Ascent Advanced Forms 3.7

Ascent Advanced Forms Validation provides advanced validation capabilities to Ascent Capture. In addition to simple index fields, Ascent Advanced Forms Validation can process advanced data structures, such as table fields/elements and addresses. Ascent Advanced Forms Validation leverages DOKuStar validation technology.

Provided as a custom module, Ascent Advanced Forms Validation can be added to your Ascent Capture workflow like any other custom module. You can use it as a replacement for the standard Ascent Capture Validation module, or use it in conjunction with Ascent Capture Validation.

In addition, up to four Ascent Advanced Forms Validation modules can be included in your Ascent Capture workflow. Any or all of them can be set to run with a graphical user interface that requires user interaction, or as a service to automatically process batches without user interaction.

Ascent Advanced Forms Validation also provides Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) as a programming interface. This allows Visual Basic scripts to be used with your Ascent Advanced Forms Validation modules to perform automatic document type and/or field selections, comparisons, verifications, and other types of custom processing.

For details, refer to the user documentation provided with the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation software.

User Documentation

Ascent Advanced Forms Validation includes the following documentation, which is installed to your Ascent Capture installation location. The default installation location for the documentation is: C:\Program Files\Ascent\Bin\DOKuStar\ValAC_doc.

Ascent Advanced Forms Validation Users Manual

This manual introduces the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation custom module and provides a quick tour of its interface. It also provides steps for installing the custom module, registering the custom module with Ascent Capture, accessing the VBA scripting interface, and running the custom module as a service.

Ascent Advanced Forms Validation Programming Manual

This manual describes the VBA scripting interface provided with Ascent Advanced Forms Validation. It also includes information about the format of table data output.

Online Help

Several online help systems are available:

For the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation custom module: Select Help | Manual from the custom module's menu bar.
For various other help files: In Windows Explorer, browse to your Ascent\Bin\DOKuStar\ValAC_doc location.

Examples

Examples of VBA scripts are installed to the following location: C:\Program Files\ODT-OCE\Ascent Advanced Forms Validation 3.7.

New Features

Single-Click Entry

This is a set of features that allow you to use a mouse to enter data during validation, if full text recognition results are available (for example, by using Ascent Advanced Forms Extraction for data extraction). In conjunction with this feature, several new functions are now available:

Pick a Word captures one or more words by clicking them with the mouse.
Zone and Capture captures a block of text by drawing a rectangle around the text with the mouse.
Zoom-in Pointer shows the area around the mouse cursor in a special window. The content of the special window is shown in enlarged form.
Table Auto-Completion automatically captures a complete table, once the first row of the table has been captured.

For details, see the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation Users Manual.

Character Correction Mode

This feature combines the Reject Correction Mode (introduced in version 3.6) with convenient character correction. For details, see the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation Programming Manual.

EditCtrlService Object

Two new properties are now available for this object: EditFont and TableFont. For details, see the Reference online help file (ValRef.chm).

Custom Module as a Service

An "automatic" Ascent Advanced Forms Validation custom module can now be configured to run as a system service. Also, you can now configure more than one instance of an automatic station. For details, see the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation Users Manual.

Required Index Fields Supported

Ascent Advanced Forms Validation now supports required index fields (that is, index fields with Required set to true with the Ascent Capture Document Class Properties or Create Document Class Properties dialog boxes).

Operating Requirements

Minimum Hardware Requirements

The following table lists minimum hardware requirements for Ascent Advanced Forms Validation:

Processor:	Pentium class 600 MHz processor
System memory:	256 Mbytes
Disk space:	120 Mbytes (for both Ascent Advanced Forms Validation and the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation custom module)

Certified Operating Systems

Ascent Advanced Forms Validation has been certified by Kofax with the following operating systems.

Note Kofax Technical Support supports Ascent Advanced Forms Validation installed on these operating systems only.

Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2
Windows 2000 Professional with Service Pack 4

Certified Versions of Ascent Capture

Ascent Advanced Forms Validation has been certified by Kofax with the following version of Ascent Capture:

Ascent Capture 6.1

Additional Software Requirements

The following additional software is required:

Internet Explorer 6.0
Adobe Acrobat Reader (to read the user documentation)

Adobe Acrobat Reader is available on the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation installation CD.

Upgrade Instructions

Ascent Capture 6.1 must be installed on the computer where you want to install Ascent Advanced Forms Validation 3.7. If you are using an earlier version of Ascent Capture, you must upgrade to version 6.1 before you install Ascent Advanced Forms Validation 3.7. The Ascent Advanced Forms Validation 3.7 installation will not complete if an earlier version of Ascent Capture is detected.

Only one version of the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation custom module can be installed on a computer. If you are upgrading from version 3.1 or higher, the version 3.7 installation program will detect the previous version of the custom module and provide an option for uninstalling it. Choose the option to allow the installation program to uninstall the previous version.

Once version 3.7 is installed, you must register the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation custom module with Ascent Capture. See Registering Custom Modules.

Important Installation Notes

Read these important installation notes before you install Ascent Advanced Forms Validation.

Ascent Capture Must Be Installed

Ascent Capture must be installed before you install the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation custom module. If Ascent Capture is not installed, the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation custom module installation program will not be able to complete. See Certified Versions of Ascent Capture.

For details on installing Ascent Capture, refer to the Ascent Capture and Ascent Capture Internet Server Installation Guide provided with Ascent Capture.

Demonstration Software

If the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation demonstration software is already installed, you must uninstall it before you install the full version of Ascent Advanced Forms Validation. The demonstration version will not work with the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation 3.7 custom module.

Installing with Older Versions

You cannot install Ascent Advanced Forms Validation 3.7 on a computer where version 3.0 or older of any DOKuStar product is installed. Such products include DOKuStar Extraction, DOKuStar Validation, DOKuStar Validation for Ascent Capture, DOKuStar Extraction for Ascent Capture, and IA-DOKuStar.

The installation program for version 3.7 will detect the older products and prompt you to remove them.

Migrating from a Previous Version

Applications created with previous versions of Ascent Advanced Forms Validation are converted to the new version when the project is saved.

To save an application

Start Ascent Advanced Forms Validation with a project file from the previous version.
When the project is loaded, select File | Save from the menu bar or click the Save button from the toolbar. The following message will display:

The loaded Validation project and VBA project was saved with a previous version of Validation. Storing the projects will convert them automatically to the current version.

Click Yes to convert the project and corresponding VBA script files to version 3.7.

Click No to keep your 3.x files and save the project and script files to new names for version 3.7. The File Save dialog box will display, allowing you to specify new file names for the version 3.7 files.

Click Cancel to cancel the operation. No conversion will be done.

Note that the conversion process automatically adapts the VBA script file to the new type library (ODT DOKuStar DataSet 3.7 TypeLibrary). However, if the script file references the following libraries, you must manually adapt the references to the corresponding 3.7 libraries:

ODT DOKuStar Validation Type Library
ODT DOKuStar Validation (Services) Type Library
ValRejectEdit

If the converted project was created with a Validation version prior to 3.2, the corresponding VBA script file will reference only the DOKuStar Validation Application object. As of version 3.2, the user interface and data part of DOKuStar Validation are separated into two different objects: DataSet and Validation. Therefore, both objects must be referenced. When you compile your VBA script, Visual Basic will show you the lines where you must adapt the code to the new DOKuStar Validation libraries.

Installation Instructions

The installation process installs two main components: Ascent Advanced Forms Validation and the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation custom module. Ascent Advanced Forms Validation is the base-line DOKuStar product, and it must be installed before the custom module is installed.

In addition to Ascent Advanced Forms Validation and the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation custom module, the installation program installs:

Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications 6.3
Img.dll 5,0,1,106

Note You must install Ascent Advanced Forms Validation on each station where it will be used.

To install Ascent Advanced Forms Validation

Insert the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation installation CD into your CD drive. The CD supports AutoPlay, so the installation will automatically begin. (If it does not start, run Start.exe from the root of the CD.)
Click Install Ascent Advanced Forms Validation. This will start the installation program for Ascent Advanced Forms Validation.
Follow the on-screen instructions.
Once Ascent Advanced Forms Validation is installed, the installation program for the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation custom module will automatically start.
Continue to follow the on-screen instructions.

As part of the custom module installation, the following message will display:

Do you want to use multiple or automatic validation? [Yes] [No]

This prompt allows you to specify whether to install multiple instances of the custom module on the computer and whether any of the instances should run as an automatic module without a user interface.

Click Yes to install multiple instances or automatic validation. This will display the Select Validation Stations dialog box, from which you can specify up to four instances of Validation and whether any of them should be set to automatic (that is, run without a user interface).

Click No to install one instance with a user interface.
When prompted, restart your computer.
Repeat the installation steps on each station where you plan to use Ascent Advanced Forms Validation.
Verify that your Ascent Advanced Forms Validation license has been activated, per the instructions in the next section on Licensing.

Licensing

After you install Ascent Advanced Forms Validation, you must verify that its license has been activated. You can do this from the Ascent Capture License Utility, which allows you to view the status of Ascent licenses, as well as activate new or additional licenses for your Ascent Capture system.

Tip For easiest activation, it is recommended that you run the Ascent Capture License Utility on a station with Internet access. For client/server installations, you need only activate your Ascent Advanced Forms Validation license one time: you do not need to activate on each client station where you installed Ascent Advanced Forms Validation.

If Internet access is not available, you must acquire an activation code from your Kofax Certified Solution Provider or the Kofax Web site before you attempt to activate the license. Contact your system administrator or Certified Solution Provider for assistance.

To view licenses

Select Start | Programs | Ascent Capture 6.1 | License Utility and check if AF Validation is listed in the Station Licenses area.

Note that if you obtained an Ascent Capture evaluation license from Kofax Image Products, it will display in the System Licenses area. The evaluation license allows you to run Ascent Capture and add-on components (including Ascent Advanced Forms Validation) for the evaluation period.
If AF Validation is not listed and you are not using an evaluation license, you must activate your license.

To activate licenses

From the License Utility's menu bar, select File | Activate. The Activate dialog box will display.
Do one of the following:

If Internet access is available on the station, click Automatic. An activation code will be acquired directly from Kofax Image Products and the license will be activated.

If Internet access is not available on the station, click Manual. Enter or paste your activation code in the area provided and click Activate.
Select View | Refresh to refresh the License Utility's display.
Select File | Exit to exit the utility.

Registering Custom Modules

Before you can add the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation custom module to an Ascent Capture batch class, you must register it.

To register a custom module

Start the Ascent Capture Administration module.
Select Tools | Custom Module Manager from the menu bar to display the Custom Module Manager dialog box.
For each custom module that you want to add:
1. Click Add to display the Open dialog box.
2. Locate the Ascent Bin folder and select the desired Ascent Advanced Forms Validation .acm file.
  
  Note that you will have one .acm file for each instance of the custom module that you installed. In addition, the file names will reflect whether the instance was installed as an "automatic" module.
  
  For example, if you installed three instances as "user controlled" (with a user interface/not automatic), the file names would be:
  
  AdvFormsVal.acm
  AdvFormsVal_2.acm
  AdvFormsVal_3.acm
  
  If you installed three instances, with the first and third as "automatic" instances, the file names would be:
  
  AdvFormsVal_Auto.acm
  AdvFormsVal_2.acm
  AdvFormsVal_3_Auto.acm
3. Click Open to display the Custom Modules dialog box.
4. Select Ascent Advanced Forms from the list and click Install.
5. Click OK to close the "Registration complete" message.
6. Click Close to close the Custom Modules dialog box.
7. Click Close to close the Custom Module Manager dialog box.

Uninstalling the Software

Follow these instructions to uninstall Ascent Advanced Forms Validation. To completely remove the product, you must uninstall both Ascent Advanced Forms Validation and the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation custom module.

Note When uninstalling a previous version, you may be prompted with errors/warnings that indicate files are locked. If this occurs, select "Yes" to remove the files. In addition, you must make certain that all of the previous version's files are removed from the installation location (manually delete them if necessary) before you install version 3.7. If you do not, Ascent Advanced Forms Validation 3.7 may not run.

To uninstall Ascent Advanced Forms Validation

Start the Windows Add/Remove Programs utility.
Select Ascent Advanced Forms Validation and click Remove.
Follow the on-screen instructions. Once the software is uninstalled, proceed to the next step.
Select Ascent Advanced Forms Validation Custom Module and click Remove.
Follow the on-screen instructions.

Known Problems and Limitations

The following sections list known problems with this release.

Problems With Microsoft Office Files After Uninstalling Ascent Advanced Forms

If you uninstall the Ascent Advanced Forms Validation module, you may experience problems opening Microsoft Office files. Attempting to open a Microsoft Office file from Windows Explorer will start the Windows Installer, rather than opening the file. If this occurs, insert the Microsoft Office installation CD into your CD drive and select the .msi file from the root of the CD. This will repair your Microsoft Office installation and the problem should no longer occur.

Visual Basic for Applications Bug with View-Toolbars-Customize Command

Due to a bug in Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications 6.3, the VBA Studio crashes when the menu command View - Toolbars - Customize is called. No fix is available at this time. Please do not use this command.

ImageView Window Not Refreshed

If a batch is suspended, closed, and then reopened for validation, the ImageView window may not properly refresh. Select View | Reset Layout from the menu bar to refresh the ImageView.

Ascent Advanced Forms Icon is Sometimes Missing

The Ascent Advanced Forms Validation icon is sometimes missing from the list of queues in the Ascent Capture Batch Class Properties (or Create Batch Class) dialog box. However, this will not prohibit the custom module from being selected or impact processing.

USAddress Fields Skipped with Reject Only

With the Reject filter, rejected characters that are part of a USAddress field are skipped.

Workaround: Use a VBA script. In the Data_OnPostImported event, search for subfields with field.names such as */*. Look at the values of these fields, and set any that include a question mark to "reject."

Changes to Required Attribute Impacts Existing Batches

If you change the Required attribute of an Ascent Capture index field and publish the batch class, Ascent Advanced Forms Validation will apply the attribute to new batches, as well as batches that already exist in the system. For example, if you set Required to true for an index field and publish the batch class, Ascent Advanced Forms Validation will treat the field as required, even for batches in the Ascent Capture workflow created before the change.

Service Packs

From time to time, fixes for Ascent Advanced Forms are provided as Service Packs posted to the Kofax Web site. Should you encounter a problem, check the Web site at www.kofax.com for available Service Packs.

Kofax Technical Support

For additional technical information about Kofax products, visit the Kofax Web site at www.kofax.com and select an appropriate option from the Support menu. The Kofax Support pages provide product-specific information, such as current revision levels, the latest drivers and software patches, online documentation and user manuals, updates to product release notes (if any), technical tips, and an extensible searchable knowledgebase.

The Kofax Web site also contains information that describes support options for Kofax products. Please review the site for details about the available support options.

If you are a certified representative from an authorized company and need to contact Kofax Technical Support, please have the following information available:

Ascent Advanced Forms software and Service Pack versions
Ascent Capture software and Service Pack versions
Operating system and Service Pack versions
Network and client configuration
Copies of your error log files
Special custom configuration or integration information

Trademark/Copyright Statements

The information contained in this document is the property of Kofax Image Products, Inc. Neither receipt nor possession hereof confers or transfers any right to reproduce or disclose any part of the contents hereof, without the prior written consent of Kofax Image Products, Inc. No patent liability is assumed, however, with respect to the use of the information contained herein.

Trademarks

Kofax, the Kofax logo, Ascent, and Ascent Capture are registered trademarks of Kofax Image Products, Inc.

Ascent Advanced Forms uses DOKuStar Extraction. Copyright Océ Document Technologies GmbH 2001-2004. DOKuStar is a registered trademark of Océ Document Technologies GmbH.

All other product names and logos are trade and service marks of their respective companies.

Disclaimer

The instructions and descriptions contained in this document were accurate at the time they were written. However, succeeding products and documents are subject to change without notice. Therefore, Kofax Image Products, Inc. assumes no liability for damages incurred directly or indirectly from errors, omissions, or discrepancies between the product and this document.

An attempt has been made to state all allowable values where applicable throughout this document. Any values or parameters used beyond those stated might have unpredictable results.