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MdmrImportFont


Function Map
Syntax
Description
Parameters
- FileName
Table: For specifying the file name and path
- FileFormat
Table: For specifying the file format
- ContextDmrId
- FontLabelOrIndex
Table: For specifying an already existing font, or the addition of a new font
- CharList
Table: For specifying the characters to import
- ControlFlag
Table: For specifying how to handle characters with the same name
Compilation information
Synopsis
Import characters from a font file into a new or existing font of a SureDotOCR context.
Syntax
void MdmrImportFont(
MIL_CONST_TEXT_PTR FileName, //in
MIL_INT64 FileFormat, //in
MIL_ID ContextDmrId, //in
MIL_INT64 FontLabelOrIndex, //in
MIL_CONST_TEXT_PTR CharList, //in
MIL_INT64 ControlFlag //in
)
Description

This function imports characters from a font file into a new or existing font of a SureDotOCR context. The fonts of a context contain the characters that string models use to read dot-matrix text. Fonts should only contain characters you want to read.

For easier use with other Matrox Imaging software products, you should import characters from a SureDotOCR font file. This is a text file saved with the extension MDMRF. The file must be in UTF-16 (little-endian order) with a BOM (Byte Order Mark) indicating this; the BOM value is U+FEFF. You can also import a font from a SureDotOCR font file exported from a SureDotOCR context, using MdmrExportFont().

The content of SureDotOCR font files must adhere to the expected format. Below is an example of how the character 'A' should appear in a SureDotOCR font file.

SureDotOCR font files should have "File Representation" and "MIL_DOT_FONT" in lines 1 and 2. Lines 4 and greater should specify the characters; separate each with a blank line. Every character should begin with the word "CharValue" and its name. Names can be in UTF-16 byte hexadecimal by beginning them with "\x" (for example, 'A' would use "\x0041"). The character's dot-matrix must be below the "CharValue" line. Use "FF" for dots that represent the character; otherwise use "00". The dot-matrix of the font's characters should be identical to the dot-matrix of the characters in the strings to read. Every dot-matrix in a font must have the same number of columns and rows.

MIL installs SureDotOCR console-based font utilities, such as DmrEditFontFile (accessible from the Matrox Example Launcher), and predefined SureDotOCR font files (for example, *.mdmrf in C:\Program Files\Matrox Imaging\Contexts). Use them to create and update fonts. In this case, file and content requirements are automatically respected; ensure that you maintain these requirements as you develop your fonts. For more information, see the Fonts section of Chapter 14: SureDotOCR.

When you call MdmrImportFont() to add a new font (or to add characters to an empty font), the dimensions of the characters' dot-matrix represent the dimensions of the dot-matrix template of the font. Subsequent characters that you add to the font must use these dimensions or you will get an error. To inquire the dimensions, call MdmrInquireFont() with M_FONT_SIZE_COLUMNS and M_FONT_SIZE_ROWS. You can also use this function to inquire about other aspects of the font.

To delete a font from a context, or to delete a character from a font, call MdmrControl() or MdmrControlFont(), respectively. You can also use these functions to set font-related control types, add an empty font to a context, or add characters to a font (or modify existing characters) by defining their representations in an array.

Fonts should only contain characters you want to read. Delete all unnecessary characters.

A SureDotOCR font file must be for a single font. To import multiple fonts, call MdmrImportFont() multiple times. Modifying a context's fonts can affect which strings are read in the target image. You must preprocess the SureDotOCR context after you have finished adjusting a context's fonts and before calling MdmrRead(). To know if a context needs to be preprocessed, call MdmrInquire() with M_PREPROCESSED.

You cannot represent certain characters, such as null or the standard space ("0x0020"), in a font file. To establish the distance between characters in a target string that represents a space, call MdmrControl() with M_SPACE_SIZE_MAX and M_SPACE_SIZE_MIN.

Note that this function reference has not been updated for a MIL system added during a MIL update. Refer to the MIL system's release note to see which MIL system’s documentation you should use in its place and any possible differences.
Parameters
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This function reference has not been updated for the selected MIL system. To show the content of this page, choose a second MIL system; refer to the MIL system's release note to see which MIL system’s documentation to choose and any possible differences.
Parameters
FileName

Specifies the name and path of the SureDotOCR font file (MDMRF) from which to import the font. The function internally handles the opening and closing of the file. To specify the file name and path of a SureDotOCR font file, set this parameter to one of the values below:

function map For specifying the file name and path
Click to summarizeValue Description
Click to summarize M_INTERACTIVE
[This is only applicable to Windows]

Opens a dialog box from which you can interactively specify the drive, directory, and name of a SureDotOCR font file.
Click to summarize MIL_TEXT("FileName") 1

Specifies the drive, directory, and name of a SureDotOCR font file (for example, "C:\mydirectory\MySweetSweetFont.mdmrf").

To specify a SureDotOCR font file on a remote computer (under Distributed MIL), prefix the specified file name string with "remote:///" (for example, "remote:///C:\mydirectory\MySweetSweetFont.mdmrf").

(summarize)

1 If you are passing the value in a variable, don't enclose it in MIL_TEXT().

FileFormat

Specifies the format of the file from which to import the font. Set this parameter to the value below.

function map For specifying the file format
Click to summarizeValue Description
Click to summarize M_DMR_FONT_FILE

Specifies a SureDotOCR font file format (MDMRF).
ContextDmrId

Specifies the identifier of the SureDotOCR context to which you are importing the characters. The context must have been previously allocated on the system using MdmrAlloc().

FontLabelOrIndex

Specifies the label or index of an already existing font, or the addition of a new font. Set this parameter to one of the values below:

function map For specifying an already existing font, or the addition of a new font
Click to summarizeValue Description
Click to summarize M_DEFAULT

Same as M_NEW_LABEL.
Click to summarize

Specifies an already existing font in the context by indicating its index. SureDotOCR imports the new characters to the specified font.

(summarize)
Parameters

Set this parameter to the following:
0 <= Value < M_NUMBER_OF_FONTS

Specifies the index of the font.
Click to summarize

Specifies to add a new font or to update an already existing font by indicating a label. If the specified label refers to a font in the context, SureDotOCR imports the new characters to it. If the specified label does not refer to a font in the context, SureDotOCR adds a new font to the context with that label, and imports the new characters to it.

(summarize)
Parameters

Set this parameter to the following:
Value > 0

Specifies the label of the font.
Click to summarize M_NEW_LABEL

Specifies to add the imported characters as a new font in the context and to automatically assign it a label. To inquire about the label, use MdmrInquireFont() with M_FONT_LABEL_VALUE. To change the label, use MdmrControlFont() with M_FONT_LABEL_VALUE.

(summarize)
CharList

Specifies the characters to import from the SureDotOCR font file. Set this parameter to one of the values below:

function map For specifying the characters to import
Click to summarizeValue Description
Click to summarize M_NULL

Same as M_IMPORT_ALL_CHARS.
Click to summarize M_IMPORT_ALL_CHARS

Imports all characters.
Click to summarize MIL_TEXT("CharList") 1

Specifies a null-terminated string indicating the names of the characters to import. Character names must refer to specific letters (such as 'o'), digits (such as '0'), and punctuation marks (such as '%') in the font. You cannot indicate a space.

The specified string can contain one or more character names. List them all without separators. For example, to specify the twenty-second, the ninth, and the third uppercase letters of the alphabet, use the string "VIC". Specifying multiple characters is equivalent to calling this function multiple times, and listing one character each time.

You can list character names in hexadecimal format beginning with "\x". This is necessary if you are in an ASCII environment and you want Unicode characters beyond the Basic Latin range. For example, Basic Latin does not include the smiley face character; to specify it, use "\x263A". You can also list a string of character names with mixed notation; in this case, use "\\x" instead (for example, "VIC\\x263A").

(summarize)

1 If you are passing the value in a variable, don't enclose it in MIL_TEXT().

ControlFlag

Specifies how to handle importing characters that have the same name as characters already in the font. A font in a context cannot have multiple characters with the same name. Set this parameter to one of the values below:

function map For specifying how to handle characters with the same name
Click to summarizeValue Description
Click to summarize M_DEFAULT

Same as M_NO_OVERWRITE.
Click to summarize M_NO_OVERWRITE

Specifies to not overwrite characters already in the font with characters that you are importing, when the characters have the same name.
Click to summarize M_OVERWRITE

Specifies to overwrite characters already in the font with characters that you are importing, when the characters have the same name.
Compilation information
Header Include mil.h.
Library Use mil.lib; mildmr.lib.
DLL Requires mil.dll; mildmr.dll.
INTERACTIVE DMR FONT FILE DEFAULT NUMBER OF FONTS NEW LABEL NULL IMPORT ALL CHARS DEFAULT NO OVERWRITE OVERWRITE