Page 1 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...
Page 2: Product Serial Number
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 Copyright©...
Page 3 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.
Page 4: Omniform Features
OmniForm Features 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 Use OmniForm’s fill view to fill a form with the information you need.
Page 5: Using The Documentation
Using the Documentation 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.
Page 6: Courier Font
Using the Documentation Courier font • The Courier font indicates text that you are supposed to enter; for example, “Type Sample1 in the File Name text box and click OK.” • The Courier font is also used to distinguish file paths and file and folder names from the rest of the text;...
Page 7: Installation And Setup
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...
Page 8: System Requirements
System Requirements 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. •...
Page 9: Installing Omniform
Installing OmniForm 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.
Page 10 Installing OmniForm Installing on a Windows NT or 3.1 System Start Windows NT or 3.1 and open the Program Manager window. Insert OmniForm disk #1 in drive a: (or b:) of your computer. Choose Run in the Program Manager File menu. The Run dialog box appears.
Page 11: Starting Omniform
Starting OmniForm 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. Install your scanner and test it in Windows before using it with OmniForm.
Page 12 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 •...
Page 13: Tutorial 1 - Load And Fill A Form
Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form 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.
Page 14: Scan The Sample Form
Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form • 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. •...
Page 15 Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form Select Letter in the next window if this option is not selected already. The Sample form is a letter-sized page. Click Next>. The next window offers two form usage options. Select the second option. You will just fill the form in this exercise, not work on its design.
Page 16 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 Save in the File menu.
Page 17: Fax The Sample Form
Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form 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: Make sure your fax modem is turned on and that your fax software is set up to receive a call.
Page 18 Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form Load the Image File in OmniForm Select Scan in a form in Form Assistant and then click Next>. Select Fax or Image in the next window and then click Next>. Click Browse... in the next window. The Browse dialog box appears.
Page 19 Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form This is how the dialog box looks in Windows 3.1 and NT. 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.
Page 20 Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form Select the second option. You will just fill the form in this exercise, not work on its design. Click Finish>. The OmniForm window displays scanning, designing, and straightening progress. The Sample form opens as Form1 in fill view. Tutorials - 20...
Page 21: Filling In The Form
Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form Click the Save button or choose Save in the File menu. 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. Filling in the Form The Sample form you scanned or imported in the previous exercise opens in fill view.
Page 22 Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form 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. Place your cursor over one of the buttons and hold it there without clicking.
Page 23 Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form Continue to press the Tab key to move to and fill in the Address, City, and State fields (or click to place the cursor there). You can press Shift-Tab to move to a previous field. Tab to or click in the Zip Code field.
Page 24: Design View
Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form Move down the page and click in the square next to the words Check here to receive our next magazine. An “X” appears in the box. This is a check box field. Click the word Yes next to the words Would you like to receive more information? Nothing happens.
Page 25 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. Standard toolbar Font/text toolbar Arrange toolbar Drawing 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.
Page 26: Format Text
Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form Create a Circle Text field Click the Circle Text tool in the drawing toolbar. Your cursor changes to a plus sign with a circle. Draw a circle (or oval) around the word Yes next to the words Would you like to receive more information? You will select this circle later in fill view.
Page 27 Tutorial 1 — Load and Fill a Form Return to Fill View 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 Cost cell is right-aligned. Click the word Yes next to the words Would you like to receive more information? This time, a circle appears around the word Yes.
Page 28: Scan Or Import The Sample Form
Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form 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.
Page 29 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. Select Auto Form Design to use Logical Form Recognition to recognize text and fillable fields in the form.
Page 30 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. Click OK in the Scan Form dialog box. OmniForm loads the form, recognizes both text and fields, and opens it in design view.
Page 31 Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form 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.
Page 32 Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form Use the Zoom button’s drop-down list to zoom your page view in and out. 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.
Page 33 Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form Copy the Arrow Graphic 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.
Page 34 Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form The Graphic Definition dialog box appears. Select Form Image in the Source drop-down list. Click OK. The arrow appears in the top window. Choose Form Image in the View menu to close the bottom window.
Page 35 Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form Place the cursor over the middle handle on the right end of the object and hold down the mouse button. Move the cursor to the left to make the Name fill text object smaller.
Page 36 Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form Create Text and Fill Text Objects Click the Text tool in the drawing toolbar. 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 Label in it.
Page 37 Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form Draw a text object next to the check box and type Check here to receive our next catalogue. Draw a text object below the check boxes and type Number of times a year you use our catalogue:. Click the Lock tool to deselect it.
Page 38 Tutorial 2 — Edit and Design a Form measurement set in the Grid Settings dialog box (choose Grid Settings... in the Tools menu). Use the 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.
Page 39: Tutorial 3 - Design Your Own Form
Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form 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.
Page 40: Open A New, Blank Form
Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form 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.
Page 41: Create The Fill Text Objects
Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form Create the Text Objects 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:. Create the text objects in one of three ways: •...
Page 42 Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form Line the fill text objects up with the Customer, Contact, Address, City, and State text objects. Select the Customer fill text object. Click the Object Definition button in the standard toolbar or choose Object Definition... in the Format menu. The Fill Text Definition dialog box appears.
Page 43 Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form Fill Lines Draw a large fill text object. Drag it beneath the text object Comments. With the object still selected, click the Top Alignment button in the font/text toolbar. With the object still selected, click the Left Alignment button in the font/text toolbar.
Page 44 Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form Select Black, a solid line, and 1/4 pt in the drop-down lists, and deselect Clear as pictured below. Click OK. The bottom border disappears from the selected object and fill lines appear to show where lines of text will flow. With the object still selected, click the Object Definition button in the standard toolbar to open the Fill Text Definition dialog box.
Page 45: Create The Comb Objects
Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form 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 Click the Comb tool in the drawing toolbar. Draw a comb object.
Page 46 Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form Select Special Fields (Special in Windows 3.1) in the Scrapbook drop-down list. Locate the Phone Number scrap in the scrapbook. Select the scrap and drag it into the form below the City objects. Locate the Fax Number scrap in the scrapbook.
Page 47: Create The Check Box Objects
Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form Create the Check Box Objects Click the Check Box tool in the drawing toolbar. Draw a check box. Hold down the Shift key to constrain the shape to a square. With the object still selected, choose Copy and then Paste in the Edit menu.
Page 48: Create The Table Object
Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form 10 Drag the check boxes in front of the Editing, Tech Writing, Marketing Writing, and Advertising Copy text objects under Job Type. Create the Table Object Create the Table Click the Table tool in the drawing toolbar. Draw a table.
Page 49 Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form The Object Appearance dialog box appears. Click the Background tab and select Clear. Click the Border tab. A one-point black border is selected by default. Just for looks, add a shadow effect to the border: •...
Page 50 Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form Select the Yes option in the next window to enable the Field Names text box. Select the first word Label and click Rename. Type Task. All fill text fields within cells in this column are automatically renamed Task1, Task2, and so forth.
Page 51 Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form The Text dialog box appears. • 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. •...
Page 52: Create The Graphic Objects
Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form • Select m/d/yy in the Format drop-down list. Click OK. Numbers entered in this row will be formatted as right-aligned dates in the m/d/yy format (10/15/95). Drag the table above the Comments text object to about the middle of the form.
Page 53: Define The Calculations
Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form 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 Click the graphic tool in the drawing toolbar. It is below the Rectangle tool.
Page 54 Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form Create and Define the Fill Text Objects Click the Fill Text tool. Draw a fill text object anywhere on the page. 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.
Page 55 Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form Draw another Fill Text object and use the Object Definition command to define it as pictured below: Click OK. Create the Text Objects Click the Text tool. Draw an object and type an x. Draw another object and type an equal sign(=).
Page 56 Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form The calculation toolbar appears at the top of the window below the font/text toolbar. Accept Auto Calculation Calculation Cancel Calculation Click to Edit Calculation — the calculation Calculation Builder for the field appears in the text box. Click the Calculation Builder button in the calculation toolbar.
Page 57 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. Select the Profit fill text object.
Page 58 Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form Align the Objects Use the Align commands in the Format menu or the Arrange toolbar to 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 command in the Tools menu to line fields up precisely along a grid.
Page 59 Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form • Click the Border tab and select the settings shown below. • Click on each side of the rectangle in the Borders box to place borders around the entire object. 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.
Page 60 Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form Both indicate current tab order. In the example above, the user wants the check box fields to be before the Rate field because that is the order of the fields on the form. Your Tab Order dialog box will not necessarily look the same as this one.
Page 61: Test The Form In Fill View
Tutorial 3 — Design Your Own Form Test the Form in Fill View Click the Fill button or choose Fill in the View menu. Click the fill graphic field in the upper right corner of the form. The Fill Graphic dialog box appears. •...
Page 62 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. Verify that comb field elements contain the right amount of numbers.
Page 63: Tutorial 4 - The Omniform Database
Tutorial 4 — The OmniForm Database 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 records. Each record uses the same form design but can contain different information in its fields.
Page 64: Creating New Records
Tutorial 4 — The OmniForm Database To duplicate a record: Locate and open the Job Tracking (jobtrack in Windows 3.1) form you created in the previous tutorial. Enter the customer information shown below. Suppose you did another job for this company but this time instead of editing it was marketing writing.
Page 65: Search The Database Records
Tutorial 4 — The OmniForm Database Type Zimmer DTP in the Customer fill text field in the new record. Fill in other information if you like. Use the Record buttons in the toolbar to scroll through your records. First Record Previous Record Record Number Next Record Last Record...
Page 66: Sort The Database Records
Tutorial 4 — The OmniForm Database OmniForm searches the database and retrieves the two records that match the search criteria. This is called the found set. 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.
Page 67: Database Changes
Tutorial 4 — The OmniForm Database 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: Click the Design button or choose Design in the View menu.
Page 68: Deleting Records
Tutorial 4 — The OmniForm Database Deleting Records You may want to delete an old or obsolete record. To delete a record: Return to Fill view if you are not in it already. Choose Delete Record in the Records menu. Click Yes in the warning dialog box that appears.
Page 69: Views And Form Usage
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;...
Page 70: Using Form Assistant
Using Form Assistant 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: •...
Page 71: The Form Assistant Options
Using Form Assistant 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 Select Scan in a form to scan a paper form or import an image file and to determine how you will work with the form in OmniForm.
Page 72: Setting The Form Assistant Startup Option
Using Form Assistant Setting the Form Assistant Startup Option You can enable or disable Form Assistant at startup. To do so: Choose Options... in the Tools menu. The Options dialog box appears. • Deselect the Show Form Assistant at Startup option if you do not want Form Assistant to appear at startup.
Page 73: The Design View Window
The Design View Window 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 Design in the View menu to switch to design view. As a handy shortcut, click the right mouse button to open a shortcut menu.
Page 74: The Fill View Window
The Fill View Window 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 Fill in the View menu to switch to fill view. As a handy shortcut, click the right mouse button to open a shortcut menu.
Page 75: Choosing A Form Usage Option
Form Usage Options 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: •...
Page 76: Where To Select Form Usage Options
Form Usage Options 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 •...
Page 77: Changing Form Usage
Form Usage Options Scan Form Dialog Box You can choose to scan in or import either a designed form or a non- designed form in the Scan Form dialog box after choosing Scan Form... in the File menu. Select this option for a designed form.
Page 78 Form Usage Options 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. •...
Page 79: International Settings
International Settings International Settings This section describes how OmniForm supports different language and cultural conventions. You can choose from 45 different locales in the International tab in the Options dialog box. A locale — as defined for 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.
Page 80: How Omniform Uses Language Selections
International Settings 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.
Page 81 International Settings The Options Dialog Box Readouts 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: •...
Page 82 International Settings • Click Options... to change the language for your new form. You cannot change the New Form language selection if Add Page(s) to Current Form is checked because a language is already associated with the current form. A form can have only one language.
Page 83: Omniform Procedures
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.
Page 84: Scanning A Paper Form
Scanning a Paper Form Scanning a Paper Form This section describes how to use both Form Assistant and the Scan Form... command to turn your paper form into an electronic 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.
Page 85 Scanning a Paper Form Click Next>. The next window only appears if a form is open already. Proceed to step 9 if a form is not open. 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>.
Page 86 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...
Page 87 Scanning a Paper Form • Select an option under Page Size: Select Letter if the form is 8.5 by 11 inches. Select Legal if the form is 8.5 by 14 inches. Select A4 if the form is 21 by 29.7 centimeters (European). •...
Page 88 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. Select import options. • Select Auto Form Design to use Logical Form Recognition to recognize text and fillable fields in the form.
Page 89 Scanning a Paper Form Click OK in the Scan Form dialog box to begin scanning. (TWAIN users may see a TWAIN dialog box for their scanner after clicking OK. See “Scanners” on page 267 for information on scanner settings.) OmniForm scans the form. The OmniForm window displays scanning, designing, and straightening progress if you selected those options.
Page 90: Importing An Image File
Importing an Image File Importing an Image File This section describes how to use both Form Assistant and the Scan Form... command to import an image file as a recognized OmniForm form. OmniForm can import and recognize black-and-white forms in either PCX or TIFF format.
Page 91 Importing an Image File 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. Click Finish>.
Page 92 Importing an Image File Using the Scan Form... Command to Import Click the Scan button in the standard toolbar or choose Scan Form... in the File menu. The Scan Form dialog box appears. Select Image File(s) in the Source drop-down list to recognize a form in a supported image format.
Page 93 Importing an Image File 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. •...
Page 94 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. Click the Save button in the standard toolbar or choose Save...
Page 95: Filling Fields With Form Assistant
Filling a Form Filling a Form This section describes how to use both Form Assistant and the Fill command to open a form and fill it. Filling Fields With Form Assistant Windows 95 users: click Start in the Taskbar and choose Programs OmniForm.
Page 96: Printing Or Faxing A Form
Printing or Faxing a Form Printing or Faxing a Form This section describes how to use both Form Assistant and the Print... 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.
Page 97 Printing or Faxing a Form Click Next>. Select how you would like the form to look in the next window. • 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.
Page 98 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 option. See the online help for detailed information about the Quick Print option.
Page 99 Printing or Faxing a Form Select an option in the Data drop-down list. This option is only available if Form and Data or Data Only is selected in the Form/data drop-down list. • Select Current Record Only to print just the current record. •...
Page 100: Printing Your Form As A Macro
Printing or Faxing a Form 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 Open or scan in the form you want to translate to a macro.
Page 101: Searching A Form
Searching a Form Searching a Form This section describes how to use both Form Assistant and the Search... command to open a form and perform a search. Searching With Form Assistant Windows 95 users: click Start in the Taskbar and choose Programs OmniForm.
Page 102 Searching a Form Select the which records to search. • Select Search All Records in the Database to search all records in the current database. • Select Only Search Current Record Set to search the current found set of records. This option is available after a search. Click OK.
Page 103: Opening A Form To Design
Opening a Form to Design Opening a Form to Design This section describes how to use both Form Assistant and the Design command to open a form in design view. See Chapter 6, Designing a Form, for detailed information on designing and editing forms.
Page 104: Creating A New Form With Form Assistant
Creating a New Form Creating a New Form This section describes how to use both Form Assistant and the New command to create a new form. See Chapter 6, Designing a Form, for detailed information on form design. Creating a New Form With Form Assistant Windows 95 users: click Start in the Taskbar and choose Programs OmniForm.
Page 105: Opening A Form
Opening a Form Opening a Form This section describes how to use the Open... command to open a form. You can have up to 20 forms open at the same time. To open a form: Windows 95 users: click Start in the Taskbar and choose Programs OmniForm.
Page 106 Opening a Form Make sure OmniForm Form is selected in the Files of type (Windows 95) or List Files of Type (Windows NT and 3.1) drop- down list. Locate and select a file. Click Open (Windows 95) or OK (Windows NT and 3.1). The form opens in the last view in which it was saved.
Page 107: Mailing A Form
Mailing a Form Mailing a Form This section describes how to select a mail system and use the Send... command to mail a form from OmniForm. You must have either Lotus cc:Mail, Lotus Notes, or a MAPI-compliant mail system such as Microsoft Exchange installed to mail a form. Selecting a Mail System Choose Options...
Page 108 Mailing a Form The Send/Route Options dialog box appears if you chose Send... in fill view. Proceed to step 5 if you are in design view. Select an option. • Select Form and Data to send all text, graphics, and any information in fillable fields.
Page 109: Adding A Routing Slip
Mailing a Form Enter log-in information if the application requires it. A messaging interface appears after you log in. The appearance of the dialog box depends on the selected mail application. Enter a subject line and message. Refer to the program’s documentation for more information. Click Send to mail the information as specified.
Page 110: Menu Commands
Menu Commands Menu Commands This section explains each OmniForm command. The menu command information is listed in the same order as commands appear in the menus. Cross-references in some sections point you to more detailed information for a command or a set of commands. Menu Shortcuts Use a right-mouse-button click to access the four available OmniForm shortcut menus.
Page 111: The Edit Menu
Menu Commands Export... (fill view only) — Export information from your currently open OmniForm database to a supported database file format. See “Importing Information” on page 213. Summary Info... (design view only) — Enter information about the current form. Print... — Print the current form on a printer, to disk as a file, or as a macro.
Page 112: The View Menu
Menu Commands Select Special... (design view only) — Select all form objects of a specific type, such as fill text. Add Page... (design view only) — Add one or more pages before or after the current page. Delete Page... (design view only) — Delete the current page or a range of pages.
Page 113 Menu Commands Highlight Fill Areas — Turn field highlighting on and off. Grid (design view only) — Display or hide the grid. A check mark in front of the command means that the grid is displayed. The grid consists of horizontal and vertical lines made up of points that assist in positioning and resizing objects on a form.
Page 114 Menu Commands • The Record Number text box displays the number of the record you are viewing. Highlight the number, type in a new number, and press Enter to move to that record. • Select Next to move to the record after the one you are viewing. If record 3 is on view, for example, record 4 is the next record.
Page 115 Menu Commands The Format Menu (Design View Only) Use the Format menu commands to set object attributes and field definitions. See Chapter 6, Designing a Form, for detailed information on each command. Object Appearance... — Select how selected objects appear. Options in the Object Appearance dialog box vary according to the selected object.
Page 116: The Tools Menu
Menu Commands The Tools Menu Spelling... — In fill view, check the spelling in your filled fields. In design view, check the spelling of text, either after form import to check recognition accuracy or after you create text objects. See “Spell Checking Your Form”...
Page 117: The Window Menu
Menu Commands Options... — Select various OmniForm options in the Options dialog box. General • Select Status Bar to display status text at the bottom of the window. • Select Page Margins to display the page margins on a form. •...
Page 118: The Help Menu
Menu Commands The Help Menu Contents — Open the Help Topics window to the Contents tab to see a list of available help topics. Search for Help on... — Open the Help Topics window to the Index tab to search for information on a specific topic. How to Use Help —...
Page 119: Designing A Form
Chapter 6 Designing a Form This chapter discusses how to design new forms and edit existing ones in OmniForm. OmniForm contains numerous tools in design view that let you create fields and objects, define calculations, and decide how your form will look. This chapter contains the following sections: •...
Page 120: The Design Process
The Design Process The Design Process This section gives a brief overview of how to design a new form. A form can be as simple as you need or as complex as OmniForm allows. Although the steps below are not required, they are recommended. See “Tutorial 3 —...
Page 121: The Design View Toolbars
The Design View Toolbars The Design View Toolbars This section describes each toolbar in design view and defines its buttons. Design view contains five toolbars: • the standard toolbar • the font/text toolbar • the drawing toolbar • the arrange toolbar •...
Page 122 The Design View Toolbars Print Preview — See how your form will look before you print, mail, or fax it. Spelling — Check the spelling of the form’s text. Cut — Remove the current selection and copy it to the Clipboard. Copy —...
Page 123: The Font/Text Toolbar
The Design View Toolbars The Font/Text Toolbar Use the font/text toolbar to format text. This toolbar is only active when a fill text, comb, comb element, circle text, or table cell object is selected. Center Center Alignment Alignment Horizontal Justify Bold Underline Vertical Font...
Page 124: The Drawing Toolbar
The Design View Toolbars The Drawing Toolbar Use the drawing toolbar to create and select objects. Selection tool Text tool Line tool Oval tool Rectangle tool Graphic tool Fill Text tool Comb tool Check Box tool Circle Text tool Table tool Fill Graphic tool Lock On/Off tool Below is a brief explanation of each tool’s function.
Page 125: The Arrange Toolbar
The Design View Toolbars The Arrange Toolbar Use the arrange toolbar to arrange and align objects on a form. Bring to Front Send to Back Align Left Align Right Center Horizontally Align Top Align Bottom Center Vertically Below is a brief explanation of each button’s function. These buttons correspond to the Align, Bring to Front, and Send to Back commands in the Format menu.
Page 126: Creating Objects
Creating Objects Creating Objects This section explains how to create objects. You can create fillable objects that a user fills in fill view, and non-fillable objects such as lines and rectangles that contribute to a form’s design. You will learn how to use all the tools in the drawing toolbar.
Page 127: Creating A Text Object
Creating Objects Drag the object where you want it on the form. When the object is complete and no longer selected, the drawing tool reverts to the Selection tool unless the Lock tool is Creating a Text Object A text object is most often used as a title, label, or header. The State fill text field Text object used as label Click the Text tool in the drawing toolbar.
Page 128: Creating An Oval Object
Creating Objects Creating an Oval Object Use an oval object to highlight areas on a form or as a design element. See how the rectangle object is used in the next example. Click the Oval tool in the drawing toolbar. Draw an oval.
Page 129 Creating Objects To create a graphic object: Click the Graphic tool in the drawing toolbar. Draw a graphic object. To create a square graphic object, hold down the Shift key as you draw. With the object still selected, click the Object Definition button in the standard toolbar or choose Object Definition...
Page 130 Creating Objects Form Image Source: Copying a Graphic From the Original Form Choose Form Image in the View menu. This command is only available when a form has an original view. It is not available for forms you design in OmniForm. The screen splits to show the form both as it was designed with Logical Form Recognition and as it was scanned originally.
Page 131 Creating Objects A corresponding box appears in the top window. Graphic box where graphic will be placed Graphic in original form With the object still selected, click the Object Definition button in the standard toolbar or choose Object Definition... in the Format menu.
Page 132 Creating Objects Graphic File Source: Importing a Graphic Type a file name in the File Name text box or click Browse... to open the Browse dialog box. Locate and select a file. Click OK to return to the Graphic Definition dialog box. The name of the selected file appears in the File Name text box.
Page 133: Creating A Fill Text Object
Creating Objects • Select Stretch to Fit to change your graphic’s original shape and size to fit in the fill graphic field. This option does not maintain a graphic’s original proportions. Depending on the shape of the fill graphic field, your graphic may be stretched or compressed.
Page 134: Creating A Comb Object
Creating Objects Creating a Comb Object Use a comb field to separate information into separate groups of elements while maintaining the field as a whole. For example, United States forms typically require that you enter zip code numbers in five or nine separate boxes.
Page 135: Creating A Circle Text Object
Creating Objects Creating a Circle Text Object Use circle text objects for Yes/No questions and for selecting one or more choices on a form (see the example in the previous section). Click the Circle Text tool in the drawing toolbar. Draw a circle text object.
Page 136: Creating A Fill Graphic Object
Creating Objects To create a table object: Click the Table tool in the drawing toolbar. Either click anywhere on the form to create a table, or hold down the mouse button and drag the cursor slowly. The number of rows and columns in the comb field increase as you drag the mouse.
Page 137: Defining A Graphic Object
Defining Objects Defining Objects This section describes the options in the Object Definition dialog box and how they affect a selected object. The dialog box varies according to the selected object and form language. Each definable object is described in this section in the order it appears in the drawing toolbar. When you define an object you can: •...
Page 138: Defining A Fill Text Object
Defining Objects Defining a Fill Text Object Choose Object Definition... in the Format menu to open the Fill Text Definition dialog box when a fill text object is selected. Set Property Options Click the Properties tab. Type a unique name in the Name text box. Each object must have a unique name.
Page 139 Defining Objects • A General format leaves the field entry exactly as it is entered. In the above example, 7889 entered in the field would be displayed as 7889. • Field type also affects field validation. You can require that the field entry match the field type.
Page 140 Defining Objects • Select an entry in the list and click Remove to remove it. • A field with a list of choices looks like this in fill view: A drop-down list arrow appears when the cursor is in the field. Click the arrow to open the list and select an entry.
Page 141 Defining Objects Set Validation Options Click the Validation tab. Select Must be Filled in to display a prompt in fill view if the user does not fill the field. The Can Be Filled option in the Filling tab, when deselected, overrides the Must be Filled in option when it is selected.
Page 142: Defining A Comb Object
Defining Objects Defining a Comb Object Choose Object Definition... in the Format menu to open the Comb Definition dialog box when a comb object is selected. This dialog box contains most of the same options as the Fill Text Definition dialog box with these exceptions: •...
Page 143 Defining Objects Element Options Click the Properties tab. Type a number in the Number of Elements text box. A zip code field for the United States, for example, would have either five or nine elements. Type a number in the Width of Elements text box to set how wide all comb elements will be.
Page 144: Defining A Comb Element Object
Defining Objects Defining a Comb Element Object Choose Object Definition... in the Format menu to open the Comb Element Definition dialog box when a comb element is selected. To define a comb element: Select left and right border measurements under Border Height. This sets the left and right border height of each element.
Page 145: Defining A Check Box Object
Defining Objects Defining a Check Box Object Choose Object Definition... in the Format menu to open the Check Box Definition dialog box when a check box object is selected. Set Property Options Click the Properties tab. Type a unique name in the Name text box. Each object must have a unique name.
Page 146: Defining A Circle Text Object
Defining Objects Set Filling Options Click the Filling tab. Select a mark for the check box: a check mark, an X, or a fill. Deselect Can Be Filled so an empty field cannot be filled and a filled field cannot be changed in fill view. Select Tab Stop so that the cursor automatically moves to the selected field when the user presses the Tab key.
Page 147: Defining A Table Object
Defining Objects Defining a Table Object Choose Object Definition... in the Format menu to open the Table Definition dialog box when a table object is selected. Type a unique name in the Name text box. Each object must have a unique name. A descriptive name such as Order Information makes a field easy to find when sorting, searching, changing tab order, and so forth.
Page 148: Defining A Table Cell
Defining Objects the other two centimeters high, for example, each would be resized to three centimeters high. Click OK to apply the changes. Defining a Table Cell A table cell contains a fill text object by default. See “Defining a Fill Text Object”...
Page 149: Changing Object Appearance
Changing Object Appearance Changing Object Appearance This section describes the options in the Object Appearance dialog box and how they affect a selected object. See the section “Creating Objects” on page 126 to learn how to create objects. To change object appearance: Select an object or objects in design view.
Page 150 Changing Object Appearance Select a background pattern for the object in the Pattern drop- down list. Select a color for the background pattern in the Pattern Color drop-down list. Deselect Clear to have the selected colors and pattern appear as the object’s background.
Page 151 Changing Object Appearance Enter a measurement from 0 to 14 in the Rounded text box to indicate the degree of border curve. For a shadow effect, select an option in the Location drop-down list in the Shadow section. 10 Select how many points to offset the shadow from the border in the Offset drop-down list.
Page 152 Changing Object Appearance Select line thickness in the Weight drop-down list. Deselect Clear to display the fill lines. The next section, “Paint Order,” describes how paint order affects fill line display. Select Start Fill Line at First Line Indentation to indent the first fill line the same amount as the first line of text entered in the field.
Page 153: Redesigning Your Form
Redesigning Your Form Redesigning Your Form This section describes how to redesign a form using the design view tools and commands. Once you have created objects, you may want to move, resize, or convert them. You may also want to make changes to a newly scanned or imported form.
Page 154: Moving An Object
Redesigning Your Form • Choose Select Special... in the Edit menu to select all objects of the same type. Moving an Object You can move a selected object or objects in several ways. • Hold down the mouse button and drag the selected object to another location.
Page 155: Deleting An Object
Redesigning Your Form Deleting an Object Choose Delete in the Edit menu or press the Delete key on your keyboard to delete one or more selected objects. Formatting Text Use the Font... and Text... commands in the Format menu or the corresponding buttons in the font/text toolbar to format selected objects.
Page 156 Redesigning Your Form Select an option in the Effects box. • Select Strikeout to place a line through all characters. • Select Underline to underline all characters. A preview of your choices appears in the Sample box. Click OK to apply the formatting. The Text...
Page 157 Redesigning Your Form Click the Spacing tab and select a line-spacing option. You can change the vertical spacing between paragraph lines. Vertical spacing is dependent on selected font size; a single- spaced paragraph with 12-point text would have 12 points between each line in the paragraph.
Page 158: Redesigning A Table
Redesigning Your Form Redesigning a Table Use the Table AutoFormat... command to format a selected table. To format a table: Select a table. Choose Table AutoFormat... in the Format menu. The Table AutoFormat dialog box appears. Select the Yes option to enable the Appearance list box. Select an appearance option for your table.
Page 159: Aligning Objects
Redesigning Your Form Aligning Objects Use the Align commands in the Format menu or the corresponding buttons in the Arrange toolbar to move and align multiple selected objects. See “The Arrange Toolbar” on page 125 for information about each button in the toolbar. Each selected object aligns to the edge of its bounding box, the imaginary box that surrounds all objects.
Page 160: Sending Objects Front Or Back
Redesigning Your Form • Select Center Vertically to align the selected objects by their vertical centers. Vertical centers Vertical centers’ alignment midpoint The objects align according to the chosen command. Sending Objects Front or Back You can use the Bring to Front or Send to Back commands in the Format menu to layer overlapping objects.
Page 161 Redesigning Your Form The Tab Order window appears to the right of the form and numbers appear by each object on the form. Both indicate current tab order. Select the field to reorder. Note that the corresponding object on the form is selected. Reorder the field in one of the following ways: •...
Page 162: Placing Objects In Table Cells
Redesigning Your Form • Click a field with a plus sign in front of it to display its list of contained fields. A table, for example, opens to display a list of cells. You can click each cell to display the object(s) it contains. You cannot change cell order, but you can change tab order within a cell if it contains multiple fillable fields.
Page 163: Converting An Object
Redesigning Your Form Converting an Object You can convert any selected object to another type of object. You might, for example, want to convert objects in table cells to check boxes. Be careful when converting objects in an existing form. If the old object contained information, you will permanently lose that object’s information in every record.
Page 164: Using The Scrapbook
Using the Scrapbook Using the Scrapbook This section describes the OmniForm scrapbook and how to use it. What is the Scrapbook? The scrapbook is a convenient place to store frequently used or complex objects. Objects stored in the scrapbooks are called scraps. You can copy these scraps into any form.
Page 165: Placing Scraps In A Form
Using the Scrapbook Copying Objects to the Scrapbook Open the desired scrapbook. Select one or more objects on your form and drag them into the scrapbook. Alternatively, select one or more objects and choose Paste Scrap in the Scrapbook Commands icon menu. Small thumbnails of the objects appear as Scrap 1, Scrap 2, and so forth in the scrapbook.
Page 166: Deleting A Scrap
Using the Scrapbook Deleting a Scrap Select a scrap. Select Delete Scrap in the Scrapbook Commands icon menu. You can also press the Delete key to delete a selected scrap. OmniForm prompts you to confirm your choice. You cannot undo the Delete Scrap command! Creating a New Scrapbook Select New Scrapbook...
Page 167 Using the Scrapbook Type a name in the New Name text box. In Window 3.1, scrapbooks names are limited to eight characters. Click OK. The new scrapbook name appears in the Scrapbook drop-down list. Deleting a Scrapbook Open the scrapbook to delete. Choose Delete Scrapbook in the Scrapbook Commands icon menu.
Page 168: Inserting Ole Objects In A Form
Inserting OLE Objects in a Form Inserting OLE Objects in a Form This section describes how to use object linking and embedding (OLE) to insert objects in a form. Inserting objects is a convenient way to place information from other sources in OmniForm.
Page 169: How To Insert Ole Objects
Inserting OLE Objects in a Form How to Insert OLE Objects Choose Insert New Object... in the Edit menu. The Insert Object dialog box appears. Select an object type in the Object Type list box. Select one of the following: •...
Page 170: Creating A New Ole Object
Inserting OLE Objects in a Form Creating a New OLE Object See the previous section, “How to Insert OLE Objects” on page 169 if you need to insert an object. How your object appears depends on the options you selected in the Insert Object dialog box. If you selected Display as Icon in step 4 in the previous section, the source application launches.
Page 171: Creating An Ole Object From A File
Inserting OLE Objects in a Form Creating an OLE Object From a File See steps 1–3 in the section “How to Insert OLE Objects” on page 169 if you need to create an object. The Insert Object dialog box changes when you select Create From File.
Page 172 Inserting OLE Objects in a Form To paste a linked OLE object: Open a document in an application that supports links to its documents. Select the portion to link and leave it selected. Open a form in OmniForm. Choose Paste Link in the Edit menu. OmniForm pastes the information as a linked OLE object.
Page 173 Inserting OLE Objects in a Form This is useful if you do not want the linked object to reflect all changes made to the source file. Select a link and click a button to perform a linking procedure: • Click Update Now to update the selected link to reflect any changes made to its source file.
Page 174: Using The Object Commands
Inserting OLE Objects in a Form Using the Object Commands The Object command in the Edit menu is only available when an OLE object is selected. It changes according to the selected object. The commands in its cascading menu change as well. This section describes each command.
Page 175 Inserting OLE Objects in a Form Click Change Icon... when Display As Icon is selected if you want to select a new icon or change its name. The Change Icon... button appears when Display As Icon is selected. Click it to select a new icon for the object or to change the icon’s name.
Page 176: Filling A Form
Chapter 7 Filling a Form This chapter describes what kinds of fields a form can contain, how to fill those fields, how to move through fields on a form, and how to use the standard toolbar. See Chapter 5, OmniForm Procedures, if you need information on how to start working with a form.
Page 177 The Fill View Window The Fill View Window This section describes the standard toolbar and its commands. The standard toolbar is the only toolbar in fill view. It is somewhat different than the standard toolbar in design view. Standard toolbar The Standard Toolbar Use the standard toolbar for basic file operations such as saving and printing.
Page 178 The Fill View Window The Standard Toolbar Commands This section gives a quick explanation of each button’s function. All corresponding menu commands are explained in the section “Menu Commands” on page 110. Processes such as scanning or opening a form are explained in Chapter 5, OmniForm Procedures.
Page 179 The Fill View Window Record Number — This text box displays the current record number. Highlight the number in the Record Number text box, type a new one, and press Enter to move to that record. Next Record — Click the Next Record button to move to the record after the one you are viewing.
Page 180: Moving Through Fields
Moving Through Fields Moving Through Fields You can click in any field to place the cursor there or you can use the following keyboard commands to move the cursor within a form. Place the cursor in a field: When a form first opens, press the Tab or Enter key to place the cursor in the first field.
Page 181: Filling Fields
Filling Fields Filling Fields This section describes each type of fillable field in OmniForm, how to fill it, and how to check spelling. It contains the following topics: • Fill Text • Comb • Check Box • Circle Text • Table •...
Page 182: Check Box
Filling Fields Check Box Click a check box field to fill it. A check box field can be defined to contain one of three elements: a check mark, an X, or a fill. If OmniForm designs your form and recognizes a check box, it defines the box to contain an X by default.
Page 183: Fill Graphic
Filling Fields A table cell can also contain any other type of field, even multiple fields of the same or different types. In the example below, the table cells on the right contain check box fields. The user clicks this cell to fill it in the same way as a check box field. See Chapter 6, Designing a Form, for information on tables, converting fields from one type to another, inserting objects in table cells, and so on.
Page 184 Filling Fields Enter a file name in the File Name text box. • Click Browse if you need to locate a file. • Select a file format in the Files of Type drop-down list. • Select a file and click OK to return to the Fill Graphic dialog box.
Page 185 Filling Fields text boxes under Size. The size of the fill graphic field is displayed at the bottom of the Fill Graphic dialog box. If you enter a size larger than the fill graphic field, only part of the graphic will be visible. Enter offset measurements under Offset if you want.
Page 186: List Fields
Filling Fields Type a file name in the File Name text box. This is the file name the graphic will have after it is scanned and saved automatically by OmniForm. • Click Browse if you need to locate a path for the file. •...
Page 187: Fields Defined By A Calculation
Filling Fields Fields Defined by a Calculation The only time you would notice a calculation in fill view is when a field fills in automatically. In the example below, the TOTAL field automatically added the amounts entered in the first and second fields. The TOTAL would increase if the third and fourth fields were filled as well.
Page 188: Spell Checking
Spell Checking Spell Checking Use the spell-checking feature to verify that field entries are correct. Before you check spelling make sure you have selected the correct language for your form in the Options dialog box as described below. Proceed to “Spell Checking Your Form” on page 190 if: you have a single-language form;...
Page 189: Changing The Language Selection
Spell Checking Changing the Language Selection Click the Design button in the standard toolbar or choose Design in the View menu. Choose Options... in the Tools menu. The Options dialog box appears. Click the International tab if it is not displayed. Select the correct language for your form in the Current Form drop-down list.
Page 190: Spell Checking Your Form
Spell Checking Spell Checking Your Form Click the Spelling button in the standard toolbar or choose Spelling... in the Tools menu. The Spelling dialog box appears with the first questionable word after Unknown Word. • The suggested spelling, if there is one, appears in the Change to text box.
Page 191: Saving In Fill View
Saving in Fill View Saving in Fill View You will notice that if you close a form after making data entries in fill view (but no changes in design view) that OmniForm does not prompt you to save the changes. This is because OmniForm saves automatically in fill view.
Page 192: Managing An Omniform Database
Chapter 8 Managing an OmniForm Database This chapter introduces basic database concepts. It explains what a database is, how to create one automatically by scanning or importing a form, how to create and maintain records in a database, and how to protect the vital information entered in your database records.
Page 193: What Is A Database
What is a Database? What is a Database? A database is a collection of information stored as individual records. Each 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.
Page 194: Managing Database Records
Managing Database Records Managing Database Records This section tells you how to create a database of records and manage its information. It contains the following topics: • Creating New Records • Duplicating Records • Moving Through a Database • Searching Records for Information •...
Page 195 Managing Database Records To create a new record: Open or scan in a form. If the form opens in design view, click the Fill button in the standard toolbar or choose Fill in the View menu to switch to fill view. Click in a field with the cursor or press Tab to place the cursor in the first fillable field.
Page 196: Duplicating Records
Managing Database Records Fill in as many fields as you like. Click the New button in the standard toolbar or choose Go To in the Records menu and New in its cascading menu. OmniForm creates and displays a new, empty record with the same form design as the first one.
Page 197: Moving Through A Database
Managing Database Records To duplicate a record: Open or scan in a form. If the form opens in design view, click the Fill button in the standard toolbar or choose Fill in the View menu to switch to fill view. Fill in the information you want duplicated.
Page 198: Next Record
Managing Database Records Next Record Click the Next Record button or choose Go To in the Records menu and Next in its cascading menu to move to the record after the one you are viewing. If you are viewing record 3, for example, the next record is record 4.
Page 199 Managing Database Records To simplify searches, give each field a unique name. Otherwise, you will have fields named FillText1, FillText2, and so forth, making it difficult to determine which fields contain what information. See “Defining Objects” on page 137 for detailed information. Select a condition in the Condition drop-down list.
Page 200 Managing Database Records • is less than: find records of lesser value than the Value entry. This finds records that have entries in the Customer field beginning with a symbol, a number, or letters earlier in the alphabet than the entry, for example, France or Dharma Dogs. •...
Page 201 Managing Database Records • does not end with: find records that do not have the Value entry at the end of the selected field or records that do not contain the value entry at all. This search finds records that do not have Franich & Halsey at the end of an entry in the Customer field.
Page 202 Managing Database Records Select an option under Scope of Search. • Select Search All Records in the Database to search the entire record set. • Select Only Search Current Record Set to search a subset of records. This option is only available when you have a found set open from a previous search.
Page 203: Sorting Records
Managing Database Records Sorting Records You can sort records in OmniForm in ascending, descending, or original order entry. This is useful for many situations. If you wanted to export mailing information, for example, you could sort records by postal code to reduce bulk mailing costs.
Page 204: Recalculating Records
Managing Database Records • Select Original Order Entered to sort records in the order in which you originally entered information in the selected field. This is useful to view the history of information entered. Click OK. OmniForm sorts the records in the order indicated. Recalculating Records Recalculating records applies any new or changed calculations to selected records in a database.
Page 205 Managing Database Records The Recalculate dialog box appears. Select the records to recalculate. • Select All Records to apply the new or changed calculation to either the current found set or to every record in the database if the entire record set is open. •...
Page 206 Managing Database Records Deleting Records This section describes how to delete one or more records in a database. Do this to get rid of old, unwanted, or duplicate records. You can export information from a record first if you want to delete a record but save its data.
Page 207: Exporting Information
Managing Database Records Exporting Information This section explains the benefits of exporting information, how to prepare for export, and how to export information from an open OmniForm form. See “Importing Information” on page 213 for information on how to import information into a database. The Benefits of Exporting Information Export information from records to: •...
Page 208 Managing Database Records To export information: If you are in design view, click the Fill button in the standard toolbar or choose Fill in the View menu to switch to fill view. Choose Export... in the File menu. The Export Setup dialog box appears. Select a database file type in the Export To drop-down list.
Page 209 Managing Database Records This is how the dialog box looks in Windows 95. • A file name appears in the File name text box. The file is named by default with the name of the currently open database. You can change the file name if you want. •...
Page 210 Managing Database Records Select each field that contains the information to export and click Add>> to move it to the Fields to Export list box. • Shift-click to select or deselect multiple adjacent records, or hold down the mouse button and drag the cursor over adjacent records.
Page 211 Managing Database Records ODBC Options Installed ODBC database drivers appear in the Available Data Sources list box when you select ODBC Database in the Export To drop-down list. • Select a source and click Setup... to open a setup dialog box for that program.
Page 212: Exported Data And Shared Forms
Managing Database Records Exported Data and Shared Forms This section explains how to use OmniForm Data files to open shared forms and how to set up a shared form location. A shared form is one other users can access. When you export OmniForm data from a form, the form’s file name is stored inside the Data file.
Page 213: Importing Information
Managing Database Records To use an OmniForm Data file to open a shared form: Locate the OmniForm Data file to use. Double-click the file or select it and choose Open in its folder’s File menu. A copy of the shared OmniForm Form from which the OmniForm Data file was exported opens.
Page 214 Managing Database Records The Import Setup dialog box appears. Select the type of database information to import in the Import From drop-down list. • Select OmniForm Database to import information from an OmniForm Form or from an OmniForm Data file. •...
Page 215 Managing Database Records This is how the dialog box looks in Windows 95. An OmniForm Data (OFD) file has a different icon than a Form (OFM) file. The first New Address file in the picture above is a data file. Locate and select a Data file to import.
Page 216 Managing Database Records • To link individual fields, select a field on the left, select its corresponding field on the right, and click Link. • Click Auto to automatically link all fields with the same name. Some fields will not have matching names but contain the same information.
Page 217: Protecting Your Database
Protecting Your Database Protecting Your Database It is important to protect information and form design in your database. This section describes how to use the OmniForm protection options to protect both your data and form design from potential deletions or changes, as well as the benefits of using the OmniForm Filler program.
Page 218: Protecting The Form
Protecting Your Database A dialog box appears. Click OK to close the dialog box. Users can export data or copy text in protected mode but cannot alter form information in any other way such as by filling fields or importing data.
Page 219: Omniform Filler
Protecting Your Database The drawing toolbar and many buttons in the standard toolbar are now grayed out. All the menu commands associated with these buttons are grayed out as well. Click anywhere on the form. A dialog box appears. Click OK to close the dialog box. Users can change viewing preferences and use most basic file commands such as Print and Save but cannot format or redesign the form in any way.
Page 220: Using Calculations
Chapter 9 Using Calculations This chapter describes how to use OmniForm’s calculation features. OmniForm automatically performs calculations when you fill in the appropriate field(s). Use calculations to automate data entry and prevent errors. For example, the average person might find it time-consuming to add a column of 100 numbers, and easy to make an error, but OmniForm can return an error-free sum in a fraction of a second.
Page 221: Calculation Overview
Calculation Overview Calculation Overview This section gives an overview of how to create calculations. It contains the following topics: • Creating a Calculation • Calculation Guidelines • Using the Recalculate... Command • Usage Conventions See “Tutorial 3 — Create Your Own Form” on page 3-34 for step-by-step instructions on creating a simple calculation.
Page 222 Calculation Overview • Calculation Builder button Click this to open the Calculation Builder dialog box and create your own calculation. • Auto Calculation button Click this to have OmniForm attempt to define a calculation automatically. OmniForm can determine an auto calculation for an entire table in some circumstances.
Page 223 Calculation Overview • Functions list This list contains all available functions that can be used in a calculation. (Functions are sorted by category in Windows 95. Click a category to open it.) Double-click a function to insert it in the calculation text box, or select it and click Paste. See “Functions”...
Page 224 Calculation Overview Suppose you wanted to create a calculation for a Subtotal field in an invoice. The Subtotal field is the sum of the Price1 and Price2 fields. There is often more than one way to create a calculation. Here are two calculations you could create: •...
Page 225 Calculation Overview The Auto Calculation dialog box appears if OmniForm proposes an auto calculation. Accept or cancel OmniForm’s proposed calculation. • Click OK to accept the calculation. The calculation appears in the toolbar’s text box. • Click Cancel close the dialog box without creating a calculation. Edit the calculation in the toolbar if you need to: •...
Page 226: Calculation Guidelines
Calculation Overview Calculation Guidelines Keep these guidelines in mind as you work with calculations: • Brackets ( [] ) must enclose a field name that contains a space. [Quantity Ordered] * [Unit Price] OmniForm will not accept the calculation otherwise. •...
Page 227: Usage Conventions
Calculation Overview • If you change a field name and that field is part of a calculation, you must change the field name in the calculation as well. OmniForm cannot perform the calculation otherwise. • Calculations are performed in tabbing order. •...
Page 228: Operator Buttons
Operators Operators Operators represent mathematical, comparison, logical, and text operations to be performed within a calculation. You must have an operator between fields in a calculation. For example, a calculation for a Total field might look like this: [Price1] + [Price2] + [Price3] The plus signs between the field names are the Addition operators in the calculation.
Page 229: Operators - Quick Reference
Operators Operators — Quick Reference See “Usage Conventions” on page 9-227 for information on how to interpret the examples in the following table. Operator Type Description Usage Example mathematical Addition: add numbers or fields [num1] + [num2] mathematical Subtraction: subtract numbers or fields [num1] - [num2] mathematical Multiplication: multiply numbers or fields [num1] * [num2]...
Page 230: Usage Example
Functions Functions This section defines each OmniForm function and shows how to use it in a calculation. Functions are listed alphabetically. See “Functions — Quick Reference” on page 9-252 for an overview of each function. Functions are single words used by OmniForm to represent operations within a calculation.
Page 231: Date (Current Date)
Functions Avg (Average) The Avg function returns the average value of a set of numbers and/or numeric expressions. The average value is determined by adding all the values and dividing by the number of values. Usage Example Avg([num1,num2] ...) If the field entries are 11, 14, and 20 Then the calculation Avg([num1],[num2],[num3] returns 15 In the example below, the average of sales for the past six months is calculated.
Page 232 Functions DayName The DayName function returns the name of the day of the week for a given date. Usage Example DayName(Date()) If the current date is February 14, 1996 Then the calculation DayName(Date())returns Wednesday In the example below, the name of the day of the week is calculated using the Cur Date field and put in the Day Name field.
Page 233 Functions DayOfWeek The DayOfWeek function returns a number for the day of the week for a given date. The values returned are: Sunday1, Monday2, Tuesday3, Wednesday4, Thursday5, Friday6, and Saturday7. Usage Example DayOfWeek(Date()) If the current date is February 14, 1996 Then the calculation DayOfWeek(Date())returns 4 (Wednesday) In the example below, the day of the week from the Date field appears in the Day of Week field.
Page 234 Functions Exp (Exponentiation) The Exp function returns the value of the constant e to the power of a number or numeric expression. The value of e, the base of natural logarithms, is approximately 2.71828. This function is the inverse of the Ln function.
Page 235 Functions Hour The Hour function returns the hour (HH) portion of a given time (HH:MM:SS). The hour is based on a 24-hour clock and ranges from 0– 23. Usage Example Hour(Time()) If the current time is 18:05:05 Then the calculation Hour(Time()) returns 18 In the example below, the hour is taken from the Time field and put in the Hour field.
Page 236 Functions Int (Integer) The Int function returns the integer portion of a number or numeric expression. Usage Example Int([num1]) If the field [num1] = 16,184.35 Then the calculation Int([num1]) returns 16,184.00 In the example below, the total amount (dollar portion only) is put in the Total Sales field.
Page 237 Functions Length The Length function returns the number of characters in a given string. The calculation counts all characters in a string including spaces. Usage Example Length([str1]) If the field [str1] = John Doe Then the calculation Length([str1]) returns 8 In the example below, the length of the name in the Name field is put in the Length of Name field.
Page 238 Functions Log (Base 10 Logarithm) The Log function returns the common logarithm (base 10) of a number or numeric expression. The number or numeric expression must be greater than 0. Usage Example Log([num1]) If the field [num1] = 3 Then the calculation Log([num1]) returns 0.47712125 In the example below, the common logarithm is calculated using the Log Value field and put in the Logarithm field.
Page 239 Functions Max (Maximum) The Max function returns the maximum (highest) value of a set of numbers and/or numeric expressions. Usage Example Max([num1],[num2] ...) If the numbers in the fields are 150, 200, and 45 Then the calculation Max([num1],[num2],[num3]) returns 200 In the example below, the Top Sales field displays the highest sales made.
Page 240 Functions Min (Minimum) The Min function returns the minimum (lowest) value of a set of numbers and/or numeric expressions. Usage Example Min([num1], [num2] ...) If the numbers in the fields are 90, 95, 82 and 78 Then the calculation Min([num1],[num2],[num3],[num4]) returns 78 In the example below, the minimum test score is picked out of a list of scores and put in the Minimum Score field.
Page 241 Functions Mod (Modulus (Remainder)) The Mod function returns the remainder of a number or numeric expression divided by another number or numeric expression. A positive number is returned if the dividend is positive, and a negative number is returned if the dividend is negative. Usage Example Mod([dividend num],[divisor num]) If the numbers in the fields are 87 and 8...
Page 242 Functions MonthName The MonthName function returns the full name of the month for a given date. Usage Example MonthName(Date()) If the current date is February 14, 1996 Then the calculation MonthName(Date()) returns February In the example below, the name of the month is put in the Month Name field using the current system date calculated in the Today’s Date field.
Page 243 Functions PMT (Payment) The PMT function returns the payment amount required for a given principal at a fixed interest rate per period, for a fixed number of payment periods. It assumes payments are made at the end of each period. Usage Example PMT([principal num],[interest rate num],[num periods]) If the principal is $30,000, the annual interest rate is 9% (.75% monthly), and...
Page 244 Functions Proper The Proper function returns the given string with the first character of each word converted to upper case and the rest of the characters in each word converted to lower case. Usage Example Proper([str1]) If the field [str1] = john doe Then the calculation Proper([str1]) returns John Doe In the example below, the Proper function places the Student Name entry in the Proper Name field with the first letter of each name capitalized.
Page 245 Functions RecordCount The RecordCount function returns the number of records in the current database. Usage Example RecordCount() If a field contains the function RecordCount() and the database contains 156 records Then the value returned is 156 In the example below, the number of records appears in the Number of Records field.
Page 246 Functions Replicate The Replicate function returns a given string repeated the specified number of times. The maximum length returned is 16,000 characters. Usage Example Replicate(str1, num of times to replicate) If the field [str1] = * Then the calculation Replicate(“*”, 10) returns ********** In the example below, the Start Date field is put into the Target Date field with leading and trailing asterisks.
Page 247 Functions Round The Round function returns the value of a number or numeric expression rounded to the specified decimal places in the second parameter. Usage Example Round([num1], num of decimal places) If the field [num1] = 2404.685 Then the calculation Round([num1],2) returns 2404.68 In the example below, the value in the Total field is extracted and rounded to two decimal places in the Price field.
Page 248: Sqrt (Square Root)
Functions Sign The Sign function returns a value of 1 if a number or numeric expression is positive, -1 if it is negative, and 0 if it is 0. Usage Example Sign([num1]) If the field [num1] = -100 Then the calculation Sign([num1]) returns -1 In the example below, the Invoice Amount field is evaluated and a message is put in the Warning field if it is negative.
Page 249 Functions The Sum function returns the total value of a set of numbers and/or numeric expressions added together. Usage Example Sum([num1],[num2], ...) If the numbers in the fields are 3, 6, and 8 Then the calculation Sum([num1],[num2],[num3] returns 17 In the example below, test scores are added together and put in the Total Scores field.
Page 250: Trunc (Truncate)
Functions Trim The Trim function returns a given string with all leading, trailing, and extra blank spaces removed. Usage Example Trim([str1]) If the field [str1] = Jane Doe Then the calculation Trim([str1]) returns Jane Doe In the example below, the Supervisor 1 field or Supervisor 2 field is placed in the Manager field depending on which box is checked.
Page 251 Functions Upper The Upper function returns a given string as uppercase. Usage Example Upper([str1]) If the field [str1] = Samantha Morrison Then the calculation Upper([str1]) returns SAMANTHA MORRISON In the example below, the Salesperson field is converted to all upper case and put in the Salesperson Last Name field.
Page 252: Functions - Quick Reference
Functions Functions — Quick Reference See “Usage Conventions” on page 9-227 for information on how to interpret the examples in the following table. A brief description and usage of each function is listed. Function Type Description Usage Example mathematical Absolute Value: returns the value of num Abs(num) statistical Average: returns the average for num1, num2,...
Page 253 Functions Left text Left: returns the characters for str beginning Left(str, num) from the left and proceeding to the right for num characters Length text Length: returns the number of characters in str Length(str) mathematical Natural Logarithm: returns the natural Ln(num) logarithm (base e —...
Page 254 Functions financial Present Value: returns the present value of an PV(payment num, interest rate investment given a payment num, interest rate num, num of periods) num, and num of periods Record Count database Record Count: returns the number of records in RecordCount() the current database.
Page 255: Functions Sorted By Type
Functions Functions Sorted by Type This section lists each function by type. (In Windows 95, the Calculation Builder dialog box contains folders for each type of function listed.) Database Text Record Count Left Length Date/Time Lower Date Middle DayName Position DayOfMonth Proper DayOfWeek...
Page 256: Technical Information
Chapter 10 Technical Information This chapter explains how to troubleshoot common problems you may encounter. It also provides technical information on such topics as how to improve Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and scanning performance. This chapter contains the following sections: •...
Page 257: Before You Begin
Before You Begin Before You Begin If you have a problem with OmniForm, first check that your computer, scanner, and other applications are functioning properly. Make backups of OmniForm files regularly, preferably in a location other than your hard drive. This could save you hours or days of work if the unexpected happens: file deletion or corruption caused by disk crashes, viruses, or user error.
Page 258: Omniform Setup Issues
OmniForm Setup Issues OmniForm Setup Issues This section contains information on some common installation problems and information on how to optimize the installation process: • Memory and Installation • Setup Program Requests the Same Disk • Integrating OmniForm with PaperPort™ •...
Page 259: Uninstalling Omniform
OmniForm Setup Issues Uninstalling OmniForm Follow these steps to remove OmniForm permanently from your system. The steps listed here remove all OmniForm files from your computer. Back up files and records outside your OmniForm folder if you want to save them. To uninstall OmniForm in Windows 95: Exit from OmniForm.
Page 260: Scanning And Recognition
Scanning and Recognition Scanning and Recognition This section describes common scanning and recognition problems and possible solutions: • System Hang During Scan • System Hang During Auto Form Design • Scanner Compatibility System Hang During Scan A system hang during a scan could have several possible causes: •...
Page 261: Scanner Compatibility
Scanning and Recognition Scanner Compatibility If you experience a problem between OmniForm and your scanner, make sure your scanner is one that OmniForm supports. OmniForm supports the following scanners: • Hewlett-Packard (ScanJet Plus and above) • Visioneer • TWAIN-compliant scanners such as Canon, Epson and Microtek Select setup options for TWAIN-compliant scanners in the TWAIN dialog box that appears before scanning.
Page 262: Operation
Operation Operation This section provides troubleshooting techniques for potential operational problems as well as additional technical information: • OmniForm Limits • Low Memory • Low Disk Space • Right Mouse Button Functions • Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Automation Support OmniForm Limits The following limits apply in OmniForm: •...
Page 263 Operation Amount of Memory Available You can find out how much memory you have and how much is currently available. To check available memory in Windows 95: Click the Start button in the Taskbar and choose Settings Control Panel. Double-click System in the Control Panel. The System Properties dialog box appears.
Page 264 Operation To check available memory in Windows 3.1 or NT: Type mem at the prompt after starting your computer. DOS displays your total memory and other information. Check free memory available in Windows by choosing About Program Manager... in the Program Manager’s Help menu. Virtual Memory OmniForm uses virtual memory when memory runs low.
Page 265: Improving Performance
Improving Performance Improving Performance If you scan typeset, high-quality printed pages, text recognition accuracy should be very high. With lesser-quality pages, however, text recognition may not be as accurate. This section discusses a number of factors that affect scanning and recognition performance: •...
Page 266: Scanner Glass Clarity
Improving Performance Scanner Glass Clarity The sheet of glass on the flatbed of the scanner must be clear. If it gets dirty, wipe it gently with a soft, damp, lint-free cloth or tissue. Be sure that it is completely dry before you put pages on it. See your scanner documentation for more information on proper scanner maintenance.
Page 267: Omniform Compatibility
OmniForm Compatibility OmniForm Compatibility This section provides OmniForm compatibility lists. Database Information Exchange OmniForm uses industry-standard ODBC to exchange information with the following databases: • Microsoft Access 1.0, 1.1, 2.0; 7.0 (Windows 95 only) • dBase III and IV • Excel 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 •...
Page 268: Low Memory Or Disk Space Errors
Error Messages Error Messages Where possible, OmniForm error messages attempt to pinpoint a problem and offer a solution. Sometimes one solution may not work or there may be more information that does not fit into the dialog box. Many calculation errors are the result of improperly constructed calculations.
Page 269 Error Messages Calculation Error: Invalid Field Name. Correct the field name or enter another in the expression for [field name]. A field name in your calculation does not exist in the form. It may be misspelled or it may have been deleted from the form after the calculation was previously accepted.
Page 270 Error Messages The current word cannot be added to the dictionary because it contains invalid characters. The word contains a character such as a caret (^) that OmniForm does not allow in the dictionary. The name you entered contains invalid characters. Please enter a valid name.
Page 271: Caere Product Support
Caere Product Support Caere Product Support Product support is available if you need help. First, please check this manual to find the information you need, or look in the online help if you can run OmniForm. You may save yourself a phone call. World Wide Web Caere’s home page is located at: http://www.caere.com...
Page 272 Glossary active window The foremost window on the desktop; the window where the next action will take place. An active window’s title bar is highlighted. ADF See automatic document feeder. arrange toolbar The toolbar that contains buttons for aligning and moving multiple selected objects.
Page 273 operators and functions. You define a calculation on a field and OmniForm calculates the result automatically as you fill the form. calculation toolbar The calculation toolbar lets you define calculations on a field. Cancel button A button in a dialog box that you can click to cancel the current process or operation.
Page 274 designed form A form as recognized and designed by OmniForm during import. OmniForm uses Logical Form Recognition to identify text, rectangles, lines, and fillable areas on a form. This gives you full control of a form’s design. Graphics are not retained but can be imported.
Page 275 files. You make a file when you create text or graphics, give the material a name, and save it to disk. file name The name that identifies a file. The maximum character length of a file name and the rules for naming a file vary under different operating systems.
Page 276 and improved recognition, especially for text printed on shaded backgrounds and at small point sizes. image An electronic picture of text and/or graphics such as a scanned document or graphic file. interface The point at which independent systems or diverse groups interact.
Page 277 OCR See Optical Character Recognition. ODBC An acronym for Open Data Base Connectivity. OmniForm uses an ODBC data source, such as FoxPro, to import and export information to and from a database. Database drivers are installed during OmniForm installation. OLE See Object Linking and Embedding. open To retrieve a file from storage and load it into the computer’s working memory (RAM).
Page 278 point A typographic unit of measurement equal to 1/72 inch, measured vertically. Points are used to describe font size. prefill element A character used as a separator in a comb element. The default prefill character is a hyphen (-), often used in phone numbers. processor The integrated circuit chip component within the computer that directly executes instructions.
Page 279 save To store information by transferring it from main memory (RAM) to a storage device. Work not saved disappears when you turn off the computer or when the power is interrupted. smart naming An OmniForm feature that automatically defines fields as a part of Logical Form Recognition and places them in a logical order on the form.
Page 280 window The area that displays a file’s contents on the screen within the Windows environment. It is possible to have several windows open on screen at once; however, only one will be active at a time. write permission The ability to make changes to the designated file. A file that does not give a user write permission is read-only.

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