Field properties

Map skill fields to search elements in an Extraction Rules activity — including the rules for text, table, group, and repeating fields.

The Fields tab displays the skill fields used in the activity. To extract data to fields, map them to search elements. When the element mapped to a field is found on the document, its region becomes the field region. When a field is enabled in an activity, a corresponding search element is automatically created and mapped to the field.

To create new fields, change the existing fields properties, or enable fields that weren’t selected on the Activity properties pane, open the Manage Fields dialog using the corresponding link on the Fields tab. If required, you can disable and enable field search for the current activity directly in the Activity Editor using the Disable and Enable field context menu commands or the key combination Ctrl+Alt+D.

The field region description method (element or code) is specified in the field list. Fields that aren’t extracted by the current activity are grayed out.

Map fields to search elements

When you select a field on the Fields tab, you will see a search element mapped to this field in the Get region from drop-down list. You can use this drop-down list to map the field to another element. You can also specify a field region using the code.

The table below will help you decide which elements and element structures you can use to extract data to a field depending on the field properties.

Field properties		Ways to provide a region for the field
Field type	Allow Multiple Items setting
Text, Barcode, Checkmark, Image	Disabled	One of the following: Map the field to a non-repeating search element, or map the field to code. Note: Using code allows you to map a field to a search element inside a certain instance or the last found instance of a Repeating Group element.
	Enabled	One of the following: Map the field to a Repeating Group element, map the field to a search element inside a Repeating Group element, or map the field to code.
Checkmark Group	Always disabled	The checkmark group serves only to structure the fields on the data form and doesn’t have a region. You should map its child fields instead of mapping the group itself.
Group	Disabled	The group without multiple items serves only to structure the fields on the data form and doesn’t have a region. You should map its child fields instead of mapping the group itself.
	Enabled	One of the following: Map the field to a Repeating Group element and map child fields of the group to child elements of this Repeating Group element, or map the group to code.
Table	Always enabled	One of the following: Map the table to a Repeating Group element and map table columns to child elements of this Repeating Group element, or map the group to code.

When mapping a field/group with multiple items, you should also consider its full path, which includes the field/group itself and all its parent groups. The total number of groups/fields with multiple items in this full path should match the total number of Repeating Group elements in the full path to the search element you’re mapping to.

Field groups with multiple items that are mapped to code are excluded during the count.

Example

Let’s go over mapping possibilities for the fields in the following field structure:

Mapping possibilities for a particular field	Illustration
The field A has multiple items enabled. You can map this field to the first Repeating Group element of any branch or to its child elements (see elements parent_a, parent_d, f, and their child elements). However, you can’t map it to a Repeating Group in a Repeating Group (see element parent_h).
The field D has the same mapping possibilities because groups B and C don’t have multiple items.
The group with multiple items F can be mapped to the first Repeating Group element of any branch, but it can’t be mapped to child elements of such Repeating Group elements.
Finally, the field H which lies in the group with multiple items F can be mapped only to the Repeating Group element parent_h or its child element h. Since one of the groups E, F, and G has multiple items, one of the elements e, f, and g must be a Repeating Group element in this case.