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Fields are intended for data extraction. All regions on the image that you want to capture data from must be marked up as fields. The data in these fields is recognized, and the recognized values can then be exported. To work with fields in the Document Definition editor, switch to Field Regions mode. Fields have names, which appear in the Document Structure pane. A field normally has a corresponding region on the image, but you can also create fields without regions, for example to store interim results.

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Field types

ABBYY FlexiCapture can recognize the following types of field:

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Create a field

You can create a field in one of the following ways.

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Draw the field region on the image

1

Switch to the mode

Switch to Field Regions mode.
2

Select the field type

Select the tool for the type of field you want to create.
3

Mark the region

Use one of the following ways:
  • Position the cursor in one corner of the field, hold down the left mouse button, and drag diagonally to the opposite corner.
  • Hold Shift and click anywhere in the field region.
A frame appears around the field region, and its color depends on the field type. The field is given a name based on the nearest explanatory text, which appears on the Fields tab of the Document Structure pane. The field is assigned default properties.

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Create the field from the menu and add a region

1

Create the field

In the Document Definition editor, click Edit → Create Field (or right-click the Fields tab in the Document Structure pane and click Create Field), and then select the field type.
2

Set the field properties

In the Field Properties dialog box, specify the field properties and click OK. The new field is added to the list, marked with a red asterisk to show that it has no region.
3

Draw the region

Using the region tool on the toolbar, draw a region on the image. When prompted, select the field name from the pop-up list.
To exclude an area from recognition, draw a non-recognized region on the image. For more information, see Exclude a region from recognition.

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Mark up fields inside a region

Sometimes you need to mark up fields inside another region. For example, you might extract an entire region (such as a full address) into one field and a part of that region (such as the city and state) into another field. To mark up fields inside a region, lock the region first. Right-click the region and select Lock from the shortcut menu. A locked region cannot be moved, but you can still adjust its borders. If you mark up fields inside a region that is not locked, you select the entire region instead.
When a document is closed, any locked fields are unlocked.
To lock regions by default, select the Text segment option on the General tab of the field properties dialog box.

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Select multiple fields

You can quickly select multiple fields of the same type to edit them together. Click Edit → Select Fields by Type (or press Ctrl+Shift+F). In the dialog box that opens, specify the field types and click OK. To select all fields at once, click Select All.

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Field properties

Configuring each field’s properties correctly is important. Field properties affect recognition quality and determine whether values are exported and sent to the operator for verification. For example, the marking method matters for a text entry field. If it is set incorrectly, some marks are not removed during scanning and are not separated from the characters, which lowers recognition quality. Each field type has its own set of properties. When you create a field of a given type, it is assigned default properties.

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Change field properties

1

Open the field properties

Select the field name in the document structure, or select the field region on the image. Right-click the selection and select Properties from the shortcut menu.
2

Change the properties

Change the field properties in the dialog box that opens.