ImageGear .NET
Tutorial: Create Your First OCR Project for a Console Application
User Guide > How to Work with... > OCR > Getting Started with ImageGear OCR > Tutorial: Create Your First OCR Project for a Console Application

In this tutorial, you will configure a C# or VB.NET project for a console application and use ImageGear .NET OCR capabilities to load an image, OCR and export the data to the console.

The following tutorial refers specifically to 64-bit installations; for 32-bit installations:

  • Your project should already be set to compile to target Debug and x86, and you should have the directory: $YOURLOCALPROJ\bin\x86\Debug\.
  • Throughout these instructions, replace x64 with x86.
  • The 32-bit ImageGear binaries are found in $INSTALLDIR\ImageGear .NET v23\Bin\
 
Using the desired version of Visual Studio (2010 or later):
  1. Create a new "Console Application" project, using C# or VB.NET, and name the project: my_first_OCR_project
  2. If you installed ImageGear .NET 64-bit, using the Configuration Manager, create a new project platform (if you don't have one already) for x64. Make sure your project is set to compile targeting Debug and x64. Confirm you now have $YOURLOCALPROJ\bin\x64\Debug\, and if it's not there, create it.
  3. Add references and required resources into your projects in one of the following ways:
    • Manually:
    • Copy all files (and folders) inside $INSTALLDIR\ImageGear .NET v23 64-bit\Bin\ to your local output bin directory in your project (i.e., $YOURLOCALPROJ\bin\x64\Debug\ ).
    • Add the following references to your project from $YOURLOCALPROJ\bin\x64\Debug\:
    • ImageGear23.Core.dll
    • ImageGear23.Evaluation.dll
    • ImageGear23.Formats.Common.dll
    • ImageGear23.Formats.SimplifiedMetadata.dll
    • ImageGear23.Recognition.dll
    • ImageGear23.Recognition.Forms.dll
Your output target directory (output path) should be set to $YOURLOCALPROJ\bin\x64\Debug\ 
  1. At this point all necessary assembly references and resources have been added to the project. Make sure to replace C:\PATHTOIMAGE\ with your own image filename and path: 
    Add the following using statements to the top of the file.
    C#
    Copy Code 
    using System.IO;
using ImageGear.Core;
using ImageGear.Formats;
using ImageGear.Recognition;
using ImageGear.Evaluation;
    VB.NET
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    Imports ImageGear.Core
Imports ImageGear.Formats
Imports ImageGear.Recognition
Imports ImageGear.Evaluation
Imports System.IO
  1. Add the following code to create a private method to OCR, and export the data to the console. This code sets up licensing, initializes the ImageGear Formats assembly and initializes the Recognition engine.
    C#
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    namespace my_first_OCR_project
{
   class Program
   {
     public void OCRFile(string fileToBeRecognizedPath)
     {
       // Initialize the license.
       ImGearEvaluationManager.Initialize();
       ImGearEvaluationManager.Mode = ImGearEvaluationMode.Watermark;
       // Initialize the common formats.
       ImGearCommonFormats.Initialize();
       // Initialize the Recognition object.
       ImGearRecognition igRecognition = new ImGearRecognition();
       ImGearPage igPage;
    VB.NET
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    Module Module1
  Public Sub OCRFile(fileToOCR As String)
    ' Initialize the license.
    ImGearEvaluationManager.Initialize()
    ImGearEvaluationManager.Mode = ImGearEvaluationMode.Watermark
    ' Initialize the common formats.
    ImGearCommonFormats.Initialize()
    ' Initialize the Recognition object.
    Dim igRecognition As New ImGearRecognition()
    Dim igPage As ImGearPage
  1. Add the following code to load the image, and set the ImGearRecPage.
    C#
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    using (FileStream localFile = new FileStream(fileToBeRecognizedPath, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read))
   igPage = ImGearFileFormats.LoadPage(localFile, 0);
ImGearRecPage igRecPage = igRecognition.ImportPage((ImGearRasterPage)igPage);
    VB.NET
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    Using localFile As New FileStream(fileToOCR, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read)
   igPage = ImGearFileFormats.LoadPage(localFile, 0)
End Using
Dim igRecPage As ImGearRecPage = igRecognition.ImportPage(DirectCast(igPage, ImGearRasterPage))
  1. Add the following code to preprocess the image, and output the data to the console.
    C#
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    igRecPage.Image.Preprocess();
igRecPage.Recognize();
Console.Write(igRecPage.Text);
    VB.NET
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    igRecPage.Image.Preprocess()
igRecPage.Recognize()
Console.Write(igRecPage.Text)
  1. Add the following code to dispose the igRecognition and page object.
    C#
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    // You must explicitly call the page/document dispose method before calling igRecognition.Dispose()
   igRecPage.Dispose();
   igRecognition.Dispose();
    VB.NET
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    ' You must explicitly call the page/document dispose method before calling igRecognition.Dispose()
 igRecPage.Dispose()
 igRecognition.Dispose()
  1. Finally, add in the Main function, the OCRFile method passing in your image, and output to the console.
    C#
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    static void Main(string[] args)
  {
     Program myProgram = new Program();
     myProgram.OCRFile(@"C:\PATHTOOCR\FILENAME.tif");
   }
    VB.NET
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        Sub Main()
        OCRFile("C:\PATHTOOCR\FILENAME.tif")
     End Sub
 End Module

 

 

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