Program for filling out forms. Programs for automatically filling out forms

Collecting data doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, it shouldn't cost a penny. There are many great free tools, capable of performing the same functions as expensive form and survey builders.

Here are a few of the best free applications to collect data in the form of a form or survey.

6 Best Free Form Creator Apps.

Form builders are some of the most flexible applications out there. They can be used to collect data into spreadsheets, pay for purchases in your online store, or for planning a startup. With the help of such designers it is easy to create a contact form for the site. They're like digital legos: add necessary elements, configure and your creation is ready.

1. Google Forms: for integration with Google Sheets.

If you're already using Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Gmail, then you shouldn't forget about Google Forms, which is a great option for creating free forms. This app is built into Google Apps, is very easy to use, and automatically syncs with Google Sheets. These functions are quite enough to create a simple form.

Google Forms offers more than 10 types of forms with convenient text data entry. Create as many forms as you want, add as many answer options as your spreadsheet can accommodate—there are no limits. You can also use Google Forms scripts to add notifications, validation, action logic, and more.

The app does not allow you to upload files or accept payments. The form themes are quite simple, it won’t be difficult to determine that this is a Google product. However, it has all the basic features and is completely free.

2. Typeform: for forms with a modern design.

An unlimited number of forms and responses are provided for free. Additional features such as payment fields can be accessed by updating the app.

3. Ninja Forms: for creating forms for WordPress.

Sometimes form creation applications are overloaded with unnecessary options. If you don't want to upload files or receive long-form responses, and just want quick responses from your audience, then polls are a great way to handle this function.

Form and survey apps are very similar, but the latter are ideal for asking simple questions and getting simple answers.

The search module is not installed.

Nadezhda Balovsyak

Those users who often have to spend a lot of time on the Internet, for example, registering products, sending materials or online shopping, spend a lot of time filling out various web forms. Logins, passwords, names, addresses, index and much more...

Endless wait for registration to complete after entering almost the same data. This routine work can be simplified by special programs designed to automatically fill out forms.

There are a lot of programs of this class on the Internet, but there are only a few real generalists among them, since most of these programs often have too narrow a specialization.

While surfing the Internet, you often have to fill out various shapes on web pages, indicating the same data - last name, first name, address, date of birth and much more. By using special programs you can save this data in a special database, and if necessary, substitute it into forms on web pages.

IE Scripter

Developer's website: www.iescripter.com
Distribution size: 1.2 MB
Status: Shareware

As a result of installation, IE Scripter adds its button to the browser toolbar Internet Explorer. When you come across a form on a web page, you need to enter data and then click this button. An additional panel will be displayed in the browser window, with the help of which you can control the operation of the program. You can save the data entered into the form. At the same time, the program allows you to select which values you want to keep and which ones to omit.

When you encounter a form on another site, in order to use the saved data, click the Load button, and the program will automatically insert all the values into required fields. However, it should be noted that the program does not always work correctly, especially for drop-down fields. In addition, it is not possible to use different data for one page opened in Internet Explorer; for example, you cannot apply data from several mailboxes- the program cannot remember several sets of values.

In addition to this filling method, you can save a standard set of values in the IE Scripter database, which the program will use when filling out forms found on web pages. These parameters should be set in the program settings window. It should be noted that the set of standard parameters is insufficient, and they are not always enough to fill out forms. These parameters can be loaded from a set saved in Internet settings Explorer. In addition, the program does not have the ability to edit the list keywords, which determine the type of field in a web form.

The program has flexible settings. Settings can be saved in a special file. Among additional features Programs include a password generation tool and cookies viewing.

iNetFormFiller

Developer's website: www.inetformfiller.com
Distribution size: 2.8 MB
Status: Shareware

After installation and mandatory registration of the iNetFormFiller program, its icon will be placed in the system tray.

In the main window of the program there are questionnaires with very detailed information about the user. It seems that the program developers have thought of everything possible options input fields, even those that are very rarely encountered when filling out web forms. Form data is saved in a profile, which can be customized by randomly selecting the fields that will be included in it, as well as creating groups of fields. In addition, the questionnaire can contain fields of absolutely any standard. In this case, some fields can be linked to each other. In this case, when you enter certain information in one field, the others associated with it can be filled in automatically with the specified values. When creating a profile, the program supports deleting unnecessary fields. And ready-made profiles can be saved as templates and used later when creating other profiles.

After installing the program, an additional iNEtFormFiller toolbar is built into the Internet Explorer browser.

This program can also fill out forms in two ways - by substituting saved data into fields on a web page, or by saving data that was entered into forms on a web page. To fill out the form, just click the Fill button, and all data will be saved in the form.

All pages filled in by the program are saved in a special section - a list of form cards. If you select a form card in the list, the fields of this page will be shown next to it in the program window, which can be edited offline by simply entering the required values there. Essentially, a form card is the same web page with a form, but with a preserved structure.

In the batch information input mode, the program allows you to fill out online forms with standard data, and you can specify which data should be substituted from the profile and which should be entered manually.

Another interesting tool, available in iNetFormFiller, allows you to record every user action performed in the browser. In this mode of operation, the program remembers not only the fields filled in, but also every click on a link or button. You can remember almost any set of actions, and then simply reproduce it the required number of times, changing some parameters if necessary.

It should be noted that the program has flexible customization options. For each page, the program allows you to set your own settings, including various saving and filling options. Thanks to the functions of exporting and importing settings and saved profiles, the program database can be transferred to another computer.

RoboForm

Developer's website: www.roboform.com
Distribution size: 1.8 MB
Status: Shareware

RoboForm's functionality sets this program apart from its peers, making it one of the best in its category.

This program also adds its own button to the browser toolbar. RoboForm can save the data you entered into web pages. In this case, the program stores this data in special records called pass cards. These pass cards can be used to fill out forms. And if you enter some data into forms on web pages, the program will be able to recognize your actions and offer you to save this data.

Using the person editor, you can manually save data for later use when filling out forms. The contents of the program database, pass cards, as well as the ability to add new entries to the program database can be protected with passwords.

If several users work with the program, each of them can set their own parameters for filling out forms.

It should be noted that the program has extensive customization options. For example, RoboForm allows you to fully customize the composition context menu Internet Explorer, you can also customize the key combinations used by the program to fill out forms.

WebM8

Developer's website: www.m8software.com
Distribution size: 1.59 MB
Status: Shareware

The program allows you to work with a large amount of different data to fill out web forms. The main inconvenience of working with the program is that for each form you need to create its own separate list of field values. And to fill out the form, you should select in the program the required list of field values for it, prepared in advance. Therefore, using WebM8, it is quite difficult to fill out different web forms found on different web pages. But if you need to fill out the same forms, the program will be the ideal solution for you.

Working with documents takes a lot of time from users, especially office workers. But there are many programs that can significantly optimize manual labor when working with documents by automating some processes. Many of these solutions are easy to use, very convenient and inexpensive, and therefore available to a wide range of users. Such programs will be discussed in this article.

Document organization

Users who have to deal with a large number of electronic documents, the situation is well known when, even despite a strict system of catalogs and subdirectories, it takes a lot of time to find the right document. One of the options for solving this problem is to use a special cataloging program, the main task of which is to organize and sort data, which ultimately ensures a quick search for the necessary information. There are a huge variety of such catalogers on the market, and all of them are focused on cataloging either disks, folders and files, or some highly specialized information (movies, coins, stamps, etc.). Any universal cataloger that allows you to catalog folders and files of different types is suitable for cataloging documents. The best among similar decisions The WhereIsIt package (http://www.whereisit-soft.com/) is considered, but it is quite expensive, and its capabilities are clearly redundant for many users. For most people, using the WinCatalog Standard package will be sufficient.

Another way is to combine related documents into complex hierarchically structured documents stored inside data files corresponding to these structures. In such structured documents, it is much more convenient to navigate and find the information you need thanks to both structuring and advanced search capabilities within the document. In addition, such structuring allows you to perform external searches and search for documents based on fragments of the text included in them. For example, the Maple package is designed for creating hierarchically structured documents.

WinCatalog Standard

Developer: WinCatalog.com

Distribution size: 1.62 MB

Work under control: Windows 95/98/2000/Me/NT 4.0/XP

Distribution method: http://www.wincatalog.com/ru/download/wincatalogs10ru.exe)

Price: 200 rub.

WinCatalog Standard is an easy-to-use multifunctional cataloger with a clear Russian-language interface (Fig. 1). The package allows you to catalog data from any storage media that can be connected to a computer: floppy disks, hard and network drives, regular CDs and audio disks, Zip disks, etc. With its help, you can sort and organize any folders and files, regardless of their location. You can enter data into the catalog either manually (directly into virtual folders) or by scanning disks (including Zip archives located there) - in this case, for ease of orientation, folders and files extracted from disks are better then sorted into virtual folders, which, thanks to the support drag & drop operations will not take much time.

Rice. 1. WinCatalog Standard interface

General catalog management is easy and convenient. Dividing data into thematic folders greatly simplifies orientation, and the placement of folders and their nested elements can be easily changed by simply dragging and dropping. Advanced search (by name, comment, size and modification date; Fig. 2), supporting Boolean operations and the ability to select a specific folder to search, and also taking into account keywords (they can be prudently added to individual elements directory), allows you to quickly find the desired document, and the search for duplicates allows you to remove duplicate elements from the collection. Exporting all or part of the documentation catalog to a CVS file makes it possible to process the data in another application (for example, MS Excel), and exporting to an HTML file is convenient for printing the catalog.

Rice. 2. Search documents in WinCatalog Standard

Maple 6.25

Developer: Crystal Office Systems

Distribution size: Maple - 5.3 MB, Maple Professional - 5.89 MB

Work under control: Windows (all versions)

Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo version: Maple - http://www.crystaloffice.com/maple.exe, Maple Professional - http://www.crystaloffice.com/maplepro.exe)

Price: Maple - $21.95, Maple Professional - $30.95

Maple is an easy-to-use document manager that allows you to combine diverse materials into hierarchical structures and ultimately obtain structured documents: business plans, reports, analytical notes, brochures, etc. In such hierarchical document trees, diverse information is presented more clearly, and finding any document is much easier than with standard cataloging. To view documents created in Maple, you need a special viewer, Maple Reader, which can be downloaded for free at: http://www.crystaloffice.com/mreader.exe (2.51 MB). The package has a user-friendly interface (Fig. 3) and is so easy to learn that even the lack of Russian localization of the program will not be an obstacle for most users, and therefore this solution can be recommended to the widest audience.

Rice. 3. Maple program interface

The manager is available in two versions: basic Maple and extended Maple Professional. Among the fundamental differences of the extended version is the presence of such additional functions, such as document search, grammar checking, file encryption and hierarchical structure backup.

The basis of any document in Maple is a hierarchical tree of nodes, the level of nesting of subnodes in which, as well as their number, is unlimited. Each node is a separate document containing not only text (typed directly, pasted from the clipboard or imported from documents in RTF, DOC, WRI and HTML formats), but also tabular material, graphs, links to basic fragments of the final document or files, and etc. When preparing documents, it is envisaged to use standard set functions for working with text: changing font type and size, creating lists, formatting paragraphs, using styles, etc. Integration with MS Word allows you to use the spell checker built into MS Word to check grammar and search for synonyms not only in English, but also in Russian . Built-in redundancy system provides the ability to create compressed backup copies hierarchical documents (in ZIP and CAB formats). The built-in encryption wizard helps you encrypt sensitive documents using the Blowfish cryptographic algorithm. And the Finder search module allows you to quickly find the necessary documents by name fragment, author, comments, content (Fig. 4), etc.

Rice. 4. Search documents by content
in them the text in Maple

Quick access to documents

The technology of computer preparation of documents assumes that the created documents are subsequently used repeatedly. For example, when developing a new document, you may need one or two paragraphs from yesterday's document or new document In general, it is a copy of the old one, but with changed variable information, etc.

Unfortunately, the user cannot always remember the name of an important document created the day before yesterday, and sometimes does not have the slightest idea of where to look for it. Of course, you need to give documents meaningful names and save them, adhering to clear cataloging, but, alas, it happens otherwise, due to haste, distracting calls, etc. As a result, searching for the required document can take a lot of precious time - after all, it is not at all a fact that you will be able to open it through the Windows list of links to the latest documents accessible through the Start menu. The point is that this list:

limited to 15 documents - this means that the probability of including documents, for example, a week ago is practically zero;
does not allow you to locate a document if you remember part of the text, but forgot the file name;
does not include documents of the same name (but at the same time different) saved under the same name, but in different folders, which is relevant, for example, when working together over the document with the formation of several of its versions.

There is another problem - provided for in Windows list recent documents is one of the channels for leaking confidential data, since through it any user (including an attacker) can find out about the nature of the owner’s computer activity. Therefore, it is recommended to regularly clean this list, for example, using utilities for removing “junk” data from the disk. As a result, a seemingly paradoxical situation arises: if the user regularly destroys information about recently used documents for security purposes, then he loses quick access to them, and otherwise risks becoming a victim of intruders. However, there is a way out - you can use the specialized utility ActualDoc, which expands the capabilities of Windows in terms of working with the latest documents.

If the required document was created a long time ago and therefore cannot appear in the list of recently opened documents (both built into Windows and in the ActualDoc list), then you will have to resort to searching for it. Another problem arises here - as a rule, the user does not remember the name of the document (as well as the date of its creation), but he knows which keywords appear in the text. This means that you need to search for a document by fragments of the text included in it - alas, although this task can be solved with built-in using Windows or, for example, Word, but very mediocre. And the point is not only that such a search is not entirely obvious and is performed slowly - sometimes you can live with this. What is more important is that not all files will be found - the morphological features of the Russian language will not be taken into account during the search, so files in which the searched words have a different case ending will remain unfound. At the same time, specialized search utilities such as “Snoop” (http://www.isleuthhound.com/ru/), Superior Search (http://superiorsearch.ru/), “Archivarius 3000” and Phoenix Search (http ://indexlab.net/), can quickly find the necessary documents regardless of their location. The most attractive among the mentioned solutions in terms of price/quality ratio seems to us to be the Archivarius 3000 package.

ActualDoc 3.5

Developer: Flexigen Software

Distribution size: Standard - 4.1 MB, Professional - 3.6 MB

Work under control: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista

Distribution method: Standard - freeware (http://www.flexigensoft.com/files/download/actualdoc-standard.exe), Professional - shareware (14-day demo version - http://www.flexigensoft.com/files/download/ actualdoc.exe)

Price: Standard - free, Professional - $19.95

ActualDoc - manager latest documents, which remembers used documents and provides quick and secure access to them. The program is simple and intuitive, has a user-friendly interface with support for the Russian language (Fig. 5) and will require virtually no time to master, especially since it is accompanied by a comprehensive help system, and therefore can become an indispensable tool for both professionals and home users.

Rice. 5. ActualDoc program interface

ActualDoc keeps records of downloading an unlimited number of documents within a user-specified period (60 days by default), supports more than 40 file formats (text and graphic files, MS Office documents and HTML documents, PDF files, etc.) and allows you to quickly download any of them. Finding the required document in the program environment is not a problem. If the scroll of documents she has memorized is relatively small, then you can select the document directly from the list. Otherwise, it would be wiser to first limit the list of possible candidates by filtering it (filtering by time is possible). O interval, by extension and category) or search by document name (in general view) or by a fragment of the text included in it (however, searching in Russian text is not always successful). There is another way to quickly open the desired document - through built-in bookmarks (the same as in Internet Explorer; Fig. 6), which can be assigned to individual frequently used documents and significantly speed up access to them, since the need for searching is eliminated. The selected document is available in the built-in viewer - for viewing, searching and copying, as well as in an external application - for editing and can be used for complete processing, selective copying of information from it, or for sending the document via email. At the same time, the list of documents itself can be hidden from prying eyes and password protected- in this case, recently used files will not be displayed in the menu Start -> Documents.

Rice. 6. Opening a document via a bookmark
in ActualDoc

The package comes in two versions: the free basic Standard and the paid Professional. Possibilities free version do not allow you to view documents in built-in viewers, use the search function (as a result, you can only search for documents visually, viewing the full or filtered list), create custom categories and edit bookmarks.

Archivist 3000 (3.82)

Developer: Likasoft

Distribution size: 3 MB

Work under control: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista

Distribution method: shareware (30-day demo version - http://www.likasoft.com/download/arch3000-ru.exe)

Price: student license - 195 rubles, personal license - 295 rubles, commercial license - 900 rubles.

« Archivist 3000" is optimal solution for quickly searching documents in 18 different languages (including Russian, English, German and French), aimed at wide circle users. The program provides instant access to documents located on your hard drive, network and removable drives(CD, DVD, ZIP, etc.), and can work with all popular document types (PDF files, MS Office documents, text files, etc.). It can search in archives (ZIP, RAR, etc.), in email messages (Outlook, Outlook Express, The Bat! etc.) and their attached files. In addition, searching in the Lotus Notes and Lotus Domino databases and in the ICQ, Odigo IM and Miranda IM message databases is supported.

Along with regular search by keyword or set of keywords, the program supports an advanced search mode using logical functions and can search for documents not only by content, but also by file name, modification date, size, document type, encoding, etc. ( Fig. 7). Thanks to full Unicode support, searches are performed correctly not only in documents in one language, but also in multilingual ones (for example, with text in Russian and German simultaneously). It is possible to remotely search for documents via the Internet with subsequent access to the found documents through any Internet browser, for example, Internet Explorer. Search results can be presented in excerpt mode, when the most significant (relevant) fragments of selected documents are displayed with highlighting of the found words, and in table mode, when brief information about the documents is displayed (Fig. 8), by which they can be sorted.

Rice. 7. Search for documents in the Archivist 3000 environment

Rice. 8. Options for presenting search results
in "Archivarius 3000"

Filling out standard documents

The preparation of standard documents takes up a significant portion of the time of those users who, as part of their duties, are involved in the preparation of various documentation in insurance companies, banks, notary offices, companies providing various types of services, etc. Typically, such documents are created in text editor Word based on originally designed base documents that simply replace some variable information. There is nothing complicated about this, but large volumes documentation errors are inevitable - you can, for example, accidentally enter data in the wrong place where it is supposed to be, or erase several words of the document, etc. Therefore, it is desirable that only those fields in which data must be entered are open for input, and all other text is blocked. The developers have provided the ability to create such documents in Word. It is enough to develop a series of templates for all standard documents used in the organization, for each template to prohibit changing permanent data (command Tools -> Set protection -> Prohibit any changes except entering data into form fields) and train users to create documents using templates. For standard documents, where there is relatively little variable information, such templates will be quite sufficient to significantly speed up the process of preparing documents and reduce the risk of errors.

However, in practice, many standard documents are used in which variable information takes up up to half the volume, and some of the variable data is repeated several times in one form or another (Fig. 9) - for example, full name. in different cases, words for entered dates or amounts, etc. In this case, using Word templates does not help much, since filling out documents even using templates will take a lot of time, because all variable data will have to be entered manually.

Rice. 9. Example of a document with a large volume
variable information

There is one more feature of the preparation of standard documents - often it is necessary to prepare not one document, but several at once (for example, to draw up a bank agreement on opening a depositary, three or four types of agreements are needed for signature). Thus, the same information has to be entered into different documents, which also takes a lot of time, and the likelihood of making an error increases accordingly. You can prepare such documents much faster using specialized applications designed to automate the process of preparing standard documents, such as AutoDoc or Blitz Document. These applications are also based on the use of templates, which, unlike ordinary Word templates, not only allow you to enter data into the fields provided for this (for which the user needs to fill out a set of forms with data), but are also able to transform the entered data in a programmed way, for example can replace numbers in words, declension of words and phrases according to grammatical cases, etc. As a result, the necessary documents are filled out quickly, and the number of errors that can be made is an order of magnitude less than when preparing them traditionally in Word. In addition, creating standard documents through specialized solutions is also attractive because all created documents are automatically cataloged and finding any of them in the future is not a problem, and the user is not required to know the intricacies of document preparation, because all legal nuances are already taken into account in the templates.

AutoDoc 1.2

Developer: EleWise

Distribution size: 6 MB

Work under control: Windows 2000/XP/2003

Distribution method: shareware (functionally limited demo version - http://www.auto-doc.ru/download/autodoc/AutoDoc_Demo.exe)

Price:"AvtoDoc-Personal" - 1980 rubles, "AvtoDoc-Server" - 2980 rubles, "AvtoDoc-Client" - 1490 rubles.

"AutoDoc" is a program that allows you to automate and speed up the process of filling out standard documents using templates created using MS Word and maintaining an archive of documents and records made using these templates. The process of generating new documents in it is extremely automated - just select the desired business scenario from the general list of scenarios (a business scenario is a customized template) and fill out the input form with the required data (Fig. 10). The created document can be viewed, saved, printed, or opened in Word for further editing.

Rice. 10. Creating a document using the “AutoDoc” script

The number of built-in scripts is small (Fig. 11), but can be expanded with custom scripts, the creation process of which is presented in detail and clearly in the help and is fully controlled by the wizard, and therefore is accessible to most users. Developing a new script involves performing five steps: entering the name of the script, creating a template, defining variables, setting up and testing the script and saving it for further editing (Fig. 12). At first glance, preparing a template may cause some difficulties, since it must be created manually in Word, and this requires knowledge of a scripting language. But in practice everything is much simpler - it is enough to understand that the variables are entered into curly braces, and the $ sign is placed in front of them, all other text is printed in the usual way (Fig. 13). New templates can be created not only from scratch, but also based on existing templates or ready-made documents - in the first case, you just need to change the script settings and test it with the changed settings, and in the second, open a ready-made document, replace changing information with variables and specify it program as a template. Variables can be of several types, including those that allow:

enter data into several fields at once: full name, passport data, organization details, etc.;
select a variable value from a set of values;
perform various operations and transformations: calculate the percentage of a number or VAT of an amount, convert a number into a string, enter the current date, etc.;
indicate a word or phrase in a certain case, etc.

Documents created according to AutoDoc business scenarios are saved in the form of clearly structured records, and therefore at any time you can find the desired document by filtering or searching, view it, print it, regenerate or delete it.

Rice. 11. “AutoDoc” window with a list of built-in groups
business scenarios

Rice. 12. Development of a new script in AutoDoc

Rice. 13. Example of template text in “AutoDoc”,
in which four variables appear: “number”,
“month”, “organization” and “full name”

The program is supplied in two versions: single-user - "AvtoDoc-Personal" and multi-user (network), represented by two modules - "AvtoDoc-Server" and "AvtoDoc-Client". In the single-user version, all system components are located on local computer, and in a multi-user database of scripts, templates and records is installed on the server, and on user computers only the client part is installed, which allows the use of all AutoDoc materials stored on the server.

Blitz Document 3.4.1

Developer: BlitzSoft

Distribution size: 991 KB

Work under control: Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista

Distribution method: shareware (functionally limited demo version - http://blitz-doc.ru/insblitz.exe)

Price: 500 rub.

Blitz Document is a compact program for automatically creating standard documents using script templates. It allows you to quickly generate documents based on built-in templates, the number of which is more than 30 (Fig. 14), or custom scripts that can be developed based on built-in templates or empty layouts. Creating a document using a ready-made script is extremely simple - just select the type of script and follow the instructions of the wizard, who will conscientiously guide the user through all stages of document preparation (Fig. 15). The finished document can be viewed, printed, edited in the built-in text editor (both variable and constant data can be corrected) or opened for editing in Word.

Rice. 14. List of built-in Blitz Document scripts

Rice. 15. Creating a scripted document
Blitz Document

The development of created templates is somewhat more complicated, but will also be within the capabilities of most users. True, mastering this feature will take some time, since, unfortunately, the reference information included with the program is designed for sufficiently trained users (it is very sparse and does not contain any illustrations or examples). Technically, creating a new template consists of two stages: selecting a built-in template or layout on the basis of which you will develop new template, and consistent adjustment of the constant and variable data included in it (Fig. 16). Constant data is entered in its real form, but not directly into the text, but through dialog boxes. Variable information is also adjusted during the dialogue and is no longer entered directly, but is replaced by variables with wildcard labels, designed taking into account the script description language used in the program. Scripts can not only display the text entered during document generation, but also change it using a system of data substitution or transformation commands. For example, it is provided:

Rice. 16. Development of a new template based on the layout
in Blitz Document

Declension of words and phrases according to grammatical cases;
converting numbers to strings;
converting calendar dates into strings;
carrying out any calculations used in legal and business documents;
changing the text depending on the value of the entered data, etc.

Documents created using Blitz Document are saved in structured journals - this allows you to quickly navigate through the documentation and almost instantly gain access to the necessary materials, for example, in order to print them. In addition, documents can be grouped into virtual files, which is convenient for quick access to materials related to a specific subject or object appearing in the database.

OCR text in scanned documents

Users who often have to convert paper documents (pages of a book, newspaper, magazine or fax) into an electronic editable format cannot do without a character recognition system, or OCR system (Optical Character Recognition), designed for automatic input texts of paper documents into a computer. Theoretically, you can use the FineReader program from ABBYY or CuneiForm from Cognitive Technologies - both are reliable in operation and have high recognition accuracy. But the FineReader package has a simplified and affordable version for home users, ABBYY FineReader 8.0 Home Edition, which makes it more attractive to a wider audience.

ABBYY FineReader 8.0

Developer: ABBYY Software

Distribution size: 40.5 MB

Work under control: Windows 98/Me/NT 4.0/2000/XP

Distribution method: shareware (there is no demo version of FineReader Home Edition, a functionally limited demo version of FineReader Professional Edition - http://www.abbyy.ru/download/?param=45793)

Price: FineReader Home Edition - 990 RUR, FineReader Professional Edition - 3750 RUR.

ABBYY FineReader - perfect solution for recognizing documents in which not only text is recognized, but also design, which ensures accurate transmission of tables, pictures and text division into columns (Fig. 17). The program is easy to use, can recognize multilingual (179 languages are supported) and multi-page documents. It is possible to recognize the entire document or its individual pages. The result can be saved in one of the common formats: RTF, DOC, XLS, HTML, TXT or PDF. It is possible to save recognition results step by step to eliminate errors. Implemented export of recognition results directly to Microsoft Word, Excel, Lotus Word Pro, Corel WordPerect and Adobe Acrobat. The built-in spell checker (for 36 languages) will help speed up checking the result, and integration with Microsoft Word allows you to call the program directly from Word, without being distracted from working with the text.

Rice. 17. Result of document recognition
in ABBYY FineReader Home Edition

The program is presented in two versions: FineReader Home Edition, designed for beginners, and FineReader Professional Edition, aimed at professionals. The professional version allows you to manage recognition parameters (change mode, perform recognition with training) and has a richer set of recognition functions (recognition of PDF files captured digital camera texts, etc.). In addition, the Professional Edition provides more different saving formats, added the ability to recognize barcodes and quickly recognize screenshots using the Screenshot Reader utility.

Converting documents from PDF format

All technical documentation is supplied today in PDF format, for viewing documents in which you can use free utility Adobe Acrobat Reader. But quite often there is a need to use fragments of PDF files when preparing your own documents or editing materials in PDF format (for example, an article, a contract, a report, etc.). In the first case, you will need to extract fragments of text and/or images from PDF files (theoretically, this can be done using the built-in tools of Acrobat Reader, but with very mediocre results). In the second case, you will have to convert PDF documents into an editable format (for example, into Word format) while maintaining the design of the original document, which is not even provided for in Acrobat Reader. In such cases, special utilities will come to the rescue, of which the most attractive packages are ABBYY PDF Transformer and PDF2Word (http://www.toppdf.com/pdf2word/index.html). We will look at the first of them - although it is more expensive, it has a Russian-language interface and allows you to convert PDF files into several editable formats, and can correctly recognize not only English, but also Russian text.

ABBYY PDF Transformer 2.0

Developer: ABBYY Software

Distribution size: 52 MB

Work under control: Windows 2000 (SP2 or higher)/XP/Server 2003

Distribution method: shareware (15-day demo version - http://www.abbyy.ru/pdftransformer/?param=35957)

Price: 1490 rub.

ABBYY PDF Transformer - a utility for converting PDF documents into formats Microsoft documents Word (Fig. 18), Excel, as well as HTML and TXT files. The package has an intuitive interface and is very easy to use, so even novice users will be able to master it.

ABBYY PDF Transformer can convert any PDF files, including files without a text layer (such files are most often obtained from scanned documents and represent an image of text), and correctly processes PDF files containing any combination of supported languages (including Russian and English). The utility accurately preserves the design of the source document (pictures, tables, column layout, links) and allows you to manage conversion and saving options. For example, you can clearly define areas that should be perceived by the program as text or as an image (which is important for PDF files with complex design), save the finished document with the same design as in the original, or as a column of text (with or without pictures - optional) etc. If necessary, it is possible to selectively convert individual pages or even their fragments. In addition, ABBYY PDF Transformer can also perform reverse conversion, allowing you to create PDF files from Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, Visio diagrams and HTML files, as well as from almost any application that supports printing a document (this is implemented through virtual printer PDF-XChange for ABBYY PDF Transformer 2.0).

Something as seemingly trivial as filling out paper forms can cause a lot of hassle and develop into a real problem! Especially if the need to repeatedly fill out paper forms arises at every step. For example, when filling out birth certificates, school certificates, powers of attorney or employee profiles. Even if you have a typewriter and an experienced typist, this is a long and troublesome task: each form must be inserted into the typewriter and the necessary fields must be filled out. If there are hundreds or thousands of such forms, mistakes are inevitable, followed by their being covered up with a proofreader and correction. The most annoying thing is that many of the fields in such forms are exactly the same (for example, address, details and name of the organization), but they have to be filled out every time. Of course, you can use carbon paper to fill out several forms at the same time, but problems arise here too:

Paper for forms is most often very thick, which allows you to get no more than 2 or 3 copies in one pass of the typewriter.
Forms may differ from each other in the size of the margins: top or bottom, left or right. This leads to the fact that the text on the copies is shifted relative to the fields being filled in: it turns out ugly or completely “unreadable”.
If the typist makes a mistake, she has to correct it on all copies.
Each form will still have to be reinserted into the typewriter and fields that are different from others will have to be filled in: for example, “Last Name” and “Name”.

What about on the computer?

Indeed, why not modern means? Moreover, most documents are now generated automatically using industry specialized software and can be printed without problems. But what if you urgently need to fill out a document that exists only on paper, such as a new tax form? You can, of course, “draw” it in Excel and print it on a printer. The process of creating the form will take a lot of time, but the problem can still be solved. But the diploma, certificate or diploma must be filled out - beautifully print the required text in a certain place form. How to do this using a computer and printer?

You can, in principle, measure a template down to the millimeter, create and mark up a document accordingly in Word and type text in a certain place in this document. After this, “shoot” several times, first printing the entered information on a blank sheet of paper and checking it “in the light” - will it fall into the right place in the template? This is exactly the picture of filling out forms that was once observed in one of the branches of the respected Sberbank. What is surprising is that it was not just some kind of greeting cards that were filled out in this way, which are not scary to “screw up”, but promissory notes - securities, that were to be spoiled. which are “like death.” The task was complicated by the fact that the bills differed in the size of the upper margins, so each form needed individual “shooting.” Only after that the valuable document itself was inserted into the printer. Isn’t it even more troublesome to have such problems? with filling out forms in our age of high computer technology.

Form Pilot Office

There is no need to repeat such a sad experience, since there is an alternative to a typewriter. To fill out paper forms of any kind, you will need a computer, a scanner, a printer, and the Form Pilot Office program (hereinafter referred to as Form Pilot). The form filled out in this program can not only be printed, but also sent by fax or email, even exporting it to PDF before that, if necessary. It's all done like this. Directly from Form Pilot, the process of scanning a paper form is launched, and after its completion, the resulting image appears in the window of a new program document. The program’s built-in tools allow you to straighten the image (if it was unevenly inserted into the scanner) and trim the “blackness” that appears as a result After scanning, the program indicates the location of the left one. top corner, and the document is ready to be filled out.

Most often you just need to enter text. To do this, use a special tool, when selected, the mouse cursor becomes similar to a fountain pen. You just need to click this pen in the desired place on the form and fill out the text field that appears. All that remains is to send the typed text for printing by setting the switch to the “Print to ready-made form” position. Naturally, the paper form must be in the printer. After printing, it will look exactly the same as on your monitor screen. You can also print on a blank sheet - the entire document with an image of the form and typed text.

Filling out electronic forms

Filling out paper forms is, without a doubt, the highlight of the Form Pilot program. But with the same success you can fill out electronic forms in different formats: PDF, HTML, DOC, XLS, TXT and others. To do this, you just need to open the document in the native application and “print” it on the Form Pilot Office printer. You heard right - a printer with that name appears in the list of “real” devices after installing Form Pilot. In fact, the document, of course, will not be printed, but will only open in Form Pilot for filling out. You can fill out any form in the same way. graphical form, to do this you just need to open the file with its image in Form Pilot.

In addition to text, you can insert finished picture, some symbol or draw something yourself (the program contains standard drawing tools). For example, you can fill in the missing lines on the form, “sign” the document by inserting your scanned signature, stamp or seal into it. Frequently used graphic and text objects can be placed on the “shelf” and then simply “drag” them from there into other documents. The use of templates also allows you to automate and simplify the creation of new documents. With their help, you can quickly create a new document using the source information from the template. Text fields with variable content can be left empty in the template and filled in when printing forms.

Filling out forms multiple times

Let's say you need to fill out some paper files for employees. Using the method described above, you create a Form Pilot document and save it as a template. Then open this template, fill out the data for each employee and print it. At the same time, you would really like to save all the entered personal data. How to do this? You can, Of course, save each completed form in separate file, but if there are hundreds or thousands of such profiles, then it’s time to get confused in these files.

Form Pilot eliminates the hassle of filling out the same form over and over again. The program maintains its own database for each of the created forms. If you have 100 employees, then you can make 100 entries in the database using the form with the questionnaire, and save all this in one single Form Pilot file. What’s good is that when filling out the database, you don’t need to “drive in” the same fields for each entry - You can create a duplicate entry based on any form filling option. All you have to do is change or add what you need and print the completed forms.

Moreover, forms do not need to be filled out manually if the data for them is available in “ready-made” databases. Simply import from these databases (Access, Excel, DBF, and others) into a Form Pilot document, and you can simply print automatically completed forms. And, if you need to re-sort the data in the database, get some statistics on it, or print data for all fields on one sheet in the form of a table, then you can use the function of exporting data from the Form Pilot database to an external database.

Form Pilot + Form Filler combination

To fill out forms prepared in Form Pilot, there is separate program- Form Filler Pilot. In this “pilot” analogue of “Adobe Reader”, you can only fill in those fields that were created in Form Pilot. It would seem, who needs a program with such extremely limited capabilities? However, it is precisely this severe limitation of Form Filler that allows the program to find interesting applications.

For example, you can “distribute” this program to clients to fill out contracts and other documents (for Russian market the program is free). Sadly known fact- when filling out forms in DOC format, clients can not only accidentally spoil the document, but also deliberately change part of it. But the form prepared in Form Pilot cannot be “screwed up” or corrected, but only filled out as required, printed or sent back by e-mail.