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NUANCE OMNIFORM 4 User Manual

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OmniForm
User's Manual
CAERE CORPORATION
100 Cooper Court
Los Gatos, California
95032-3321 USA

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Summary of Contents for NUANCE OMNIFORM 4

  • Page 1 OmniForm User’s Manual CAERE CORPORATION 100 Cooper Court Los Gatos, California 95032-3321 USA...
  • Page 2 Caere GmbH Innere Wiener Strasse 5 81667 München, Germany Caere UK Information Centre 3 Catherine Place Westminster, London SW1E 6DX Centre d’informations Caere 72, rue Baratte-Cholet 94100 Saint-Maur, France Please Note In order to use this application, you should know how to work in the Microsoft Windows environment. Please refer to Windows documentation if you have questions about how to use menu commands, dialog boxes, scroll bars, edit boxes, and so on.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Welcome Getting Online Help......................2 Help menu........................3 OmniForm Tutorials ......................3 Context-Sensitive Help....................4 Product Support ........................4 Chapter 1 Installation and Setup System Requirements ......................8 Installing OmniForm and OmniForm Filler..............8 Registering OmniForm ......................9 Starting OmniForm ......................10 Chapter 2 Form Usage Using Form Assistant......................14 Opening Form Assistant .....................14 Form Assistant Options....................15...
  • Page 4 Printing a Form........................34 Before you Print Your Form ..................34 Importing an Existing Electronic Form..............36 Printing Your Form as a Macro..................37 Searching a Form.........................38 Creating a New Form ......................39 Opening a Form........................39 Mailing a Form ........................40 Adding a Routing Slip....................43 Saving a Form ........................43 Publishing a Form to the Web ...................49 The Web Toolbar ......................52 OmniForm Internet Filler....................52...
  • Page 5 Defining a Fill Graphic Object..................84 Setting Serial Numbers....................85 Changing Object Appearance on a Form.................86 Adding Color to a Form .....................92 Adjusting Colors........................94 Editing a Form ........................95 Selecting an Object .......................95 Moving an Object ......................96 Resizing an Object ......................96 Deleting an Object ......................97 Formatting Text ......................97 Merging Text.........................99 Formatting a Table .......................99...
  • Page 6 Pasting a Linked OLE Object..................151 Setting Up Linking Options..................152 Using the Object Commands ..................153 Chapter 6 Filling a Form The Fill View Window......................158 The Fill Toolbar ......................159 Moving Through Fields....................160 Filling Fields........................161 Type Ahead.........................161 Shrink Text to Fit Fields ....................162 Fill Text ........................162 Comb..........................162 Check Box........................162...
  • Page 7 General Troubleshooting Solutions ................218 Solutions to Try First ....................218 OmniForm Setup Issues ....................219 Memory and Installation...................219 Installing OmniForm 4.0 over Older Versions............219 Uninstalling OmniForm ....................219 Scanning and Recognition....................220 System Hang During Scan ..................220 System Hang During Auto Form Design ...............220 Scanner Compatibility ....................221...
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  • Page 9: Welcome

    Welcome Welcome to OmniForm, and thank you for using our software! OmniForm is the easiest way to convert your paper forms to electronic forms. Use OmniForm to edit, design, and fill forms, manage information databases, and print and mail forms among other functions. The following documentation has been provided to help you learn about OmniForm.

  • Page 10: Getting Online Help

    Getting Online Help Using This Manual This manual is written with the assumption that you know how to work in the Windows environment. Please refer to your Windows documentation if you have questions about how to use dialog boxes, menu commands, scroll bars, drag and drop functionality, shortcut menus, and so on.

  • Page 11: Help Menu

    Getting Online Help Help menu Use the commands in the Help menu to find information about OmniForm topics. OmniForm Help is the first command in the Help menu. Use it to get contents and index listings for all Help topics. Select OmniForm Help to obtain OmniForm’s main Help topics.

  • Page 12: Context-Sensitive Help

    Product Support Context-Sensitive Help You can get on-the spot information about a particular OmniForm command, toolbar button, or dialog box option in the following ways: • Click the Help button in the OmniForm design/fill 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.
  • Page 13 Product Support • Caere Product Support document Read the Caere Product Support document to get a list of support telephone numbers, including ones for international product support. This document has been provided to you as an electronic document in PDF format. To open this document, click Start in the Windows taskbar and choose Programs Caere Applications...
  • Page 14 Product Support...

  • Page 15: Chapter 1

    Chapter 1 Installation and Setup This chapter describes how to install OmniForm and begin using it. For technical and troubleshooting information, please see Chapter 9, “Technical Information.” This chapter contains the following sections: • System Requirements • Installing OmniForm and OmniForm Filler •...

  • Page 16: System Requirements

    Total system memory of at least 16MB RAM (32MB recommended) for Windows 95 or 98, and Windows NT 4.0. OmniForm 4.0 for Windows 95 or 98 and Windows NT 4.0 is a 32-bit application and will not run on earlier versions of Windows.

  • Page 17: Registering Omniform

    To install OmniForm Filler, repeat the preceding instructions, but select OmniForm Filler when the install screen appears instead of OmniForm 4.0. Registering OmniForm Register your copy of OmniForm with Caere Corporation to receive notification of special offers and the best prices on product upgrades.

  • Page 18: Starting Omniform

    Install your scanner and test it in Windows before using it with OmniForm. Consult your scanner documentation or the scanner manufacturer to resolve any scanner problems that may occur. To start OmniForm: Click Start in the taskbar and choose Programs Caere Applications OmniForm 4.0. Chapter 1...
  • Page 19 Starting OmniForm The Form Assistant dialog box appears. It contains six options. Each is a basic OmniForm procedure. Select an option and click Next>. Proceed to Chapter 3, “OmniForm Procedures,” for detailed information on the basic OmniForm procedures. Or, if you are new to OmniForm try the online tutorials.
  • Page 20 Starting OmniForm Chapter 1...

  • Page 21: Chapter 2

    Chapter 2 Form Usage This chapter describes basic OmniForm concepts you should know before scanning, importing or designing a new form. It includes the following sections: • Using Form Assistant • Form Usage Options • International Settings...

  • Page 22: Using Form Assistant

    OmniForm. Click Start in the Taskbar and choose Programs Caere Applications OmniForm 4.0. • If Form Assistant is not open, you can either click the Form Assistant button in the design toolbar at the top of the window, or choose Form Assistant... in the File menu.

  • Page 23: Form Assistant Options

    Using Form Assistant Form Assistant Options This section gives a brief description of each option in Form Assistant. Through a series of dialog boxes, Form Assistant easily steps you through the process of converting your form into an electronic form. Scan a Form or Image File Select Scan a form or image file to scan a paper form or import an image file and to determine how you will work with the form in OmniForm.

  • Page 24: Form Usage Options

    Form Usage Options Form Usage Options Form usage affects the way you can use a form once it is in OmniForm. This section contains the following topics: • Choosing a Form Usage Option • Where to Select Form Usage Options •...

  • Page 25: Where To Select Form Usage Options

    Form Usage Options Where to Select Form Usage Options Different form usage options are available depending on whether you open Form Assistant or choose Scan Form... in the File menu. Form Assistant You can choose to scan in or import either a designed form or an original form in Form Assistant.

  • Page 26: Changing Form Usage

    Form Usage Options Changing Form Usage Choose Form Usage... in the View menu to change the way you can use a form. For example: • If you have an original form but decide to change the design, then you would change the form to a designed form. •...

  • Page 27: International Settings

    International Settings You can change the form usage from a nondesigned form to a designed form. However, the form will be blank except for any fillable objects you may have added. International Settings OmniForm supports different language and cultural conventions. You can choose from 45 different locales in the International tab in the Options dialog box.

  • Page 28: How Omniform Uses Language Selections

    International Settings You can only change the language for this option if you open the Options dialog box in design view. Select a language for the current form. Click New Forms. The Language drop-down list displays the default language that will be used for the next form you open, scan, or import.
  • Page 29 International Settings 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.

  • Page 30: The Allow Multiple Languages Option

    International Settings The Scan Form Dialog Box The New Form language selection appears in the Options dialog box, which is selected from the Scan Form dialog box. You cannot change the New Forms language if you select this option. Click Options... to view the current language for your form or to change the language selection.
  • Page 31 International Settings When you select Allow Multiple Languages, OmniForm turns off dictionaries during optical character recognition (OCR) so that all 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.
  • Page 32 International Settings Chapter 2...

  • Page 33: Chapter 3

    Chapter 3 OmniForm Procedures This chapter describes basic OmniForm procedures, including the following sections: • Scanning a Paper Form • Importing an Image File • Proofing a Form • Filling a Form • Printing a Form • Importing an Existing Electronic Form •...

  • Page 34: Scanning A Paper Form

    Scanning a Paper Form Scanning a Paper Form This section describes how to use the Scan Form... command to turn your paper form into an electronic form. You can also use the Form Assistant dialog box to scan a form. See “Using Form Assistant” on page 14. You can scan paper forms directly into OmniForm if you have a scanner.
  • Page 35 Scanning a Paper Form Click Set Up Scanner... to choose a page size and adjust scanning brightness. • 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 36 Scanning a Paper Form • Select Flipped to automatically rotate a portrait page 180 degrees during the scan. • Select Flipscape to automatically rotate a landscape page 180 degrees during the scan. The Flipped and Flipscape options are useful for scanning pages in a book that needs to be turned upside down or sideways.
  • Page 37 Scanning a Paper Form • Select Detect paper color automatically if your form’s background has color and you want OmniForm to recognize the color during OCR. If you deselect this option, the form’s background will be detected as white. • Select Show Proofreader after recognition to open the Proofreader after your form has been recognized.

  • Page 38: Importing An Image File

    Importing an Image File How your form appears depends on whether or not you chose Auto Form Design in the Scan Form dialog box. 12 Click the Save button in the design toolbar or choose Save... in the File menu to name and save your file. Color forms generally use more memory than black-and-white forms.
  • Page 39 Importing an Image File To import an image file as a form: Click the Scan button in the design toolbar or choose Scan Form... in the File menu. The Scan Form dialog box appears. Select Image File(s) in the Source box to recognize a form in a supported image format.

  • Page 40: Proofing A Form

    Proofing a Form Begin to fill or edit your form. See Chapter 4, “Designing a Form,” for detailed information on defining, moving, resizing, and creating fields, as well as other design functions. See Chapter 6, “Filling a Form,” for detailed information on the kinds of fields you may find on a form and how to fill them.

  • Page 41: The Proofing Toolbar

    Proofing a Form The following Proofreader window appears. Proofreader Index panel: The red bullet indicates what will be displayed in the Proofreader Instruction panel. Proofreader Instruction panel: This panel displays all the options in the Proofreader. This window displays all the options in the Proofreader. Click a bulleted topic in the Proofreader Index panel to display that section in the Proofreader Instruction panel.

  • Page 42: Filling A Form

    Filling a Form If you would like to keep this toolbar on your desktop, see “Customizing Toolbars” on page 58 for more information. See the online help or the panels in the Proofreader for more information about how to use this toolbar.
  • Page 43 Printing a Form Select an option in the Apply to drop-down list. • Select Current page only to have your selections apply to only the current page. • Select Current page forward to have your selections apply to the current page of your form and all subsequent pages. •...

  • Page 44: Importing An Existing Electronic Form

    Printing 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 45: Printing Your Form As A Macro

    Printing a Form To print your form to OmniForm: Open the form in the application in which it was created. Remove any colored or shaded background from the form. Choose Print in the File menu. Select OmniForm in the Name drop-down list. Click OK.

  • Page 46: Searching A Form

    Searching a Form Select any other options that you want and click OK. See your macro programming utility documentation for an explanation of the way a stored macro is printed. Searching a Form This section describes how to perform a search on a form. You can also use the Form Assistant dialog box to search a form.

  • Page 47: Creating A New Form

    To open a form: Click Start in the Taskbar and choose Programs Caere Applications OmniForm 4.0. Click Cancel in the Form Assistant dialog box if it appears. Click the Open button in the design toolbar or choose Open... in the File menu.

  • Page 48: Mailing A Form

    Mailing a Form The Open dialog box appears. Make sure OmniForm Form is selected in the Files of type drop- down list. Locate and select a file. Click Open. The form opens in the last view in which it was saved: design or fill.
  • Page 49 Mailing a Form The Options dialog box appears. Click the General tab and select an option under Mail System. Select either Lotus cc: Mail/Lotus Notes or Microsoft Exchange/ Outlook. OmniForm selects your installed mail application by default if you have only one installed. Click OK.
  • Page 50 Mailing a Form Select an option. • Select Send the Form and Data to send all text, graphics, and any information in fillable fields. This option is available only in fill view. • Select Send the Data only to send just the information you have typed in the fillable fields.

  • Page 51: Adding A Routing Slip

    Saving a Form Enter the information in your mail program’s dialog box. Refer to your mail program’s documentation for more information. The following box shows the Lotus CC: Mail application dialog box. 10 Click Send to mail your message and form as specified. Adding a Routing Slip Microsoft Exchange/Outlook users can add a routing slip to mail.
  • Page 52 This is useful if you have users with a 16-bit Filler. You save your form in 2.0 so that users of the 16-bit Filler can access the form. However, some features available in OmniForm 4.0 may not be displayed or printed in the 2.0 version.
  • Page 53 Saving a Form • If you have selected PDF, click Options... and proceed to page To set your options for Word conversion: Select an option under Word Version. Select an option under Line Retention. • Select None if you do not want the converter to change the text to fit the lines.
  • Page 54 Saving a Form To set your options for HTML conversion: Select an option under HTML Version. • Select HTML Version 4.0 & CSS to support HTML version 4.0 and cascading style sheets, which provide the exact placement of objects on a form. •...
  • Page 55 Saving a Form Select Calculation and Validation Support if you want calculations, validation, and field formatting options to be converted. Select Convert Tables to Layers if you have tables and other objects on your form and you want to maintain the position of the objects.
  • Page 56 Saving a Form • Select Submit Button to add a submit button to the bottom of your form. This will allow you to submit your form to a Web address after your form has been converted. To do so, first type the Web address in the Submission tab of the Properties dialog box.

  • Page 57: Publishing A Form To The Web

    Publishing a Form to the Web Publishing a Form to the Web OmniForm can easily publish your forms on intranets and to the Internet. To publish forms to the Web you will need Microsoft’s Web Publishing Wizard installed on your system. If your system does not have Microsoft Web Publishing Wizard installed, you can obtain this Wizard by 1) installing the full application of Internet Explorer 4.0 and above, 2) downloading the Web Publishing Wizard from Microsoft’s Web site, or...
  • Page 58 Publishing a Form to the Web Select whether you want to publish the current form or previously saved forms. • Select Publish the current form to publish the form you have open. • Select Publish previously saved forms to publish saved forms. Click Next>.
  • Page 59 Publishing a Form to the Web You can select OmniForm Form, OmniForm 3.0, OmniForm 2.0, OFML 2.0, OFML 1.0, HTML, PDF or Microsoft Word (RTF). For information about these file types, see page 44. • If you have chosen HTML, PDF, or Microsoft Word (RTF), click Options...

  • Page 60: The Web Toolbar

    Publishing a Form to the Web • The action could point to a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script on a Web server; for example: http://www.caere.com/location-bin/script.pl This would tell OmniForm to submit data to a script on Caere’s Web server. • If the file is saved as HTML or PDF, the action could be an e- mail address;...
  • Page 61 Publishing a Form to the Web OmniForm Internet Filler can operate within a Web browser or on its own. When it runs within a browser, you can hyperlink to an OFML form and fill it out online. When it runs on its own, you can work with OFML forms off-line.
  • Page 62 Publishing a Form to the Web Chapter 3...

  • Page 63: Designing A Form

    Chapter 4 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 64: 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 “Editing a Form”...

  • Page 65: 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 fill toolbar or choose Design in the View menu to switch to design view. To open a shortcut menu, click the right mouse button and choose Design in this menu.

  • Page 66: The Design View Toolbars

    The Design View Toolbars The Design View Toolbars This section describes each toolbar in design view and defines its buttons. There are seven toolbars: • The design toolbar • The font/text toolbar • The drawing toolbar • The arrange toolbar •...
  • Page 67 The Design View Toolbars To customize toolbars using the Toolbars tab: In the Toolbars tab, you can: • select and deselect the toolbars that you want displayed on your desktop, • select or deselect the Show ToolTips option, • create a new toolbar, •...
  • Page 68 The Design View Toolbars The New Toolbar dialog box appears. • Type the name of your new toolbar in the Toolbar name text box. • Click OK to apply your name. Your new toolbar appears on your desktop. If you want, you can drag the new toolbar to another location on your desktop.

  • Page 69: The Design Toolbar

    The Design View Toolbars Click the Commands tab in the Customize dialog box. • Select a toolbar from the Categories list box. The corresponding buttons for that toolbar are shown in the Buttons box. • Click the button that you want and drag it to another toolbar on your desktop.

  • Page 70: 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. Top Alignment Font drop- Shrink font Bottom Right Alignment down list...

  • Page 71: The Arrange Toolbar

    The Design View Toolbars The Arrange Toolbar Use the arrange toolbar to arrange and align objects on a form. Refer to the online help for 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 72: Creating Objects On A Form

    Creating Objects on a Form Creating Objects on a Form This section explains how to create objects on your form. You can create fillable objects that a user fills in fill view, and nonfillable objects such as lines and rectangles that contribute to a form’s design. This section discusses general creation guidelines and then lists all objects in the same order as they appear in the drawing toolbar.

  • Page 73: Creating A Text Object

    Creating Objects on a Form 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 To create a text object: Click the Text tool in the drawing toolbar. Draw the text object.

  • Page 74: Creating A Rectangle Object

    Creating Objects on a Form To create an oval object: Click the Oval tool in the drawing toolbar. Draw an oval. To create a circle, hold down the Shift key as you draw. Creating a Rectangle Object Use a rectangle object to highlight areas on a form or as a design element.
  • Page 75 Creating Objects on a Form The screen splits to show the form both as it was designed with Logical Form Recognition and as it was originally scanned. Designed form without graphic Horizontal bar Original form with graphic Each view window has its own scroll bar so that you can scroll to the same place in each form.You can use the horizontal bar in- between the two windows to resize the view.Your cursor turns into a resize cursor over the bar.
  • Page 76 Creating Objects on a Form To create a square graphic object, hold down the Shift key as you draw. The Graphic Definition dialog box appears. Select Graphic File in the Source drop-down list. Type a file name in the File Name text box. Or, click Browse...

  • Page 77: Creating A Fill Text Object

    Creating Objects on a Form • Select Scale Proportionally to fit the graphic in the fill graphic field while maintaining its exact proportions. • 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.

  • Page 78: Creating A Comb Object

    Creating Objects on a Form Draw the fill text object. To create a square field, hold down the Shift key as you draw. 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, forms used in the United States typically require that you enter zip code numbers in five or nine separate boxes.

  • Page 79: Creating A Circle Text Object

    Creating Objects on a Form Creating a Circle Text Object Use circle text objects for Yes/No questions and for selecting one or more choices on a form. To create a circle text object: Click the Circle Text tool in the drawing toolbar. Draw a circle text object.

  • Page 80: Creating A Fill Graphic Object

    Defining Objects on a Form The number of rows and columns in the comb field increase as you drag the mouse. Let go of the mouse button when the table contains the number of rows and columns that you want. To create a square table, hold down the Shift key as you draw.

  • Page 81: Defining A Graphic Object

    Defining Objects on a Form When you define an object you can: • Give it a unique name that is useful when sorting or searching records, arranging tab order, or defining calculations. • Provide filling options such as a list of possible entries and help messages that appear in fill view.
  • Page 82 Defining Objects on a Form To set property options for fill text objects: Click the Properties tab. Type a unique name in the Name text box. Each object must have a unique name. A descriptive name such as Address makes a field easy to find when sorting, searching, defining calculations, and so forth.
  • Page 83 Defining Objects on a Form The next two options are enabled when Number, Currency, or Percentage is selected in the Type drop-down list. • Select Use 1000’s Separator to separate a series of three digits with a separator specific to the form’s language. See “International Settings”...
  • Page 84 Defining Objects on a Form • If you select Can be Filled, then an empty field can be filled and a filled field can be changed in fill view. The Can be Filled option, when deselected, overrides the Must be Filled in option when it is selected in the Validation tab.
  • Page 85 Defining Objects on a Form 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. Select Data Must Match Field Type to display a prompt in fill view if the user enters incorrect information in the field.

  • Page 86: Defining A Comb Object

    Defining Objects on a Form 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, but with these additions: •...
  • Page 87 Defining Objects on a Form Element Options You have three element options: number of elements, width of elements, and inter-element spacing. To set the 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.

  • Page 88: Defining A Comb Element Object

    Defining Objects on a Form 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. This dialog box allows you to: • Designate the border height of the element. •...

  • Page 89: Defining A Check Box Object

    Defining Objects on a Form 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. This dialog box allows you to set property, filling, and validation options for your selected check box.

  • Page 90: Defining A Circle Text Object

    Defining Objects on a Form To set filling options for check boxes: 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.

  • Page 91: Defining A Table Object

    Defining Objects on a Form Defining a Table Object Choose Object Definition... in the Format menu to open the Table Definition dialog box when a table object is selected. This dialog box lets you: • Set tabbing properties so that you can tab either from left to right or top to bottom.

  • Page 92: Defining A Table Cell

    Defining Objects on a Form Set row height: Type the row height in the Height of Rows text box. If you have unequal row height and would like all the rows to be the same height, then select Make Rows Equal Height. OmniForm resizes rows to an equal height without changing table size.

  • Page 93: Setting Serial Numbers

    Defining Objects on a Form Setting Serial Numbers You can keep track of your form by using serial numbers. You can set serial numbers for fill text objects and comb objects. You define serial numbers in design view and they appear in fill view. As a new record is created in fill view, serial numbers will automatically change by the increment you have entered.

  • Page 94: Changing Object Appearance On A Form

    Changing Object Appearance on a Form Click OK in the Serial Number Settings dialog box to apply your settings. Click OK in the Fill Text Definition dialog box to close the dialog box. Changing Object Appearance on a Form This section describes the options in the Object Appearance dialog box and how they affect a selected object.
  • Page 95 Changing Object Appearance on a Form Color For background color of the object, select a color from the Color drop- down palette. For custom colors, click More Colors..The Color dialog box appears. To customize a color, enter a number from 0 to 255 in the text boxes (Hue, Sat, Lum, Red, Green, and Blue).
  • Page 96 Changing Object Appearance on a Form Gradient You can select from Gradient (Horizontal) and Gradient (Vertical). • Select Gradient (Horizontal) to have the background color gradually change to the pattern color, from top to bottom. • Select Gradient (Vertical) to have the background color gradually change to the pattern color, from left to right.
  • Page 97 Changing Object Appearance on a Form Weight To change the border thickness, select Weight from the drop-down list. You can select from a 1- to 12-point thickness. Clear Select Clear to hide the border and OmniForm will display any paint layers beneath it.
  • Page 98 Changing Object Appearance on a Form Options in this tab are only active for selected fill text objects. Text alignment must be set to Top or Exactly in the Text dialog box before fill lines can be set. See “Formatting Text” on page 97 for information. Fill lines appear inside the object much like lines appear on writing paper.
  • Page 99 Changing Object Appearance on a Form See “Paint Order” on page 92 for information on how paint order affects fill line display. Start Fill Line at First Line Indentation 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 100: Adding Color To A Form

    Adding Color to a Form Paint Order OmniForm uses a specific paint order. For example, a table object itself is painted first, then the cells inside the table, and then objects inside the cell. This makes it possible to have three layers of paint. The last layer painted in an object overrides all other layers.
  • Page 101 Adding Color to a Form Select the color you want from the Color drop-down palette. Click More Colors... to customize colors. The following Color dialog box appears. Customize a color and click OK. To customize a color, enter a number in the boxes; or, drag the crosshair across the Color box.

  • Page 102: Adjusting Colors

    Adjusting Colors • In the Red text box, enter a number from 0 to 255 to adjust the amount of red in the color. The larger the number, the more red the color contains. • In the Green text box, enter a number from 0 to 255 to adjust the amount of green in the color.

  • Page 103: Editing A Form

    Editing a Form Select a color from the drop-down color palette. For more infor- mation about the drop-down color palette, see the previous sec- tion. Click OK to apply your changes and close the dialog box. Editing a Form This section describes how to edit a form using the design view tools and commands.

  • Page 104: Moving An Object

    Editing a 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 105: Deleting An Object

    Editing a Form Deleting an Object Choose Delete in the Edit menu or press Delete 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 text in selected objects.
  • Page 106 Editing a Form A preview of your choices appears in the Sample box. Click OK to apply the formatting. To format the placement of text objects: Select the text/fill objects that you want to format. Text entered in fill view takes on formatting assigned to fill objects in design view.

  • Page 107: Merging Text

    Editing a Form • Select Flow Text Across Lines to enter text in a field with auto- matic word-wrapping. • Select Make Text Fit to Lines to fit text to the size of the line. This can alter the appearance of text. Each line can be selected separately and resized.

  • Page 108: Breaking A Table Apart

    Editing a Form 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. Click Next>...

  • Page 109: Aligning Objects On A Form

    Editing a Form You cannot regroup the objects once you break them apart. For this reason, you might want to save your table before you break it apart; and if you do not like what you have created, you can always revert to the saved copy.

  • Page 110: Sending Objects Front Or Back

    Editing a Form • Select Center Horizontally to align the selected objects by their horizontal centers. Horizontal centers Horizontal centers’ alignment midpoint • Select Top to align all selected objects by their top edges. • Select Bottom to align all selected objects by their bottom edg- •...

  • Page 111: Changing Tab Order On A Form

    Editing a Form Changing Tab Order on a Form Tab order is the order in which the cursor moves from field to field on a form in fill view. You should check the tab order on all the forms you design or scan.
  • Page 112 Editing a Form • Click the Move Up button in the Tab Order window to move the selected fields up. Click as many times as needed to move the fields into place. Or, you can right-click your mouse button to get a shortcut menu to move the selected fields up.
  • Page 113 Editing a Form To group check boxes or circle text objects: Click the Tools button in the design toolbar or choose Tab Order in the Tools menu. The Tools window appears to the left of the form. Click the Tab Order tab in the Tools window if either the Proofreader or Scrapbook window appears.

  • Page 114: Placing Objects In Table Cells

    Editing a Form Click a field in the Field Name list (one that has a plus sign in front of it) to display its list of contained fields. Select and drag the fields within the group, or use the Move Up or Move Down buttons (either in the Tab Order window or right- click your mouse button to get a shortcut menu).

  • Page 115: Converting An Object To Another Type Of Object

    Editing a Form Converting an Object to Another Type of 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 116 Editing a Form Chapter 4...

  • Page 117: Advanced Features

    Chapter 5 Advanced Features This chapter discusses how to use some of the advanced features in OmniForm. Although these are advanced features they are not hard to learn. After you have become familiar with some of the basic form design options in OmniForm, try some of these features. These features can really enhance the design of your forms.

  • Page 118: Setting Up A Form For Automated Data Entry

    Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry Using the AutoFill Wizard, you can set up a form for automated data entry. You can create or use an AutoFill list to provide a drop-down list of possible entries for the person who fills in a form or to provide an automatic filling of specific fields on a form.
  • Page 119 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry The following AutoFill Wizard dialog box appears. Select Create or edit the AutoFill of the current field to create a list for your selected field and click Next>. The following dialog box appears. Select Show a list of choices and click Next>.
  • Page 120 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry The following dialog box appears. Select Manually entered list to create the information for your AutoFill list and click Next>. The following dialog box appears. Click Add and type the information that you want to include in your list in the provided text box.

  • Page 121: Create Or Use An Autofill List From Another Source

    Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry 10 Click Finish to close the AutoFill Wizard and, if selected, to save your list. The Fill Text Definition dialog appears. 11 Click OK to apply your settings and close the dialog box. Create or Use an AutoFill List From Another Source You can create or use an AutoFill list from a variety of sources, such as a previously saved AutoFill list, an AutoFill list from another field, an...
  • Page 122 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry • To remove an entry, select the entry and then click Delete. • To remove all entries from the list, click Delete All. Click Next> when you are finished customizing the list. Select whether you want to save your list.
  • Page 123 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry Select whether you want to save your list. If you are saving your list, type a name. OmniForm saves your list as a .txt file. Click Finish to close the AutoFill Wizard and, if selected, to save your list.
  • Page 124 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry The following dialog box appears if you have selected OmniForm Form. Type the file name of the OmniForm form (or OmniForm database) you will be using in the File name text box. Or, click Browse...
  • Page 125 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry Create an AutoFill List From an ODBC Source You can create an AutoFill list from an ODBC source and use the information for your current field. To create an AutoFill list from an ODBC source: Open a form and select a field where you want to create an AutoFill list using information from an ODBC source.
  • Page 126 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry • Select the data source you will be using from the Data Source drop-down list. • Select a Table you would like to use from the Table drop-down list. Click Next>. A dialog box similar to the one below appears. 10 Specify the columns (or fields) that you want to use in the drop- down list.

  • Page 127: Automatically Fill Fields On A Form

    Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry Automatically Fill Fields on a Form You can automatically fill fields on your form with AutoFill lists from a variety of sources. You can fill fields automatically using lists you create, or information from ODBC sources, OmniForm forms or databases. This section describes how to create an automatic filling for your form.
  • Page 128 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry A dialog box similar to the one below appears. Specify the fields that you want to be filled automatically. • Select the fields in the Available fields list and click the right- arrow button.
  • Page 129 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry 10 Type the entries that you want in the columns. The first column, the Name field is the selected field on your current form. Once the Name field (or John Smith) is filled, the other fields on the form, that is, Address (or in this case, 123 Main St.), City (that is, Gould), and State (that is, CO) fields, will be filled automatically.
  • Page 130 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry Type the file name of the OmniForm form or database you will be using in the File name text box. Or, click Browse... to locate your file. • Locate and select a file. •...
  • Page 131 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry Automatically Fill Fields on a Form With an ODBC Source You can have fields on your form automatically filled with information from an ODBC source. First specify a field so that once it is filled other fields will be automatically filled.
  • Page 132 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry A dialog box similar to the one below appears. 10 In the Column/field drop-down list, select the column (or field) from your database that you want to match against the data in the current selected field on your form.
  • Page 133 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry A dialog box similar to the one below appears. 13 Specify the links between the fields to be automatically filled in the form and the columns in the database. By linking the fields to the columns, you tell OmniForm what database information needs to be placed in what field on your form.

  • Page 134: Creating An Autofill List And Automatically Fill Fields

    Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry Creating an AutoFill List and Automatically Fill Fields You can create both an AutoFill list and have fields automatically filled for your form. You can automatically fill fields by using a list you create, information from an ODBC source, OmniForm form, or database.
  • Page 135 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry A dialog box similar to the one below appears. 10 Type the entries in the appropriate columns. For example, the first column in this dialog box, the Company field, is the selected field on your current form;...
  • Page 136 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry Select ODBC Database to use information from a database (such as dBASE or Microsoft Access) and click Next>. Each item in a column can have a maximum of 2000 characters. Specify a data source and table. If you have not set up your data source previously, click Administrator...
  • Page 137 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry 12 Specify the links between the fields to be automatically filled in the form and the columns in the database. By linking the fields to the columns, you tell OmniForm what database information needs to be placed in what field on your form.
  • Page 138 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry Type the file name in the provided text box. Or, click Browse... to locate your file. • Locate and select a file. • Click OK to return to the AutoFill Wizard dialog box. The name of the selected file appears in the File name text box.

  • Page 139: Replacing Data Entered In A Field With New Data

    Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry • To remove an entry in the Links box, select the entry and click Unlink. If you want to remove all entries in the Links box, click Unlink All. 14 Click Finish to close the AutoFill Wizard. The Fill Text Definition dialog box appears.

  • Page 140: Creating Autofills For Tables

    Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry A dialog box similar to the one below appears. Type the entry to be replaced in the Replace column and type the replacement in the With column. Click Next> when you are finished. Select whether you want to save your list.
  • Page 141 Setting up a Form for Automated Data Entry The following dialog box appears when you have chosen to fill fields automatically. • Select All other fields in the form to show all the available fields on the form. • Select All fields not in this table to show just the fields outside of the table.

  • Page 142: Setting Attributes For A Form

    Setting Attributes for a Form • Select No if you do not want the AutoFill settings to apply to the rest of the fields in the table. • Select Yes if you want the AutoFill settings to apply to the rest of the fields in the table.

  • Page 143: Setting Summary Information

    Setting Attributes for a Form Setting Summary Information Using the Summary tab, you can enter pertinent information about the form. To set summary information: Choose Properties in the File menu. The Properties dialog box appears. Click the Summary tab. Enter information appropriate to your form. Click OK to apply your settings.

  • Page 144: Setting Submission Information

    Setting Attributes for a Form Setting Submission Information Using the Submission tab, you can set how you will submit your form and where you will send your form after you submit it. To set submission information: Choose Properties in the File menu. The Properties dialog box appears.

  • Page 145: Adding Security To Your Forms

    Adding Security to Your Forms Adding Security to Your Forms If your work environment contains several work groups, you might want to add security properties to your forms. Security properties can protect both the user who fills out the form and the user who processes the filled out form.
  • Page 146 Adding Security to Your Forms To create a user database: If you are in fill view, click the Design button in the fill toolbar or choose Design in the View menu to switch to design view. Choose Security... in the Tools menu. The Security Database dialog box appears.
  • Page 147 Adding Security to Your Forms To add a user to the database: If you are in fill view, click the Design button in the fill toolbar or choose Design in the View menu to switch to design view. Choose Security... in the Tools menu. The Enter Administrator Password dialog box appears.

  • Page 148: Creating Signature Fields

    Adding Security to Your Forms To update a password or full name: In design view, choose Security... in the Tools menu. The Security Database Administration dialog box appears. In the Users box, all the current users are displayed. In the Users list box, select the user that you want to update. Updating a user’s password will cause all records previously signed by this user to become unverified.

  • Page 149: Filling/Signing Signature Fields

    Adding Security to Your Forms To create a signature field on a form: In design view, select a fill text field on the form where you want to create a signature field. Choose Object Definition... in the Format menu. Or, open a shortcut menu by clicking the right-mouse button over the selected object.

  • Page 150: Verifying Signature Fields

    Adding Security to Your Forms To sign a signature field: Click the signature field. • If you are online, the Signature Required dialog box appears. You will be prompted for a valid user name and password. • If you are offline, the Signature Required (Offline) dialog box appears.

  • Page 151: Adding Hyperlinks To Your Forms

    Adding Hyperlinks to Your Forms Click OK to close the dialog box. Adding Hyperlinks to Your Forms You can easily set up hyperlinks on your forms. A hyperlink is a connection from a place on your form to a file or Web site. For example, the person who fills out the form can link from a place on the form to your company’s Web site.

  • Page 152: Using The Scrapbook

    Using the Scrapbook Choose Options... in the Tools menu if you would like to be able to view the link address. The Options dialog box appears. Select ScreenTips. When in fill view, if you place your cursor over the hyperlink area, a pop-up window appears displaying the link address.
  • Page 153 Using the Scrapbook To open a scrapbook: Choose Scrapbook in the Tools menu. The scrapbook opens to the left of the OmniForm window in the Tools window. Scrapbook Current scrapbook Commands icon Stored graphic file (a scrap) Select a scrapbook to view in the Scrapbook drop-down list, or create your own.
  • Page 154 Using the Scrapbook To place scraps in a form: Open the desired scrapbook. Select a scrap and drag it into your form. Or, select a scrap and choose Copy Scrap in the Scrapbook Commands icon menu. You can select only one scrap at a time. The selected scrap appears as the original object in your form.
  • Page 155 Using the Scrapbook A new, empty scrapbook appears. To rename a scrapbook: Open the scrapbook to rename. Choose Rename Scrapbook... in the Scrapbook Commands icon menu. The Rename Scrapbook dialog box appears. Type a name in the New Name text box. Click OK.

  • Page 156: Inserting Ole Objects In A Form

    Inserting OLE Objects in a Form Scraps are listed in the order they were created in both Icon and List views. 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 157: 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 158: 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 149 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 159: 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 149 if you need to create an object. The Insert Object dialog box changes when you select Create from File.

  • Page 160: Setting Up Linking Options

    Inserting OLE Objects in a Form Choose Paste Link in the Edit menu. OmniForm pastes the information as a linked OLE object. Use the Links... command in the Edit menu to set linking options for any linked object. See the next section for information. Setting Up Linking Options This section describes the Links...

  • Page 161: Using The Object Commands

    Inserting OLE Objects in a Form • To change the source file to which the object is linked, click Change Source. The Change Source dialog box appears. Select a new source file for the object and a file type in the Files of type drop-down list.
  • Page 162 Inserting OLE Objects in a Form • Linked objects and objects displayed as icons open in the source application. Choose Exit in the File menu when you are done. • Unlinked objects not displayed as icons open in the window in which you created them.
  • Page 163 Inserting OLE Objects in a Form Click OK. The object is converted. Play Choose Play in the Object cascading menu to play a selected OLE object in its source application or in the OLE window in which it was created. This command is only available for video clip, media clip, and MIDI sequence objects.
  • Page 164 Inserting OLE Objects in a Form Chapter 5...

  • Page 165: Filling A Form

    Chapter 6 Filling a Form This chapter describes how you or another user would fill out a form created in OmniForm. This chapter contains the following sections: • The Fill View Window • Moving Through Fields • Filling Fields • Spell Checking •...

  • Page 166: 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 design toolbar or choose Fill in the View menu to switch to fill view. To open a shortcut menu, click the right mouse button and choose Fill in this menu.

  • Page 167: The Fill Toolbar

    The Fill View Window The Fill Toolbar Use the fill toolbar for basic file operations such as saving and printing. Use it also to move through records in a database. First Form Highlight Print Next Paste Save Assistant Fill Areas Record Record Preview...

  • Page 168: 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. Action Key Combination Place the cursor in a When a form first opens, press Tab to place the field cursor in the first field.

  • Page 169: 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: • Type Ahead • Shrink Text to Fit Fields • Fill Text •...

  • Page 170: Shrink Text To Fit Fields

    Filling Fields Shrink Text to Fit Fields When filling a form, the text you enter may not always fit in the fill text fields. You can make your text automatically fit your fields. To shrink text to fit fields: Choose Options... in the Tools menu. The Options dialog box appears.

  • Page 171: Circle Text

    Filling Fields Check boxes are commonly used for Yes/No questions and for selecting an item in a group, as in the two examples below: Fill Check Check boxes may be grouped; this means that only one can be selected. Selecting one check box automatically deselects another checked box in the group as in the example below.

  • Page 172: Fill Graphic

    Filling Fields The user clicks this cell to fill it in the same way as a check box field. See Chapter 4, “Designing a Form,” for information on tables, converting fields from one type to another, inserting objects in table cells, and so on. Fill Graphic A fill graphic field contains a graphic you select.
  • Page 173 Filling Fields • Select Scale Proportionally to fit the graphic in the fill graphic field while maintaining its exact proportions. • Select Stretch to Fit to change your graphic’s original shape and size to fit in the fill graphic field. Depending on the shape of the fill graphic field, your graphic may be stretched or compressed.
  • Page 174 Filling Fields • Deselect Transparent if you want the graphic to be opaque. You will not be able to see information behind the graphic. Click OK. OmniForm imports the graphic and displays it in the fill graphic field. To import a graphic from a TWAIN source: Click the fill graphic field or tab to the field and press the Space bar.

  • Page 175: List Fields

    Filling Fields To delete a graphic from a fill graphic field: Select None in the Fill Graphic dialog box to delete a graphic from the form and leave the fill graphic field empty. List Fields Fields can contain a list of selectable entries. A drop-down list arrow appears when the cursor is in the field.

  • Page 176: Field Validation

    Spell Checking Field Validation Fill text fields can be configured by the creator to: • Require that you enter information in a field and do not leave it blank. • Require that you enter specific information in a field. • Require both of the above. •...

  • Page 177: Spell Checking Multiple Languages

    Spell Checking The Language selection is grayed out but readable in fill view. If the language selection for Current Form is incorrect, click Cancel and proceed to “To Select a Language for Your Form:” on page 19. Click OK if the language is correct. Spell Checking Multiple Languages You may have scanned in a form with the Allow Multiple Languages option selected.

  • Page 178: Spell Checking Your Form

    Spell Checking Spell Checking Your Form OmniForm has two ways to spell check your form. • OmniForm automatically places a red wavy line under misspelled words and double entries. You simply right-click the error and select the correction from the menu that appears. If you want to turn off this automatic spell checker, choose Options...

  • Page 179: Saving In Fill View

    Saving in Fill View Saving in Fill View OmniForm automatically saves in fill view. OmniForm saves after numerous user actions, such as, moving from one record to another, printing or closing a form, before importing or exporting data, and in many other situations.
  • Page 180 Saving in Fill View Chapter 6...

  • Page 181: Managing An Omniform Database

    Chapter 7 Managing an OmniForm Database This chapter introduces basic database concepts, including the following sections: • What Is a Database? • Managing Database Records • Protecting Your Database See Chapter 4, “Designing a Form,” for detailed information on defining fields in a form so that all your records contain the proper information.

  • Page 182: 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 183: 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 184 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 design toolbar or choose Fill in the View menu to switch to fill view.

  • Page 185: Duplicating Records

    Managing Database Records Fill in as many fields as you like. Click the New button in the fill 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 186: 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 fill toolbar or choose Fill in the View menu to switch to fill view. Fill in the information that you want duplicated.

  • Page 187: Searching Records For Information

    Managing Database Records Next Record Click the Next Record button or choose Go To in the Records menu and Next in its drop-down menu to move to the record that is after the one you are viewing. If you are viewing record 3, for example, the next record is record 4.
  • Page 188 Managing Database Records To simplify searches, give each field a more descriptive 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 a Form” on page 72 for detailed information.
  • Page 189 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 be- ginning with a symbol, a number, or letters earlier in the al- phabet than the entry, for example, France or Dharma Dogs. •...
  • Page 190 Managing Database Records • contains: find records that contain the Value entry. This search finds records that have Franich & Halsey entered anywhere in the Customer field. Be careful when selecting contains as one of your conditions. In a search for the value male, for example, your search would include any records that contained the word male.

  • Page 191: Sorting Records

    Managing Database Records OmniForm searches for and retrieves all records that contain the information you specified in the Search dialog box. Click Clear Search to return to the full record set. Search information: the found set contains five records. Under the fill toolbar, OmniForm displays the search information and number of records in the found set.

  • Page 192: Recalculating Records

    Managing Database Records The Sort dialog box appears. Select the field by which to sort in the Field Name drop-down list. All the fields in your form are listed here. To make sorting as easy as possible, give each field a unique name after it is created.
  • Page 193 Managing Database Records For example, suppose you changed the mileage calculation in an expense form to reflect the latest rate. All new records would use the new calculation and reflect this rate. You do not want older records to use the new calculation because the original rate was correct at the time. If you recalculated all records after adding the new calculation to the expense form, the mileage rates on your old records would also change.

  • Page 194: Deleting Records

    Managing Database Records You cannot undo a recalculation. Click OK. OmniForm recalculates the records according to your specifications. Click OK in the dialog box that informs you how many records were recalculated successfully. Deleting Records This section describes how to delete one or more records in a database. Use this command to get rid of old, unwanted, or duplicate records.

  • Page 195: Refreshing Records

    Managing Database Records To delete all records: If you are in design view, click the Fill button in the design tool- bar or choose Fill in the View menu to switch to fill view. Choose Delete All Records in the Records menu. A warning dialog box appears.

  • Page 196: Exporting Information

    Managing Database Records To save a record: If you are in design view, click the Fill button in the design tool- bar or choose Fill in the View menu to switch to fill view. Choose Save Record in the Records menu. OmniForm saves your record to the database.
  • Page 197 Managing Database Records For example, suppose you export information in the fields Customer, Title, and Product, in that order. You have the same field information in the import database, but the fields are named What Bought, Name, and Position, in that order. You could link Customer Name/Title Position/ Product...
  • Page 198 Managing Database Records The Export As dialog box appears. • 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 199 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 adja- cent records.

  • Page 200: Using Omniform Data Files

    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. Depending on your database driver, you can export up to 255 fields at a time.

  • Page 201: Importing Information

    Managing Database Records To set up the shared form location: Select or create a folder for your shared OmniForm forms. You can make the form read-only so users can only open a copy of the form, not the original. In OmniForm, choose Options... in the Tools menu. The Options dialog box appears.
  • Page 202 Managing Database Records • Any supported database source, such as FoxPro Available sources depend on the installed database drivers. • An OmniForm Mailable Filler Data consists of information entered in fields, such as text, check marks, and calculations. Importing data saves you the time of entering the same data manually and allows you to share data with other database users.
  • Page 203 Managing Database Records The type of dialog box that appears next depends on the type of database file you have selected. The Select Import Files dialog box appears if you have selected OmniForm Database. An OmniForm Data (OFD) file has a different icon than a Form (OFM) file.
  • Page 204 Managing Database Records Link fields on the left to fields on the right. This tells OmniForm which field data to import from the other database and where to import it in the current database. • To link individual fields, select a field on the left, select its cor- responding field on the right, and click Link.

  • Page 205: 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 206: Protecting The Form

    Protecting Your Database Information in fill view is now read-only. All the commands and buttons associated with protected operations are grayed out. Click the Fill button in the fill toolbar or choose Fill in the View menu to switch to fill view. Place your cursor in a fill text field and try to type text.

  • Page 207: Omniform Filler

    Protecting Your Database If you wish, type a password in the Password text box. Pass- words are case sensitive. You will be prompted to reenter your password for confirmation. The next time anyone tries to change the form’s design, a dialog box appears, informing the user of the protection status.
  • Page 208 Protecting Your Database OmniForm Filler is included on your OmniForm CD-ROM. However, before you can use OmniForm Filler you must purchase an unlock code. To obtain an unlock code in the U.S. or to purchase additional versions of OmniForm Filler, please call (800) 535-SCAN. Alternatively, you can purchase an unlock code on the Caere Web site, which is www.

  • Page 209: Using Calculations

    Chapter 8 Using Calculations This chapter describes how to use OmniForm’s calculation features. OmniForm automatically performs calculations when you fill in the appropriate fields. 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 210: 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 the online tutorial for step-by-step instructions on creating a simple calculation.
  • Page 211 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 212 Calculation Overview • Functions list This list contains all available functions that can be used in a calculation. (Functions are sorted by category. Click the plus sign in front of a category to open it.) Double-click a function to insert it in the calculation text box, or select it and click Paste.
  • Page 213 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 214 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 to close the dialog box without creating a calculation.

  • Page 215: Using The Recalculate

    Calculation Overview The Calculation List The Calculation List dialog box lists all of your form’s calculations and allows you to make changes to the calculations. To change your calculations: Click the Calculation List button in the calculation toolbar. The Calculation List dialog box appears. Double-click the Field Name that you want to change.
  • Page 216 Calculation Overview • Parentheses ( () ) must enclose an entire function. Sum([Price1],[Price2]) This tells OmniForm where the function begins and ends. You may have more than one function in a calculation. • You must insert a list separator between fields in a manually created function.

  • Page 217: Usage Conventions

    Operators Usage Conventions Substitute the appropriate field name where you see num and str in the function examples. Parentheses are required where indicated. Below is a list of conventions showing operator and function usage. Operator Function date date value: the expression must evaluate to a valid date time time value: the expression must evaluate to a valid time number or numeric expression;...

  • Page 218: Operator Buttons

    Operators OmniForm automatically inserts commas, parentheses, and brackets when you create a calculation with the Calculation Builder or the Auto button, and when you click the Accept Calculation button. Operator Buttons See “Calculation Overview” on page 202 for instructions on creating calculations.

  • Page 219: Operators - Quick Reference

    Operators Operators — Quick Reference See “Usage Conventions” on page 209 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...

  • Page 220: Functions

    Functions Functions Functions are single words used by OmniForm to represent operations within a calculation. Functions can use field values, information you enter, and information from outside sources such as the computer date. Please refer to the online help for a definition of each function and instructions on how to use a function in a calculation.

  • Page 221: Functions - Quick Reference

    Functions Functions — Quick Reference See “Usage Conventions” on page 209 for information on how to interpret the examples in the following table. Or, refer to online help for an example of each function. The following table lists a brief description and usage of each function.
  • Page 222 Functions mathematical Natural Logarithm: returns the natural ln(num) logarithm (base e — approximately 2.71828) of num; inverse of Exp function of num mathematical Base 10 Logarithm: returns the base 10 Log(num) logarithm of num Lower text Lower: converts the str to lowercase Lower(str) statistical Maximum: returns the maximum (highest)
  • Page 223 Functions Replicate text Replicate: repeats a str for num times Replicate(str, num) Right text Right: returns characters for str beginning from Right(str, num characters) the right and proceeding to the left for num characters Round mathematical Round: returns the value of num rounded to the Round(num, num of decimal specified num of decimal places places)

  • Page 224: Functions Sorted By Type

    Functions Functions Sorted by Type The following table lists each function by type. (The Calculation Builder dialog box contains folders for each type of function listed.) Database Date/Time Financial Logical Math Text Record Count Date Left DayName Length DayOfMonth Lower DayOfWeek Middle DayOfYear...

  • Page 225: Technical Information

    Chapter 9 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 226: General Troubleshooting Solutions

    General Troubleshooting Solutions General Troubleshooting Solutions 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 227: Omniform Setup Issues

    Installing OmniForm 4.0 over Older Versions Select your current OmniForm folder during installation to install OmniForm 4.0 over a 3.0, 2.0 or 1.x version. OmniForm prompts you to confirm that you want to overwrite the previous version. You will no longer be able to run an older version of OmniForm in this case.

  • Page 228: 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 229: Scanner Compatibility

    Operation Scanner Compatibility If you experience a problem between OmniForm and your scanner, make sure your scanner is one that OmniForm supports. Please refer to Scanner Setup Notes for a list of compatible scanners and more detailed information about how to solve scanning problems.To open this PDF file, click Start in the Windows taskbar and choose Programs Caere Applications...

  • Page 230: Low Memory

    Operation Low Memory Low memory can cause a number of problems, from persistent low- memory error messages to system hangs. You need a minimum of 16MB RAM for Windows 95 or 98 and Windows NT. More memory is recommended if you run multiple applications. Close Open Applications and Windows You may receive out-of-memory error messages or find that OmniForm works slowly and accesses the hard drive frequently.

  • Page 231: Low Disk Space

    Operation You can click Virtual Memory... if you want to change virtual memory settings but it is recommended that users let Windows manage the virtual memory settings. Click OK to close the System Properties dialog box and return to the Control Panel. Virtual Memory OmniForm uses virtual memory when memory runs low.

  • Page 232: 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 233: Paper Transparency

    OmniForm Compatibility Paper Transparency Some paper is thin enough that the scanner sees text printed on the opposite side of a two-sided page. To correct this problem, put a black piece of paper behind the page between the page and the lid of the scanner.
  • Page 234 OmniForm Compatibility Scanners The Scanner Setup Notes contains information about supported scanners and related issues. To open this PDF file, click Start in the Windows taskbar and choose Programs Caere Applications Caere Documents Scanner Setup Notes after OmniForm has been installed. Chapter 9...

  • Page 235: Glossary

    Glossary ADF See automatic document feeder. arrange toolbar The toolbar that contains buttons for aligning and moving multiple selected objects. auto calculation A calculation automatically created by OmniForm when you select a field and click the Auto button in the calculation toolbar.
  • Page 236 cursor A symbol, displayed on the screen, marking where the next action will take effect or where the next typed character will appear. data The plural of datum; used here to refer to any information entered in a field such as text and numbers. database A collection of similar information stored as records.
  • Page 237 punctuation marks, and other typographical symbols with a consistent appearance; the size can be changed readily. font/text toolbar The toolbar that contains buttons for formatting characters and paragraphs. Form Assistant A dialog box that is set by default to open automatically upon OmniForm launch.
  • Page 238 Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) A feature that enables users to insert and use objects created in other applications into a form. 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.
  • Page 239 database that consists of one record. You can create a new, blank record using the first form as a template. The record looks exactly like the first record, but it can be filled with different information. redesign To edit a form in design view. You can create, delete, convert, reposition, and resize objects, among other features.
  • Page 240 Glossary 232...
  • Page 241 Index Symbols filling a field defined by a Currency calculation 167 affected by language selection functions quick reference chart 20 to 21 213 to 215 euro currency symbol 21 Add Routing Slip command 43 functions, sorted by type 216 Current Form option 19 to 20 Adobe Acrobat Reader, installing 5 guidelines for creating 207 Cursor...
  • Page 242 Delete Record command 186 benefits of exporting Print 35 Design toolbar information 188 Scan Form 26 to 30, 31 to 32 commands 61 exporting database information Send 41 to 43 described 61 188 to 191 Fill Graphic dialog box 164 Design view ODBC database options Fill graphic object...
  • Page 243 changing tab order 103 automatically fill fields on a creating 66 to 69 converting objects 107 form with an OmniForm defining 68 to 69 deleting objects 97 form or database 121 Graphics formatting text 97 to 99 data protection 197 copy from original to designed moving objects 96 document quality 224...
  • Page 244 Auto linking 196 forms 41 to 43 creating 64 to 72 data sources 193 select mail system 40 creation guidelines 64 field data 193 Mailable Filler 48 defining 73 to 84 linking field names 195 Memory deleting 97 Improving performance 224 amount available in Windows filling objects in fill view 161 to Insert New Object command 149...
  • Page 245 font/text toolbar 62 Print dialog box 35 Duplicate Record 178 installation 8 Printing Go To 178 limits 221 a form as a macro 37 to 38 Recalculate 185, 207 shortcut menu 57 forms 34 to 36 Refresh All Records 187 starting the program 10 setting paper size, margins, Refresh Record 187...
  • Page 246 Scanning Serial Number Settings dialog box Technical support services 4 and paper thickness 225 Temp directory 223 angle 224 Serial numbers 85 Text books 28 Setting recognition options 28 command 98 factors affecting recognition Setting serial numbers 85 dialog box 98 accuracy 224 Setup formatting 97 to 99...
  • Page 247 system hang 220 temp directory 223 uninstalling OmniForm 219 unrecognizable characters 224 Tutorials see OmniForm tutorials TWAIN scanning in a graphic with 166 Type Ahead 161 Uninstalling OmniForm 219 Unrecognizable characters 224 View menu commands Form Image 66 Form Usage 18 Views with Form Image 67 Virtual memory 223...
  • Page 248 Index...

Table of Contents