Technical FAQs

Question

I know the coordinates and dimensions of the content I would like to highlight, but the highlight annotation only works on text. Is there a way to create an annotation that highlights a specific area of a document?

Answer

The best way to do this would be to create a yellow rectangle annotation with 50% opacity (these are the same default values used by the text highlight annotation). The code below demonstrates how to do this in the viewer:

//Create a new rectangle annotation
var rectangleMark = viewer.viewerControl.addMark(1,  PCCViewer.Mark.Type.RectangleAnnotation);
//Set the coordinates and dimensions of the annotation
rectangleMark.setRectangle({x: 100, y:  100,  width : 200, height: 200});
//Set fillcolor to yellow
rectangleMark.setFillColor("#FFFF00");
//Remove the border
rectangleMark.setBorderColor("transparent");
//Set opacity to 50%
rectangleMark.setOpacity(127);

Wait, playing video games for charity? Is that even a thing?

Not only is it a thing, but it’s an exciting fundraising effort Accusoft has embraced through our “Champion a Charity” program. Throughout the year, we encourage employees to sponsor a charity of their choosing and solicit donations from their coworkers. We then match a portion of those donations as part of our effort to give back to our community.

For the fourth straight year, Accusoft employees took part in Extra Life’s annual Game Day fundraiser to contribute funds to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.

What Is Extra Life?

Established in 2008, Extra Life is a charity program that works with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to raise funds for local children’s hospitals by playing games. Gamers sign up to contribute and receive donations as they take part in a gaming marathon with friends and coworkers. Although the Extra Life events can be held year round, each year the organization designates a worldwide Game Day to bring thousands of participants together for an exciting and healing experience.

Since its inception, Extra Life has raised over $70 million to support sick and injured children receiving care throughout Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The network consists of 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments across the US and Canada. These hospitals treat every child who comes through their doors, regardless of the family’s ability to pay, so they rely on charitable donations to continue to deliver the best care possible.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing that they help people not have to worry about how they’re going to pay to keep their children in the kind of treatment that they need,” said Accusoft marketing manager Ariana Tsouris. “No one should have to worry about their kid being sick or worried about not being able to take care of their kid because they can’t pay for their treatment.” 

Extra Life game events encompass all sorts of games, from the simplest card and board games to the very latest video game releases. Many participants stream their games on Twitch or hold large events at their workplace to raise awareness and encourage matching contributions.

The Accusoft Extra Life Team

Accusoft has participated in Extra Life Game Day since 2017, raising over $14,000 in the process. For 2020, we assembled a team of 13 eager gamers with the hope of pushing our total over $18,000. As part of Accusoft’s commitment to giving back to the community, we match team member donations and make additional donations on behalf of the top scorers in each game.

“It’s fun, but also it’s a really good way to give to the community and people who are in need,” software engineer Colby Butler said. “Sometimes it’s hard to do that, but this is kind of a no-brainer, easy way to have some fun and do some good in the community.”

Some team members were taking part in Extra Life for the first time. UI/UX strategist Rob Barry donated last year, but this time he decided to insert a coin to participate himself: “I have close friends who have gone through some difficult medical struggles with their children, so I try to budget throughout the year to give to causes like Extra Life. Becoming a father for the first time gave me a whole new perspective on how the program can help, though, so this year I decided to sign up to help the team exceed its goals.”

There were some familiar faces on this year’s team as well. “This was my sixth year participating in Extra Life’s Game Day,” said product manager Mark Hansen. “For me, it was a great opportunity to take something I love, video gaming, and put it together with a great charity.” But Extra Life is about more than just fun and games for Mark. “The cause is really important to me because my niece has unfortunately spent a great deal of time in All Children’s Hospital, more than any child should have to. This is a great opportunity to give back to those hospitals.”

Extra Life 2020: Remote Edition

In the past, we’ve held our Game Day event at the Accusoft offices, but that wasn’t possible this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. Luckily, as a software development company, we had a few cheat codes handy to get around that particular obstacle.

Our resident Extra Life organizer, senior software engineer Michael Irigoyen, set out to solve the problem by creating the Accusoft Game Center, a virtual arcade that the entire team could access remotely.

“It was a big undertaking,” Michael said. “We not only had to get the games running and be able to support multiple players, but also integrate a community scoreboard so everybody could see who was in the lead for each game. The whole idea was to keep people interested and bring attention to the charity so they would want to donate.”

Fortunately, Michael had some assistance along the way. “Jamison Prianos helped to reverse engineer the arcade games and Kyla Kolb did a lot of bug hunting to make sure everything looked and ran great for the big day.”

Final Results

When it was all said and done, the Accusoft Extra Life team didn’t just set a new high score. We shattered our previous donation record! The team raised a total of $14,550, an astounding 70% increase from 2019’s total. Even more impressive, 62 Accusoft employees made donations, a 17% increase from last year. 

“Each year I’m blown away by the generosity of my teammates,” said Ariana, a three-year participant on the Accusoft Extra Life team. “Even with all the uncertainty in 2020, we raised an incredible amount of money for an equally incredible cause and it’s fantastic.”

Michael couldn’t be happier with the results: “We were absolutely floored by the support and generosity of our team. Just knowing that we can make that kind of impact is really empowering because these kids don’t deserve to be facing the things that they are.”

Looking Ahead

This year’s successful Game Day event has pushed Accusoft’s overall Extra Life donation total to nearly $30,000 since 2017. While the team is looking forward to next year’s fundraiser, there are still plenty of opportunities to continue raising funds before then.

“The Accusoft Game Center isn’t going anywhere,” Michael said. “Some of us may continue to fundraise throughout the rest of the year, so our total contributions might still go up!”

It’s a sentiment that truly embodies the spirit of Accusoft’s Champion a Charity program. Community outreach remains a key element of our mission to make the world in which we live and work a better place. 

Looking to work for an innovative company that’s dedicated to making a real difference? Check out our careers page to learn more about our values and culture.

Question

As a customer, I want to know the anticipated amount of time that you will continue supporting my specific version so that I can plan our releases ahead of time.

Answer

We currently have our Support Policy located below.
Please see the section named Product Versions

https://www.accusoft.com/company/legal/support-policy/

spreadsheet XLSX

 

Spreadsheets remain a standard tool for many organizations, and despite increasing adoption across cell-based competitors such as Google Sheets, Excel still owns the market. As noted by research firm Robert Half, while the use of XLSX formats is on a slow decline, almost 70 percent of finance firms say Excel remains their spreadsheet software of choice.

Fundamentally, this comes down to familiarity; 62 percent of users surveyed find this common format easy to use, making it their go-to option when entering financial data or performing quick calculations. The only problem with this is that this spreadsheet tool introduces significant security issues. According to recent Cisco data, 38 percent of the most prevalent, malicious file extensions use Microsoft Office file formats — including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel — to compromise corporate networks.

Accusoft is now offering a more secure, web-based solution for spreadsheet needs. PrizmDoc Cells offers a web-based spreadsheet viewing and editing alternative that makes it possible for independent software vendors (ISVs) to easily incorporate XLSX functions into corporate applications without increasing security risk. Here’s how the newest part of the PrizmDoc Suite can help companies streamline processes while maintaining security.


Web-Based Spreadsheet Security

Common spreadsheet practices come with significant risk. As noted by ZDNet, for example, a new malware group is using the Excel file format that creates malicious spreadsheets that bypass security scanners and — thanks in large part to their format familiarity — are opened by end-users. This creates a self-sustaining problem. With single-source spreadsheets still the norm for many financial firms, attackers just need to spoof corporate email addresses and attach familiar XLSX files to compromise corporate networks.

For ISVs, this presents an opportunity. The market needs a secure way to view and edit spreadsheets in-browser and they need to be able to control the way the formulas are viewed and manipulated. By delivering browser-based spreadsheet viewers and editors within their own applications, ISVs can streamline their clients’ processes while maintaining security and controlling data sharing. PrizmDoc Cells integrates with ISV’s applications to enable easy spreadsheet viewing and editing functions. This integration allows administrators to lock down spreadsheet access by making them read-only or disallowing downloads, while also permitting protected sharing so that users can perform calculations without compromising the original source.

 


Value-Added Version Control

Collaboration is critical for effective spreadsheet use, especially among highly regulated industries like finance. From sharing key data around lending, credit, or investment applications to completing profit and loss calculations, spreadsheets remain a staple of efficient and effective financial transactions.

As with any industry, version control is a challenge for any third-party file collaboration. As noted by Beta News, the still-popular process of downloading spreadsheets to end-user devices comes with multiple versioning issues, including:

  • Loss of Visibility When files are downloaded onto end-user devices, information security teams naturally lose sight of how information is used, changed, or shared. Not only does this make it impossible to deliver consistent version control, but it puts organizations at risk of regulatory non-compliance.
  • Data Discrepancies Once data is downloaded, it is instantly out-of-date. Replicated across multiple users, this scenario creates substantial subsets of data that are all slightly different and require significant analytical effort to create some semblance of reliable version control.

When an ISV integrates PrizmDoc Cells within their application, the functionality reduces version control challenges by allowing spreadsheet owners to remove visibility into underlying logic, such as proprietary business formulas or calculations, as required. It also eliminates the need for client-side installs or downloads, which adds another level of security for comprehensive version control.

 


Reducing Human Error in Spreadsheets

Errors remain a common spreadsheet concern. As noted by Computer Weekly, “Several research studies have found that up to 70% of spreadsheets contain errors which would result in serious miscalculations.” This creates both productivity and security risks. If calculations create inaccurate outputs, organizations may find themselves struggling to find the source of equation issues or computation concerns. If the problem persists, staff may share the affected spreadsheet in hopes of quickly finding a resolution, in turn potentially exposing documents to increased risk.

PrizmDoc Cells solves this problem with browser-based spreadsheet viewing and editing functionalities. Files display as they would in native applications but can be embedded across any website, CMS, intranet, or portal, allowing staff to securely view and manipulate spreadsheets based on permissions. While it’s impossible to eliminate the potential for formula or format issues, it’s imperative to keep data safe in a secure environment, and sharing these spreadsheets securely makes finding and solving any error more efficient.

 


A Secure Browser-Based Spreadsheet & XLSX Integration

Excel-based spreadsheets cannot stand up to the security and data sharing needs that companies need to scale. When it comes to sharing sensitive data and manipulating formulas, there is both complexity and corporate risk. Without the right permissions and controls in place, data could easily be misrepresented, costing the company revenue.

With PrizmDoc Cells, ISVs can provide the capabilities end-users need for secure spreadsheet viewing and editing. With the ability to independently import, edit, and export XLSX files, securely embed spreadsheet data anywhere, reduce error rates with secure collaboration, and streamline version control, it’s worth opening the door to new spreadsheets capabilities. Discover the next generation of spreadsheet solutions. Try PrizmDoc Cells today.

OnTask form automation

 

So, thanks to a global pandemic, you’ve been forced into running your business remotely. Perhaps this is a scenario your company was prepared for. Far more likely, you’ve found yourself scrambling to move to a 100% remote workforce with little time to prepare. The good news is: no matter where you find yourself on the preparedness scale, it’s not too late to set your business up for success.

There’s a popular Chinese proverb that says: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Basically, if you want success and growth in the future, the time to prepare your business for remote work is now, rather than wasting time wishing you’d taken action earlier.

So, where does one begin when remote work has been so suddenly forced upon you? Certainly, there are dozens of issues to consider when it comes to optimizing a remote workforce — too many for us to adequately address here. So, for now,  we’ll stick with what we know best — how to manage your documents and forms.


Why Automation and Digitization Is Critical

To begin with, if you’ve been operating with paper-based processes — entering data manually on forms, distributing and filing paper-based documents, or collecting in-person signatures — those days are over…at least for awhile. So, if automating and digitizing your paper-based processes was on your “nice to have” priority list, it’s probably time to move it into the “must-have” category, pronto.

When it comes to managing a remote workforce, there’s also the tiny issue of security. Simply put, digital files are generally easier to secure than paper documents. This is especially important when your employees are working from home, where you have less control over who has access to those documents. 

Scanning and sending documents via email also poses a potential security risk if the documents are lost or stolen in cyberspace. Not to mention the fact that your employees’ inboxes are likely flooded with messages, making it hard to keep track of and manage those documents effectively. 

Many business leaders also feel that automating your documents, forms, and processes can help your business better weather the storms of an economic recession, including the one we appear to be entering now. According to  Forbes, 63 percent of business leaders say that automation tools will help safeguard operations against economic downturn.


Automation Offers Long-Term Benefits to Business

Even when you’re back in your office, there are probably many processes you can implement now that will help streamline your business for the future. According to TotalProSource, implementing a well rounded digital automation software solution can benefit your business long-term,  in many different ways, by enabling you to:

  • Access and complete documents easily, from anywhere, whether using a mobile device on the road or working offline at home. 
  • Collaborate with team members no matter where they’re located, and eliminate manual processes. 
  • Collect information and signatures and put them to work on automated workflows.
  • Integrate with systems you already use to get the most ROI.

Choosing the Right Digitizing and Automation Solution

When it comes to your business, we know that a document isn’t just a document and a form isn’t just a form they’re both critical components of how your business operates. That’s why you must look for an automation solution that easily integrates with your existing systems to ensure you are getting the most productivity and ROI.  

In order to help your business succeed in this changing environment, you need a solution like Docubee, a process automation tool that simplifies the creation, routing, review, and approval of documents and forms. Not only will Docubee help optimize your business for a remote workforce, it will also help enhance your operations for the future by allowing you to:

  • Digitize your forms and document in minutes to collect the right information the first time and put it to work.
  • Route, revise, and approve documents with multiple collaborators.
  • Empower employees to build their own configurable workflow solutions.
  • Automate workflows that enable your team to work and collaborate more efficiently.
  • Create workflows to meet your unique needs and integrate with your CRM and other favorite tools, using a configurable, no-code workflow designer that puts you in control of the process.

Ultimately, by automating and digitizing your forms and documents, you’re not only setting up your remote workforce for success now, you’re also preparing your business to avoid disruption in the future anytime you, or any key team member is unable to make it to the office.

accusoft diversity

As one of Accusoft’s core initiatives, diversity and inclusion has always been top-of-mind for our leadership and our teams. With recent events, it is crucial for us to reflect as an organization and as human beings on what we can do to better serve our community and provide a safe space for our employees to share ideas.

In response to the heightened awareness of non-inclusive behavior throughout societal structures and communities, it is our responsibility to continuously promote an inclusive community and to celebrate diversity within our organization.

As an ongoing initiative to incorporate more of our core values into our everyday work routines, several diversity and inclusion initiatives have been implemented to help our teams grow and learn from each other. Some of the most recent initiatives include an activism Slack channel, a monthly discussion on educational resources, celebration of Juneteenth, and more. 

“I believe that every one of us has some work to do when it comes to changing the societal norms,” states Jack Berlin, CEO of Accusoft. “At Accusoft, we are committed to being an active ally in that change and consistently making our work environment an inclusive place, where diversity is celebrated.”


A Celebration of Juneteenth

In celebration of Juneteenth, Accusoft hosted an information session to provide insight into the reason for the holiday, traditions, and local or virtual events in the area. It was an opportunity for employees to come together to learn, ask questions, and understand each other. 

The meeting was hosted by an Accusoft team member who put together a presentation to share the history of the day and how it can be more widely acknowledged in our society. During the discussion, several team members took part in the Q&A session, providing information and resources about related topics, asking questions, and sharing thoughts about current events. 

“Most of us still have a lot to learn so it’s important for us to create a safe space for our employees to share their thoughts and feelings – even on difficult topics. As leaders, we are committed to lead by example and be vulnerable and open in this dialogue,” says Megan Brooks, V.P. of Marketing. “As an organization, we are committed to improving the diversity and inclusion of Accusoft’s team members and continuing to grow in our approach to this core value.”


Activism Slack Channel

One of the many great initiatives that Accusoft has implemented is an activism Slack channel for any employees who want to share news, resources, and events happening in the community. The channel is booming with new ideas, providing a safe way for employees to communicate about current events and share thoughts on how these situations impact them on a professional and personal level.

“The activism channel was created to give people a place to freely express their views, learn from one another, and figure out ways to help our community,” says Christine Hairelson, Sr. Director of Human Resources. “We were hearing that people wanted to get involved, but didn’t know how to help. This channel provides a platform for us to discuss, share, and learn about ways we can take action at home, in our workplace, and throughout our community.”


Educational Resources & Discussions

In addition to the Juneteenth meeting and the activism Slack channel, Accusoft is raising awareness around diversity and inclusivity by providing a safe community for resource sharing including books, podcasts, movies, music, and more. Once a month, the community meets to discuss these resources.
“When we first started planning these meetings, we wanted to choose a resource that would help us talk through some of the difficult topics that we are facing as a society,” shares Tracy Schlabach, Sr. Manager, Product & Customer Marketing. “The book, Blind Spot, was chosen to be the first resource we share together because it explores our innate biases with an Implicit Association Test. In our first meeting, we discussed the test and our results. We explored how we each felt about those things and are working to be more aware of what we encounter on a day-to-day basis. It’s really eye-opening.”


Reaching a Base of Diverse Applicants

While Accusoft has always valued diversity, there is room for improvement in scoping out a wider talent pool. Accusoft is reviewing its resources for talent sourcing and exploring new ways to bring in a more diverse talent base. Whether those initiatives mean getting involved with universities to inspire and motivate women to pursue careers in technology, or widening our reach to offer more flexibility when it comes to working remotely in different parts of the country, Accusoft is currently reviewing its options for increasing diversity on its teams. 

“Accusoft has always prioritized diversity and inclusion in its hiring processes. With recent events, we wanted to explore what we could do better to expand our pool of diverse applicants and identify diverse panelists for interviews, says Khristina Jones, Corporate Recruiter at Accusoft. “We want to make sure that our culture is not only inclusive, but representative of our core values and beliefs.”

At Accusoft, we value diversity and inclusion as one of our core values. We are consistently working to improve our policies, procedures, and involvement in our community as we evolve. We remain committed to providing a safe environment for our employees and standing alongside them as we all advocate for a better future.

 

Accusoft has been remote since March 2020. The executive team is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of its employees during this time. While these measures are necessary, they come with different challenges for team communication and bonding. Over the past seven months, Accusoft’s leaders have gotten creative, finding new, virtual ways for their teams to connect, not only about work but personally as well. Here are some of the unique ways Accusoft has kept its employees engaged, informed, and connected while operating remotely.

Company-Wide Town Hall & AccuTalk

Accusoft’s executive team hosts a company-wide, virtual town hall once a month to give updates on the company’s performance during COVID-19. Leaders share updates and answer questions about the state of business. The meeting helps provide clarity about what’s going on at Accusoft during the pandemic. It alleviates some of the uncertainty about how this situation is impacting normal business operations.

“We know it’s crucial to keep our employees informed about the business,” states Jack Berlin, CEO of Accusoft. “While it’s difficult to be out of the office, especially for me, I know it’s what’s best for our team. While we are remote, we need to ensure that employees are informed and understand how we are handling this situation from the top down.”

AccuTalk, formerly Chalk Talk, is held once a quarter on a virtual platform. This company-wide meeting highlights the accomplishments of each department and their goals moving forward. During AccuTalk, the leadership team shares information about the successes and challenges of the team’s quarter and what they can do to meet their new goals in the following quarter.

Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

Accusoft is committed to upholding its core values, including diversity and inclusion. Over the past several months, there has been social unrest on important issues related to this core value. Accusoft recognizes how this has impacted its employees and aims to provide a safe space for individuals to share thoughts, ideas, and feelings around the subject in a productive way. Individual team members have contributed to the activism Slack channel, which discusses trending news stories, ways to be a better ally, and community events to get involved in. 

Team Celebrations and Gatherings

In addition to informational meetings and activism groups, team leads and managers have hosted team bonding events including everything from Zoom lunch celebrations for team member’s life events to virtual gaming parties. 

The PrizmDoc team has a monthly birthday happy hour and a weekly lunch meeting where they play GeoGuessr. The marketing team has even gathered for a socially distant happy hour in-person to support a team member’s family food stand. 

“It’s important that we get together in a safe environment to reconnect with each other. We can easily forget that the human on the other side of the screen, whether visible to us or not, is a colleague that we once interacted with closely in person,” says Christine Hairelson, VP of Employee Experience at Accusoft. “We are all facing different challenges during this pandemic, and it’s vital that we connect with each other on a personal level as well as a business one.”

Virtual Events and Holidays

In addition to the team-specific events, Accusoft’s Event Ninjas, a group of dedicated volunteers from all teams, has put together several virtual events for the company to participate in over the past seven months. The team has planned a trivia night, ice cream social, beer and cheese tasting, and a virtual Halloween party. The goal is to keep everyone connected and engaged. 

“While we may not be able to all gather together safely, we can still connect with each other and share milestones, celebrate holidays, and help each other through this challenging time,” states Megan Brooks, VP of Marketing.

Want to work for Accusoft? Explore all of our open job opportunities on the Careers page, and apply to join our team.

The top InsurTech news for 2020? In a post-pandemic world, insurance technology offers “the prescription for safety.” In a world now dominated by worry around what’s currently happening, what will probably happen, and what could suddenly happen under the right (or wrong) circumstances, the agile and adaptable potential of InsurTech offerings paves the way for proactive service delivery that both boosts consumer piece of mind and reduces insurer risk.

For insurance companies to capitalize on evolving market conditions and outpace the competition, data-driven decision making is key. Even more critical is the need to convert critical information from standardized ACORD formats into actionable, accessible data. Here’s how Accusoft’s FormSuite for Structured Forms can help.

The InsurTech Innovation

As noted by research firm PWC, “What used to be a sign of success may not be anymore.” Now, clients want next-day decisions about insurance applications and claims along with detailed descriptions of cost assessments and timelines for action. What does this mean in practice? 

That it’s no longer enough to rely on legacy solutions and applications to get the job done. Instead, companies need applications augmented by next-generation forms processing technology capable of integrating with internal assets while simultaneously delivering the data-driven decision-making inherently tied to quick, accurate, and complete insurance information capture.

Now more than ever, the fundamental value proposition for insurance companies is the ability to disrupt existing functional frameworks with new policies and practices that streamline document processing, improve decision timelines, and secure client data. 

The ACORD Form Challenge

If building better applications was the only challenge facing InsurTech product managers and development teams, companies would have their hands full. There’s also a common form type that can be challenging for automation.

Since 1972, ACORD has been the source of standardized forms for the insurance industry. While these forms are standard, there is nothing standard about their format. Every year, ACORD changes the format of its forms, leaving insurance organizations  with a challenge for automation. 

Despite generalized standardization which sees consistency in the type of data recorded by specific forms — including client information, claim details, and policy requirements — how this data is structured and displayed within the form itself can vary from provider to provider and even agent to agent. Forms used for identical purposes are often close in format, but not quite the same when it comes to placement of critical data. This compels insurance agencies to manually process common forms, in turn increasing both the risk of human error and the time required for completion.

For insurance application developers looking to create applications that can process ACORD forms more efficiently and deliver on customer expectations around speed and accuracy, FormSuite for Structured Forms provides the capability to create a standard form library for easy form recognition and data capture.

The FormSuite Solution: Document Delivery Done Right

FormSuite for Structured Forms can help insurance companies get the best of both worlds. With an Agile framework, this SDK is capable of streamlining the standardization of ACORD-compliant forms with a little help from developers.

Key benefits of this solution include:

  • Complete Forms Recognition Manual data entry and capture both reduces forms processing speed and can introduce the potential for significant errors. Form recognition toolkits allow developers to create form libraries for their users to scan and recognize forms for data capture. In practice, this means developers only need to update the library when a new ACORD form is released to ensure reliable and robust recognition. 
  • Accurate Data Capture With forms continually arriving from multiple sources, document standardization is often lacking. But no matter how forms are scanned into the system — upside down, sideways, or at differing resolutions — FormSuite uses its image cleanup functionality to deliver accurate forms processing.
  • Form Field DetectionFormSuite uses the application’s form library to identify form fields on standard forms and capture the data within each form field.
  • Optical Character RecognitionFrom optical character recognition (OCR) to intelligent character recognition (ICR) and optical mark recognition (OMR), FormSuite offers it all. Advanced OCR ensures your application can easily capture everything from legible hand printed names to check boxes and dollar amounts.
  • Confidence and Accuracy ReportingData confidence matters for insurance documents. If uncertainty about data translates to errors in evaluation or decision-making, the results could be disastrous for ongoing ROI. That’s why FormSuite for Structured Forms generates customized confidence and accuracy values for all data captured. Firms then send all document OCR capture for confidence evaluation; if results meet or exceed confidence thresholds, document processing can continue automatically. If confidence levels are too low, meanwhile, your app can trigger employee review to ensure data entered matches captured results.

Embracing the InsurTech Advantage

Just as other industries have faced significant disruption this year, insurance companies now find themselves at an operational crossroads. While augmenting familiar forms and functions with application overlays offers the potential to improve on existing processes, firms must also build out apps and services capable of delivering accessible, actionable, and accurate ACORD forms data to staff. When they commit to doing this, insurance companies can deliver on the proactive promise of digital-first insurance with policies and processes capable of keeping pace with evolving client expectations.

Ready to improve insurance processes? Discover FormSuite for Structured Forms and deliver on document potential.

Processing and archiving massive volumes of paper mail was historically a major challenge for ARAG. When ARAG updated their records system to a newer version, they reevaluated their processing and archiving software and decided to migrate their C/C++ document conversion solution, the VB indexing application, and client application to Java. This move would enable them to support infrastructure growth independent of hardware and operating system requirements. With more than 200 users and 20,000 pages scanned daily, ARAG sought a reliable Java SDK and Library to facilitate the process.

Question

How does the PrizmDoc print function work exactly?

Answer

Every page of the specified print range is being loaded and sent to the printer. This occurs in an iframe separate from what is shown in the Viewer so the user does not actually see this happening.

The actual method being used is one of the following, depending on the browser:

  • _iframe.contentWindow.document.execCommand('print', false, null);
  • _iframe.contentWindow.print();

native excel support

Despite the explosive growth of big data and sophisticated analytics platforms, a 2019 study by Deloitte found that 67 percent of business leaders are not quite comfortable using them to inform decision making. For many organizations, spreadsheets remain the preferred tool for managing data and evaluating trends. Developers looking to build the next generation of business applications can accommodate those tendencies by integrating native spreadsheet support for Microsoft Excel workbooks.

Excel Worksheets vs Excel Workbooks

Although sometimes referred to interchangeably or described broadly as spreadsheets, there is a key distinction between an Excel worksheet and an Excel workbook. A worksheet consists of only one spreadsheet while a workbook contains multiple different spreadsheets separated by tabs.

The difference may not be very important when viewing or sharing XLSX files natively in Microsoft Excel, but it can create serious challenges when rendering those files in another application. Without some way of accurately rendering dynamic spreadsheet data, viewers are often forced to resort to a static print preview image. This process makes the file viewable, but also leaves it “flattened” because all interactive elements are removed from the spreadsheet cells.

If the workbook contains worksheets with linked data (that is, cell data from one sheet is affected by cell data from another sheet), it’s critical that a viewing solution preserves the dynamic aspects of the file. The advantage of a spreadsheet is that it can serve as a working document. Without the ability to interact with it, users might as well simply copy and paste the data into a text document.

Managing Excel Workbooks with PrizmDoc Cells

PrizmDoc Cells provides several options for managing Excel workbooks, making it easy to transition back and forth between XLSX format and web browser viewing. Once a proxy route is set up within the application to send API calls to the PrizmDoc Cells server, three different commands can be used to manage Excel workbooks.

Upload Workbook

This API call adds a new XLSX file for viewing and editing. When a document is uploaded to the system, the server assigns a unique workbook ID to it so it can be found and rendered in the application’s viewer in the future. After uploading a workbook, a new session can be created using the workbook ID for viewing and editing purposes. 

Download Workbook

When PrizmDoc Cells displays a spreadsheet, it renders the XLSX file itself, but it doesn’t make any alterations to that file. As each session makes edits to the workbook, those changes are associated with the document ID rather than the original XLSX file, which preserves the integrity of the original spreadsheet. At some point, however, those edits may need to be saved into a new Excel workbook. 

The download API call converts the current session document so it can be downloaded as an XLSX file. File availability can be set during the download process to control who will have access to the new workbook.

Delete Workbook

Old versions of workbooks often need to be deleted for security reasons, usually because they contain confidential data. Since the original XLSX file remains safely within application storage, there often isn’t much sense in retaining workbooks IDs that aren’t being used. The delete API call removes a workbook ID from the server. Once removed in this way, the workbook cannot be viewed, edited, or downloaded by PrizmDoc Cells.

Preserving Workbook Functionality

Since PrizmDoc Cells natively renders information contained in an XLSX file, it retains the dynamic elements that make spreadsheet workbooks so useful to organizations. Not only does it preserve proprietary business logic and formulas, but it also maintains the integrity of this information across multiple worksheets. Cell content can still be searched to quickly locate important text or data throughout the workbook.

For situations where proprietary formulas need to be protected, PrizmDoc Cells allows users to upload XLSX workbooks as values-only files, with all spreadsheet formulas removed. Also, any cells locked in an uploaded XLSX file will remain locked in PrizmDoc Cells to preserve workbook security.

True Spreadsheet Workbook Support for Your Applications

Many organizations continue to depend upon spreadsheet workbooks to manage their business. By providing feature-rich workbook support within their applications, developers can help them retain control over their proprietary spreadsheet formulas without sacrificing the functionality they expect from Excel. 

PrizmDoc Cells makes it easier than ever to share spreadsheet workbooks without having to rely upon Microsoft Excel dependencies. Shared XLSX files can remain safely within a secure application environment to prevent unauthorized downloads or troublesome version confusion. Get a first-hand look at how PrizmDoc Cells can enhance your application in our extensive online demo.