Use SimpleIndex to automate the process of assigning keyword index values to scanned documents and minimize data entry keystrokes and errors. SimpleIndex uses OCR with complex pattern matching to find index values anywhere on the page, or use bar codes to index scanned documents automatically.
Once captured, structured data can be used to populate a database, document management system, SharePoint and other repositories.
SimpleIndex can simultaneously process MS Office, PDF, text, HTML and other files using the same pattern matching technology. If the file already has text it SimpleIndex uses it for increased speed and accuracy, falling back on OCR for images and scanned document indexing.
TaxStacker: Sort & Classify Federal Tax Documents
This is a great way for accountants and tax preparers to organize complex tax returns in a way that makes it easy to find specific documents. It can also be used to ensure all required schedules and supporting documents are present in the finished return.
Use our out-of-the-box TaxStacker configuration to automatically identify all the forms and schedules that make up a U.S. federal income tax return. These can then be sorted into separate PDF files or combined into a single file that has bookmarks to indicate each section.
Enable Post-Process when Input Folder is Empty
When you have multiple Job Configurations running in tandem with the Post-Process command line running one after there other there can be occasions where a Job Configuration earlier in the chain doesn’t have any images in the Input folder. When this happens a prompt occurs that must be clicked to proceed to the the next Job Configuration. When running unattended this can cause issues when the process stops for this prompt. This can be turned off in the Job Configuration’s XML settings.
Instructions for suppressing prompt to continue when Input folder is empty:
- Right click on the Job Configuration file that you would like to suppress the prompt on and select Open With>Notepad
- Search the XML settings text open in Notepad for this term:
<POSTPROCEMPTY> - Set the value between from “True” to “False”. It should look like this:
<POSTPROCEMPTY>False</POSTPROCEMPTY> - Save and close the file.
Index With Non-Latin Character Sets
By default SimpleIndex uses the ANSI character set to display and edit captured OCR data, index field values and full-text OCR. This works for all languages based on the Latin alphabet (English, French, Spanish, German, etc.)
To index documents in other languages like Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Arabic and other non-Latin alphabets, set the default character set using this registry key. If the key is not set correctly then Unicode text will show up as ??????????.
Use Notepad to edit the “Charset” value from the sample setting below and save it to a .reg file. Then double-click the .reg file to install (Administrator privileges required).
You can download the .reg file here but you still need to edit in Notepad to set the Charset value before installing.
If you are on a 32-bit operating system be sure to remove the extra “\WOW6432Node” from the registry path.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\SimpleIndex\Misc]“Charset”=”1”
| Charset Name | Charset Value |
| ANSI_CHARSET (Latin) | 0 |
| DEFAULT_CHARSET | 1 |
| SYMBOL_CHARSET | 2 |
| SHIFTJIS_CHARSET (Japanese) | 128 |
| HANGUL_CHARSET (Korean) | 129 |
| GB2312_CHARSET (Simplified Chinese) | 134 |
| CHINESEBIG5_CHARSET (Chinese) | 136 |
| GREEK_CHARSET (Greek) | 161 |
| TURKISH_CHARSET (Turkish) | 162 |
| HEBREW_CHARSET (Hebrew) | 177 |
| ARABIC_CHARSET (Arabic) | 178 |
| BALTIC_CHARSET (Baltic) | 186 |
| RUSSIAN_CHARSET (Russian) | 204 |
| THAI_CHARSET (Thai) | 222 |
| EE_CHARSET | 238 |
| OEM_CHARSET | 255 |
The full list of values is at https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc194829.aspx.
Skip to Blank Index on Save Index
If you would like to have SimpleIndex automatically go to the next page with a blank field and highlight that field when the Save Index button or Enter a change to the XML text of the Job Configuration is needed. This can be useful to quickly move to the next document that has a blank Index field.
Instructions to set Skip to Blank index on Save Index:
- Right click on the Job Configuration file that you would like to suppress the prompt on and select Open With>Notepad
- Search the XML settings text open in Notepad for this term:
<SKIP_TO_NEXT_BLANK> - Set the value between from “False” to “True”
<SKIP_TO_NEXT_BLANK>True</SKIP_TO_NEXT_BLANK> - Save and close the file.
Stop Autorun When Double Clicking Configuration
SimpleIndex jobs can be launched from an icon, just like opening a Word document saved on your desktop. However when you do this the default behavior is to automatically run the job file once it opens in SimpleIndex. If you just want to open the job without running it, follow these instructions:
1. Create a shortcut to the configuration by right clicking on the configuration file and selecting “Create shortcut”
2. Right click on the Shortcut that was just created and saved and select “Properties”
3. In the “Target” field put the following:
“C:\Program Files (x86)\SimpleIndex\SimpleIndex.exe” /c:”<Full Path to Configuration file>” /m
Example:
“C:\Program Files (x86)\SimpleIndex\SimpleIndex.exe” /c:”C:\Images\test.sic” /m
Forward Blank Index Fields
To turn on the carry Forward when you blank out an index field do the following:
1. Right click on the configuration file and open with Notepad or another text editor.
2. Search for this XML value: FORWARD_BLANK
3. Set the value to true
Viewer Reset for SimpleIndex
If you have any issues with the SimpleView viewer within SimpleIndex not displaying properly or the grid size being off you can reset it by doing the following.
1. Go to the Registry by searching for regedit
2. Locate this folder path:
hkey_current_user\software\vb and vba applications\simpleindex
OR
hkey_current_user\software\vb and vba program settings\simpleindex
3. Delete the SimpleIndex folder from that path, which deletes all the saved user settings and reverts back to default.
Max List Size
If you have a field that has a list and it loads very slowly then the size of the list that it loads needs to be limited.
You first open the Registry or regedit. Then you find this location: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\SimpleIndex\Misc
Then you right click in the space to the right and select New>String Value
Then you name this new entry this: MaxListSize
Then you double click on it and set the size of the list that it loads. We suggest somewhere between 1000 and 5000
MISSING file move with multiple files
If you want to move the MISSING files from the Output folder to another folder and create multiple MISSING files then use this script for the .bat file:
ren “C:\Users\dgraves.META\Desktop\Folder1\Missing.pdf” Missing-%date:~10,4%%date:~7,2%%date:~4,2%_%time:~0,2%%time:~3,2%.PDF
Move “C:\Users\dgraves.META\Desktop\Folder1\Missing*.pdf” “C:\Users\dgraves.META\Desktop\Folder2”
This will rename the file to MISSING-DATE_TIME and then move it to another folder.
Is it possible to search for and retrieve documents with Windows desktop search?
Windows Search works great with SimpleIndex because all index data can be saved to the folder and file names as well as the file properties, and OCR text can be saved to hidden layers in PDF files. Windows Search will read all of these elements when building its index and will return any matching files when you search.
Using Windows Search on a file server allows for instantaneous searching across terabytes of documents and text for all of the users on your network.
IFilters allow Windows Search to search within file contents.
Here are three popular PDF IFilters that will enable text searching for PDF files:
- Foxit PDF IFilter (commercial)
- TET PDF IFilter (free/commercial)
- Adobe PDF IFilter (32-bit / 64-bit) (free)
If you have issues with PDF text searching in Windows 10, this article has detailed instructions for resolving PDF IFilter issues:
https://fixedit.itxpress.biz/2018/07/05/searching-pdfs-in-windows-10/
- Published in Database & Retrieval, Export, Office PDF Text Processing
Is the document Search/Retrieval and View functions available in SimpleIndex or available only with the SimpleSearch add-on module?
All of the search functions can be used with any SimpleIndex license. SimpleSearch is only needed to enable searching from other workstations.
- Published in Database & Retrieval, Licensing & Installation
How do you configure a field to select from a list of possible values?
List fields are populated using a text file or database field containing the values for that list. The text file scenario will be described first.
To configure a list field, go to the Index tab in the Job Options. Create a list field by selecting “List” for the field type and give it a name. In the “List File/Field” setting for this field, put the full path or UNC to the text file containing the list or click “Set” to browse to the file. If you have not created a file, you can put the path where you want the file stored here and click the “Edit” button. This will open the file in Notepad; new files will prompt you to create them.
On each line of the text file you will put one of the possible values that you want to be able to select from while you are indexing with SimpleIndex. You can copy this information from another source and paste it into the text file.
Save the file in Notepad and close it. The List field is now configured!
To use a database field, your configuration must be connected to a database using the settings on the Database tab. Any fields defined as “List” on the Index tab that have a corresponding field mapped on the Database tab will use the unique values from that field to populate the list.
You can check “Only allow values in list” to disallow users from entering a value not in the list.
Once the List index field is configured properly you can select the values from a drop down after scanning that appear in the main SimpleIndex window while indexing. It also makes the field autofill the closest match from the list based on the characters that you type in that field.
- Published in Indexing & UI
Can the original image filename be used as part of the output filename?
The input filename can be specified automatically by configuring a field of type “Filename”. The input file path may also be parsed by the SimpleIndex dictionary and template matching algorithms to extract data fields from the folder and file names.
- Published in Export, Import, Indexing & UI
Can the values of 2 or more fields be combined in a single field?
Set the Type for the field that you want to store the combinded value to “Fixed”.
In the template setting for that field, you can enter the keyword %FIELD#% (where # is the field number) and the keyword will be replaced with the value of the designated field when it is saved.
For example, to combine your first 2 fields into third, inserting a comma between them, set the template for field 3 to:
%FIELD1%,%FIELD2%
- Published in Indexing & UI
How do you configure full text searching in Retrieval mode?
On the Database tab there dropdown in the lower portion of the panel for Full Text OCR Field. Put the name of the field that will store the full-text data there. This must be configured both for Insert and Retrieval mode configurations. The database field needs to be sufficient length to store the entire text of your document.
Of course, the Insert Mode configuration must have “Enable Full Page OCR” checked to generate full text data from images. Text from MS Office documents, PDF files and existing OCR text files can be used without setting this option.
When designing your Retrieval Mode configuration, create a Text field to use for full text search queries. On the Database tab, set the corresponding “Database Field Name” to the full text database field.
When searching on your full text field, SimpleIndex finds the text you enter no matter where it appears in the document. It is able to match partial words. It does not perform boolean or natural language searches. The text entered must match the document text exactly.
- Published in Database & Retrieval, OCR
Why does the word “MISSING” show up in filenames and index fields when the field is blank?
| “MISSING” is what SimpleIndex puts for any field value used as a filename or folder name and is left blank by defualt. You can change this to whatever you want it to say when a field value is left blank. To do this go to “Job Options” then to the “Index” Tab now click “Advanced Options”. In the middle of the window you will see a box labeled “Use this value whe a field is empty” just change “DEFAULT” to whatever you want (including leaving it blank) and click OK. Now the next time you have a blank field value for a filename or folder name it will have your new message. |
- Published in Export, Indexing & UI
How do I configure the output folder and file naming scheme?
Use the Folder and Filename check boxes on the Index tab in the Job Options to indicate whether field values will be used to generate subfolders or filenames. Any field with the Folder option checked will create nested subfolders for each value in the order the fields are listed. Any field with the Filename checked will have the values concatenated to form the filename.
For example, if Field 1 and Field 3 have the Folder option checked, and Field 2 and Field 3 have the Filename option checked, image filenames will be created in the format:
%OUTPUTFOLDER%\Field 1\Field 3\Field 2 – Field 3.tif
The Filename Separator option on the Advanced tab lets you change the ” – ” between the fields in the filename to anything you want.
- Published in Export
Ensures All Required Documents are Scanned
Some applications have a set of standard documents that are required to be present in each batch. SimpleIndex has the ability to specify a list of required values for a field then audit each batch at the end to ensure all are present. Any missing pages may be scanned and indexed automatically from this screen as well. This feature may also be configured to allow exceptions and log a valid justification for the absent document.
This feature makes SimpleIndex the perfect front desk scanning application For example, a health care chain may have a 
list of documents they must collect from each patient in order to bill the insurance company With SimpleIndex they can image these documents at the front desk, and audit the batch automatically to ensure all the required pages are there.
Doing this not only eliminates the need for a dedicated, central scanning department to image these files, it also greatly decreases the error rate and improves collections turnaround for our example company.
KB Articles for Document Management
- Exclude Index Field from Index Log
- Turn Off Prompts and Pop Ups on Job Configurations
- Change the Font Size of Index Fields
- Large documents (>500 pg) Slow to Process - Workaround
- Regular Expression (RegEx) - Syntax or Type
- Index With Non-Latin Character Sets
- Skip to Blank Index on Save Index
- Stop Autorun When Double Clicking Configuration
- Autonumber Increment Value
- High DPI Monitor Correction
Network Scanners & Copiers
Most digital copiers have the ability to scan a TIFF or PDF file to a shared folder on your network. However, getting an image with a recognizable filename and index fields you can search on is usually a labor intensive, if not impossible task. SimpleIndex with SimpleCoversheet provides a way for the whole office to organize documents they scan with your existing digital copiers.
SimpleIndex uses barcodes to automate the process of tagging and filing documents. This can be accomplished by embedding barcodes in the documents when they are printed, or by using SimpleCoversheet to create barcode index pages that are encoded with the filing data.
SimpleIndex can be configured to run fully unattended as a Windows service or scheduled task. It monitors the folder for new scanned files, reads the barcodes and files them accordingly. The key values from the barcodes are used to tell SimpleIndex when a new file starts, what folder to store the document in, what to name the file and other tags to use for searching.
The advantages of this approach to scanning are:
- Use your existing digital copiers instead of buying dedicated scanners
- The person creating the document is responsible for indexing it
- Scan the document and forget it
KB Articles for Network Scanners & Copiers
- Connect SimpleIndex to FTP Site
- FastImport to Disable Automatic Processing During Import
- Stop/Turn Off Image Deletion when Blank is Recognized
- Disable StopFile
- Continue with Post Process Command Line if Input Folder is Empty
- Check and Repair All PDF Files
- How do I limit the number of files pulled from the input folder?
- Can SimpleIndex read bar codes from existing PDF files?
- I have a scanner/copier that creates PDF and TIFF files and saves them to my file server. Can I use SimpleIndex to create a searchable CD/DVD from these files?
- How do you select what types of files to process?
Patent ID and Title Extraction
To avoid manual data entry, pattern matching is used to automatically read the Patent ID Number and Title from any US patent application straight out of the box.
This job configuration is available for free for SimpleIndex users from the link below.
SimpleIndex Patents Demo Job Configuration
KB Articles for Patent ID and Title
- Languages Supported in SimpleSoftware OCR Engines
- What is Document Imaging?
- Change the Dictionary Separator Value
- Change the OCR Font or Type
- Regular Expression (RegEx) - Syntax or Type
- Autonumber Increment Value
- I'm using full page OCR. The information is all appearing in the txt file but it is losing format about half way through. Data to the right is ending up at the end of the txt doc. Can this be fixed?
- Is there a way to just use part of a bar code or OCR value? For example, extract "50" from the value "124450"
- If I have a form which is filled manually by hand, can SimpleIndex read the data from it?
- How do you train the OCR engine for better accuracy?
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