This dialog allows HowNow to process scanned images manually so that problems can be diagnosed. All of the fields can be changed to help HowNow read the required values.
​
​Note: any changes made on this dialog do not change the

MailScan Template - if the changes are required to the template they will need to be made separately.

First Line

- the title of the image being processed.

Selected Template

- the template document selected by HowNow as the best match for this scanned form. Select a new template if this one is incorrect.
​

Zone

- the zone being processed. Zones must be processed in order and, normally, this should not be changed.

Template Type

- shows when the zone type is Document Recognition. The form type that HowNow has selected. This should match with the text shown in the Read Text panel.

Contact Field Name

- shows when the zone type is Contact Recognition. The field in the contacts database that has been specified to identify the contact specified on the imported form.

Sign Type

- specifies the type of sign to expect when reading balances from the zone. The options are:
​None - not a balance field or no sign specified,
​Trailing CR/DR - the trailing debit/credit sign typically used on ATO documents,
​Brackets - balances with brackets are assumed to be negative, no brackets, positive, or
​+- Sign.

OCR Filter - optional.

Text used to help HowNow recognise values on the imported form and to reject possibly spurious characters. Any characters entered here restrict recognition of characters on the imported form to just those characters specified. For example, when the field is numeric like a tax file number, use '0123456789'. This tells HowNow to read only the digits between 0 and 9 and to ignore all other, possibly spurious characters.
Another example is to use '0123456789.CDR' when reading balances from ATO forms. This restricts recognition to the digits 0 through 9, a decimal point and DR or CR. Note that 'R' only needs to be specified once.

Pattern - optional.

Text entered here is used to help HowNow recognise text that matches a pattern. A pattern (or mask) consists of a string of the numbers 0 and 9 and the # character. The length of the pattern matches the text to be recognised. The number 0 represents a number if a character in that position exists; a 9 represents a number and it must exist; a # represents an alphabetic character if a character in that position exists.
For example a pattern for a tax file number would be '099999999', or '099 999 999', 8 or 9 numbers only, with or without spaces. A pattern for an assessment amount would be '0000000009.00##', up to 10 significant digits, a decimal point, two decimal places and optionally, two alphabetic characters.
Note that the latest assessment notices use commas as thousands separators. In that case the pattern would be '0,000,000,009.00##'.

Text Before - optional.

Text entered here is used to find the specific location of a field within a recognition zone. HowNow then reads the value immediately following the Text Before text. For example, to read the form year from the line containing 30 June 2009, the Text Before would be '30 JUNE'.

Text Length - optional.

If a Text Before value is used above, this field can be used to specify how many characters should be read after the text before. In the example above, the text length should be 4 to read the characters '2009'.
If the value is negative, this field specifies how many characters should be read from the end of the line, ignoring the full stop, if any. For example if the text was either 'This amount is/was due on 05 JUN 09' or 'This amount is/was payable by 05 JUN 09' then the text before would be 'This amount is/was' and the text length would be -9 to read the '05 JUN 09' from the end of the text.
Note: any spaces are ignored.

Remove Spaces

- removes any spaces found in the recognised text. Used to help prevent misreading characters on forms that have been scanned with very low resolution.

Read Last Line Only

- used to help recognise the last value in a list of balances or other values where the height of the list varies with each form. For example, an ATO Notice of Assessment.

Process Manually

- Uncheck this option to resume normal processing once the current document has been processed.

Fill Filter

- optional. Attempts to fill in any 'holes' in the scanned characters to make them easier to recognise. Only use when normal reading fails.

Despeckle Filter

- optional. Removes any scattered black pixels surrounding characters to make them easier to recognise. Only use when normal reading fails.

Bold Filter

- optional. Increases the width of characters to make them easier to recognise. Only use when normal reading fails.

Read Text

- this area shows the raw text read from the framed area. It cannot be changed.

Field Value

- the value processed from the Read Text field. This value can be changed manually in the case where the form cannot be read because of poor quality scanning.
​Note: in some cases this field may be blank as the value is read from the Read Text field.

Form Document Image

- shows the form image and allows the recognition area to be redefined.
To move the frame, click anywhere in the frame and drag the mouse to the new location.
To resize the frame, click on any side and drag the side to the new location.
To delete a frame, click anywhere outside of the existing frame.
To draw a frame, click the mouse at the top left of the area to be read and drag the cursor to the bottom right of the area. The frame will expand and follow the mouse.
Make the frame large enough to allow for miss-registration between forms of the same type.
In the case of a balance at the bottom of a column of balances, draw the frame to include all possible balances and tick the Last Line field above.
Only one frame can be created per zone.

Click the Read button to reread the form.

Click the Reset button to reread the form and clear any filters.

Use the Zoom control to zoom the image to where the recognition zone can be easily seen and manipulated.