circles.

This is an easy way to create objects of the same size. (You

could also hold down the Ctrl key and drag a selected object to

copy it.) 5 Select the second circle and type 2. 6 Select the third circle and type more. 7 Line up the circles under the last text object you drew.

Align and Format the Objects

1 Shift-click to select the

text objects. 2 Click the Align Left button in the arrange toolbar.

The objects align evenly along their left edges. 3 Select other objects and use the buttons in the arrange toolbar

to line them up evenly on the page.

You could also use the

if it is not selected already. A check mark in front of the

command means it is selected. Objects “snap” to the

in the Edit menu.

Copy

Name:, Address:, City:,

Snap to Grid

command in the Tools menu

again to create

Paste

and

Phone Number:

Tutorials - 37

Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form

measurement set in the Grid Settings dialog box (choose

Settings...

4 Use the

in the Tools menu).

Select Special...

command in the Edit menu to select

various types of objects and format their text as you choose.

See page 26 for a description of this command. 5 Your redesigned form should look something like this:

Grid

Test in Fill View

1 Click the Fill button in the standard toolbar. 2 Test your new form by filling in fields. 3 Click the Design button to return to design view.

You will design your own form in the next tutorial.

Tutorials - 38

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

The previous two tutorials introduced you to the concepts of loading, filling in, and modifying a form. In this tutorial, you will create the personal job-tracking form shown below for a hypothetical free-lance editor/writer.

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

See Chapter 6, Designing a Form, for detailed information on form design.

Tutorials - 39

Pre-Organization

It is a good idea to draw a rough draft of a form before you begin to design it, complete with all fields and graphic elements. This makes the design process go faster and you will be less likely to have to go back and redo portions of the form. In this tutorial, the form pictured on the previous page can serve as your rough draft.

You do not have to design the form exactly as it is pictured. Learn the form-design concepts presented here and arrange the form as you please. Use your own graphic files if you have any.

Open a New, Blank Form

1 Launch OmniForm if you closed it after the last tutorial. Click

in Form Assistant if it opens.

Cancel

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

2 Click the New button in the standard toolbar or choose

the File menu.

A blank form appears. 3 Choose

The Page Setup dialog box appears. 4 Set page setup options as shown in the picture below and then

click

5 Click the Zoom button in the standard toolbar or choose

in the View menu to select the view size you want. 6 Choose

OmniForm Form with the name Job Tracking. 7 Windows 3.1 and NT users: name the file jobtrack.

Page Setup...

OK.

in the File menu and save your form as an

Save

in the File menu.

New

Zoom

8 Make sure the Highlight button in the standard toolbar is

selected so that fill objects show up in yellow.

This makes it easier to see size and position while designing.

Tutorials - 40

Create the Text Objects

1 Click the Text tool in the drawing toolbar.

You need text objects named Customer:, Contact:,

Address:, City:, State:, Zip:, Job Type, Editing,

Tech Writing, Marketing Writing, Advertising

Copy, Rate:, Expenses:, Profit:, and Comments:.

2 Create the text objects in one of three ways:

• Click the Lock tool in the drawing toolbar to keep the Text tool selected.

Draw a text object, type its name while it is still selected, then draw the next one, and so on. Click the Lock tool to deselect it when you are done.

• Draw a text object. With the object still selected, choose

Edit menu. Keep choosing many text objects as you need. Select each object one at a time and type its name.

• Draw a text object. With the object still selected, hold down the Ctrl key and drag

to create a copy. Repeat this for each new text object you need. Select each object one at a time and type its name.

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

and then

Copy

until you have created as

Paste

in the

3 Line the text objects up approximately where you see them on

the form on page 40.

Create the Fill Text Objects

Customer Information

1 Click the Fill Text tool in the drawing toolbar. 2 Draw five fill text objects as described in step 2 in the previous

section.

3 Resize the objects as necessary.

Tutorials - 41

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

4 Line the fill text objects up with the

City,

and

State

text objects.

Customer, Contact, Address,

5 Select the Customer fill text object. 6 Click the Object Definition button in the standard toolbar or

choose

Object Definition...

in the Format menu.

The Fill Text Definition dialog box appears.

•Type Customer in the

•Select

Name

in the

Type

text box.

Name

drop-down list.

7 Click

OK.

8 Define the other fill text objects in the same way, choosing the

appropriate selection in the (Select

Name

in the

drop-down list for the

Ty pe

drop-down list for each.

Typ e

Contact

fill text

object.)

Tutorials - 42

Fill Lines

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

1 Draw a large fill text object. 2 Drag it beneath the text object

Comments.

3 With the object still selected, click the Top Alignment button in

the font/text toolbar.

4 With the object still selected, click the Left Alignment button in

the font/text toolbar. Text entered in fill view will align to the left and top of the field

in fill view.

5 While the object is still selected, click the Object Appearance

button in the standard toolbar or choose

Object Appearance...

the Format menu. The Object Appearance dialog box appears.

• Click the Click the bottom line in the

• Click the

Border

Fill Line

tab.

Borders

square to delete it.

Tutorials - 43

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

Select deselect

6 Click

OK.

, a solid line, and

Black

as pictured below.

Clear

in the drop-down lists, and

1/4 pt

The bottom border disappears from the selected object and fill lines appear to show where lines of text will flow.

7 With the object still selected, click the Object Definition button

in the standard toolbar to open the Fill Text Definition dialog box.

•Type Comments in the

•Select

General

in the

Type

text box.

Name

drop-down list (entries in this field

could consist of numbers, symbols, and letters).

8 Click

OK.

Tutorials - 44

Create the Comb Objects

You will draw a simple comb object for the zip code and use the scrapbook to copy phone and fax numbers.

Zip Code Comb Object

1 Click the Comb tool in the drawing toolbar. 2 Draw a comb object. 3 With the object still selected, click the Object Definition button

or choose The Comb Definition dialog box appears.

Object Definition...

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

in the Format menu.

4 Click the

Type Zip Code in the Select Type 5 in the Type 0.2 in the

5 Click 6 Drag the Zip comb object next to the

Phone and Fax Number Comb Objects

1 Choose

The scrapbook opens to the left of the OmniForm window. It contains were included in your OmniForm program, each with a different collection of scraps.

Properties

Zip Code

OK.

Scrapbook

scraps,

tab.

text box.

Name

in the

Number of Elements

Width of Elements

in the Tools menu.

copies of OmniForm objects. Four scrapbooks

drop-down list.

Type

text box.

text object.

Zip

Tutorials - 45

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

2Select

Special Fields (Special

in Windows 3.1) in the

Scrapbook

drop-down list.

3 Locate the

Phone Number

4 Select the scrap and drag it into the form below the 5 Locate the

Fax Number

6 Select the scrap and drag it into the form below the

scrap in the scrapbook.

City

Phone

objects.

This exercise illustrates how you can save time by using objects stored in the scrapbook. See “Using the Scrapbook” on page 164 to learn more about creating, storing, and copying scraps and scrapbooks.

Your form-in-progress should look similar to this at this point:

Tutorials - 46

Create the Check Box Objects

1 Click the Check Box tool in the drawing toolbar. 2 Draw a check box.

Hold down the Shift key to constrain the shape to a square.

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

3 With the object still selected, choose

Edit menu.

4 Choose

You now have four check boxes of equal size. The user of this form wants to be able to select only one check

box at a time so that each copy of the form records just one job. To do so, you must create an

5 Shift-click or drag the cursor around all four check box objects

to select them.

6 With the objects still selected, click the Object Definition button

in the standard toolbar or choose Format menu.

The Check Box Definition dialog box appears.

two more times.

Paste

option group.

Object Definition...

Copy

and then

in the

Paste

in the

7Type job type in the 8 Click 9 Click

OK.

in the dialog box that asks if you want OmniForm to

Ye s

create unique On-Values for you. Now you will be able to select only one check box at a time in

fill view. See the “Defining a Check Box Object” on page 145 for detailed information on Option Groups.

You can define each check box individually if you like as well to give it a unique name.

Option Group

drop-down list box.

Tutorials - 47

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

10 Drag the check boxes in front of the

Marketing Writing, Ty pe .

Create the Table Object

Create the Table

1 Click the Table tool in the drawing toolbar. 2 Draw a table. 3 With the table still selected, click the Object Definition button

or choose The Table Definition dialog box appears.

Object Definition...

and

Advertising Copy

in the Format menu.

Editing, Tech Writing,

text objects under

Job

•Type Task List in the

•Type 2 in the

•Type 2.5 in the

•Type 10 in the

•Type 0.25 in the

4 Click 5 With the table still selected, click the Object Appearance button

OK.

or choose

Number of Columns

Width of Columns

Number of Rows

Height of Rows

Object Appearance...

text box.

Name

text box.

in the Format menu.

Tutorials - 48

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

The Object Appearance dialog box appears. 6 Click the 7 Click the

Background Border

A one-point black border is selected by default. Just for looks,

add a shadow effect to the border:

•Select

Lower Right 3 pt

This moves the shadow three points to the right and bottom of

the border. 8 Click

OK.

A shadow appears behind the table.

Use Table AutoFormat

1 With the table still selected, choose

Format window.

The Table AutoFormat dialog box appears. 2 Select the

Ye s

box. 3Select

Columns (Reverse Header).

tab and select

Clear.

tab.

in the

Offset

Location

drop-down list.

Table AutoFormat...

option in the window to enable the

in the

Appearance

list

The picture on the left shows how the selected option affects

your table. 4 Click

Next>.

Tutorials - 49

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

5 Select the

Names

Ye s

text box.

6 Select the first word 7Type Task.

All fill text fields within cells in this column are automatically

renamed

Task1, Task 2,

You can verify this by selecting a cell and opening the Object

Definition dialog box. 8 Repeat for the second word but change its name to

Completed

All fill text fields within the cells in this column are

automatically renamed 9Make sure

Change Header to Match Field Names

This changes the column names from

Completed.

10 Click

Finish.

Format the Table Cells

1 Place your cursor outside the left edge of the table, hold down

the mouse button and drag your cursor through the nine rows

in the left column but not the

option in the next window to enable the

Label

and click

Rename.

and so forth.

Completed1, Completed2,

and so forth.

is selected.

and

Ta s k

Label to Task

row.

Field

Just the nine rows on the left should be selected. Shift-click to

select or deselect rows as necessary. 2 Choose

in the Format menu.

Text...

Tutorials - 50

The Text dialog box appears.

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

• Click the

Margins

tab and type the measurements 0.04,

0.04, 0.02, and 0 as pictured above.

This offsets your text from the border around each row, making it easier to read.

• Click the

Alignment

tab and select

Left

and

Bottom.

Text entered in fill view will align to the left and bottom of the

cell. 3 Click 4 Repeat steps 2–3 for the

Bottom

OK.

Completed

column but select

for the alignment in the Text dialog box.

Right

and

5 With the right column still selected, click the Object Definition

button or choose

Object Definition...

in the Format menu.

The Fill Text Definition dialog box appears.

•Select

Date

in the

drop-down list.

Type

Tutorials - 51

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

•Select

6 Click

7 Drag the table above the

OK.

Numbers entered in this row will be formatted as right-aligned dates in the m/d/yy format (10/15/95).

middle of the form.

m/d/yy

in the

drop-down list.

Format

Comments

text object to about the

Create the Graphic Objects

You will create both a graphic object and a fill graphic object. You can import a graphic into a graphic object in design view. You can import a graphic into a fill graphic field in fill view.

Fill Graphic Object

1 Click the fill graphic tool in the drawing toolbar.

It is the second-to-last button.

Tutorials - 52

2 Draw a box in the upper right corner of the form.

You will import a graphic into this field in fill view later in the tutorial.

Graphic Object

1 Click the graphic tool in the drawing toolbar. 2 It is below the Rectangle tool. 3 Draw a box in the lower right corner of the form. 4 With the object still selected, click the Object Definition button

or choose The Graphic Definition dialog box appears.

Object Definition...

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

in the Format menu.

• Click

• Locate the Logo file in the OmniForm\Sample Forms folder

•Select

5 Click

The graphic is imported into the object you drew and scaled to fit in the box while maintaining its original proportions. You could place your own graphic or logo in this object instead.

Browse

(omniform\samples in Windows 3.1) and click

Scale Proportionately

OK.

Define the Calculations

The final objects on this form are fill text objects that have calculations defined on them. In fill view, these fields become part of a calculation that determines the profit this user makes on each job after expenses. These calculations are very simple but you have the ability to create much more complex ones. See Chapter 9, Using Calculations, for detailed information.

to open the Browse dialog box.

in the

Options

drop-down list.

Open.

Tutorials - 53

Create and Define the Fill Text Objects

1 Click the Fill Text tool. 2 Draw a fill text object anywhere on the page. 3 With the object still selected, click the Object Definition button

or choose

Object Definition...

in the Format menu.

The Fill Text Definition dialog box appears.

•Type Rate in the

•Select

Currency $0.00 Comma Separate Thousands

in the

Name

Ty pe

Format

text box.

drop-down list.

Parentheses.

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

and

Enclose Negatives in

4 Click

OK.

Numbers entered the

fill text field will appear as comma-

Rate

delimited dollar amounts: $3,000,000. Negative numbers will appear within parentheses: ($3,000,000).

5 With the Rate object still selected, choose

Copy

and then

the Edit menu. 6 Choose 7 Use the

Earnings, Expenses,

twice more.

Paste Object Definition

and

command to name the objects:

Profit.

Because you copied and pasted the objects, the other settings

are exactly the same as for the Rate object.

Paste

Tutorials - 54

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

8 Draw another Fill Text object and use the Object Definition

command to define it as pictured below:

9 Click

OK.

Create the Text Objects

1 Click the Text tool. 2 Draw an object and type an x. 3 Draw another object and type an equal sign(=). 4 Drag the objects so they are lined up approximately as shown:

Rate field Hours field Earnings field

Set Up Calculations

Calculate Earnings

Earnings, on this form, equals the hourly rate ( number of hours (

field) spent on the job.

Hours

1 Select the Earnings fill text object. 2 Click the Calculation button in the standard toolbar or choose

Calculation...

in the Tools menu.

Expenses field

Profit field

field) times the

Rate

Tutorials - 55

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

The calculation toolbar appears at the top of the window below

the font/text toolbar.

Calculation

Cancel

Calculation

Auto

Calculation

Builder

Click to Edit Calculation — the calculation

for the field appears in the text box.

3 Click the Calculation Builder button in the calculation toolbar.

The Calculation Builder dialog box appears.

4Locate 5 Double-click

Rate

in the

Rate

list box.

Fields

or select it and click

Paste.

The field name appears in the calculation toolbar. 6 Click the Multiplication (*) button in the Calculation Builder

dialog box.

It appears after 7 Locate and double-click

in the calculation toolbar.

[Rate]

in the

Hours

Fields

list box.

The calculation in the calculation text box should now read:

[Rate]*[Hours]

8 Click the Accept Calculation button in the calculation toolbar to

define the calculation on the Earnings field.

The Calculation Builder dialog box closes.

Tutorials - 56

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

Calculate Profit

Profit, on this form, equals the Earnings minus Expenses. You will create this calculation manually instead of using the Calculation Builder dialog box so you can see another feature of OmniForm.

1 Select the Profit fill text object. 2 Click in the calculation toolbar’s text box to activate the toolbar.

Your cursor turns into a calculation cursor. 3 Click the Earnings fill text object in the form.

The field name appears in the calculation toolbar. 4 Click in the calculation text box after

subtraction (-) sign. 5 Click the Expenses fill text object in the form.

The calculation in the calculation text box should now read:

[Earnings]-[Expenses]

Click the Cancel Calculation button in the calculation toolbar if you make an error to clear the text box and start again.

6 Click the Accept Calculation button in the calculation toolbar to

define the calculation on the 7 Click the Calculation button in the standard toolbar or choose

Calculation...

Customize the Form

Format Objects

As a general rule, forms are easier to read if you use the same font format for all the text objects. Point size and style can be varied according to what you decide looks best and is most logical for the form you create.

On the form shown on page 39, all text objects are 9-point Arial bold with the exception of the text objects under are entries under a header and it could be confusing if they had the same formatting as the header.

[Earnings]

field

Profit

in the Tools menu to close the calculation toolbar.

Job Type.

and type a

These four objects

See “Format Text” on page 26 for information on using the

Special...

information on changing text and font attributes.

command. See “Formatting Text” on page 155 for detailed

Select

Tutorials - 57

Align the Objects

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

Use the

commands in the Format menu or the Arrange toolbar to

Align

line up selected objects left, right, center, and so forth. See “Align and Format the Objects” on page 37 for more information.

Use the

Snap to Grid

precisely along a grid. Choose

command in the Tools menu to line fields up

Grid Settings...

in the Tools menu to set the size of the grid. Turn this command off if you do not want fields snapping to a grid.

Selecting Objects

There are several ways to select multiple objects.

•The

Select Special...

command in the Edit menu lets you select all objects of a certain type at the same time. This way, you can apply the same formatting to all selected objects instead of one by one.

• Shift-click to select multiple objects.

• Hold down the mouse button and drag the cursor around all objects to select.

An object only has to be touching the selection area to be selected. Remember to fully enclose table and comb objects unless you want individual elements and cells selected.

Use the Drawing Tools

You can use the Line, Oval, and Rectangle tools in the drawing toolbar to customize your form.

To draw the rounded border around the outside of the form:

1 Click the Rectangle tool. 2 Draw a border around the outside edge of the form. 3 With the border still selected, click the Object Appearance

button or choose

Object Appearance...

in the Format menu.

The Object Appearance dialog box appears.

• Click the

Background

tab and select

Clear.

Tutorials - 58

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

• Click the

• Click on each side of the rectangle in the

tab and select the settings shown below.

Border

Borders

box to place

borders around the entire object.

4 Click

OK.

See page 39 again for the completed form. Your final form should look similar to this depending on how you chose to customize it. Your form will not as yet have the arrow in the upper right corner. That is added in fill view.

Tab Order

You can tab from field to field in fill view. This is faster than moving the cursor to each field. When tabbing, OmniForm moves the cursor through the fields in the order in which they were created. This may not be the order you want.

To change tab order:

1 Click the Tab Order button in the standard toolbar or choose

Tab Order...

in the Tools menu.

The Tab Order window appears to the right of the form and numbers appear by each field on the form.

Tutorials - 59

Both indicate current tab order.

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

In the example above, the user wants the check box fields to be before the

field because that is the order of the fields on the

Rate

form. Your Tab Order dialog box will not necessarily look the same as this one.

2 Select the field to reorder.

Note that the corresponding field on the form highlights.

3 Reorder the field in one of the following ways:

• Drag the field up or down in the dialog box to reorder it.

• Click the

Move Up

button to move the field up. Click as many

times as needed to move it into place.

• Click the

Move Down

button to move the field down. Click as

many times as needed to move it into place.

• Click

Auto Order

to have OmniForm order the fields for you.

The tab order numbers on the form change correspondingly

when you reorder a field in the Tab Order dialog box. 4 Repeat for each field you want to reorder. 5 Click the Tab Order button in the standard toolbar or choose

Tab Order...

in the Tools menu to close the Tab Order window.

Tutorials - 60

Test the Form in Fill View

1 Click the Fill button or choose 2 Click the fill graphic field in the upper right corner of the form.

The Fill Graphic dialog box appears.

•Select

• Click

• Locate the Arrowr file in the OmniForm\Sample Forms

• Click

Graphic File

Browse

folder (omniform\samples in Windows 3.1).

Open

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

in the View menu.

Fill

in the

to open the Browse dialog box.

to return to the Fill Graphic dialog box.

drop-down list.

Source

•Select

3 Click

The graphic is imported into the field you drew and stretched

to fill the entire box. Click in the field again if you want to

change the graphic’s appearance or import a new graphic. 4 Tab from field to field to test tab order. 5 Enter text in the fill text fields to see your formatting and to

make sure the fields are large enough for text entered. 6 Select a check box under 7 Click another check box to deselect the first. 8 Enter text in the table cells.

• Verify that text is not flush against a border, making it hard to

• Verify that text in the left column is left-aligned and text in the

Stretch to Fit

OK.

read.

right column is right-aligned.

in the

Job Type.

Options

drop-down list.

Tutorials - 61

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

• You can enter dates in the right column as either January 1, 1995 or 1-1-95 and they will be converted to the m/d/yy format. Or, you can enter them as 1/1/95 in the first place.

9 Verify that comb field elements contain the right amount of

numbers.

10 Enter numbers in the calculation fields.

The Expenses and Profit fields should fill automatically and correctly as you fill in the other fields involved in the calculation.

Return to design view to make any changes you need. Save this form. You will use it in the next tutorial.

Tutorials - 62

Tutorial 4 — The OmniForm Database

This tutorial is a brief introduction to the OmniForm database. A database is a collection of information stored as individual record uses the same form design but can contain different information in its fields. OmniForm automatically creates a database when you scan in or import a form.

In the previous tutorial, for example, you created the Job Tracking (or jobtrack) form. As soon as you fill in that form, it becomes the first record in the new database. The user of this database adds a new record for each job completed, making it possible to store and find a large amount of similar information.

See Chapter 8, Managing an OmniForm Database, for detailed information, including working with records and importing and exporting databases.

This tutorial shows you how to create new records, search for specific information in a database, sort records, and delete records. You will use the job-tracking form you created in the last tutorial.

records.

Each

Duplicating a Database Record

The hypothetical user of this job-tracking database uses the same form design to enter different information in new records. You can add a new, empty record to this database and fill in the form each time, or you can duplicate an existing record that has similar information when you need to add a new record. This way you do not have to fill in the whole record — just change one or more fields.

Tutorials - 63

Tutorial 4 — The OmniForm Database

To duplicate a record:

1 Locate and open the Job Tracking (jobtrack in Windows

3.1) form you created in the previous tutorial.

2 Enter the customer information shown below.

Suppose you did another job for this company but this time instead of editing it was marketing writing. You do not have to

retype all the same information for just one change. 3 Choose 4 Click OK in the dialog box that informs you that a record has

been added to the set.

Another record for Franich & Halsey is added to the set and

OmniForm moves to the new record. 5 Select the

The

Duplicate Record

Editing

Creating New Records

Suppose after this job you complete two more jobs and need to add two more records to the database.

To create new records:

1 Click the New Record button or choose

menu and

OmniForm creates a new, empty record. 2Type The Borne Corporation in the Customer fill text field.

Fill in other information if you like. 3 Click the New Record button again.

in the Records menu.

Marketing Writing

check box is deselected.

in its cascading menu.

New

check box.

in the Records

Go To

Tutorials - 64

4Type Zimmer DTP in the Customer fill text field in the new

record.

Fill in other information if you like. 5 Use the Record buttons in the toolbar to scroll through your

records.

First Record Previous Record Next RecordRecord Number Last Record

Search the Database Records

It is not hard to find information when you only have a few records, but depending on your database, you may have thousands. OmniForm makes it easy to find the information you need quickly.

To search records:

Tutorial 4 — The OmniForm Database

The field to search How to search What to search for

Which records to search

1 Choose

Search...

in the Records menu.

The Search dialog box appears.

•Select

Customer

is equal to

•Type Franich & Halsey in the

in the

Field Name

Condition

drop-down list.

text box.

Value

This dialog box illustrates why it is important to give fields a unique name after you create them. If you had not named the field, it would appear simply as

FillTextn

(where n is a number)

Customer

making it difficult to decide what to choose.

2 Click

OK.

Tutorials - 65

Tutorial 4 — The OmniForm Database

3 OmniForm searches the database and retrieves the two records

that match the search criteria. This is called the

Status text just below the toolbar shows the search results

information.

You can narrow a search further by searching a found set for

more specific information. For example, you might want to find

only editing jobs you had done for Franich & Halsey. You

would enter the appropriate information in the Search dialog

box and select

when you have a large found set.

Only Search Current Record Set.

found set.

This is useful

4 Click the

full database set.

Clear Search

Sort the Database Records

You may need to sort your database records in some logical order, for example, alphabetically by customer name as you will in this exercise.

To sort records:

1 Choose

The Sort dialog box appears.

•Select

2 Click

OK.

OmniForm examines the Customer field in each record and

sorts the records alphabetically: the two Franich & Halsey

records are numbers 1 and 2, The Borne Corporation is number

and Zimmer DTP is number

in the Records menu.

Sort...

Customer Ascending Order

button below the toolbar to return to the

in the

Field Name

(A-Z; descending order would be Z-A).

drop-down list.

3 Click OK in the dialog box that tells you how many records

were sorted.

You could also sort a subset of retrieved search records. You might, for example, find all a certain customer’s records and then sort those records by date or any other way you choose.

Tutorials - 66

Database Changes

You have changed individual records in fill view in this tutorial. Changes to one record did not affect changes to another record. However, changes in design view do affect your records.

To make a change in design view:

Tutorial 4 — The OmniForm Database

1 Click the Design button or choose 2 Delete the graphic object in the lower right corner.

3 Click the Fill button or choose

4 Click the appropriate Records button to view each record.

The logo is now missing from every record.

Any change made in design view affects database. This is important to remember, especially if you have more than one user of your database.

You can protect your database from unauthorized changes in several ways:

• In design view, choose

Protection dialog box. Select

Protect Data

can be made in fill view to any of the records. This also prevents users from duplicating or deleting records.

Select

Protect Form

a form in design view. Remember, deleting a fill field in design view also deletes in fill view.

• Have other users use the program OmniForm Filler to open the

database. This is a version of OmniForm that has only a fill view. Users cannot change the form’s design.

Protection...

to make all information read-only. No changes

if you do not want anyone to be able to change

the information that was entered in that field

all

in the View menu.

Fill

the records in that particular

all

in the Tools menu to open the

in the View menu.

Design

Tutorials - 67

Deleting Records

You may want to delete an old or obsolete record.

To delete a record:

1 Return to Fill view if you are not in it already.

Tutorial 4 — The OmniForm Database

2 Choose 3 Click

The record you are viewing is deleted permanently from the

database.

Use the command records. You can also use the command to delete a subset of retrieved search records. Suppose, for example, you have 14 entries for PatEl Corporation in your customer update database. Then they go out of business and you decide you no longer need the information because it just takes up disk space.

You would search for choose Corporation entries would be permanently deleted but your other records would be safe.

You cannot undo the

Delete All Records

Delete Record

in the warning dialog box that appears.

Ye s

Delete All Records

Delete Record

in the Records menu.

to permanently destroy all database

PatEl Corporation

in the Records menu. This way, all PatEl

in the relevant field, and then

command!.

Tutorials - 68

Chapter 4

Views and Form Usage

This chapter describes basic OmniForm concepts you should know before scanning, importing or designing a new form: what Form Assistant is and how to use it; the difference between fill view and design view; how form usage choices affect your form; how to select and change form usage options; and how to use the international options in the Options dialog box.

Proceed to Chapter 5, OmniForm Procedures, if you want to begin working with forms immediately.

This chapter contains the following sections:

• Using Form Assistant

• The Design View Window

• The Fill View Window

• Form Usage Options

• International Settings

Screenshots in this chapter were taken in Windows 95. Your dialog boxes and windows may look slightly different if you are using Windows NT or Windows 3.1.

Views and Form Usage - 69

Using Form Assistant

This section describes Form Assistant and its basic OmniForm functions. Form Assistant is a dialog box that appears the first time you launch

OmniForm. Form Assistant makes decision-making easy when processing a form.

This section contains the following topics:

• Opening Form Assistant

• The Form Assistant Options

• Setting the Form Assistant Startup Option

Opening Form Assistant

There are several ways to open Form Assistant.

• Form Assistant opens automatically the first time you launch

OmniForm. Windows 95 users: click

Programs

Windows NT and 3.1 users: double-click the OmniForm icon in the Caere Applications program group.

• Click the Form Assistant button in the standard toolbar at the top

of the window if OmniForm is open.

• Choose

OmniForm



Form Assistant...

Using Form Assistant

in the Taskbar and choose

Start

in the File menu if OmniForm is open.

Form Assistant contains six options for basic OmniForm procedures as described in the next section.

Views and Form Usage - 70

The Form Assistant Options

This section gives a brief description of each option in Form Assistant. A cross-reference after each description points you to step-by-step instructions for the procedure.

Scan in a form

Using Form Assistant

Select

Scan in a form

determine how you will work with the form in OmniForm. See “Scanning a Paper Form” on page 84 or “Importing an Image File” on page 90 for instructions.

Fill in a form

Select

Fill in a form

fill it. See “Filling a Form” on page 95 for instructions.

Print or fax a form

Select

Print or fax a form

a form and print or fax it. See “Using the Print... Command” on page 97 for instructions.

Search a form for information

Select

Search a form for information

information or to open a form and search it. See “Searching With Form Assistant” on page 101 for instructions.

Work on a form’s design

Select

Work on a form’s design

open a form in design view. See “Opening a Form to Design” on page 103 for instructions.

to scan a paper form or import an image file and to

to fill the currently open form or to open a form and

to print or fax the currently open form or to open

to search the currently open form for

to redesign the currently open form or to

Create a new, blank form

Select

Create a new, blank form

“Creating a New Form” on page 104 for instructions.

to open a blank page in design view. See

Views and Form Usage - 71

Setting the Form Assistant Startup Option

You can enable or disable Form Assistant at startup. To do so:

Using Form Assistant

1 Choose

The Options dialog box appears.

• Deselect the

• Select the

2 Click

Options...

not want Form Assistant to appear at startup. OmniForm will open a blank form instead the next time you

launch it.

Form Assistant to appear at startup.

OK.

in the Tools menu.

Show Form Assistant at Startup

option if you do

option if you want

Views and Form Usage - 72

The Design View Window

This section provides an overview of the design view window. If a form is open in fill view, click the Design button in the standard

toolbar or choose

As a handy shortcut, click the right mouse button to open a shortcut menu. Choose

The design view window contains four toolbars and seven menus.

Standard toolbar

Font/text toolbar

Design

The Design View Window

in the View menu to switch to design view.

in this menu.

Arrange toolbar

Drawing toolbar

Status bar: displays current activity and settings.

The design view window also contains the calculation toolbar. Choose

Calculation

in the Tools menu to display this toolbar. See Chapter 9,

Using Calculations, for detailed information. Use design view to edit and create fields on an existing form or to create

an entirely new form. For detailed information on design view and designing forms, see

Chapter 6, Designing a Form.

Views and Form Usage - 73

The Fill View Window

This section provides an overview of the fill view window. If you are in design view, click the Fill button in the standard toolbar or

choose

As a handy shortcut, click the right mouse button to open a shortcut menu. Choose

The fill view window contains a toolbar and seven menus.

Standard toolbar

Fill

in the View menu to switch to fill view.

in this menu.

Fill

The Fill View Window

Status bar: displays current activity and settings.

Use fill view to enter data in fields, create a records database, import and export information to and from records, and print, mail, or fax forms.

See Chapter 7, Filling a Form, for detailed information on how to enter text into fillable fields and move through a form.

See Chapter 8, Managing an OmniForm Database, for detailed information on database creation and management.

Views and Form Usage - 74

Form Usage Options

This section describes form usage: how it affects the forms you scan in or import as image files, how to select form usage, and how to change it.

This section contains the following topics:

• Choosing a Form Usage Option

• Where to Select Form Usage Options

• Changing Form Usage

Choosing a Form Usage Option

Form usage affects the way you can use a form once it is in OmniForm.

Form Usage Options

Decide how you will use a form in OmniForm it: as a

designed

as described below.

OmniForm uses rectangles, lines, and fillable areas when it designs a form during scanning or import.

Designed Form

Use this option if you want to be able to:

• have full control over a form’s design

• edit all form elements in design view

• create new objects in design view

• fill fields in fill view

A designed form does not retain graphics during Logical Form Recognition but you can import graphics.

Original Form

Use this option if you want to be able to:

• have partial control over a form’s design

• maintain a form’s original look

• draw new fillable objects on the form in design view

• fill fields in fill view

form, as an

Logical Form Recognition

original

form, or as a

(LFR) to identify text,

you scan or import

before

non-designed

form image

Views and Form Usage - 75

Non-designed Form

This type of form has no fillable fields and no editable text. Basically, it is just a an image, or picture, on your computer. Use this option if you want to be able to:

• input a form of such poor quality that it would cause recognition

problems

• draw new fillable objects on the form in design view

• print, fax, or mail the form only

See Chapter 6, Designing a Form, for information on adding graphics, creating objects, and using other design techniques.

See Chapter 7, Filling a Form, for information on filling fields in fill view.

Where to Select Form Usage Options

Different form usage options are available depending on whether you open Form Assistant or choose

If you use Form Assistant, you can choose between the designed form and original form options.

Scan Form...

Form Usage Options

in the File menu.

If you use the

Scan Form...

command, you can choose between the

designed form and non-designed form options.

Form Assistant

You can choose to scan in or import either a designed form or an original form in Form Assistant.

Designed form option

Original form option

This dialog box is one of several in Form Assistant; it appears during the scanning or import process.

Views and Form Usage - 76

Scan Form Dialog Box

You can choose to scan in or import either a designed form or a nondesigned form in the Scan Form dialog box after choosing the File menu.

Changing Form Usage

Choose form. For example:

Form Usage...

•You have an

You would change the form to a designed form.

• You have a

original form to someone. You would change the form to an original form.

Form Usage Options

Scan Form...

Select this option for a designed form. Deselect it for a non-designed form.

in the View menu to change the way you can use a

original

designed

form but decide to change the design.

form that you have edited but want to fax the

There is no original view for a form that you design yourself in OmniForm.

To change form usage:

1 Choose

Form Usage...

in the View menu.

The Form Usage dialog box appears.

Views and Form Usage - 77

Form Usage Options

2 Select a form usage option.

•Select

Use Designed Form

to view the form as it was designed by OmniForm on import along with any changes you have made to the form’s design.

You can edit all text and fields, and add graphics to the form.

•Select

Use Original Form

to view the form as it looked

originally, before you scanned or imported it to OmniForm. You can create, resize, move, delete, define, or change the

appearance of fillable fields with this option. Changes you make to text, graphics, and non-fillable objects are not visible until you select

Use Designed Form.

3 Click

OK.

Your form changes to reflect the selected option.

You can change form usage for a

non-designed

form to a designed form. However, it will be blank except for any fillable objects you may have added.

Views and Form Usage - 78

International Settings

This section describes how OmniForm supports different language and cultural conventions. You can choose from 45 different

International

OmniForm usage — is a combination of a language and a region. The language you select for a particular region affects how your form displays currency, numbers, and dates.

Selecting a Language for Your Form(s)

1 If you are in fill view, click the Design button in the standard

toolbar or choose

International Settings

in the

locales

tab in the Options dialog box. A locale — as defined for

in the View menu.

Design

2 Choose 3 Click the

There are two options:

4 Click

The for the currently open form. If you have the International English or German version of OmniForm or multiple dictionaries, a dictionary in this language will also be used during a spell check.

Options...

International

Current Form.

Language

in the Tools menu.

tab.

Current Form

drop-down list displays the language being used

and

New Forms.

You cannot change the language for this option if you open the Options dialog box in fill view.

Views and Form Usage - 79

International Settings

5 Select a different language for the current form if you like.

Changing the language of the current form could cause OmniForm to misinterpret any data already entered in that form. OmniForm warns you of this if at least one field is filled and you change the

Current Form

selection.

6 Click

7 Select a different default language for new forms if you like. 8 Click

New Forms.

The

Language

will be used for the next form you open, scan, or import. The language selected for a new form will also become the

Current Form

OK.

drop-down list displays the default language that

selection when that form opens in OmniForm.

How OmniForm Uses Language Selections

The

Current Form

• The formatting of currency, number and date entries in the currently open form.

• Which dictionary is used for spell checking. (The International English version contains all available dictionaries. Other users can call 800-654-1187 to order additional dictionaries.)

• The international symbol that appears in the status bar when a form is open.

The

New Form

• The formatting of currency, number and date entries in new forms you create by scanning or importing, or by choosing in the File menu.

• The international symbol that appears in the status bar when no form is open.

language selection affects:

New

Control Panel Selections

Selections made

Regional Settings

panel (Windows NT and 3.1). Only the

displayed in OmniForm.

List Separator

International

control panel (Windows 95) or the

tab do not affect selections made in the

International

option in these control panels affects how data is

Views and Form Usage - 80

control

The Options Dialog Box Readouts

International Settings

Below the

Language

selection, OmniForm displays readouts: the international symbol for the selected language (which appears in the status bar); and currency, number, and date conventions specific to that language.

The readouts show:

• How OmniForm expects data to be entered in fill view.

• How OmniForm will format data in fill view if it is not entered correctly. (Formatting takes place after you move the cursor out of a field.) See the next section for formatting examples.

Formatting Examples

Currency

If you selected

German (Austrian)

as the

Current Form

language, the

numbers 123456 entered in an appropriately defined currency field would display as öS 1.234,56.

If you selected

German (Liechtenstein)

as the

Current Form

language, the

numbers would display as CHF 1’234.56.

Date

If you selected

English (United States)

as the

Current Form

language, the

date 2/5/96 entered in an appropriately defined date field would display as February 5, 1996.

If you selected

German (Standard)

as the

Current Form

language, the date

would display as 2. Mai 1996.

The Scan Form Dialog Box

The

New Form

This becomes the

language selection appears in the Scan Form dialog box.

Current Form

You cannot change the

language if this option

Forms

is selected.

New Forms

Click

New Forms

language selectio

Options...

to change the

language section.

New

language after the form is in OmniForm.

Views and Form Usage - 81

International Settings

• Click

• If you select

The Object Definition Dialog Box Options

The

Current Form

for fillable objects defined as type Definition dialog box. For example, the long-date format for English (United States) is MMMM dd, yyyy. The long-date format for German (Standard) is d.MMMM yyyy.

Allow Multiple Languages

The

How it Works

You can select multiple-language forms. OmniForm will then recognize all characters in all languages it supports. The setting does not affect the language(s) selected for your form in the Options dialog box and vice versa.

When you select dictionaries during optical character recognition (OCR) so that recognizable characters are allowed. If dictionaries were on, special characters such as umlauts might be discarded or questionable words in one language could be mistaken for words in another language.

Options...

You cannot change the

to Current Form

associated with the current form. A form can have only one language.

changes to reflect the

language selection affects available formatting options

Allow Multiple Languages

Allow Multiple Languages,

to change the language for your new form.

New Form

is checked because a language is already

Add Page(s) to Current Form

Current Form

language selection if

, the

Language

language if it is different.

Number, Date, or Currency

Option

in the Scan dialog box for

OmniForm turns off

Add Page(s)

display

in the Object

all

Do not select may not be as efficient with dictionaries turned off.

Selecting the

Determine which language composes the majority of your form and select that as the

Options...

Remember that the selected language affects sort order and how dates, numbers, and currency are formatted in fill view. See “Multiple Languages” on page 189 for information on spell-checking a form with multiple languages.

Allow Multiple Languages

New Forms

New Form

in the Scan Form dialog box.

Language

s language before scanning. To do so, click

for a single-language form. OCR

Views and Form Usage - 82

Chapter 5

OmniForm Procedures

This chapter describes basic OmniForm procedures: how to turn your paper forms into electronic forms; how to fill, print, mail, and fax forms; how to open forms to fill, redesign, and search for information. It also lists all menu commands.

This chapter contains the following sections:

• Scanning a Paper Form

• Importing an Image File

• Filling a Form

• Printing or Faxing a Form

• Searching a Form

• Opening a Form to Design

• Creating a New Form

• Opening a Form

• Mailing a Form

• Menu Commands

Most screenshots in this chapter were taken in Windows 95. Your dialog boxes and windows may look slightly different if you are using Windows NT or Windows 3.1.

OmniForm Procedures - 83

Scanning a Paper Form

This section describes how to use both Form Assistant and the

Form...

You can scan paper forms directly into OmniForm if you have a scanner. Forms should be blank with crisp, dark text on a white background for best results.

You can use the Sample Form included with your OmniForm package as a test page if you like.

command to turn your paper form into an electronic form.

Scanning With Form Assistant

1 Windows 95 users: click

Programs

Windows NT and 3.1 users: double-click the OmniForm icon in the Caere Applications folder.

If OmniForm is already open, click the Form Assistant button in the standard toolbar to open Form Assistant.

Form Assistant appears. 2 Select 3 Select a source for the form in the next window.

•Select Proceed to step 5.

•Select compatible scanner. Proceed to step 4.

OmniForm



Scan in a form

Hewlett-Packard Scanner

TWAIN (all other scanners)

and then click

Scan

in the Taskbar and choose

Start

Next>

if you have an HP scanner.

if you have a TWAIN-

4 Users who selected

window to select a TWAIN source.

• Select a source in the Select Source dialog box.

• Click

• Proceed to step 5.

5 Click 6 Select a paper size in the next window.

•Select

•Select A4 if the form is 21 by 29.7 centimeters (European).

Select

Next>

Letter Legal

TWAIN

to return to Form Assistant.

if the form is 8.5 by 11 inches.

if the form is 8.5 by 14 inches.

can click

Select Source...

OmniForm Procedures - 84

in the next

Scanning a Paper Form

7 Click

Next>

The next window only appears if a form is open already. Proceed to step 9 if a form is not open.

8 Select whether you want the scanned page to be a new form or

to add the page to a currently open form in the next window, and then click

Next>

9 Select form usage in the next window.

• Select the first option if you want to edit or redesign a form.

• Select the second option if you do not want to edit or redesign a form, just fill it in.

10 Click

Next>

The last window prompts you to place a page in your scanner.

11 Make sure the page is aligned correctly in your scanner, and

click

Finish.

OmniForm scans the form. The OmniForm window displays scanning, designing, and straightening progress.

How your form appears in OmniForm depends on the form usage option you chose in Form Assistant.

12 Click the Save button in the standard toolbar or choose

in the File menu to name and save your file.

13 Begin to fill or edit your form.

OmniForm Procedures - 85

Save...

Scanning a Paper Form

See Chapter 6, Designing a Form, for detailed information on defining, moving, resizing, and creating fields, and other design functions.

See Chapter 7, Filling a Form, for detailed information on the kinds of fields you may find on a form and how to fill them.

Using the

Scan Form...

1 Click the Scan button in the standard toolbar or choose

Form...

The Scan Form dialog box appears.

2 Select a source in the

•Select Proceed to step 3.

•Select Proceed to step 4.

3 If you selected

to choose a page size and adjust scanning brightness.

Command

in the File menu.

Source

HP Scanner

TWAIN

if you have an HP scanner.

if you have a TWAIN-compatible scanner.

HP Scanner

drop-down list.

as the source, click

Set Up Scanner...

Scan

OmniForm Procedures - 86

Scanning a Paper Form

Text on a shaded

background. Select

Auto (AccuPage).

• Select an option under Select Select

if the form is 8.5 by 11 inches.

Letter

if the form is 8.5 by 14 inches.

Legal

Page Size

Select A4 if the form is 21 by 29.7 centimeters (European).

• Select a scanning brightness under Select

Auto (AccuPage)

if your scanner supports HP AccuPage

Brightness.

and your form is printed on colored, shaded, or smudged paper, or if it has very small type.

Select

Lighten

if the form has very thick or run-together text,

or if the background is smudged, shaded, or colored Select

Normal

if the form has crisp, black text and objects on a

white background. Select

Darken

if the form has very thin or broken text such as

with a poor-quality fax or a copy of a copy.

Thick, dark text.

Select

Lighten.

Thin, broken text.

Select

Darken.

Crisp, black text.

Select

Normal.

• Click OK to return to the Scan Form dialog box.

• Proceed to step 5.

TWAIN

users can click

Select Source...

in the next window.

• Select a source in the Select Source dialog box.

• Click

to return to the Scan Form dialog box.

Select

• Proceed to step 5.

5 Select an option in the

•Select

to have OmniForm determine orientation

Auto

Orientation

drop-down list.

automatically.

•Select

Portrait Landscape Flipped

for a vertically oriented page.

for a horizontally oriented page.

to automatically rotate a portrait page 180

degrees during the scan.

•Select

Flipscape

to automatically rotate a landscape page 180

degrees during the scan.

OmniForm Procedures - 87

Scanning a Paper Form

The

Flipped

and

Flipscape

options are useful for scanning pages in a

book that needs to be turned upside down or sideways.

6 Select import options.

•Select

Auto Form Design

to use Logical Form Recognition to

recognize text and fillable fields in the form. This gives you full control over a form’s design. Graphics are

not retained but you can import them.

• Deselect

Auto Form Design

to scan a form without recognizing

form design. Text and fillable fields are not recognized. This is useful if you just want to print, fax, or mail a form, or

if the form is of such poor quality that it would cause recognition problems.

•Select

Auto Form Straightening

to have OmniForm

automatically straighten a crooked page. This is useful if you scan a page in a large, unevenly cut, or

thick document that is difficult to position correctly.

•Select

Add Page(s) to Current Form

to make the newly scanned

page the next page in the current form. This option is only available if a form is open.

7 Verify that the selected language under

Language

want for your new form.

• To change the default language for the new form, click

Options...

• Select a language in the

to open a modified Options dialog box.

Language

drop-down list.

See “International Settings” on page 79 for more information on the international options.

• Click OK to return to the Scan Form dialog box.

is the one you

8Select

Allow Multiple Languages

if your form contains more than

one language that you want OmniForm to recognize. This setting does not affect the selected language for your form

set in the previous step. Do not select this setting for a single-language form as optical

character recognition (OCR) may not be as efficient.

OmniForm Procedures - 88

Scanning a Paper Form

9 Click OK in the Scan Form dialog box to begin scanning.

(TWAIN users may see a TWAIN dialog box for their scanner after clicking

See “Scanners” on page 267 for information

OK.

on scanner settings.) OmniForm scans the form. The OmniForm window displays

scanning, designing, and straightening progress if you selected those options.

How your form appears depends on whether or not you chose

Auto Form Design

10 Click the Save button in the standard toolbar or choose

in the Scan Form dialog box.

Save...

in the File menu to name and save your file.

11 Begin to fill or edit your form.

See Chapter 6, Designing a Form, for detailed information on defining, moving, resizing, and creating fields, and other design functions.

See Chapter 7, Filling a Form, for detailed information on the kinds of fields you may find on a form and how to fill them.

See the sections on printing, faxing, and mailing in this chapter if you have a non-designed form.

OmniForm Procedures - 89

Importing an Image File

This section describes how to use both Form Assistant and the

Form...

form. OmniForm can import and recognize black-and-white forms in either

PCX or TIFF format. Image resolution must be 200, 300, or 400 dots per inch (dpi). If you have a fax modem, for example, you can receive a faxed form and use the fax program’s software to save the file in PCX or TIFF format. OmniForm offers the same import options for image files as it does for scanned forms.

command to import an image file as a recognized OmniForm

Importing With Form Assistant

1 Windows 95 users: Click

Programs

Windows NT and 3.1 users: double-click the OmniForm icon in the Caere Applications folder.

Click the Form Assistant button in the standard toolbar if OmniForm is already open.

Form Assistant appears. 2 Select 3Select

that is in a supported image format.

This could be a form created in another program or one

received as a fax file.

OmniForm



Scan in a form

Fax or Image File

and then click

Scan

in the Taskbar and choose

Start

Next>

in the next window to recognize a form

4 Click 5 Select a file in the next window.

• Click

• Select a file in the Browse dialog box and click to Form Assistant.

6 Click

The next window only appears if a form is open already. Proceed to step 8 if a form is not open.

7 Select to have scan the page as a new form and click

to add the page to the currently open form and click

Next>

Browse...

Next>.

if you need to locate a file.

Open

OmniForm Procedures - 90

to return

, or

Next> Finish>

Importing an Image File

8 Select form usage in the last window.

• Select the first option if you want to edit or redesign a form.

• Select the second option if you do not want to edit or redesign a form, just fill it in.

9 Click

Finish>

The OmniForm window displays scanning, designing, and straightening progress.

How your form appears in OmniForm depends on the form usage options you chose in Form Assistant.

10 Click the Save button in the standard toolbar or choose

in the File menu to name and save your file.

Save...

11 Begin to fill or edit your form.

See Chapter 6, Designing a Form, for detailed information on defining, moving, resizing, and creating fields, and other design functions.

See Chapter 7, Filling a Form, for detailed information on the kinds of fields you may find on a form and how to fill them.

OmniForm Procedures - 91

Importing an Image File

Using the

Scan Form...

1 Click the Scan button in the standard toolbar or choose

Form...

The Scan Form dialog box appears.

2Select

form in a supported image format.

This could be a form created in another program or one received as a fax file.

3 Click

• Locate and select a file.

• Click You can select up to 20 files from one or more folders.

• Click OK to return to the Scan Form dialog box when you are done.

Command to Import

in the File menu.

Image File(s)

Select Files...

Add File

in the

Source

to open the Select Files dialog box.

to add the file to the

drop-down list to recognize a

Files to Process

Scan

list box.

4 Select an option in the

•Select automatically.

•Select

•Select degrees during the scan.

The

Flipped

book that needs to be turned upside down or sideways.

to have OmniForm determine orientation

Auto

Portrait Landscape Flipped

Flipscape

and

for a vertically oriented page.

to automatically rotate a portrait page 180

Flipscape

Orientation

for a horizontally oriented page.

to automatically rotate a landscape page 180

options are useful for scanning pages in a

drop-down list.

OmniForm Procedures - 92

Importing an Image File

5 Select import options.

•Select

Auto Form Design

to use Logical Form Recognition to

recognize text and fillable fields in the form. This gives you full control over a form’s design. Graphics are

not retained but you can import them.

• Deselect

Auto Form Design

to scan a form without recognizing

form design. Text and fillable fields are not recognized. This is useful if you just want to print, fax, or mail a form, or

if the form is of such poor quality that it would cause recognition problems.

•Select

Auto Form Straightening

to have OmniForm

automatically straighten a crooked page. This is useful if you scan a page in a large, unevenly cut, or

thick document that is difficult to position correctly.

•Select

Add Page(s) to Current Form

to make the newly scanned

page the next page in the current form. This option is only available if a form is open.

6 Verify that the selected language under

Language

is the one you

want for your new form.

• To change the default language for the new form, click

Options...

• Select a language in the

to open a modified Options dialog box.

Language

drop-down list.

See “International Settings” on page 79 for more information on the international options.

Click OK to return to the Scan Form dialog box.

7Select

Allow Multiple Languages

if your form contains more than

one language that you want OmniForm to recognize. This setting does not affect the selected language for your form

set in the previous step. Do not select this setting for a single-language form as optical

character recognition (OCR) may not be as efficient.

8 Click OK.

OmniForm Procedures - 93

Importing an Image File

OmniForm imports the form. The OmniForm window displays scanning, designing, and straightening progress if you selected these options.

How your form appears depends on whether or not you chose to have OmniForm design the form during import.

9 Click the Save button in the standard toolbar or choose

Save...

in the File menu to name and save your file.

10 Begin to fill or edit your form.

See Chapter 6, Designing a Form, for detailed information on defining, moving, resizing, and creating fields, and other design functions.

See Chapter 7, Filling a Form, for detailed information on the kinds of fields you may find on a form and how to fill them.

See the sections on printing, faxing, and mailing in this chapter if you have a non-designed form.

OmniForm Procedures - 94

Filling a Form

This section describes how to use both Form Assistant and the command to open a form and fill it.

Filling Fields With Form Assistant

1 Windows 95 users: click

Programs

Windows NT and 3.1 users: double-click the OmniForm icon in the Caere Applications folder.

Click the Form Assistant button in the standard toolbar if OmniForm is already open.

Form Assistant appears. 2Select 3 Select which form to use in the next window.

• Select the first option and click Select a form in the Open dialog box and click

to the Form Assistant dialog box.

• Select the second option to work with the current form. This option is available only if a form is open.

4 Click

OmniForm opens the selected form in fill view. See “The Fill View Window” on page 74 for a description.

OmniForm



Fill in a form

Finish>

after you select an option.

Start

and click

in the Taskbar and choose

Next>.

Browse...

to open a form.

Open

Fill

to return

See Chapter 7, Filling a Form, for detailed information on the kinds of fields you may find on a form and how to fill them.

Using the

5 Click in a field or press the Tab or Enter key to place the cursor

in the first field. 6 Type the information you want to enter. 7 Press the Tab or Enter key to move to the next field.

Press Shift-Tab or Shift-Enter to move to the previous field. 8 Continue to fill fields in this way.

Command

Fill

1 If you have a form open and are in design view, click the Fill

button in the standard toolbar or choose 2 Follow steps 5–8 in “Filling Fields With Form Assistant” above.

in the View menu.

Fill

OmniForm Procedures - 95

Printing or Faxing a Form

This section describes how to use both Form Assistant and the command to print or fax a form, and how to print a form as a macro.

You must have fax hardware and software installed in order to fax a form. Refer to your fax documentation for instructions on how to set up your equipment for faxing. Faxing uses the in these instructions describes both printing and faxing.

Print...

Printing/Faxing With Form Assistant

1 Windows 95 users: click

Programs

Windows NT and 3.1 users: double-click the OmniForm icon in

the Caere Applications folder.

Click the Form Assistant button in the standard toolbar if

OmniForm is already open.

Form Assistant appears. 2Select

The next window only appears if a form is open already.

Proceed to step 5 if a form is not open. 3 Select which form to use in the next window.

• Select the first option and click Select a form in the Open dialog box and click

to the Form Assistant dialog box.

• Select the second option to work with the current form.

OmniForm



Print or fax a form

in the Taskbar and choose

Start

and click

command. The word

Next>.

Browse...

to open a form.

Open

Print...

to return

4 Click 5 Select what data to print or fax in the next window.

•Select would appear in design view, without any information in fillable fields.

•Select graphics, and any information in fillable fields.

•Select information you have typed in the fillable fields and place the pre-printed form is in your printer.

after you select an option.

Next>

Print or fax blank copies of the form

Print or fax filled in copies of the form

Print the form’s data over pre-printed forms

to print the form as it

OmniForm Procedures - 96

to print all text,

to print just the

Printing or Faxing a Form

Using the

6 Click 7 Select how you would like the form to look in the next window.

8 Click

9 Select the desired print options and click

Print...

1 Click the Print button in the standard toolbar or choose

2 This is how the dialog box looks in fill view in Windows NT

Next>.

• Select the first option to print the form as it was designed by OmniForm during import or by the person who designed it in OmniForm.

• Select the second option to print the form as it appeared when it was a hard copy, without any edits or redesign.

Finish.

The Print dialog box appears.

OK.

See the next section for detailed information about the Print dialog box options.

OmniForm prints or faxes your form with the settings you chose. Depending on your fax software, more dialog boxes may appear after you click OK in the Print dialog box.

Command

Print...

in the File menu. The Print dialog box appears.

and 3.1.

OmniForm Procedures - 97

Printing or Faxing a Form

This dialog box contains the

Quick Print

option. Select this

option to:

• Print forms faster.

• Achieve a smaller file size when using the

Print to File

See the online help for detailed information about the

option.

Quick

3 This is how the dialog box looks in fill view in Windows 95.

4 Select an option in the

•Select

Form and Data

Form/Data

to print all text, graphics, and any

drop-down list.

information in fillable fields.

•Select

Data Only

to print just the information you have typed in the fillable fields. This is useful if you want to print data over a pre-printed form.

•Select

Form Only

to print just the form without any

information in fillable fields.

OmniForm Procedures - 98

Printing or Faxing a Form

5 Select an option in the

This option is only available if selected in the

•Select

Form/data Current Record Only Current Record Set

drop-down list.

Data

Form and Data or Data Only

drop-down list.

to print just the current record.

to print the current found set of

records.

•Select

6Select

Collate

All Records

to print every record in the database.

to assemble multiple printed copies in the proper

sequence. This option is available if your form has more than one page

and your printer supports collating.

7 Enter offset measurements under

want

Print offsets for data

if you

This is useful if you want to position data in a specific place on the page. This option is only available if the

Form/Data

8Select

Use macro to print form

drop-down list.

if you have a macro programming

Data Only

is selected in

utility installed and want to print a stored print file. This option is only available if you have set a macro number.

See “Printing Your Form as a Macro” on page 100 for information.

9 Select any other print options you want.

10 Click

OK.

OmniForm prints or faxes your form with the selected settings.

• Depending on your fax software, more dialog boxes may appear after you click OK in the Print dialog box. See your fax documentation for information.

• The Print to File dialog box appears after you click selected the

Print to file

location for the file, type a file name in the and click

OK.

option in the Print dialog box. Select a

File Name

OmniForm Procedures - 99

if you

text box,

Printing Your Form as a Macro

OmniForm supports macro programming utilities, such as Kelly FlashSIMM, that translate print files to macros and download them to a Flash storage device in a printer.

Set up a Form as a Macro

1 Open or scan in the form you want to translate to a macro. 2 If the form opens in fill view, click the Design button in the

standard toolbar or choose to design view.

Printing or Faxing a Form

in the View menu to switch

Design

3 Choose

The Print dialog box appears. See “Using the Print... Command” on page 97 for detailed

information on the Print dialog box. 4 Type a number in the 5Select 6 Use your macro program to locate the file and assign it the

same macro number you entered in the Print dialog box. 7 Download the file to the flash device in your printer.

See your program’s documentation for detailed instructions.

Print a Macro

1 Launch OmniForm and open the form you want to print. 2 Choose 3Select 4 Select any other options you want and click

See your macro programming utility documentation for an

explanation of the way a stored macro is printed.

in the File menu.

Print...

Macro Number

Print to File

Print...

Use macro to print form.

and click

in the File menu to open the Print dialog box.

text box.

OK.

OmniForm Procedures - 100

Nuance ScanSoft OmniForm User’s Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Introduction

OmniForm Features

Using the Documentation

Screenshots and Instructions

Online Help

Formatting

Symbols

Installation and Setup

System Requirements

Registering OmniForm

Installing OmniForm

Installing on a Windows 95 System

Installing on a Windows NT or 3.1 System

Starting OmniForm

Tutorials

Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form

Launch OmniForm

Scan the Sample Form

Fax the Sample Form

Import an Image File

Filling in the Form

Design View

Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form

Launch OmniForm

Scan or Import the Sample Form

Verifying the OCR

Modifying the Form’s Design

Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form

Pre-Organization

Open a New, Blank Form

Create the Text Objects

Create the Fill Text Objects

Create the Comb Objects

Create the Check Box Objects

Create the Table Object

Create the Graphic Objects

Define the Calculations

Customize the Form

Test the Form in Fill View

Tutorial 4 — The OmniForm Database

Duplicating a Database Record

Creating New Records

Search the Database Records

Sort the Database Records

Database Changes

Deleting Records

Views and Form Usage

Using Form Assistant

Opening Form Assistant

The Form Assistant Options

Setting the Form Assistant Startup Option

The Design View Window

The Fill View Window

Form Usage Options

Choosing a Form Usage Option

Where to Select Form Usage Options

Changing Form Usage

International Settings

Selecting a Language for Your Form(s)

How OmniForm Uses Language Selections

OmniForm Procedures

Scanning a Paper Form

Scanning With Form Assistant

Importing an Image File

Importing With Form Assistant

Filling a Form

Filling Fields With Form Assistant

Printing or Faxing a Form

Printing/Faxing With Form Assistant

Printing Your Form as a Macro