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- | ====== Auto Book: User Manual | + | ~~NOTOC~~ |
+ | ===== Auto Book ===== | ||
+ | <WRAP box right prewrap 270px> | ||
+ | **Intro Video:** | ||
+ | {{ auto-book-long-intro.mp4|Intro Video}} | ||
+ | </ | ||
+ | == Eliminate Copy-Paste Operations from your Workflows | ||
+ | ==== Overview of Functions & Capabilities | ||
+ | |||
+ | Auto Book is a lightweight Windows application for facilitating the exchange of data, allowing both the sender and recipient of text-based information such as emails to extract the relevant data and store them in a structured manner in tab-separated plain text Databases through a single mouse-click/ | ||
- | ===== - Introduction ===== | + | Its primary use case is extracting purchase order information from emails and automatically storing them for invoicing purposes, saving the time otherwise spent on tedious copy-paste operations. |
- | <WRAP box download right prewrap | + | <WRAP box download right prewrap |
- | **[[Download]]** | + | **[[Download|> > Download here < <]]** |
**System requirements**\\ | **System requirements**\\ | ||
Line 10: | Line 19: | ||
MS Windows 10/ | MS Windows 10/ | ||
- Hardware:\\ | - Hardware:\\ | ||
- | Effective FullHD resolution (for [[Extraction Wizard]] and [[# | + | Effective FullHD resolution (for Extraction Wizard and Data Viewer)\\ |
- | **Ask for help ⯈**\\ | + | **⯈ [[manual|Auto Book User Manual]]** |
- | **[[http:// | + | |
- | </ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Primarily, Auto Book is a tool to automatically extract and book purchase order (PO) information from emails, instead of manually copying and pasting each piece of information. It can also be used to grab data from webpages, PDFs or any other text-based information that is provided in a consistent format. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | It is meant to be a more efficient, free and open alternative to ubiquitous cloud-systems which require users to log-in via a Browser and burden them with downloading the data from a number of different systems (when working with multiple client companies each using a different cloud-system) and manually combining them in a local Database to keep track of their accounting. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | With Auto Book, PO information is simply transmitted by email and automatically -- simply by pressing a hotkey -- added to a Database both on the client computer and on the vendor computer. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | However, Auto Book can also be used unilaterally -- it does //not// require the other party, client or vendor, to use Auto Book as well. As long as you receive data in a consistent format, you're good to go. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | With Auto Book, you can: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | * Automatically capture data from emails or other text content and save these data to a Database in a structured manner. See [[# | + | |
- | * Create Templates for emailing PO data to vendors and automatically book these data to a Database. See [[#Sending Data]]. | + | |
- | * Automatically create and open local folders based on the data captured from emails. See [[#Auto Folder]]. | + | |
- | * Define patterns to rearrange data stored in a Database for outputting them in a format tailored to an external (e.g. cloud) application. See [[#Output Masks]]. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Auto Book is a light-weight application with minimal memory/CPU footprint. Installation is not required and all data are saved within the program directory -- once you [[#Removing Auto Book from your computer|remove Auto Book]], no traces of Auto Book will remain on your computer. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | One of the main motivations to develop Auto Book was to //avoid vendor lock-in.// All Auto Book data are saved transparently -- mostly as tab-separated text files -- and can be viewed, imported and edited with third-party software at will. Auto Book keeps all your options open by design. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Auto Book does not send any information from your computer to external servers. It is designed to operate solely within its program directory. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ==== - The Use Case ==== | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Using Auto Book to capture information makes sense only if you receive similar sets of information repeatedly. A typical use case is purchase order information which your clients send you using a consistent format. For example, each time your client places an order with you, you might receive an email (created manually by the client or generated automatically in a cloud system, or generated using an [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | After you have set up an Extraction Scheme tailored to the format in which the data is displayed, you don't need to copy-paste these data manually into your local booking system anymore. Instead, you simply press a hotkey and Auto Book extracts these data automatically into a Database. In other words, Auto Book is designed to keep you from wasting time with // | + | |
- | + | ||
- | If both parties -- sender and recipient -- use Auto Book, it is recommended to use the **Standard Format** to transmit data for maximum ease of use. Extraction Schemes for data displayed in the Standard Format can be created with a single mouse-click (see [[#Standard Schemes]]). | + | |
- | + | ||
- | If, however, you are the recipient and the sender does //not// use Auto Book, you can use the [[Extraction Wizard]] to set up your Extraction Scheme, provided the data are presented in a more or less consistent format. The Extraction Wizard allows you to define the data to be captured based on their relative position within the text, based on keywords, based on symbol types (numbers, letters, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | For detailed instructions on how to capture and store data, see [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ===== - Starting Auto Book ===== | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Auto Book does not require installation. Simply [[download]] autobook.zip and unzip it in the folder where you want to use it. The package includes several sub-folders for storing Extraction Schemes, Databases, Backups, etc. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Double-click autobook.exe to start the program. The [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ===== - Removing Auto Book from your Computer ===== | + | |
- | + | ||
- | In case you have activated the **Start with Windows** checkbox on the [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Then, simply delete the complete Auto Book folder. No traces of Auto Book will remain on your computer. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | If you have used Auto Book to capture data, you may want to keep some data within the program directory, such as Databases in the **Databases** folder, Extraction Schemes in the **ES** folder, or backups in the **Backup** folder. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ===== - The User Interface ===== | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Auto Book offers a user interface in three different sizes -- large, small and tiny. The size can be switched via the small buttons in the top right corner of the window. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ==== - Large User Interface ==== | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The large user interface offers 5 tabs titled **Home**, **Configuration**, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | In the top right corner of the window are three additional buttons: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **▲/ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Small**: Click this button to switch to the small interface. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Tiny**: Click this button to switch to the tiny interface. | + | |
- | === - Home Tab === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The **Home** tab is divided into four quadrants. | + | |
- | [{{ : | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The **top-left quadrant** contains dropdown menus for selecting the **Default Database** and **Default Extraction Scheme** as well as the **Manage Columns** button. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The **top-right quadrant** shows a list of your Extraction Schemes. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The **bottom-left quadrant** shows a list of your Templates. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The **bottom-right quadrant** shows a list of your Databases. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Right-clicking into any one of the 3 panels will open a context menu with related functions such as opening, editing, renaming, creating, etc. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | == - Templates Panel and Context Menu == | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ Double-click a Template to open it. See [[#Using Templates]]. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ Right-click into the Templates panel to open the context menu. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The following options are available: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Open:** Open the Template. Same as double-clicking a Template. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Copy to Clipboard: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Edit:** Open the [[#Creating a Template: Template Wizard|Template Wizard]] with the data of the selected Template for editing. You can make the same edits as when creating a new Template. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Show in Folder:** Show the selected Template in its folder on your hard disk. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Refresh: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Delete:** Delete the selected Template. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Rename:** Rename the selected Template. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Duplicate: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Create New:** Open the [[#Creating a Template: Template Wizard|Template Wizard]] to create a new Template. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | == - Extraction Schemes Panel and Context Menu == | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ Double-click an Extraction Scheme to open it for editing. See [[#Manually Editing Extraction Schemes]]. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ Right-click into the Extraction Schemes panel to open the context menu. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The following options are available: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Edit (Internal Viewer):** Open the Extraction Scheme for editing in Auto Book's Internal [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Edit (Internal Viewer):** Open the Extraction Scheme for editing in CSV Quick Viewer. Whether you use this or the Internal Viewer (see above) is a matter of your personal preference. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Show in Folder:** Show the selected Extraction Scheme in its folder on your hard disk. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Refresh: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Set as Default:** Set the selected Extraction Scheme as the Default Extraction Scheme for data extraction. The Default Extraction Scheme will be automatically pre-selected in the [[#Data Preview]], if not overridden by a parameter passed from the calling application. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Connect Database:** Choose a Database which will be connected to the selected Extraction Scheme. The connected Database will be automatically pre-selected whenever this Extraction Scheme is selected in the [[#Data Preview]] (either automatically or manually). In the [[#Data Preview]], the connected Database takes priority over the Default Database, but can be overridden by a parameter passed from the calling application. [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Disconnect Database:** Disconnect a Database previously connected to this Extraction Scheme. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Delete:** Delete the selected Extraction Scheme. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Rename:** Rename the selected Extraction Scheme. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Duplicate: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Open Settings:** Open the Extraction Scheme settings in [[Extraction Wizard]]. These settings will only be available if the Extraction Scheme was created using the [[Extraction Wizard]]. You can modify the settings and generate a new Extraction Scheme based on the modified settings. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Create New:** Open the [[Extraction Wizard]] to create a new Extraction Scheme. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | + | ||
- | == - Databases Panel and Context Menu == | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ Double-click a Database to open it for viewing/ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ Right-click into the Databases panel to open the context menu. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The following options are available: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Edit (Internal Viewer):** Open the Database for editing in Auto Book's Internal [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Edit (Internal Viewer):** Open the Database for editing in CSV Quick Viewer. Whether you use this or the Internal Viewer (see above) is a matter of your personal preference. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Show in Folder:** Show the selected Database in its folder on your hard disk. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Refresh: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Set as Default:** Set the selected Database as the Default Database for storing data. The Default Database will be automatically pre-selected in the [[#Data Preview]], if not overridden by a Database connected to the selected Extraction Scheme or by a parameter passed from the calling application. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Delete:** Delete the selected Database. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Rename:** Rename the selected Database. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Duplicate: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Check Integrity: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Export to CSV:** Export the Database to a comma-separated text file (CSV) for use in external applications. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Create New:** [[#Creating a Database|Create a new Database]]. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | === - Configuration Tab === | + | |
- | [{{ : | + | |
- | The **Configuration** tab contains various controls to modify the behavior of Auto Book. All changes you make are //saved automatically// | + | |
- | + | ||
- | See below for details. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Start with Windows**: If this checkbox is activated, Auto Book will be started automatically when Windows is started. As Auto Book's memory footprint is negligible, it's recommended to enable it. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Minimize to tray on startup (double-click tray icon to open)**: If this checkbox is activated, Auto Book will stay minimized to the system tray upon startup of Windows. In this case, double-click the Auto Book icon in the tray to open the main interface. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Never show tooltips**: If this checkbox is activated, Auto Book will not show any tooltips explaining the various controls. Recommended after you have familiarized yourself with all Auto Book functions. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Never show news**: If this checkbox is activated, Auto Book news -- for example about major updates or new functions -- will never be downloaded or shown on your computer. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Use comma as decimal separator by default**: To use by default a comma (,) as decimal separator instead of a dot (.) for calculating sums in the [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Automatically backup Databases before editing**: If this checkbox is activated, Auto Book will create a time-stamped backup whenever you open a Database for editing. These backups are saved in the backup folder shown on the [[#Folders tab]]. This function gives protection from user-errors, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Automatically backup Extraction Schemes before editing**: If this checkbox is activated, Auto Book will create a time-stamped backup when you open an Extraction Scheme for editing. These backups are saved in the backup folder shown on the [[#Folders tab]]. Recommended for safety enthusiasts only. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Automatically back up all Databases every:** If this checkbox is activated, Auto Book will create time-stamped backups of all Databases in pre-defined time intervals. Set these time intervals by using the dropdown menu and edit field below. The backup files will be saved in the backup folder shown on the [[#Folders tab]]. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Automatically back up all Extraction Schemes every:** If this checkbox is activated, Auto Book will create time-stamped backups of all Extraction Schemes in pre-defined time intervals. Set these time intervals by using the dropdown menu and edit field below. The backup files will be saved in the backup folder shown on the [[#Folders tab]]. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Gui Background Color (RGB Hex, activated after 2s):** Enter a RGB (red, green, blue) value in hexadecimal format here to set your own background color for all Auto Book windows. The color will change automatically after 2s waiting time. The **Restore** button to the right will restore the original background color. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Restore Defaults**: By clicking this button, all settings on the **Configuration** will be restored to their original state. This action cannot be undone. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | === - Folders Tab === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The **Folders** tab shows the folders Auto Book uses for storing various types of files and allows you to change them. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | When you change a folder, any contained files will be automatically copied to the new destination, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | It makes sense to keep all folders within the program directory as this will make migrating to a new computer easier (you only have to copy the program directory). Still, you can choose any folder you want, of course. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | To change a folder, click the **...** button next to it. To open a folder, click the 📁 button next to it. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Restore Defaults**: By clicking this button, all folders will be restored to their original paths. Note, however, that files contained in user-selected folders will not be copied back automatically to the default folders. You will have to do this manually, if you need these files. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | === - Hotkeys Tab === | + | |
- | [{{ : | + | |
- | The **Hotkeys** tab allows you to define hotkeys (keyboard shortcuts) for various Auto Book functions. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Click into the respective field and then press the hotkey you want to use. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Note: This method does not work for the **Windows key** on your keyboard. To use the Windows key as part of your hotkey combination, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Click **Save** to save your changes. A tooltip next to the system tray will confirm the changed hotkey. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⚠ Note that before clicking **Save**, the old hotkey is still in effect. That means that if you have changed a hotkey and not clicked **Save**, you cannot select the old hotkey again because when you press it, it will be triggered. To change back to the old hotkey in this situation, first click **Save**, click into the hotkey field again and press the old hotkey. Then click **Save** once more. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Main Window Hotkey:** This hotkey will open the main program window, e.g. after Auto Book has been minimized to the tray. Note that it will not **start** Auto Book if it is not running already in the background. If the main window is already open but minimized or hidden by other windows, this hotkey will bring the window forward. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Clipboard Concatenation Hotkey:** This is the hotkey for concatenating data in the clipboard: If you select text and press this hotkey, the selected text will not replace the text already existing in the clipboard, but will be appended (added) to it. This function is useful if you cannot capture all needed text with only one copy operation. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Extraction Hotkey:** This hotkey triggers the extraction of data for adding them to a Database in [[#Normal Extraction Mode]]. Select, with your mouse or keyboard, the text from which you want to extract data and then press this hotkey. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Email Source Extraction Hotkey:** This hotkey triggers the extraction of data for adding them to a Database in [[#Email Source Extraction Mode]]. Select, with your mouse or keyboard, the email source which you want to process and then press this hotkey. In this mode, Auto Book determines the email' | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Restore Defaults**: This button restores all hotkeys on this tab to their original settings. This action cannot be undone. | + | |
- | === - About/Help Tab === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | This tab shows version/ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ==== - Small User Interface ==== | + | |
- | [{{ : | + | |
- | Click the **Small** button (or **S** button when using the tiny user interface) in the top right corner of the window to switch to the small user interface. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The small user interface offers the same functionality as the [[#Home tab]] of the large user interface. The other tabs of the large user interface are not accessible. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The 4 tabs of the small user interface correspond to the 4 quadrants of the large user interface. That is, the **DF** tab shows the default settings, and the **TP**, **ES** and **DB** tabs show the lists of your Templates, Extraction Schemes and Databases, respectively. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The triangle button in the top right corner switches the always-on-top-setting. Note that this setting is separate for each interface size. That is, you can set your small interface to stay always on top, while allowing the large interface to be hidden, for example. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Everything else works the same way as in the large user interface. To switch back to the large or tiny interface, click the **L** or **T** button in the top right corner. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ==== - Tiny User Interface ==== | + | |
- | [{{ : | + | |
- | Click the **Tiny** button (or **T** button when using the small user interface) in the top right corner of the window to switch to the tiny user interface. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The tiny user interface offers the exact same functionality as the small user interface. It's just even smaller. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | As with the small interface, the triangle button in the top right corner switches the always-on-top-setting, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Note that the window is so small that you probably won't be able to grab the window title bar anymore in order to move the window. To still be able to move the window, simply click the Auto Book icon in the left corner of the title bar and select **Move**. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | To switch back to the small or large interface, click the **S** or **L** button in the top right corner. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ==== - Data Preview ==== | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The Data Preview window is shown automatically as soon as you trigger data extraction (via the Extraction hotkey in [[#Normal Extraction Mode]], via the Email Source Extraction hotkey in [[#Email Source Extraction Mode]], by parameter transmission in [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | [{{ : | + | |
- | + | ||
- | === - Data Fields, Extraction Schemes Panel and Databases Panel === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The central part, titled **Extracted Data**, consists of 10 data fields showing the data that was extracted from your text. From top to bottom, these 10 fields will be written into the 10 columns of an Auto Book Database as soon as you press the **Add to Database** button. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The initially shown data are the data extracted based on the Extraction Scheme that is pre-selected in the panel on the right side, titled **Extraction Schemes**. If this isn't the Extraction Scheme you want to use, click on the desired Scheme. The 10 data fields are then automatically updated to show the data extracted based on the currently selected Extraction Scheme. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | You can also manually edit these fields before saving them to a Database, if the extraction result is not what you wanted. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | In the leftmost area of the window, titled **Scheme Headers**, the column headers corresponding to these 10 fields of data are shown. Normally, these column headers are the headers set in the (pre-) selected Extraction Scheme. The only exception is the Scheme [[#The Generic Scheme|$Generic]], | + | |
- | + | ||
- | When you select a new Scheme in the **Extraction Schemes** panel, the Scheme headers will also be updated automatically. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | To the right side of the 10 data fields is another column of headers, which are the **Database column headers** found in the (pre-selected) Database. Note that these are for informational purposes only and do //not limit// the Database to accepting a certain type of data – all Databases can accept data from all Extraction Schemes. It makes sense, however, to use identical headers for Extraction Schemes and Databases that you plan to use together. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | In the rightmost area of the window, the panel titled **Databases** shows all available Databases. The extracted data will be saved in the Database selected here once you click the **Add to Database** button at the bottom of the window. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Databases with header names matching the headers of the selected Extraction Scheme are //preceded by an asterisk// (*) so that you can quickly spot the Databases that were meant to be used with each Extraction Scheme. | + | |
- | === - Connecting a Database === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | [{{ : | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Databases can be connected to an Extraction Scheme. When an Extraction Scheme is (pre-) selected to which a Database a connected, the connected Database will be automatically pre-selected. Thus, if you are using a separate Extraction Scheme and Database for one particular client, for example, you can connect this Database to the respective Extraction Scheme so that next time you are processing data from this client, the Database will be automatically selected. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | To connect a Database to the selected Extraction Scheme, activate the checkbox below the **Databases** panel. The connection will be established when you click the **Add to Database** button. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Alternatively, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | A connected Database takes priority over the **Default Database** selected on the [[#Home tab]], but can be overridden by a parameter passed from the calling application in [[# | + | |
- | === - Auto Folder === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Below the 10 data fields are two more fields titled **Auto Folder**. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | [{{ : | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The Auto Folder function allows you to set folder patterns defining paths on your computer based on the data extracted from your text. You can then automatically create and open the folders defined in this way. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Type the folder pattern into the upper Auto Folder field, or alternatively click the **...** button next to it and select a folder. This pattern has to conform to the usual rules applying to Microsoft Windows and must start with a drive letter. Thus, the pattern will be of the format " | + | |
- | + | ||
- | However, the Auto Folder pattern can also include references to the data extracted from your text. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Columns 1-10 can be referenced using number tags **< | + | |
- | + | ||
- | These tags will be automatically replaced with the data extracted from your text, and the resulting path is updated on the fly in the lower of the two **Auto Folder** fields. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Try it out using our sample text: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | >> Auto Book Data: | + | |
- | >> Date: 2021-12-01 | + | |
- | >> Client: Sample Company, Ltd. | + | |
- | >> Email: noreply@autobook.leininger.de | + | |
- | >> PO: ABC20211201 | + | |
- | >> Task: Data entry | + | |
- | >> Deadline: 2021-12-31 | + | |
- | >> Amount: 1000 | + | |
- | >> Currency: USD | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Select all of this text and press < | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Furthermore, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | If you activate the **Create folder** checkbox below, the folder shown in the lower field will be created automatically once you click either **Add to Database** (in which case the data will be added to the selected Database at the same time) or **Process Auto Folder** (in which case the folder will be created and/or opened, but no data will be added to the Database). | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Thus, the Auto Folder function allows you to automatically define folders based on the data you have received. For example, you could specify something like < | + | |
- | + | ||
- | 💡 You can override the path generated based on the Auto Folder pattern in the upper field by directly typing or selecting a folder in the lower field. The folder that is generated and/or opened is always the folder in the lower field. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | 💡 You can also save the Auto Folder path in your Database by including the < | + | |
- | + | ||
- | 💡 You can include an expression like < | + | |
- | + | ||
- | === - Confirmation Window === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | After your data was saved to a Database by clicking on the **Add to Database** button, by default the Database' | + | |
- | + | ||
- | === - Buttons === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | There are 3 buttons at the bottom of the [[#Data Preview]] window: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Add to Database:** Adds the data shown in the 10 data fields to the selected Database and processes your Auto Folder settings (creating/ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Cancel**: Discards the extracted data and closes the window without doing anything. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Process Auto Folder**: Processes your Auto Folder settings (creating/ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ==== - Dataviewer ==== | + | |
- | + | ||
- | === - Introduction === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | <WRAP box right prewrap 270px> | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Short video introduction of the Dataviewer:** | + | |
- | {{ dataviewer-reencoded.mp4|Dataviewer Video}} | + | **⯈ [[http:// |
</ | </ | ||
- | Auto Book's Dataviewer will open in a number of situations, e.g. when Database column headers need to be selected or when editing Databases or Extraction Schemes. It consist of a table area for displaying | + | The motivation for developing |
- | To select a row, click it with your mouse. To select several rows, hold CTRL and click to select rows one by one or hold SHIFT and click to select | + | For the sending party, Auto Book provides |
- | To **edit** a cell's value, double-click the cell. | + | The data to be extracted are defined by **Extraction Schemes**, plain-text files containing RegEx patterns that can be exchanged between parties. In this way, using identical Extraction Schemes, both the sender and recipient of purchase orders will automatically store identical sets of data in their respective Databases, which is beneficial as it makes reviewing incoming invoices easy. |
- | **Sorting** is possible by clicking on the column headers. Sorting is normally done alphabetically; however, | + | Extraction Schemes for Auto Book's [[manual# |
- | === - Context Menu === | + | {{ : |
- | The context menu appears when you right-click anywhere within | + | Customized Extraction Schemes also allow the recipient of data to employ Auto Book **unilaterally** – as long as the sender transmits the information in a consistent format, the recipient can create a suitable Extraction Scheme and automatically extract and store the relevant data even if the sender is not using Auto Book. |
- | It contains the following options, most of which have an associated keyboard shortcut: | + | Databases are created within seconds, and there is no limit to the number |
- | **Cut (CTRL+X):** Copy the selected rows into the clipboard and remove them from the Database. | + | Auto Book can also be useful for capturing text data from other sources such as cloud systems or as a Regex generator. |
- | **Copy (CTRL+C):** Copy the selected rows into the clipboard. Columns will be separated | + | Auto Book is designed to give the user **maximum control over all data**, using tab-separated |
- | **Paste (CTRL+V):** Paste the clipboard' | + | Auto Book is designed to be maximally non-intrusive |
- | The data in the clipboard is pasted beginning from (overwrite mode) or before (insertion mode) the first selected row. If no row is selected, the clipboard' | + | [{{ : |
- | If any rows are selected, a dialog will open to prompt | + | Auto Book allows |
- | ⯈ Choose **Insert** to insert the clipboard' | + | |
- | ⯈ Choose **Overwrite** to overwrite the first selected row and the following rows with the clipboard' | + | |
- | ⯈ Choose **Overwrite selected** to overwrite only selected rows with the clipboard' | + | |
- | In order to skip the pasting mode dialog: | + | * Automatically create and open folders based on the information found in your emails. |
- | ⯈ Press < | + | * Create Templates |
- | ⯈ Press < | + | * View databases |
- | OR | + | * Easily re-arrange databases using simple patterns ([[manual# |
- | ⯈ Activate the **Don' | + | ==== Receiving Data ==== |
- | **Undo (CTRL+Z):** Undo the previous operation. Undo/Redo do not affect sorting and are also not affected by sorting, that is, if you do something, then sort the Database in a different way, then undo the operation and sort the Database again in the original way, the original data will be restored; in other words, the process is not confused by sorting operations. | + | Give it a try: Double-click |
- | + | ||
- | Undo and Redo always operate on one whole user operation, that is, if you insert 10 rows of data by a single insertion operation, for example, Undo will remove all of these 10 rows at once, and so on. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Redo (CTRL+Y):** Redo a previously undone operation. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Go to row (CTRL+G):** Enter a number and jump to and select the row with this number. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Find/ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Click on the button showing the word **Case-sensitive** to switch between case-sensitive, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Populate: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Save (CTRL+S):** Save the Database. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Save as:** Save the Database under a different name. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Transfer to:** Copy the currently selected rows to the end of another Database. You will be prompted to choose the target Database. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | In the following, all other controls and functions of the Dataviewer will be described. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | [{{ : | + | |
- | === - ∑ button, Summation Fields and Separator/ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | These controls are only shown when the Dataviewer is used for editing/ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The summation fields will show the sum of the values in each column. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | All rows are summed as long as no rows are selected (highlighted in blue). If any rows are selected, only the selected rows will be summed. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | [{{ : | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The **separator/ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ Right-click any of these buttons to activate/ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ Left-click any of these buttons to choose whether a dot (**D**) or a comma (**C**) should be used as decimal separator for the numbers in the respective column. (In most countries, including the United States and England, a dot is used, as in " | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ To activate or deactivate summation for all columns, left-click the **∑** button on the left side. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The separator setting is not affected by activation/ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | As mentioned, if any rows are selected at the time of summation, only selected rows will be summed. If you changed your selection of rows, simply left-click with your mouse into any summation fields you wish to update. The new value is shown immediately. (To update all columns, deactivate and reactivate all via the **∑** button.) | + | |
- | + | ||
- | You can select multiple rows in the usual manner, that is, by holding down CONTROL to select rows one by one or SHIFT to select a range of rows. Thus, if you need the sum for, say, a single month, sort the Database by date, select all rows belonging to that month and then click into the summation field you wish to update. Alternatively, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | To show the sum for all rows again, deselect all rows by clicking the **Deselect all** button or right-clicking onto the bottom ribbon in a place where there is no control. Then, single-click again into the summation field you wish to update. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The contents of columns for which summation has been activated are automatically right-aligned. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | If you edited any of the numbers in a column, simply single-click into the corresponding summation field to update the total. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Your settings -- which summation fields are activated and which separators are used -- will be saved and remembered automatically. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | == - The Summation Algorithm == | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Auto Book's aim is to make the user's life as easy as possible. The algorithm looking for numbers in a column' | + | |
- | + | ||
- | For example, if the decimal separator is set to dot (default), all of the following numbers would be included in the total: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | |-20.50|Negative numbers are allowed| | + | |
- | |5, | + | |
- | |USD 70.1|Additional text is allowed; the number will be extracted and summed| | + | |
- | |Cost: | + | |
- | |5000000|Grouping separators are not mandatory for large numbers| | + | |
- | |0010|Leading zeros are allowed| | + | |
- | + | ||
- | However, the following cells would //not// be considered numbers (as they don't conform to any valid format): | + | |
- | + | ||
- | |30,30,60 |Grouping separators, commas in this case, must be spaced by 3 digits!| | + | |
- | |50,2| Comma is not allowed as decimal separator when set to dot| | + | |
- | |60 and 50| Multiple numbers are not allowed| | + | |
- | |5000, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Whenever there are multiple possible numbers in one cell, this cell is excluded from the sum to avoid ambiguity. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | == - Display Format and Additional Information == | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Sums of activated summation fields are always //rounded to 2 decimal digits// and displayed without grouping separators (no matter what format the numbers in the column' | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Sums can be displayed in one of three colors: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Black:** No anomaly detected -- exactly one number was in each cell.\\ | + | |
- | **Purple:** A sum was calculated, but some cells in this column were excluded (because either no number or multiple numbers were found).\\ | + | |
- | **Red:** No valid numbers were found -- summation was not possible.\\ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Additional Information**: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | === - Special === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The **Special** group of controls is only enabled when the Dataviewer is used to display sets of column headers. Such sets of column headers are used for creating new Databases or Extraction Schemes. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | [{{ : | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Generate Standard Scheme:** After selecting (clicking on) a set of column headers, click this button to generate a [[#Standard Schemes|Standard Scheme]] based on the selected column headers. That is, the generated Scheme will use the selected column headers as keywords for data extraction, such that any text following the keywords (and a colon+space) will be be extracted. If < | + | |
- | + | ||
- | >> Date: 2021-12-31 | + | |
- | + | ||
- | You will find the **Generate Standard Scheme** button enabled when you click on the **Manage Columns** button on the [[#Home tab]]. After clicking the **Generate Standard Scheme** button, enter a name for your Extraction Scheme and you're done. The new Extraction Scheme will show up in the **Extraction Schemes** panel on the [[#Home tab]] and is ready to use. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Reload Defaults:** If you have deleted or modified any of the pre-configured sets of column headers, this button allows you to reload the default sets. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | === - Output Masks === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The **Output Masks** group of controls covers all functions related to output masks. Output masks in Auto Book refer to patterns used to output a Database' | + | |
- | + | ||
- | {{ : | + | |
- | + | ||
- | + | ||
- | The larger box on the left side is the **Output Masks Listbox**. This list shows only those output masks that have been saved for this Database (or for all Databases -- see below). If you click on an output mask, it will be automatically loaded and shown in the **Output Mask Field** (see below). | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **[Enter Name] field:** When saving an output mask, enter a name here. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Delete:** Click this button to delete an output mask selected in the **Output Masks Listbox**. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Save:** Click this button to save an output masks after entering a name in the **[Enter Name]** field. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Save for all**: By default, output masks are specific to a Database and won't show up when opening other Databases so that the listbox doesn' | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Output Mask Field:** This field will be filled automatically when you select one of the output masks shown in the **Output Masks Listbox**. When creating a new output mask, type your output mask here. Enter arbitrary text plus references to any number of Database columns, which will be replaced by the corresponding column' | + | |
- | + | ||
- | + | ||
- | | **Control Code Overview** | + | |
- | |**Control Code**|**Meaning**|**Comment/ | + | |
- | |<column name> | + | |
- | |< | + | |
- | |< | + | |
- | |<br> or < | + | |
- | |< | + | |
- | |< | + | |
- | + | ||
- | * The control codes preceded by a backslash (\) can be used to avoid conflicts in case one of your columns is named identically. For example, if a column is named " | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Test Output:** This read-only field is updated on-the-fly while you type your output mask. It shows the output your mask will generate for the row shown in the **Test Row** field. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Test Row:** To test your output mask using a different row (default: 1), type a new number here. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Descending Rows:** By default, when outputting a Database using an output mask, the rows will be output in ascending order; i.e. in the same order as shown in the Dataviewer. Activate this checkbox to output the Database in reverse order. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Output Database:** Click this button to output your Database in the format shown in the **Output Mask Field** (see above). If the **Output Mask Field** is blank when you click this button, all columns of the Database will be output, separated by tabulators (for pasting into applications such as Excel). | + | |
- | + | ||
- | === - Database Operations === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The **Database Operations** group of controls contains 7 buttons and the **Filter Text** field: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | [{{ : | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Add row:** Add a new empty row to the end of the Database. The area of the data grid that shows only grid lines, but no row numbers (in the leftmost column) can't be edited by double-clicking cells. In order to edit cells, first use this button to add rows. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Delete:** To delete rows, select the rows to be deleted and then click this button. (To delete multiple rows, hold down CONTROL or SHIFT while clicking the rows.) | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Exit:** Exit the Dataviewer. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Save:** Save your data. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Filter Text field:** Enter a text for [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Filter+: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Filter-: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | **Deselect all:** Deselect all rows of the Database (same as right-clicking onto the ribbon in a place where there is no control). Useful if you want to update summation fields to show the total for all rows or if you want to paste to the very end of the Database via CTRL+V. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | == - Filtering == | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The Dataviewer includes a simple filtering function that allows you to select rows containing or not containing certain text strings. Rows are never hidden, but only selected or deselected. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | By setting the filter so that only desired rows are selected, you can obtain the sums of the values in a column of the selected rows simply by clicking into the respective summation field. Thus, you could filter for < | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Filtering can also be useful if you want to copy only certain rows in order to paste them into another Auto Book Database or another application such as Excel via the usual shortcuts < | + | |
- | + | ||
- | How it works: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ Enter a text string into the **Filter Text** field in the **Database Operations** group of the **Bottom Ribbon**. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ Click the **Filter+** button. All rows containing the text string are selected. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ To refine your filtering, enter a new text string into the **Filter Text** field without deselecting the previously selected rows. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ Click the **Filter+** button in order to add all rows containing the new text string to your selection (that is, in order to expand your selection to rows containing either the previous __or__ the current text string). | + | |
- | + | ||
- | OR | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ Click the **Filter-** button in order to remove all rows that //do not contain// the new text string from your selection (that is, in order to narrow down your selection to rows containing both the previous __and__ the current text string). | + | |
- | + | ||
- | This process can be repeated as often as necessary. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | To deselect all rows, click the **Deselect all** button or simply right-click onto the bottom ribbon in a place where there is no control. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | + | ||
- | ===== - Capturing Data ===== | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ==== - Overview ==== | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Auto Book's primary intended use case is extracting data from emails. However, it may also be used to capture information from any other text content that can be copied into the Windows Clipboard, for example text from PDFs or webpages. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | To extract data, Auto Book allows you to define **Extraction Schemes**, which are sets of rules telling Auto Book which data to extract and how to store them. Extraction Schemes are easily created with the help of an [[Extraction Wizard]] based on mouse clicks. There is no limit on the number of Extraction Schemes you can create for different data formats or use cases. Each Extraction Scheme is stored as a simple text file with just a few bytes of data. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | When you start an extraction operation using any of 3 [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The extracted data is stored in tab-separated plain text files which are called **Databases** in this documentation. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Each Database consists of 10 columns with freely customizable header names (e.g. < | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Of course, you don't need to make use of all 10 columns should you need to capture fewer pieces of information. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | + | ||
- | To get ready to capture data, you need to complete 4 steps: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | 1. [[# | + | |
- | 2. [[#Creating a Database|Create a Database]]\\ | + | |
- | 3. [[# | + | |
- | 4. [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | After you have completed these steps, capture data into your Database as follows: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | 1. Select, with your mouse or keyboard, the text from which you want to extract data. Then press a hotkey: Extraction hotkey if you are using [[#Normal Extraction Mode]] or Email Source Extraction hotkey in case of [[#Email Source Extraction Mode]]. Alternatively, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | 2. After pressing the hotkey, the [[#Data Preview]] appears with your extracted data. Check if the pre-selected Extraction Scheme and Database are the ones you want to use; if not, change them. Here, you can also setup an [[#Auto Folder]] pattern for creating/ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ==== - Databases ==== | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Auto Book Databases are simple plain text (UTF-8) files with 10 columns which are delimited by tabs. You can view and edit them with Auto Book's Dataviewer or the external viewer included in the download package (CSV Quick Viewer) as well any other text editor or spreadsheet application. (Most text editors, however, don't show tab-separated files with a proper table structure so that it's easy to get confused about which column is being edited.) | + | |
- | + | ||
- | All Unicode symbols are allowed to be stored in a Database except tabs and line feeds, because these are used to delimit columns and rows, respectively. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The 10 columns of a Database correspond to the 10 columns of an Extraction Scheme: When an Extraction Scheme is used to extract and store data in a Database, the text extracted using column 1 of the Extraction Scheme is stored in column 1 of the Database, and so on. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The first row of each Database is the header row which gives a title to each of the 10 columns, and Extraction Schemes likewise contain column headers. These headers have only descriptive purpose – an Extraction Scheme doesn' | + | |
- | + | ||
- | === - Configuring Column Headers === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Auto Book allows you to configure and store a header – a set of 10 column titles – in a separate file so that you can re-use it for other Databases and/or Extraction Schemes. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ On the [[#Home tab]], click the **Manage Columns** button. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The Auto Book Dataviewer will open and display several rows of pre-defined sets of column headers with 10 column headers each. You can choose from these sets of headers when creating a new Database or Extraction Scheme. To edit a column header, simply double-click it and type a new header. To create a new set of column headers, click the **Add rows** button in the bottom ribbon and then type your headers into each column of the newly created row. Don't forget to click the **Save** button if you want to save your changes for later use. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ Click **Exit** to return to the main window. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | For the moment, we are done here. In fact, you can perform exactly the same operations when creating a new Database. Let's try it. | + | |
- | === - Creating a Database === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ⯈ Right-click within the **Databases** panel in the bottom right area of the [[#Home tab]]. Select **Create new** from the pop-up menu. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Auto Book prompts you to enter a name for your new Database. Enter your desired name and click **OK**. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Your new Database will appear in the **Databases** panel in the bottom right area of the [[#Home tab]]. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | That's it. Your Database is ready to accept data. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ==== - Extraction Modes ==== | + | |
- | + | ||
- | To capture data and store it in your newly created Database, the source text must be transmitted to Auto Book and processed. This can happen in either one of 3 modes: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | (1) [[#Normal Extraction Mode]] -- In this mode, you simply select the source text manually and then press the Extraction Hotkey (default: < | + | |
- | + | ||
- | (2) [[#Email Source Extraction Mode]] -- In this mode, you select an //email source// in your email application and then press the Email Source Extraction Hotkey (default: < | + | |
- | + | ||
- | (3) [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | No matter which mode you use, the [[#Data Preview]] showing the extracted data will appear after triggering extraction via the above-mentioned hotkeys. From here, you can add your data to a Database and create/open folders based on your data. | + | |
- | === - Normal Extraction Mode === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | In the simplest case, all you want to do is extract data from a single piece of text, e.g. the text body of an email, a single webpage or a single PDF file. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | You only need to mark the text part from which you want to extract data (e.g. the email) | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The [[#Data Preview]] will appear and show the extracted data based on the pre-selected Extraction Scheme. If this is not the Scheme you want to use, select the desired Scheme in the **Extraction Schemes** panel. The **Add to Database** button then allows you to store the captured data in the Database selected in the **Databases** panel. For more information, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | If this is your use case, you can skip to the next chapter ([[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | If you need data from several elements of an email -- for example from the email' | + | |
- | + | ||
- | But there is another way to extract data from several pieces of text which you cannot copy into the clipboard in one operation. You can [[# | + | |
- | == - Concatenating Text == | + | |
- | + | ||
- | To concatenate text in the clipboard, first copy the needed text part normally, that is by selecting it and then pressing < | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Once you have collected all needed text in this way, press Auto Book's extraction hotkey. Your Extraction Schemes will then be applied to the total of text collected in the clipboard and the [[#Data Preview]] will appear as usually -- proceed in the same way as described above. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Note: After you use the concatenation hotkey, the text you have selected should be deselected automatically. Auto Book does that by virtually clicking your mouse at the cursor' | + | |
- | + | ||
- | This concatenation function occasionally can also be useful for purposes outside Auto Book. | + | |
- | === - Email Source Extraction Mode === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | In Email Source Extraction Mode, Auto Book automatically decodes the the source code of an email and extracts the email' | + | |
- | + | ||
- | To do so, you need to create a corresponding Extraction Scheme using Auto Book's [[Extraction Wizard]]. Here, for each Extraction Scheme column, you can select from which of the 5 data sources you want to extract information, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | While this extraction mode gives access to additional, frequently needed email data such as the sent date, executing an extraction operation involves one more step than in [[#Normal Extraction Mode]] -- you need to first display the email source in your email application. So if you don't need any of these additional information, | + | |
- | + | ||
- | When triggering email source extraction via the Email Source Extraction hotkey, Auto Book decodes the email source, finds the 5 data sources and extracts the relevant information from each data source as indicated in the Extraction Scheme. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | To trigger extraction: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | 1) Open the email source. How this works depends on your email client. (In //The Bat//, select the email and press F9.) | + | |
- | + | ||
- | 2) Select the source with your mouse or keyboard (typically, < | + | |
- | + | ||
- | A potential disadvantage of this method is that depending on your email client, it might take a moment to open the source if there are large attachments embedded in the email. This shouldn' | + | |
- | === - Parameter Extraction Mode === | + | |
- | + | ||
- | In order to use this extraction mode, your email client must be able to pass email data – text body, subject, sent date and sender – as parameters when calling an external application. I am not aware of any other email client than Ritlabs' | + | |
- | + | ||
- | If you are not using The Bat and don't know what I am talking about, ignore this section and choose either [[#Normal Extraction Mode]] or [[#Email Source Extraction Mode]] described above. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | In Parameter Extraction Mode, all email data mentioned above are transmitted to Auto Book in one operation. In the same way as in [[#Email Source Extraction Mode]], you can then, when creating [[#Custom Schemes: Extraction Wizard|Custom Schemes]], select from 5 data sources – (1) text body, (2) subject, (3) sent date, (4) sender name, and (5) sender email address – when defining the text to be extracted in [[Extraction Wizard]]. (Also see [[Extraction Wizard#Data Source|Extraction Wizard – Data Source]]). | + | |
- | + | ||
- | In The Bat, you will set up a filter action in order to transmit the required data to Auto Book. This filter can then be executed either via a user-defined hotkey or automatically based on user-defined conditions. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | In addition to these email data, you can, optionally, also pass as parameters the name of an Extraction Scheme and Database to Auto Book when triggering data transmission. This Extraction Scheme/ | + | |
- | + | ||
- | While the other two [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | ==== - Extraction Schemes ==== | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Text data transmitted to Auto Book in any one of the 3 [[# | + | |
- | + | ||
- | There are 3 types of Extraction Schemes – [[#Standard Schemes]], the [[#The Generic Scheme|Generic Scheme]], and [[#Custom Schemes: Extraction Wizard|Custom Schemes]]. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | In the bilateral use case – when both the data sender and the recipient use Auto Book – it is recommended to transmit data in the **Standard Format**. Extraction Schemes for capturing data in the Standard Format -- i.e. [[#Standard Schemes]] -- can be created with a single mouse-click. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | The [[#The Generic Scheme|Generic Scheme]] is a Scheme for a special case of the Standard Format, namely a single block of colon-separated keyword-data lines. The [[#The Generic Scheme|Generic Scheme]] is built into Auto Book, so you don't actually need to create it. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | For the unilateral use case – when you want to capture arbitrarily formatted data that are not specifically formatted for processing with Auto Book –, you need to create a [[#Custom Schemes: Extraction Wizard|Custom Scheme]] with the help of the [[Extraction Wizard]]. | + | |
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- | All types of Schemes are explained in more detail below. | + | |
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- | === - Standard Schemes === | + | |
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- | Standard Schemes are standardized Schemes based on the **Standard Format**. In the Standard Format, keywords which are placed at the beginning of a line, followed by a colon and a space, designate lines of data, with the wanted data following the colon. In other words, these lines, in the following referred to as **(colon-separated) keyword-data lines**, look like this: | + | |
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- | keyword: data | + | |
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- | Note that term " | + | |
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- | The Standard Format is meant to provide a simple, standardized way of exchanging information in the bilateral use case (when both sender and recipient use Auto Book). Standard Schemes can be created with a single mouse-click, | + | |
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- | Standard Format data, when arranged in a single block of lines, can also be captured using the built-in [[#the Generic Scheme|Generic Scheme]], so that creating a Standard Scheme might not be strictly necessary. The main difference is that when using the Generic Scheme, the data will always be mapped onto the Database columns //in their order of appearance within the source text//, while when using a Standard Scheme, the order of appearance of the individual keyword-data lines doesn' | + | |
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- | In summary, if you receive Standard Format data in a single block of lines, as will normally be the case when the sender uses a [[# | + | |
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- | Example: | + | |
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- | >> Date: 2021-12-01 | + | |
- | >> | + | |
- | >> Client: Sample Company, Ltd. | + | |
- | >> Email: noreply@autobook.leininger.de | + | |
- | >> PO: ABC20211201 | + | |
- | >> Task: Data entry | + | |
- | >> | + | |
- | >> Amount: 1000 | + | |
- | >> Currency: USD | + | |
- | >> | + | |
- | >> Important! The following deadline must be kept under all circumstances. [This line won't be captured because there is no key.] | + | |
- | >> Deadline: 2021-12-31 | + | |
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- | ⯈ To try it out, select the text and press < | + | |
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- | == - Creating a Standard Scheme == | + | |
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- | To easily create a Standard Scheme: | + | |
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- | ⯈ On the [[#Home tab]], click the **Manage Columns** button. | + | |
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- | [{{ : | + | |
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- | ⯈ Select a set of column headers matching the keywords you want to use with your Extraction Scheme. (Enter a new set of headers if none of the existing ones fits your needs.) | + | |
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- | ⯈ Click the **Generate Std. Scheme** button. | + | |
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- | ⯈ Type a name into the input box that opens and click **OK**. Your new Scheme will appear in the **Extraction Schemes** panel on the [[#Home tab]]. | + | |
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- | Alternatively, | + | |
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- | Finally, if you already have a Template based on the keys you want to use for your Extraction Scheme, another option is to right-click into the **Templates** panel on the [[#Home tab]], select **Edit** from the context menu and then click the **Create Extraction Scheme** button. (For more information, | + | |
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- | === - The Generic Scheme === | + | |
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- | The Generic Scheme is a built-in Scheme which is shown as “$Generic” in the Extraction Schemes panel on the [[#Home tab]]. (The “$” merely indicates that it's an internal Scheme that doesn' | + | |
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- | The Generic Scheme extracts data from a list of // | + | |
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- | As an example, take the following list of data: | + | |
>> Auto Book Data: | >> Auto Book Data: | ||
Line 811: | Line 78: | ||
>> Currency: USD | >> Currency: USD | ||
- | ⯈ If you have Auto Book running, try it out: Select the list above and then press < | + | Now, press the default extraction hotkey, which is, if you haven' |
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- | The data to be captured by the Generic Scheme have to fulfill the following conditions: | + | |
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- | - //No empty lines// are allowed between consecutive keywords. | + | |
- | - Keyword and data to be extracted must be //separated by a colon//. (Keyword and data are allowed to be blank; so strictly speaking, a single colon in each line is sufficient.) | + | |
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- | In the case of [[#Standard Schemes]], the position and order of the keywords and data within the text doesn' | + | |
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- | When using a [[# | + | |
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- | If you are using Auto Book for //sending// data, it is recommended to tell Auto Book that a keyword list begins by starting off the list with a " | + | |
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- | %%///%%\\ | + | |
- | Keyword: Data ...\\ | + | |
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- | If you omit the trigger line, Auto Book will analyze your text to determine the longest section of consecutive lines of " | + | |
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- | Note that the keys are only for informational purposes. They show up in the leftmost column of the [[#Data Preview]] window, but have no other function. So in principle, you can also simply start each line with a colon, like this: | + | |
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- | >> Auto Book Data: | + | |
- | >> : | + | |
- | >> :Sample Company, Ltd. | + | |
- | >> : | + | |
- | >> : | + | |
- | >> :Data entry | + | |
- | >> : | + | |
- | >> :1000 | + | |
- | >> :USD | + | |
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- | If you select the text and press <q>CTRL+SHIFT+E</q> again, you will notice that the keys on the left side of the extracted data are missing. Everything else works the same way. | + | |
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- | === - Custom Schemes: Extraction Wizard === | + | |
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- | Custom Schemes are much more versatile than Standard Schemes and allow you to extract data from text of (almost) any format. They are typically employed when the sending party does //not// use Auto Book, but still uses a consistent format. They can also be useful for grabbing data from a cloud-system or other situations where you want to store structured data in a Database. | + | |
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- | Custom Schemes allow you to define the data to be extracted based on their relative position within the text, based on keywords, symbols, components of words, and more. For instructions on how to create Custom Schemes, see [[Extraction Wizard]]. | + | |
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- | ===== - Sending Data ===== | + | |
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- | ==== - Quick Overview ==== | + | |
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- | For sending data, Auto Book allows you to create Templates. Templates save time and make sure that data can be exchanged with minimal effort. | + | |
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- | When setting up a Template: | + | |
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- | - Add all information to the Template that normally doesn' | + | |
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- | There is no limit to the number of Templates you can set up. Thus, you could have a single Template for all recipients or set up a different Template for each recipient and/or for each type of project, for example. | + | |
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- | To send data to a recipient: | + | |
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- | - Double-click the Template to open it. | + | |
- | - Add the remaining, non-static data, e.g. values for remuneration, | + | |
- | - Optionally, add the data of the filled-in Template to one of your local Databases via the **Add to Database** button. | + | |
- | - Paste the filled-in Template into an email or other message and send it. | + | |
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- | As the data you enter into a Template are formatted according to the **Standard Format**, the recipient can easily add these data to a Database via a [[#Standard Schemes|Standard Scheme]] or [[#the Generic Scheme]]. Thus, the sender and recipient will have identical data in their respective Databases, which comes in handy when comparing invoice data, for example. | + | |
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- | ==== - Templates ==== | + | |
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- | Templates are simple structured text files based on the [[#Standard Schemes|Standard Format]]. That is, they contain a list of keywords followed by colons after which the needed data is added when preparing a message for a recipient. In addition, they may contain arbitrary text before and after this colon-separated keyword-data list, typically used for addressing the recipient and providing additional information. | + | |
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- | The data can be easily added to a Database of the sender via an opened Template' | + | |
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- | Auto Book Databases consist of 10 data columns. Templates, on the other hand, allow you to include up to 20 keyword-data lines. That's because not all information might be relevant to both sender and recipient -- for example, the recipient' | + | |
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- | For each keyword included in your Template, you can also define default data. For example, if you include a keyword for your own name, you probably want to enter your name as default data so you don't need to type it each time you are using the Template. | + | |
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- | These default data also accept **< | + | |
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- | Furthermore, | + | |
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- | === - Creating a Template: Template Wizard === | + | |
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- | [{{ : | + | |
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- | To create a new Template, right-click into the **Templates** panel on Auto Book's [[#Home tab]] and select **Create new** from the context menu. | + | |
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- | The **Template Wizard** will open. | + | |
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- | The two large fields at the top and bottom allow you to enter arbitrary text which will appear before and after your keyword-data list. | + | |
- | In the middle section of the window, 2 x 10 fields are provided for entering keys (left column) and their default | + | The [[manual# |
- | If you want to use more or less than 10 keys, enter the desired number into the **Number of Keys** field at the top of the screen and then click **Apply**. | + | {{ : |
- | **Load Column Headers**: This button allows | + | \\ |
+ | If necessary, | ||
- | The **Add Colons** checkbox is activated by default. When activated, colons are added automatically between each key and its data. In this case, don't add colons manually, or you will end up with two colons per line. If you deactivate the checkbox, you can enter a symbol different from a colon to separate keys and data by typing directly into the key fields (left column). Note, however, that the **Create | + | The Extraction Schemes |
- | **Use Trigger Line**: A trigger line is a line that tells Auto Book during extraction operations that a block of key-data lines begins. This line will be inserted immediately before | + | The Data Preview also allows you to set up **Auto Folder** patterns, which can be saved for future use. Auto Book then creates |
- | **Connect Scheme**: This dropdown menu allows you to select | + | By including |
- | **Create Extraction Scheme**: This button allows you to easily create an Extraction Scheme based on your Template. This Extraction Scheme will use the **[[# | + | ==== Extraction Schemes |
- | **Reset**: Click this button to clear all text you have entered and start from scratch. This action cannot be undone. | + | Auto Book includes a versatile [[Extraction Wizard]] that generates Regular Expressions (RegEx) for data extraction |
- | **Exit**: Click this button to exit the Template Wizard. | + | [{{:autobook-v1.1-extractionwizard-singleview.png? |
- | **Save**: Click this button to save your Template. After saving, the Template will automatically appear in the **Templates** panel on the [[#Home tab]]. | + | This Extraction Wizard that Auto Book can be used unilaterally by the receiving party, as long as the sending party uses a consistent format to transmit purchase order information. |
- | === - Editing Templates === | + | If both parties use Auto Book, it is recommended to use the Auto Book [[manual# |
- | To modify a Template, right-click its name in the **Templates** panel on the [[#Home tab]] and select **Edit**. The Template Wizard will open and display the Template' | + | Standard Format data can also be captured with the built-in [[manual#The Generic Scheme|Generic Scheme]], which looks for colon-separated keyword-data lines independently of the keywords used. Thus Standard Format data can be automatically captured |
+ | [{{ : | ||
- | == - Opening a Template | + | ==== Creating and Using Templates ==== |
- | [{{ :autobook-v1.0-templateviewer-sampletemplate.png? | + | If you are the sending party, easily create templates using the [[manual# Creating a Template: Template Wizard|Template |
- | To open a Template, simply double-click it in the **Templates** list on the [[#Home tab]]. (Or alternatively, | + | Simply enter your keywords |
- | When a Template is opened, its content is // | + | After saving, double-click |
- | In case you still needed the clipboard' | + | ==== Viewing and Editing Databases ==== |
- | To close the Template, click **Close**. | + | To display |
- | == - Adding Template | + | [{{ :: |
- | To add the Template data to a Database, simply click the **Add to Database** button. The [[#Data Preview]] window will appear, and the Extraction Scheme connected | + | \\ |
+ | [[manual#Output Masks]] allow you to define patterns to arrange your Database data into an arbitrary format, including only the specified columns. This way, you can format your data in a way that allows you to paste them into an invoice template or accounting cloud-system, for example. | ||
- | Click **Add to Database** to save your data; for more information, | + | For detailed usage instructions, |