Sample 2. Step 11: Create a RecipeNumber element

Describe the RecipeNumber Character String element: define its alphabet, character count range, and Relations that anchor it to the Recipe field name.

The Recipe # field always contains a single line. Its value varies, unlike the field name, so define it as a Character String element.

1. Create the Character String element

   Create an element of type Character String and name it RecipeNumber.

   
2. Open the Character String tab

   Click the Character String tab.

   
3. Set the alphabet

   The alphabet is all the characters that may appear in recipe numbers. In the test images, these are digits and capital English letters, in no fixed order.

   To set it, click Add… and select the required characters in the Add New Alphabet dialog box.

   

   The selected characters appear in the Character Set column (on the Character String tab, in the Alphabets field).

4. Set the percentage of alphabet characters

   In the Percentage of alphabet characters field, enter 1. FlexiLayout Studio then considers only this element’s characters when searching for the RecipeNumber object.

   You can specify several alphabets for one element. In the Percentage of alphabet characters field, specify the maximum percentage of characters from each alphabet.

5. Disable embedded hypotheses

   Clear the Allow embedded hypotheses check box. This lets FlexiLayout Studio formulate hypotheses of the maximum length that meet all search criteria.

   Otherwise, it may formulate several embedded hypotheses from portions of the selected alphabets, within the allowed percentage of non-alphabet characters.

6. Set the percentage of non-alphabet characters

   In the Percentage of non-alphabet characters field, set the maximum to 20%.

   Set this value by trial and error. You can change it later when adjusting the FlexiLayout.

7. Set the character count

   In the Character count field, specify this fuzzy range: {0, 8, 10, 16}. Recipe numbers are 8 digits long, but the range allows 8 to 10 as a safety margin. Any hypotheses outside it are penalized.

   Set this value by trial and error. You can change it later when adjusting the FlexiLayout.

8. Open the Relations tab

   Click the Relations tab.

   
9. Set the reference element

   Use the Recipe element as the reference element for the RecipeNumber element. The recipe number always appears to the right of the field name, on the same level. Specify the element’s location relative to the field name and its top and bottom boundaries.

   Otherwise, FlexiLayout Studio treats any text fragment in the alphabet as a valid hypothesis, even one above or below the field name.

10. Place the element to the right of the reference

    Specify that the RecipeNumber element is to the right of the right boundary of the Recipe element.

    1. Click Add.
    2. In the dialog box that opens, select Recipe in the Reference element field.
    3. From the Type drop-down list, select Right of. In the Reference boundary drop-down list, select Right, and leave the default Offset value of 0.
    4. Click Add Relation.

    
11. Set the lower boundary of the search area

    Specify that the RecipeNumber element is not lower than the Recipe element.

    1. Click Add.
    2. In the dialog box that opens, select Recipe in the Reference element field.
    3. In the Type drop-down list, select Above and set Offset to -50 (found by trial and error).
    4. Click Add Relation.

    This gives FlexiLayout Studio some flexibility when locating the element relative to the field name. The negative Offset value means the bottom element boundary is below the bottom boundary of the name.

12. Set the upper boundary of the search area

    Specify that the RecipeNumber element is not higher than the Recipe element.

    1. Click Add.
    2. In the dialog box that opens, select Recipe in the Reference element field.
    3. In the Type drop-down list, select Below and set Offset to -50 (found by trial and error).
    4. Click Add Relation.

    This gives FlexiLayout Studio some flexibility when locating the element relative to the field name. The negative Offset value means the top element boundary is above the top boundary of the name.

Match the FlexiLayout against the test images and confirm that FlexiLayout Studio finds the recipe number on every image.

How the Reference boundary field works

The Reference boundary field determines how positive Offset values constrain the search area:

• If you select <whole>, positive Offset values allow only these locations:
  • To the right of the right boundary of the element
  • To the left of the left boundary
  • Higher than the top boundary
  • Lower than the bottom boundary
• If you select Top and Bottom, positive Offset values limit the search area by the top and bottom boundaries of the element and exclude hypotheses that go beyond the left and right boundaries of the field name.