Tutorial Abbyy Recognition Server (en)

Tutorial Abbyy Recognition Server

Installation and Configuration of Recognition Server

Please note: This documentation concerns to the prerequisites and specifics wich aren't described comprehensively in the Abbyy Recognition Servers manual, regarding to the magazine "Daheim" and comparable digitized media.

These settings can be accepted as provided. It saves time-consuming troubleshooting.

Choosing the user account the server is running

The Recognition Server manual is related to a Windows environment and Windows network shares. If the OCR results should be saved onto a network share, you need to select a user with privileges on accessing the network. The local system account has comprehensive privileges on the local machine, but none on the network. It's advisable to choose the network service account. In our case we had Novell domain and Novell network shares. These seem to be incompatible in this case. The error message of Recognition Server was cannot access drive xxx (the network share). Thus we saved the OCR results on the local server and copied them onto a network share by using a synchronizing programm.

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Creating a Workflow

Creating the folder structure

It's advisable to create a folder structure like the following:

_Input
- Scans are copied or moved into this folder
_Output
- OCR results are saved in these subfolders with the corresponding file format

Share the Daheim-folder

right button click on the folder
- share -> extended share
- extended share
- set checkbox on share this folder
- privileges
  - choose the user(s) that may get access

These users have to be an account with password on the server

remove everyone
- add
  - extended
    - search now
    - choos user
    - OK -> OK
  - activate privileges
    - change
    - read

Mount the higher folder, e.g.Daheim as network share on computers installed with Verification Station.

open Windows-Explorer
- extras
- mount network share
  - choose drive letter
  - insert the path to the server, e.g. IP-address\shared folder
  - reconnect during login
  - finish

Workflow settings

Explanation of "Entzerren/dewarping"

This option arranges the picture on the basis of straight lines. If they are like in this example, a trapeze-shaped flag, the result looks like this:

That's why you should deactivate the checkbox Entzerren/dewarping

Quality check

Documents with simple text formatting, e.g. continuous text, you may choose "Keine Überprüfung/No check".

Documents with more sophisticated formatting the option "Alle Dokumente überprüfen/Check all documents" should be activated.

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Insert training data

Create training file for characters

If Abbyy Recognition Server doesn't recognize some characters, a training file can be created in FineReader, exported as .fbt-file and imported into Recognition Server. A demo version of FineReader can be downloaded on the Abbyy-homepage.

In order to create a training file, e.g. for the Gothic type, set the checkbox "Use training in order to recognize new characters and ligatures". Now click on "read page". A dialog field opens.

In this case the letter "M" wasn't recognized properly. Extend the box by using the opening double arrow >> until the letter is completely covered. Following click on "Training". If there is more than one letter boxed, execpt on ligatures, you can shrink the box by using the closing double arrow << until the single letter is covered on it's own.

The training can be finished at anytime. When you are finished, click on Close

The trained letters can be reviewed by

Tools
- Pattern Editor

Their properties like bold or italic style can be set as well.

In order to check it the accuracy of the OCR you can OCR some documents with and without your custom training file.

The training file can be exported to Recognition Server by clicking on

Tools
- OCR
  - userdefined pattern
    - save language

and then add this file like described in the workflow settings.

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Specifics

Page numbers not displayed

If there's a text box without page numbers, even though it is enclosed, maybe the font color is the same like the background color. Click on the double arrow like shown in the picture to open the menu, click into the color box and choose black.

Specifics of print type Gothic when drawing a new text box

Everytime a new text box is drawn, the print type is set to default, which only includes "normal" print types. If there is gothic to be recognized, the check on Gothic has to be set.

After this you need to check the reading order and correct it.

Settings in Verification Station

Spell Checking

The verification station has a built-in spell check, that can be invoked by clicking the corresponding button. As the spell check is quite faulty, sooner or later error messages will appear (see Error messages). Alternatively, a regular text-file with UTF-16 formatting can act as dictionary when you apply it to the workflow settings 'It's added via 2nd tab -> Verarbeitung/Processing. -> interner Link zu "Tab Workflow -> Workfloweinstellungen/Workflow settings

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Error messages ...

occur when:

using the clipboard (copy & paste)
using the spell checking
quite rarely during the runtime

These are bugs in the program.