Mixed Zone Recognition with LEADEngine - WinForms C#

This tutorial shows how to configure the LEAD OCR Engine to use the Mixed Zone Recognition module in a C# WinForms application.

Required Knowledge

Get familiar with the basic steps of creating a project by reviewing the Add References and Set a License and the Convert Images to Searchable PDF with OCR tutorials, before working on the Mixed Zone Recognition with LEADEngine - WinForms C# tutorial.

Create the Project and Verify the LEADTOOLS References

Start with a copy of the project created in the Convert Images to Searchable PDF with OCR tutorial. If the project is not available, follow the steps in that tutorial to create it.

Note

Be sure to configure your Platform to x64, as GetEnumValue("Recognition.RecognitionModuleType") is only supported in 64-bit applications.

Needed references for this project can be added by one or the other of the following two methods (but not both). For this project, the following references are needed:

NuGet references requires the following NuGet packages and their dependencies:

• Leadtools.Ocr
• Leadtools.Viewer.Controls.WinForms

If local DLL references are used, the following DLLs are located at <INSTALL_DIR>\LEADTOOLS21\Bin\Dotnet4\x64

• Leadtools.dll
• Leadtools.Codecs.dll
• Leadtools.Codecs.Cmp.dll
• Leadtools.Codecs.Tif.dll
• Leadtools.Codecs.Fax.dll
• Leadtools.Controls.WinForms.dll
• Leadtools.Document.Writer.dll
• Leadtools.Ocr.dll
• Leadtools.Ocr.LEADEngine.dll

For a complete list of which Codec DLLs are required for specific formats, refer to File Format Support.

Set the License File

The License unlocks needed features, and must be set before any toolkit function is called. For details, including tutorials for different platforms, refer to Setting a Runtime License.

There are two types of runtime licenses:

• Evaluation license, obtained at the time the evaluation toolkit is downloaded, allows the toolkit to be evaluated.
• Deployment license, if a Deployment license file and developer key are required, refer to Obtaining a License.

Note

Adding LEADTOOLS NuGet and local references and setting a license are covered in more detail in the Add References and Set a License tutorial.

Add the Configure Recognition Module Settings Code

With the project created, references added, license set, and code from the Convert Images to Searchable PDF with OCR tutorial added, coding can begin.

In the Solution Explorer, open Form1.cs. Add a new drop-down menu titled &OCR Engine. Add a new menu item to the drop-down menu titled Recognition &Module. Then, add three items to the Recognition Module item, titled &OCR, &ICR, and &Mixed, respectively.

In the designer right-click and select View Code or press F7, to bring up the code behind the form.

Add the following global variable:

private IOcrSettingManager _ocrSettingsManager; 

Add the following code inside the Form1_Load event handler, after _ocrEngine.Startup() is called, to initialize the IOcrSettingManager and update the menu items.

_ocrSettingsManager = _ocrEngine.SettingManager; 
switch (_ocrSettingsManager.GetEnumValue("Recognition.RecognitionModuleType")) 
{ 
   case 0: //OCR 
      oCRToolStripMenuItem.Checked = true; 
      break; 
   case 1: //ICR 
      iCRToolStripMenuItem.Checked = true; 
      break; 
   case 2: //Mixed 
      mixedToolStripMenuItem.Checked = true; 
      break; 
   default: 
      oCRToolStripMenuItem.Checked = true; 
      break; 
} 

Create a click event handler called RecognitionModeMenuClick and add the code below:

private void RecognitionModeMenuClick(Object sender, EventArgs e) 
{ 
   // Uncheck all menu options 
   foreach (ToolStripMenuItem item in recognitionModuleToolStripMenuItem.DropDownItems) 
   { 
      item.Checked = false; 
   } 
 
   if (sender == oCRToolStripMenuItem) 
   { 
      oCRToolStripMenuItem.Checked = true; 
      _ocrSettingsManager.SetEnumValue("Recognition.RecognitionModuleType", "OCR"); 
   } 
   if (sender == iCRToolStripMenuItem) 
   { 
      iCRToolStripMenuItem.Checked = true; 
      _ocrSettingsManager.SetEnumValue("Recognition.RecognitionModuleType", "ICR"); 
   } 
   if (sender == mixedToolStripMenuItem) 
   { 
      mixedToolStripMenuItem.Checked = true; 
      _ocrSettingsManager.SetEnumValue("Recognition.RecognitionModuleType", "Mixed"); 
   } 
 
   // If already created, recreate IOcrPage from loaded image using new OCR engine settings 
   if (_ocrPage != null) 
      _ocrPage = _ocrEngine.CreatePage(_viewer.Image, OcrImageSharingMode.AutoDispose); 
} 

Hook the click event of all three of the Recognition Module menu items to the RecognitionModeMenuClick handler.

Run the Project

Run the project by pressing F5, or by selecting Debug -> Start Debugging.

If the steps were followed correctly, the application will be able to set the recognition module used by the LEAD OCR engine. This allows using the Mixed Zone Recognition module for the automatic recognition of handwritten and typed text in an image during OCR.

To illustrate this, use this Mixed Zone Recognition Sample image in the application.

Wrap-up

This tutorial shows how to use the IOcrSettingManager interface to configure the LEAD OCR Engine to use the Mixed Zone Recognition Module.

See Also

• LEADTOOLS IOcrSettingManager Documentation
• LEADTOOLS SDK Download