Scan Queues

[Jason_Collier1]

If I have a document in a scan queue that is awaiting index (it's already been separated as a document with a barcode), is it possible with vb.net and the unity API to move the document to another scan queue?

The reason is simple. We don't know the type of document until the barcode is read. The type of document determines who will index it so they must be separated into different scan queues as awaiting index so the proper person can index it.

[Jonathan_Perreg]

Here is how I've handled this. My idea may not answer your question, though, especially if you've already architected your solution and it does require a lot of programming.

Document types are assigned to a scan queue even before you touch the scanner, which is the basic problem in your scenario. VB Scripts can be hooked into various events in the Scan/Index module, but Unity scripting is not (yet) supported as of 11.0. Even with a hook, you cannot move a document from one scan queue to another because the document is really part of a batch not a queue, so the granularity is not correct.

What we've done is use Workflow to index the documents instead of the Scan/Index module. It is trivial for Workflow to route documents. We built a Workflow form to handle all indexing chores. The form itself uses AJAX-based methods to call a Web service to validate data and uses JavaScript to control the rendering of the form itself. The Workflow action Form - Display HTML Form for This Document is used to present the indexing form to the user.

This approach has several benefits but also a few drawbacks.

BENEFITS

• Bar-code recognition only sets the document type and leaves all other keywords empty; consequently, batches are committed to the system sooner, meaning your other disk group copies don't have to wait until indexing of a batch is complete to be populated
• Scanned batch sizes can be very large, if desired, because users won't have to actually sit and index them in the Scan/Index module
• Using Workflow, documents are easily routed to users
• Total control over the appearance of the indexing form, including the use of drop-downs, radio buttons, check boxes and other HTML form elements
• Total control over the validation of data and other form behaviors (hide/show sections as needed)
• If desired, asynchronous AJAX calls can be used to invoke a Web service, which populates data on the form while the user types unimpeded
• Form submit can be controlled so that the user cannot actually save data if any validation rules fail
• Precise control of all keyword data and display logic

DRAWBACKS

• Requires advanced E-form programming, including JavaScript
• Advanced validation may require building a Web service using Visual Studio .NET
• Not point-and-click configurable like a scan queue
• May not be applicable for all your customers, so recoding may be necessary
• May be too expensive to implement

[Jason_Collier1]

We are trying to avoid using workflow to index simply because of cost.  It will be several thousand dollars just in WF licenses to get it up and going. They already have the OB user licenses that would cover what we need, if I can get it to work.

[Victor_Pudelsk3]

I don't have this idea completely thought out but what about doing something with Folders? You could have the documents enter folders based on the type of document and then have the users go into the folder and reindex the documents. Not the ideal indexing interface but it may allow for what you are looking for.

[Jason_Collier1]

Ok so I've got the code working to create a batch in the scan queue with vb.net. However, I've not been able to figure out how to add the currentDocument to the new batch.  I've tried the following with no luck:

Dim docList As DocumentList

docList.Find(currentDocument.ID)

' Execute Method to Add Imported Documents to the Batch

scanBatch.AddDocuments(docList)

I also checked into docList.Add but an Add method doesn't exist. Searching the SDK documentation didn't help much either.

Any idea how to do it with VB?

Thanks