Large script project...

To give an overview of what I’m working on: I would like to place a piece of paper on my flatbed scanner (HP PSC 1350) and with one click, accomplish the following:

Open ReadIris 11
Aquire Document
Perform Automatic OCR
Save output as PDF (image-text)
Send output to smartfolder (call it "to shrink)
Upon entering folder, run through PDFShrink application
Save output to smartfolder (call it “to DTPro”)
Upon entering folder, import ino DTPro
DTPro preferences set to import all docs into “Incoming” folder

Now, what I need help with:

I dont know if it is even possible to get these components to work together to accomplish this. As I understand it, much of the scripting limitations are placed not by the author of the script, but the applescript support of the applications.

So, If it’s not too much to ask, could any applescript pros out there let me know a go or a no-go on my intended workflow?

I wont ask you to do the work for me, just let me know if it CAN be done, and thus is worth investing my time to figure out a script to write.

If not, please give me your best advice on how to accomplish this workflow with as little as possible user interaction.

Thanks in advance!

I guess this should be possible by using folder actions. Some HP scanners (or at least officejets) include software which is able to easily create similar workflows, e.g. to scan & OCR to DEVONthink. But I haven’t launched this software for a long time as it’s been quite unstable over here :-/

Sir, you are correct on the stability issues of the HP software. Its no better over here. I had to call tech support (ugh…) 4 times just to update the driver to Tiger.

I will try the folder actions method.

One odd occurence, Im trying to attatch the import folder action included in DTPro. I have attatched the script, enabled folder actions, and configured it, but when I drop a pdf file into the folder, it doesnt import it into DTPro. I tried to open the script in editor, compile, and save. Then I tried the process again, with no dice.

As this is the first time I have tried to use folder actions, am I missing a step here?

Please copy the folder action script to “/Library/Scripts/Folder Actions Scripts” and attach the script again - otherwise the script isn’t executed (only Apple knows why).

I haven’t posted for a while but the Readiris thing frustrated me.
Finally I found a workable way.
Use the aquire button in Readiris --don’t use applescript to scan.
Set Readiris to output to an applet that you make with applescript with the import to your group directed in the applet. Something in the timing doesn’t work right unless you give Readiris full control until it has scanned and OCRed. If you try to do it all in applescript the script runs through before RI has finished it’s work.

I use this method. Hope this helps.
Mike

Mike:

I’ve got a CanoScan USB 2.0 LIDE500F and ReadIRIS Pro 11.

Canon has an Intel Mac driver and software for the CanoScan, so I was able to install it on my MacBook Pro last night.

I’ll need to scan some multipage documents into the MBP. Given the slow scan speed and the need to manually remove and insert each page, I gave up entirely on any automation procedure, except the Action Folder approach.

Everything works. I’ve turned off Automatic OCR in ReadIRIS, so that I can acquire several pages of scans before clicking on Recognize. The result is a multipage PDF that ReadIRIS saves to the folder to which the Folder Action script is attached. Once the file is saved into the folder, it’s automatically imported to DT Pro.

The Canon flatbed scanner is too slow (especially by comparison to the Fujitsu ScanSnap) to realize the dream of a paperless office. But my setup is portable enough to take to the library when I’m looking for stuff that’s not on the Web. For home office use, though, I’m planning on the Fujitsu scanner.

Bill,
Thanks for the reply. I also use a Canoscan for portability. As I read my earlier reply I might have been confusing. I also have an HP 5590 with ADF. It works very well for just loading a (small) pile of papers, one or two sided scanning. Use aquire in Readiris, answer a dialog in HP’s scan driver and (wait a while) and I have searchable PDFs in Devonthink. That’s what I use DT for. Dump it and forget it–nice to know I can find it quickly later.

Thanks, Mike