MstrControl

Sets either the maximum (total) number of all strings that can be read with a String Reader context (M_CONTEXT), or the maximum number of a specific string (M_STRING_INDEX()) that can be read with a String Reader context. INQ

Disables the specified character in the fontless context. Only uppercase characters and numbers can be disabled.

The String Reader module will not try to match found characters with disabled characters.

Note that this control type is only available for a fontless context. INQ

Enables the specified character in the fontless context. Only uppercase characters and numbers can be enabled.

The String Reader module will only try to identify enabled characters.

Note that this control type is only available for a fontless context. INQ

Sets the type of character encoding used by the String Reader context.

All functions that accept or return a string of characters as a parameter use character encoding to determine the type of the pointer. The type of character encoding is also used as the default result type (MstrGetResult()) for a string of characters.

The character encoding cannot be changed when there are characters in the context whose ASCII character values lie outside the range [0, 127]. This applies to characters which are in fonts and constraints. INQ

Adds an empty font to the String Reader context. The maximum number of fonts in a String Reader context is 255.

Note that this control type is only available for a font-based context. INQ

Deletes a font from the String Reader context.

Note that this control type is only available for a font-based context.

Sets the width (X-size) of the widest enabled character in the fontless context. Specify the width that the character has when it has a height of M_REF_CHAR_SIZE_Y.

If the read algorithm encounters a character with a height other than M_REF_CHAR_SIZE_Y, the maximum width will be interpolated.

Note that this control type is only available for a fontless context. INQ

Sets the width (X-size) of the narrowest enabled character in the fontless context. Specify the width that the character has when it has a height of M_REF_CHAR_SIZE_Y.

If the read algorithm encounters a character with a height other than M_REF_CHAR_SIZE_Y, the maximum width will be interpolated.

Note that this control type is only available for a fontless context. INQ

Sets the minimum contrast between a character in the target image and its background, in order for the character to be read by MstrRead().

Increasing the minimum contrast will typically speed up the read operation, particularly in presence of noise; however, if the minimum contrast is higher than the contrast of an actual character, that character will be lost. INQ

Sets the height which will be the reference for M_MIN_CHAR_SIZE_X, M_MAX_CHAR_SIZE_X, and M_REF_CHAR_THICKNESS.

The reference height is the height at which you specify the width of the narrowest and widest characters, as well as their thickness, with M_MIN_CHAR_SIZE_X, M_MAX_CHAR_SIZE_X, and M_REF_CHAR_THICKNESS, respectively.

Note that this control type is only available for a fontless context. INQ

Sets the thickness (stroke width) of enabled characters in the fontless context. Specify the thickness of characters when they have a height of M_REF_CHAR_SIZE_Y.

If the read algorithm encounters a character with a height other than M_REF_CHAR_SIZE_Y, the maximum width will be interpolated.

Note that this control type is only available for a fontless context. INQ

Sets whether to perform calculations specific to angular-range search strategies, for characters.

The read algorithm is naturally robust to variations in a character's angle. Therefore, a character might still be read correctly, even if M_SEARCH_CHAR_ANGLE is disabled. INQ

Sets whether to perform calculations specific to angular-range skew search strategies, for characters.

The read algorithm is naturally robust to variations in a character's skew. Therefore, a character might still be read correctly, even if M_SEARCH_SKEW_ANGLE is disabled. INQ

Sets whether to search for the string angle. INQ

Sets the character value to use as a space character within the formatted string or text that will be read.

M_SPACE_CHARACTER applies only when getting the formatted string (MstrGetResult() with M_FORMATTED_STRING) or the formatted text (MstrGetResult() with M_TEXT). A space character is inserted in the string each time the distance between two adjacent characters exceeds the space width, at the scale of the string.

The space character must be set before the string is read. INQ

Sets the search and read speed of the MstrRead() operation. Note that increasing the speed can decrease the robustness of MstrRead(). INQ

Stops the current string expert operation.

Note that you can only perform this operation from another thread of higher priority.

Stops the current string read operation.

Note that you can only perform this operation from another thread of higher priority.

Adds a string model to the String Reader context. The maximum number of string models in a String Reader context is 255. INQ

Deletes a string from the String Reader context.

Sets the character value to use as a string separator within the formatted text that will be read.

M_STRING_SEPARATOR applies only when getting the formatted text (MstrGetResult() with M_TEXT). A string separator is inserted between each string in the text; that is, each time the distance between two adjacent characters is greater than the space size. The space size depends on the space width (at the scale of the string) and the maximum number of consecutive spaces.

The string separator character must be set before the string is read. INQ

Sets the number of character thickening iterations.

Each iteration enlarges the thickness of the target character. This is useful for some types of fonts (for example, dotted characters). You should choose a value large enough for the intra character dots to connect but not too large to connect separate characters together.

Note that the characters included in the font should not be dotted. Instead a thickened version should be included. INQ

Sets the threshold method of the character blob extraction. INQ

Sets the global threshold value when M_THRESHOLD_MODE is set to M_USER_DEFINED (otherwise it is ignored). INQ

Sets the maximum read time for MstrRead(), in msec. If the read operation times out, the strings read up to that point will be returned as a result.

Note that the actual maximum read time might vary slightly from the time that you set. INQ

Sets the acceptance level for the character score.

The character's score quantifies the similarity between the character in the target and the character in the font; it also quantifies the similarity between the character in the target and the other characters of the string in the target.

To be accepted as a string result, the character's score must be greater than or equal to M_CHAR_ACCEPTANCE.

Scores can be retrieved with MstrGetResult(). INQ

Sets the factor used to determine the maximum acceptable aspect ratio for the characters in the string. This value is relative to the found string aspect ratio. That is, UpperLimit = FoundStringAspectRatio x M_CHAR_ASPECT_RATIO_MAX_FACTOR.

This value sets the maximum possible aspect ratio variation for the characters in the string. Characters with an aspect ratio outside the aspect ratio range will not be returned as results.

Note that this control type is only available for a font-based context. INQ

Sets the factor used to determine the minimum acceptable aspect ratio for the characters in the string. This value is relative to the found string aspect ratio. That is, LowerLimit = FoundStringAspectRatio x M_CHAR_ASPECT_RATIO_MIN_FACTOR.

This value sets the minimum possible aspect ratio variation for the characters in the string. Characters with an aspect ratio outside the aspect ratio range will not be returned as results.

Note that this control type is only available for a font-based context. INQ

Sets the acceptance level for the character's homogeneity score.

The character's homogeneity score quantifies the similarity between the character in the target and the other characters of the string in the target.

To be accepted as a string result, the character's homogeneity score must be greater than or equal to M_CHAR_HOMOGENEITY_ACCEPTANCE.

Scores can be retrieved with MstrGetResult(). INQ

Sets the maximum baseline deviation that all characters defined in the font can have in the target image.

A character's maximum baseline deviation is the maximum tolerable baseline deviation that a character in a string can have before it is rejected from the string. For more information on character baseline deviations, see the Character's maximum baseline deviation subsection of the Degrees of freedom section of Chapter 13: String Reader.

Note that for non-punctuation characters, String Reader calculates the baseline deviation, as a percentage of each individual character's height (Y-size). For example, a baseline deviation of 10 means that a character's baseline deviates from the string's baseline by 10% of the character's height (Y-size). For punctuation characters (M_PUNCTUATION), String Reader calculates the baseline deviation as a percentage of the height of the character with the greatest Y-size in the font. For example, a baseline deviation of 10 means that the punctuation character's baseline deviates from the string's baseline by 10% of the height of the tallest character in the font. This is done because the Y-size of punctuation characters is typically too small to calculate the baseline deviation as a percentage of the character's height. INQ

Sets the factor used to determine the upper limit (maximum permitted scale) of the scale range for the characters in the string. This value is relative to the found string scale. That is, UpperLimit = FoundStringScale x M_CHAR_SCALE_MAX_FACTOR.

This value sets the possible increasing scale variation for the characters in the string. Characters with a scale outside the scale range will not be returned as results. INQ

Sets the factor used to determine the lower limit (minimum permitted scale) of the scale range for the characters in the string. This value is relative to the found string scale. That is, LowerLimit = FoundStringScale x M_CHAR_SCALE_MIN_FACTOR.

This value sets the possible decreasing scale variation for the characters in the string. Characters with a scale outside the scale range will not be returned as results. INQ

Sets the acceptance level for the character's similarity score.

The character's similarity score quantifies the similarity between the character in the target and the character in the font.

To be accepted as a string result, the character's similarity score must be greater than or equal to M_CHAR_SIMILARITY_ACCEPTANCE.

Scores can be retrieved with MstrGetResult(). INQ

Sets the foreground color of the string. INQ

Sets the maximum number of consecutive space characters allowed in the string.

Together with the space width (MstrControl() with M_SPACE_WIDTH), M_SPACE_MAX_CONSECUTIVE determines the maximum distance between 2 adjacent characters of the same string. If the distance between two characters is greater than the maximum distance, then they are considered to be part of 2 different strings. INQ

Sets the acceptance level for the string score.

To be accepted as a string result, both the string's score and the string target score must be greater than or equal to their respective acceptance levels.

The string score is the average score of the characters in the string.

Scores can be retrieved with MstrGetResult(). INQ

Sets the nominal angle of the string. INQ

Sets the lower limit of the string's angular range, relative to the nominal angle (MstrControl() with M_STRING_ANGLE). That is, LowerLimit = M_STRING_ANGLE - M_STRING_ANGLE_DELTA_NEG.

This value sets the possible clockwise angular variation of the string. Strings with angles outside the angular range will not be returned as results. INQ

Sets the upper limit of the angular range, relative to the nominal angle (MstrControl() with M_STRING_ANGLE). That is, UpperLimit = M_STRING_ANGLE + M_STRING_ANGLE_DELTA_POS.

This value sets the possible counter-clockwise angular variation of the string. Strings with angles outside the angular range will not be returned as results. INQ

Sets the nominal aspect ratio of the string.

The aspect ratio of the string is the median aspect ratio of all the characters in the string, while the aspect ratio of a character is the ratio of its scale in X by its scale in Y. This indicates how the width and the height of the characters in the string vary relative to the characters in the font.

Note that this control type is only available for a font-based context. INQ

Sets the factor used to determine the upper limit of the string's aspect ratio. This value is relative to the nominal aspect ratio (MstrControl() with M_STRING_ASPECT_RATIO). That is, UpperLimit = M_STRING_ASPECT_RATIO x M_STRING_ASPECT_RATIO_MAX_FACTOR.

This value sets the possible increasing aspect ratio variation for the string. Strings with an aspect ratio outside the aspect ratio range will not be returned as results.

Note that this control type is only available for a font-based context. INQ

Sets the factor used to determine the lower limit of the string's aspect ratio. This value is relative to the nominal aspect ratio (MstrControl() with M_STRING_ASPECT_RATIO). That is, LowerLimit = M_STRING_ASPECT_RATIO x M_STRING_ASPECT_RATIO_MIN_FACTOR.

This value sets the possible decreasing aspect ratio variation for the string. Strings with an aspect ratio outside the aspect ratio range will not be returned as results.

Note that this control type is only available for a font-based context. INQ

Sets the certainty level for the string score.

If both the string score and the string target score of a string candidate are above their respective certainty levels, the candidate is immediately considered a string result, without reading the rest of the target image for a string with higher scores (provided the specified number of strings to read has been read).

Scores can be retrieved with MstrGetResult(). INQ

Sets the nominal scale of the string.

The scale of the string is the median scale in the X-direction of all the characters in the string. INQ

Sets the factor used to determine the upper limit (maximum permitted scale) of the string's scale range. This value is relative to the nominal scale (MstrControl() with M_STRING_SCALE). That is, UpperLimit = M_STRING_SCALE x M_STRING_SCALE_MAX_FACTOR.

This value sets the possible increasing scale variation for the string. Strings with a scale outside the scale range will not be returned as results. INQ

Sets the factor used to determine the lower limit (minimum permitted scale) of the string's scale range. This value is relative to the nominal scale (MstrControl() with M_STRING_SCALE). That is, LowerLimit = M_STRING_SCALE x M_STRING_SCALE_MIN_FACTOR.

This value sets the possible decreasing scale variation for the string. Strings with a scale outside the scale range will not be returned as results. INQ

Sets the maximum string size (number of characters) of the string model.

The space characters are not counted in the string size. The maximum string size must be greater than or equal to the minimum string size (MstrControl() with M_STRING_SIZE_MIN). INQ

Sets the minimum string size (number of characters) of the string model.

The space characters are not counted in the string size. The minimum string size must be lower than or equal to the maximum string size (MstrControl() with M_STRING_SIZE_MAX). INQ

Sets the acceptance level for the string target score.

To be accepted as a string result, both the string's score and the string target score must be greater than or equal to their respective acceptance levels.

The string target score is computed from the unread characters that are in the region of the string in the target image. These otherwise readable characters remain unread due to user-specified constraints, such as scale and grammar restrictions. The more unread characters there are, the lower the target score will be.

Scores can be retrieved with MstrGetResult(). INQ

Sets the certainty level for the string target score.

If both the string score and the string target score of a string candidate are above their respective certainty levels, the candidate is immediately considered a string result, without reading the rest of the target image for a string with higher scores (provided the specified number of strings to read has been read).

Scores can be retrieved with MstrGetResult(). INQ

Sets a unique user-defined label for the specified string model. This label can be used as a means of identifying your string model, independently from its index, in the String Reader context. INQ

Sets the margin in the X-direction, between the character box and the drawing box.

The character box is the bounding box of the character. The drawing box is the box used for drawing purposes. For more information, see MstrDraw(). INQ

Sets the margin in the Y-direction, between the character box and the drawing box.

The character box is the bounding box of the character. The drawing box is the box used for drawing purposes. For more information, see MstrDraw(). INQ

Sets a unique user-defined label for the specified font. This label can be used as a means of identifying your font, independently from its index, in the String Reader context. INQ

Sets the width of the space character of the font.

Note that the space character is not like other characters in the font. For example, you cannot set it as a constraint (MstrSetConstraint()), and it is not counted in the string size (MstrControl() with M_STRING_SIZE_MIN and M_STRING_SIZE_MAX). For more information, see MstrGetResult() with M_STRING_SIZE, M_STRING, and M_FORMATTED_STRING.

Together with the maximum number of consecutive space characters allowed in the string (MstrControl() with M_SPACE_MAX_CONSECUTIVE), M_SPACE_WIDTH determines the maximum distance between 2 adjacent characters of the same string. If the distance between two characters is greater than the maximum distance, then they are considered to be part of 2 different strings. M_SPACE_WIDTH also determines how to convert the distance into space characters, when getting formatted string results (MstrGetResult() with M_FORMATTED_STRING). INQ

Sets whether to return results in pixels or world units. This essentially sets the output coordinate system to use. The setting of this control type will only affect functions within this module which return positional results. This control type can be changed at any time to return results in the required output units. INQ