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A FlexiLayout is a formalized description of the structure of a document which allows a data capture program to detect image areas which correspond to data fields. A FlexiLayout has a tree-like structure and consists of one block branch and several element branches, each branch corresponding to a layout alternative. Elements describe image objects that must be detected. In order to enable a data capture application such as ABBYY FlexiCapture to detect an object, you need to create a FlexiLayout elements corresponding to this object and in the element’s properties specify the type of the object (i.e. whether it is a text fragment, a picture, a barcode, etc.), its geometrical data (length, width, etc.), and search area where the object is most likely to be found. Blocks describe data fields from which data must be captured. The location of the blocks can be either specified relative to the location of elements or directly by entering their presumed c coordinates on the document. The purpose of any FlexiLayout is to provide a data capture application with an algorithm of finding blocks. Blocks of a FlexiLayout are independent of one another. Elements, on the other hand, can be grouped together to form a complex hierarchy where elements are logically interconnected and the location of one element determines the location of another. The order of the elements in the tree determines the order in which they are searched - a data capture program will look for the topmost elements first, find the corresponding objects on the image, and then use this information to locate blocks. By default, a new FlexiLayout Studio project has the name FlexiLayout. Its elements and blocks branches are empty.

FlexiLayout properties

View and edit FlexiLayout name, version, pre-recognition, and protection settings.

Training a FlexiLayout

Train Studio on marked-up fields to auto-create FlexiLayouts and layout alternatives.

Blocks

Map document fields for data capture using Text, Barcode, Table, and group blocks.

Elements

Describe image objects to find by type, geometry, location, and relations.