Block Types

Blocks are image areas enclosed in frames. Blocks tell the system which image areas should be recognized and in what order. The blocks also influence how the original page layout is retained. The differently colored frames indicate different types of blocks. The frame colors of the blocks can be changed on the View tab of the Options dialog (Tools>Options menu) in the Appearance group. Select the required block type in the Item field and the desired color in the Color field.

The following block types are available:

Recognition Area - this is used for automatic recognition and analysis. After the 2–Read button is clicked, all blocks of this type will be automatically analyzed and recognized.

Text - this is used for text image areas and should only contain single-column text. If there are pictures within the text, draw separate blocks around them.

Table - this is used for table image areas or for areas of text that are structured in a table. When the application reads this type of block, it draws vertical and horizontal separators inside the block to form a table. This block is represented as a table in the output text. You can draw and edit tables manually.

Picture - this is used for image areas that contain pictures. This type of block may enclose an actual picture or any other object that should be displayed as a picture (e.g. a section of text).

Barcode - this is used for barcode image areas. If your document contains a barcode that should be displayed as a series of numbers and letters rather than as a picture, draw a separate block for the barcode and set the block type to barcode.

Note: If you wish ABBYY FineReader to read barcodes on your documents automatically, make sure that the Look for barcodes option is selected in the Read group in the Legacy Options dialog, otherwise clear this option. (To open the Legacy Optionsdialog, click the Legacy Options...button on the General tab in the Optionsdialog.)

Barcode types

Drawing and editing blocks manually