Technical FAQs

Where we came from

In July 2015, Accusoft’s SaaS Applications team was tasked with integrating the recently acquired edocr application with our existing Prizm Share community for publishing and sharing documents. While this integration offers numerous challenges with data migration, feature parity, and cohesive branding, we are going to focus on the architectural changes that resulted from the project.

Both projects were initially built as LAMP applications—edocr on Drupal 5 and Prizm Share being built in-house by a fledgling apps development team. Throughout their independent evolutions, they each had the expected increase in features and correlated increase in code base size and technical debt. The decision to merge the two products under a single brand and code base meant choosing a target platform.

Initially, we considered two options:

Migrate Prizm Share data to the existing edocr platform

With edocr being the dominant service for traffic between the two, it made more sense to merge on that base when looked at from a customer-centric perspective. However, edocr was running on a very dated Drupal 5 and in need of an approach that could be supported well into the future. Along these lines, we also considered adopting the Drupal platform and then going through the upgrade process from 5 to the current release, 8. Tests of these upgrades did not have good results, however, as numerous plugins and custom modules in edocr were not available or supported in the latest version.

Migrate edocr data to the existing Prizm Share platform 

With the edocr application being based on the very outdated Drupal 5 platform, the primary contender was to move the application to our existing PHP Prizm Share code base and extend the features that we didn’t currently support in order to serve the existing customers of both products. The problem with this was that the code for Prizm Share was already starting to show signs of rigidity based on a lack of foresight on the initial architecture decisions. New features were increasingly difficult to work in with the existing framework and the team had been looking to move to something more modular.

Our Decision

What the team eventually decided on, however, was a complete overhaul of the whole system, targeting the existing feature sets of both products along with a specific list of MVP requirements for our new consumer document platform.

To ensure flexibility in the future and to keep a positive connotation on the word legacy, we decided to adopt a microservice architecture built on a lightweight application framework we developed in Node. This would handle configuration and dependency management for each of our services. By separating out our functionality into independently managed components and updating our build and deployment system to deploy as docker containers, the team was able to reduce friction with code changes, improve code testability, and drastically reduce the time from commit to production.

Read on in the coming weeks for details on our migration, including failures, successes, and lessons learned.

Accusoft’s FormSuite for Structured Forms is a powerful SDK that allows you to integrate character recognition, form identification, document cleanup, and data capture capabilities into your software applications. You can set up unique form templates based on your processing needs and then design customized output architecture to extract data for delivery to a database or other downstream applications, helping you get to production faster or bring a new level of functionality to your legacy systems.

Setting all of that functionality up, however, can be a daunting task, especially if you’re working with a wide variety of form types. That’s why our FormSuite enablement services team is available to help you implement the features you need to ensure lasting results. Whether you’re facing bandwidth constraints or lack the resources to build expertise quickly, our FormSuite experts bridge the gap to make your project a success. Our enablement services team takes a five step approach to every engagement.

The Accusoft Approach to Enablement Services

Step 1: Thorough Architecture Review

We start by conducting a top to bottom analysis of your production or operational environment. Our review not only evaluates your system architecture and data workflow, but also breaks down the details of your potential use cases and existing work samples. 

Step 2: Identifying the Right Fit

Next, we determine the best FormSuite options based on your unique requirements and build you a custom enablement plan that will equip you with the instruction and assistance you need for a successful implementation.

Step 3: Training Your Team

Armed with information about your application’s specific requirements, we develop a customized training program to give your team a solid foundation for future development and ongoing maintenance. From guidance on form template creation and image enhancement to working with the forms API, we provide you with targeted guidance designed to help you solve potential challenges unique to your application environment.

Step 4: Implementation Support

Once the training is complete, you’ll have the foundational knowledge required to build the forms processing workflows your application requires. Our FormSuite experts remain on call to answer your questions so you can achieve your integration faster and ensure that you’re processing forms accurately.

Step 5: Preparing for Long-Term Success

Our enablement services prepare you to manage your implementation over the long term. We not only show you how to maintain the current environment, but also identify potential opportunities to deploy new features as your application scales in the future.

Keep the Partnership Going

Following your integration, we also provide ongoing support options to our customers whether or not they’ve utilized our enablement services. You get free Upgrade Support for 90 days after initial purchase, which includes email support and product upgrades. After that period, you can extend Upgrade Support, or elect to transition to our Standard Support or Priority Support annual plans.

To learn more about FormSuite for Structured Forms enablement services, talk to one of our solutions engineers. We’re ready to help you get your integration started!

Since they first rolled out in supermarkets in the 1970s, barcodes and barcode scanners have become essential tools in today’s globalized economy. No longer confined to retail shelves and supplier warehouses, barcodes are used across multiple industries to streamline operations and improve data accuracy. Given their continued importance, it’s helpful for developers to keep the key advantages of barcodes in mind as they build applications that could benefit from them.

Four Key Barcode Benefits

1. Efficiency

Since scanning a barcode automatically enters a large amount of data into a system, they are incredibly valuable for streamlining recordkeeping and improving efficiency. Modern supply chain and inventory management simply would not be possible without the use of barcodes. Rather than manually entering inventory and shipment data for every item into a system, employees can simply scan entire pallets, crates, and even shipping containers to instantly know what contents they contain inside. Given the sheer scale of products moving through a supply chain, barcodes allow companies to automate a key process to save time and money even as they scale operations. Barcode scanners can also streamline onboarding and training since it takes much less time to teach someone to use a scanner than to manually enter data.

2. Error Reduction

Manual data entry is notorious for its high levels of human error. According to research conducted over several decades, even workplaces with the best performance measures in place see human error rates of five to ten failures in every hundred opportunities. That’s a lot of opportunities for things to go wrong, whether it takes the form of inverted characters, skipped lines, misreadings, illegible markings, or faulty keystrokes. Even worse, once an error occurs, it will often be reproduced across a system, making it very difficult to locate and remediate the original mistake. According to one estimate, errors resulting in bad data cost businesses more than $600 billion each year. Scanning a barcode, by contrast, completely automates the data entry process and significantly reduces the risks associated with manual errors. Information encoded into a barcode will be reproduced accurately each and every time the image is scanned to ensure consistency across systems.

3. Tracking

Each time a barcode is scanned, it creates another step in a data trail that can be easily referenced to locate items and events. This allows businesses to greatly improve real-time visibility into their operations. From identifying a shipment’s most recent location or determining whether or not a patient picked up their prescription from a pharmacy, barcodes help organizations and customers alike to track down information quickly and accurately. By improving visibility throughout their systems, companies can deliver a better customer experience that builds trust and prioritizes transparency. Since barcodes are easy to create and print, they can be added to almost any type of business process to streamline productivity and track essential activities.

4. Data Collection

Today’s organizations rely heavily upon data analytics to formulate their business strategy and make key decisions. The more data they have available to them, the more nuanced and accurate their analysis will be. Barcodes play a critical role in data collection strategies. Not only are they used to gather information about inventory, supply chain, and sales activity, but the latest generation of QR codes (a common form of 2d barcode) are also being deployed to learn more about customer behavior and preferences. Thanks to real-time QR code tracking, companies can see how many times the barcode is scanned, where it was scanned, and what devices were used to scan it. Gathering more extensive barcode data provides a more detailed picture of what’s actually happening “on the ground” throughout an organization and in the market. By eliminating conjecture and guesswork, businesses can make much more informed decisions that will help them to sustainably scale operations and capitalize on opportunities.

Barcode Use Cases by Industry

Although most commonly associated with retail and logistics, barcode scanners are deployed across many industries to improve efficiency and accuracy. Here are a few of the most common use cases:

• Education: From student ID cards to tracking school equipment, educational institutions utilize a variety of barcode types and barcode scanners to streamline operations.
• Government: Federal, state, and local governments use barcode scanning to manage access to secure facilities, catalog physical assets, and organize records. The ability to quickly create barcodes is essential for agencies that need to catalog and track documents and materials.
• Legal, Insurance, & Finance: Various forms of barcodes can be used to improve document management, making it easier to track and organize contracts, applications, and invoices as well as flag sensitive documents that require additional security precautions.
• Healthcare: Barcodes have long been used to streamline hospital processes such as admitting patients and accessing patient records with a simple scan rather than a protracted (and error-prone) manual process. They are especially useful for managing medications and ensuring that critical prescription information like strength and dosage remains accurate and consistent.
• Retail: A classic use case for barcode scanning, retailers use barcodes every day to manage their inventory, track sales, and reduce shrink. Handheld barcode scanners have made it easier than ever for them to process transactions, access product information, and locate products.
• Supply Chain: Barcode scanning technology has helped to automate key elements of logistics across multiple industries. As companies continue to do business around the world, the ability to easily track shipments and provide information to customs authorities is more crucial than ever before.

Implementing Your Barcode Solution

Despite the clear benefits of barcodes, many applications lack the basic functionality necessary to read barcodes, much less write them. Luckily, integrating those features is easy to do with the help of a code-based SDK barcode toolkit like Accusoft’s Barcode Xpress. With support for more than 30 barcode types and the powerful image processing capabilities that can clean up and repair barcodes that are broken, damaged, or poorly printed, Barcode Xpress can enhance the functionality of barcode scanners or allow Windows and Linux-based systems to locate and read barcodes on documents. Capable of reading up to 1,000 pages per minute, Barcode Xpress can turn your application into a barcode scanning powerhouse. Visit our product overview to learn more about how Barcode Xpress can solve your application’s barcode scanning needs.  

Printers, scanners, and other imaging devices have long been a source of headaches and frustration for developers and users alike. All too often, multiple software tools are required to connect an application to a device and acquire image files from them. This not only slows down workflows, but also creates opportunities for human error. Files can easily be misplaced or imported using the wrong parameters under these conditions.

Thanks to ImageGear’s TWAIN scanning support, however, developers can ensure that their application makes acquiring images from compatible devices both straightforward and mistake free. 

What Is TWAIN?

Developed in 1992 by a consortium of software developers and hardware manufacturers, the TWAIN standard is a standard software protocol and API that facilitates communication between imaging devices and software applications running on a computer. The word itself refers to a famous line in the Rudyard Kipling poem “The Ballad of East and West” that reads “never the twain shall meet.” Although sometimes alleged to stand for “Technology Without An Interesting Name,” the term is not actually an acronym despite being capitalized.

The name is well chosen because the TWAIN standard helped to solve the enduring problem of getting imaging devices and computers to connect and send data between one another. Most commonly used for scanners and digital cameras, TWAIN made it possible to request an image file to be imported into an application without having to utilize additional software or input commands using the physical device.

Implementing TWAIN Scanning with ImageGear

As a versatile image processing SDK, ImageGear fully supports the TWAIN specification, which allows developers to support any TWAIN-capable device directly into their applications. In most instances, this will involve adding a “Scan” button or option somewhere in the platform’s interface so that users can quickly and easily instruct their scanner to capture an image and pass it along to the application’s storage or workflow. Developers can also use the integration to adjust device settings directly from their application, such as changing the scanning area, modifying brightness and contrast, or increasing/decreasing dots-per-inch (resolution). 

ImageGear’s TWAIN scanning feature works with three external elements to facilitate image file transfers:

• The Device: Usually a scanner or digital camera, this is the primary imaging source. The device must be compliant with TWAIN protocol.This is typically indicated by the manufacturer.
• Data Source: Although ImageGear’s TWAIN scanning features can connect an application to a scanner, the device still needs a software driver that allows it to communicate with the computer’s operating system.
• Data Source Manager: The TWAIN manager software provides a universal mechanism for managing and using data sources from different device manufacturers. Developed by the TWAIN consortium, it can be downloaded for free and installed wherever the application is running.

(Both the device’s data source driver and TWAIN data source manager should be included with its installation software. They are not provided by the ImageGear SDK).

Acquiring an Image Using TWAIN Scanning

ImageGear can configure an application to gather an image or set of images from a connected device with a few simple steps.

Step 1: Open the Data Source

Developers can set the application to automatically open a default Data Source. This is typically the best choice when only one scanner is available, as is often the case in a small workplace. They can also use the Data Source Manager to provide a list of all available Data Sources and let the user select the one they need.

Step 2: Adjust Settings

ImageGear’s TWAIN scanning features allow image acquisition parameters to be set through the application. Parameters such as page count and image size can be set to a common default, but developers can also give the option to obtain the various capabilities (listed as “ScanCaps”) and display them for users to select from. ImageGear supports a wide range of TWAIN-related capabilities.

Step 3: Acquire Image

After all settings are configured, the image can be scanned and loaded into an ImGearPage Class object. When acquiring a multi-page image, ImGearPages are loaded into an ImGearDocument Class object instead.

How ImageGear TWAIN Scanning Looks in Code

As an example, here’s what the C# code may look like when using ImageGear to help an application import an image from a TWAIN Data Source:

using System;
using ImageGear.Core;
using ImageGear.TWAIN;

public ImGearPage AcquireImage(IntPtr Handle)
{
    ImGearPage igPage = null;
    ImGearTWAIN igTWAIN = new ImGearTWAIN();

    igTWAIN.WindowHandle = Handle;
    igTWAIN.UseUI = true;

    try
    {
        // Open the data source selection dialog
        igTWAIN.OpenSource(String.Empty);

        // Initialize the scanning
        igPage = igTWAIN.AcquireToPage();
    } 

    catch(ImGearException e)
    {
        // Handle the exception ...
    }

    finally
    {
        if(igTWAIN.DataSourceManagerOpen == true)
        {
            igTWAIN.CloseSource();
        }
    }

    return igPage;
}

Expand Your Application’s TWAIN Support with ImageGear

Accusoft’s ImageGear SDK provides comprehensive support for a broad range of TWAIN devices, which makes it easier than ever for developers to control the scanning process directly from their applications. Integrating TWAIN scanning can streamline workflows and significantly improve the software user experience by completely eliminating the need to turn to external programs for image acquisition. ImageGear is fully compatible with multiple generations of the TWAIN standard, including TWAIN v1.6, v1.7, v1.8, v1.9, and v2.4.

In addition to TWAIN scanning support, ImageGear provides powerful image and document processing capabilities that can transform your application workflows. With extensive file conversion and compression features, it’s the best way to quickly integrate content management features into your platform. To get a glimpse of what ImageGear can do for your .NET application, download a free trial today and start building.

Barcodes continue to be an essential tool for today’s organizations, whether they’re using them for managing supply chains or sorting documents within a complex digital workflow. Since the early 1990s, however, the potential use cases of barcodes have expanded tremendously. That’s largely due to the invention of the quick response barcode, better known as the QR Code. Developed by the Japanese manufacturer Denso Wave in 1994, this two-dimensional barcode revolutionized the way data was encoded and scanned. Today, QR Codes can be found practically everywhere, along with their smaller cousins, the Micro QR Code.

What Is a Micro QR Code?

Although the standard QR Code could hold a tremendous amount of information, that ability occasionally created challenges for specialized use cases where space was at a premium. Small components like circuit boards or machinery parts, for example, often couldn’t accommodate a QR Code. Even when they could, much of the QR Code’s storage capacity wasn’t being used to its full potential. For use cases where space was at a premium and only a small amount of data needed to be encoded, a more compact version of the QR Code was needed.

The Micro QR Code was designed to solve this specific challenge. Roughly half the size of the conventional QR Code, this smaller version still provided many of the benefits of its bigger cousin, including finder patterns to orient the image properly, multiple levels of error correction, and support for Japanese Kanji, Kana, and Hiragana characters.

The Anatomy of a Micro QR Code

A Micro QR Code consists of four elements that allow it to encode data and provide a barcode reader with instructions for how to read the contents.

Data Modules

Like any other QR Code, Micro QR Codes store binary data in square modules. While the human eye only registers the black modules, a computer scanner also registers white modules when reading the code. A black square represents a binary 1 while white squares are read as a binary 0. The amount of information that can be encoded into these modules changes depending upon the size of the barcode. Micro QR Codes can be written in four different sizes (more on that in a moment), allowing them to store up to 35 numeric digits, 21 alphanumeric characters, or 128 data bits.

Finder Pattern

The finder pattern is the square “bull’s eye” that appears in the upper-left hand corner of a Micro QR Code. This pattern ensures that the barcode is oriented and scanned correctly when read by an application. Since Micro QR Codes contain less complex data, they only require a single pattern finder while a conventional QR Code uses three. While many QR Codes also require an alignment pattern to correct for crookedness or distortion, Micro QR Codes are not large enough for these problems to create much of an issue during scanning.

Timing Pattern

A series of alternating black and white modules running vertically along the left side and horizontally along top of the barcode, the timing pattern is used to configure the rest of the data grid for the scanner. By reading the timing pattern, the scanner software can quickly determine the size of the barcode’s data matrix, as well as the symbol and version density.

Quiet Zone

A clear margin space surrounding the rest of the barcode elements, the quiet zone makes the boundaries easy for scanning software to detect and identify. While a conventional QR Code requires four or more modules of empty space, a Micro QR Code only needs a two module-wide space. This helps to keep the barcode compact regardless of how much data is encoded within it.

Micro QR Code Sizes and Error Correction

Depending upon the amount of data encoded, Micro QR Codes can be written in one of four sizes. The smallest version, M1, consists of 11×11 modules, while the largest, M4, is 17×17 modules. Each size above M1 can support different levels of error correction, although the more thorough the error correction, the less data can be encoded.

Error correction is based on the Reed-Solomon algorithm and allows scanning software to recover lost, poorly printed, or damaged barcode data. Versions M2 and M3 offer two levels of error correction:

• Level L (Low): Capable of recovering up to seven percent of encoded data.
• Level M (Medium): Capable of recovering up to 15 percent of encoded data.

As mentioned above, higher levels of error correction impact the amount of data that can be encoded into Micro QR Code modules. That’s because the redundancies necessary to support error correction algorithms take up available space. Increasing an M3 barcode’s error correction from level L to Level M, for instance, would reduce the number of numeric characters that could be supported from 23 to 18.

An M4 Micro QR Code contains enough modules to support a third level of error correction:

• Level Q (Quartile): Capable of recovering up to 25 percent of encoded data.

Although level Q provides excellent durability, it leaves much less space for encoding data. An M4 barcode with this level of error correction actually holds less data than an M3 barcode with level L error correction. When writing a Micro QR Code, it’s important to determine what level of error correction is actually necessary for the use case at hand rather than simply defaulting to the most robust option.

Differences Between Micro QR Codes and Conventional QR Codes

While Micro QR Codes use many of the same 2d barcode principles as traditional QR Codes, it’s not quite accurate to think of them as a condensed version. They have some notable differences that make them more or less suited to specific use cases.

Micro QR Codes

• Provide up to three levels of error correction.
• Needs only a single finder pattern for orientation.
• Can encode up to 128 bits.

Conventional QR Codes

• Provide up to four levels of error correction.
• Requires three finder patterns for orientation.
• Can encode up to 23,658 bits.

Enhance Your Barcode Capabilities with Barcode Xpress

Adding barcode recognition capabilities to an application can help to streamline document management workflows and allow organizations to route files more efficiently. Developers can easily integrate the ability to read and write barcodes into their platforms using a barcode SDK like Accusoft’s Barcode Xpress. With support for more than 30 unique barcode types, including Micro QR Barcodes, this versatile SDK provides the tools to support a wide range of use cases that call for fast, accurate barcode recognition.

For a hands-on evaluation of how Barcode Xpress will perform in your development environment, download a free trial today or start a conversation with one of our SDK specialists.

TAMPA, FLA. (Nov. 2, 2021) – OnTask, a workflow automation and eSignature tool, has launched a new Health Tracking platform providing unmatched flexibility for companies to track employees’ vaccination records, exemption requests, COVID test results, health screenings, and wellness status.

The affordable and secure cloud-based system can be used with any device and from any location, making it simple for both employees and the human resources department to use.

Employees can access OnTask Health Tracking to submit important information, like proof of vaccination documents and COVID test results, and use an eSignature to certify authenticity of the information. It’s as easy as clicking a link or scanning a QR code from any device – employees don’t need to create an account, set a password, or install an app.

Once an employee submits information, OnTask Health Tracking routes the information to the appropriate people or departments, depending on the automation rules for notification and approval that the company sets. Each company has the ability to set the specific configurations that work best for the company’s workflow.

“We developed the OnTask Health Tracking platform to be simple for the user and a powerful tool for the company,” said Steve Wilson, president of OnTask. “It saves the HR department time by making health tracking simple and efficient.”

The platform’s pre-built workflow templates are quickly configured to fit within any company’s operations, allowing a company to start using OnTask Health Tracking within hours. Once configured, it’s simple for users to make adjustments to the workflow as mandates or business needs change, or OnTask’s support team can quickly make changes for an employer.

OnTask Health Tracking is a secure, timely, and efficient way for employers to comply with existing federal mandates and recently released Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidance around COVID-19. Its flexible platform allows employers to quickly adjust to changing legal requirements over time, including automatically timing and tracking when proof of vaccine boosters may be required.

In addition, repetitive document-centric HR tasks like onboarding new employees, managing PTO requests, and submitting expenses can move into the OnTask platform, making it useful long after the pandemic.

The platform is already gaining attention for its innovation. OnTask Health Tracking was recognized as a Top Vaccine Management Software Vendor by Select Software Reviews and featured in SaaSHub’s weekly trending products. It’s also a finalist for Tampa Bay Tech’s 2021 Tech Project of the Year.

View demo videos and additional information about the benefits of using OnTask Health Tracking at https://www.ontask.io/solutions/health-tracking/.

About OnTask

OnTask is a workflow automation tool that makes it easy for small to mid-sized businesses to digitally send and fill forms, get signatures on documents and automate overall business processes, saving time and resources. OnTask is a flagship product of Tampa-based software company Accusoft, which holds more than 40 patents for its software technologies that are designed to solve complex workflow challenges, improve productivity, provide actionable data, and deliver results that matter. For more information on OnTask, visit www.ontask.io.

HubSync needed a white-label solution to help them capture secure taxpayer data from multiple sources in a single workflow. Using the Docubee API, they were able to launch quickly and get the support they needed to ensure their product was successful.

ISVs, corporations, and SaaS solutions all have the same immediate digital transformation needs in common; they all need to bring forth technologies that improve both the customer and employee experience. The challenge is building and launching these technologies quickly, efficiently, and within a scalable, sustainable model. Product managers and development teams are all evaluating options to assist with meeting stakeholder demands for quality, while also meeting the need for speed to market. Enter the hidden value of third-party software integrations.

The secret life of APIs

Digital transformation is an ever-increasing priority for all businesses as well as an initiative that is seeing a surge in funding. In a recent State of the API Economy 2021 report by Google, 56% of enterprise leaders say APIs help them to build better digital experiences and products. Leaders are also finding value in focusing on an API-driven strategy, and 52% say APIs accelerate innovation by enabling partners to leverage digital assets at scale. 

How API Integration Works

At a very simple level, an API consists of code that allows two separate technology systems to communicate and interact with one another. It functions as a translator and messenger; delivering user requests and data from one system to a completely separate system. This effectively allows an application to utilize the features and data of other applications without having to build out that functionality from scratch.

For example, the Uber ride-sharing app connects customers to available drivers within a specific area. It does this with a combination of smartphone geolocation and accurate maps, but the Uber app doesn’t have mapping capabilities. To get those features, it connects to Google Maps by way of an API that allows the Uber app to access the relevant navigational data and use it to connect customers to drivers.

Another key function of APIs is their ability to automate key processes and connect legacy infrastructure to newer technology systems. Data can be collected in one system, for instance, and “pushed” into another system automatically. This not only eliminates the complicated (and error-prone) task of manually transferring data between different systems, but also allows users to build a workflow in an application they’re already accustomed to, without having to learn an entirely new system. 

More importantly, since APIs allow newer technologies, devices, and legacy applications to talk to each other, they provide firms with substantial flexibility when it comes to adding new platforms. Purchasing new software doesn’t mean throwing out existing tools, which significantly reduces the risks associated with technology investments and upgrades.

The cost savings with API Integrations

When you purchase a third-party API integration you’re gaining more than additional functionality for your application. You also gain access to a team of developers and support specialists who are here to assist you from POC to deployment and beyond.  Leaning on the specialization of a third-party vendor allows your developers to focus on application enhancements and release your product to market faster. Ultimately saving your company valuable development time and realizing product revenue faster.

Interested in learning more?

Could your business benefit from an API led digital transformation strategy? Schedule a consultation today, to learn more about the document management API integration options available from Accusoft.