ActiveX for Signature Pad

[DaBoomer]

Re: ActiveX for Signature Pad

OK, 1st time I've tried requesting help in this forum. I'm sure you've heard this a 1,000 times, but I am so new to this my born-on-date is nov07.... who knows about expiration date.
I am using peaces of your code to do the ID card photo thing, and I am testing with a free activex I found in a different post in the forum "ezvidC60.ocx" from shrinkwrapvb.com. I wroe a very basic code to take a single snapshot and save it to a file, but I keep getting an error and I don't know if it is a problem with the activex or my coding. Here is my simple code:

tw = ole.create("vbVidC60.ezVidCap")

photostart:

a5.Minimize()

tw.SaveSingleFrame("c:\photo.jpg")

a5.Maximize()


Shouldn't this save the snapshot to the root of c?
I get an ole Automation Error, method not found...

Any help you or any of the other pro's here can provide is greatly appreciated....cause I'm stumped
DanH

[Tom Henkel]

Re: ActiveX for Signature Pad

Dan,

I didn't see any "acquire" type of activity. To see what methods and properties are available with the acquire software, in the interactive window, after you do the tw = OLE.CREATE(), do a ?tw. This will display a list of those methods that you can use. There should be some sort of documentation available with the product that you can reference. In my code, "photostart:" is just a label for reference. It has no executable function. I see that you have a "savetofile", but what I don't see is some sort of acquire process(shown below in red).

photostart:
a5.Minimize()

[B][COLOR="Red"]tw.acquire()[/COLOR][/B]
a5.Maximize()	

filename = "F:\photo"+chr(92)+alltrim(str(employee->badge_no))+".jpg"
oldfile =  "F:\photo"+chr(92)+alltrim(str(employee->badge_no))+"o.jpg"

if file.exists(oldfile)
	file.remove(oldfile)
end if
if file.exists(filename)
	file.rename(filename,oldfile)
end if
tw.savetofile(filename)

Do a little more research into the actual photo acquire with the software you have, and I think you will have better results. The .acquire and .savetofile in my code are specific to the twain software I am using. There may be similar functions in your software, but they may not be exactly the same.

Tom

[DaBoomer]

Re: ActiveX for Signature Pad

Thankyou Tom,
The reason the Method not Found, was actually because the method was not found!!! Imagine that. I was trying different Twain Activex controls, and what happened was amethod from a different activex was in there, as well as the "No Aquire" problem
What I found in A5V8, is the interactive window will show the methods from an old ole.create even though I changed it to the new activex.
I have given up on that activex though, I could not make it work. I found a fair priced one from ciansoft and it works. Now I am trying to figure out your filenaming using the id number. It it exactly what i want to do, but it tells me the field isnt found. I'm using my table and field names not yours and I changed the drive to C. Was there code you had to place elswhere in your form for the filename to includ the id number from the record?
I will keep hammering on it.
Thanks for your help!

DanH

[DaBoomer]

Re: ActiveX for Signature Pad

OK, I figured out the Table.Open, but I still get an error and I can't tell why.

tw = ole.create("twaincontrolxtrial.twain")

table.open("employee")

tw.CurrentDevice = "0"

tw.Acquire()

filename = "C:\photo"+chr(92)+alltrim(str(employee->EmpRcd_ID))+".jpg"

tw.SaveToFile(filename)

ERROR: OLE Automation Error. Source is TwainControlXTrial.Twain."
Cannot create file C:\photo\1.jpg"

Any ideas??

[DaBoomer]

Re: ActiveX for Signature Pad

Oh Man, my photo folder is PHOTOS
struggled with that for a long time....
One little letter took me hour, don't know if I can hack being a database designer!

[Bob Arbuthnot]

Re: ActiveX for Signature Pad

don't know if I can hack being a database designer!

But you'll get an incredible sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when you finally get it to work the way you want!

ba

[Tom Henkel]

Re: ActiveX for Signature Pad

Dan,

Guess what? I tried several "free" active x components, and finally settled on Ciansoft. That was the only one I actually got working to my satisfaction. My ID number is either a client's case number (in the record) or an employee's badge number( also in the record.)

Tom

[DaBoomer]

Re: ActiveX for Signature Pad

Tom, since we are using the same control maybe you can tell me. Everytime I click my snapshot button, a secondary window opens with the video feed on the left, and a tiny pic on the right of every single capture I have done before it. Now, when I click the capture button in that screen, it makes a tiny pic of the capture in the right and goes to it automatically, so this is a trivial event, but I would rather just display the snapshot in my form.... long question short, is this capture screen part of the activex or is it from my OS.... I know it isnt the camera because the logitech capture screen is way different. If it is part of the control, were you able to disable it or do you use it?

DanH

[Tom Henkel]

Re: ActiveX for Signature Pad

Tom, since we are using the same control maybe you can tell me. Everytime I click my snapshot button, a secondary window opens with the video feed on the left, and a tiny pic on the right of every single capture I have done before it. Now, when I click the capture button in that screen, it makes a tiny pic of the capture in the right and goes to it automatically, so this is a trivial event, but I would rather just display the snapshot in my form.... long question short, is this capture screen part of the activex or is it from my OS.... I know it isnt the camera because the logitech capture screen is way different. If it is part of the control, were you able to disable it or do you use it?

DanH

Dan,

It certainly isn't part of the twain software, and I don't think it has anything to do with the Active-x. We use a Kodak DVC 325 camera, and I actually minimize Alpha when I go to the capture. The Kodak software takes over, and gives me a new window for taking the picture. Once I click OK to the picture, Alpha takes control again, where I again relinquish control, this time to a photo editor so that the worker can crop the picture. When that is done, I take back control and update my form with the newly taken and edited picture. Here is the complete bit of code for the capture. I noticed you are using the trial version. There is a restriction in the trial about saving to file.

tw = ole.create("TwainControlX.Twain")
'this is where we select the appropriate twain device
'Our signature pad is also twain enabled, and I need to get the camera now
for i = 0 to tw.devicecount
	if tw.devicename(i) = "Kodak DVC325 Digital Video Camera"
		tw.currentdevice = i
	end if
next i
photostart:
'clear alpha from the screen
a5.Minimize()

tw.acquire()

'bring it back
a5.Maximize()	

filename = "g:\images"+chr(92)+ut(image->image)+".jpg"
oldfile =  "g:\images"+chr(92)+ut(image->image)+"o.jpg"
if file.exists(oldfile)
	file.remove(oldfile)
end if
if file.exists(filename)
	file.rename(filename,oldfile)
end if
tw.savetofile(filename)
'now resynch to the new file
if .not.file.exists(filename)
	'user hit "cancel" in photo prog
	ui_msg_box(Agency +" Photo Capture","Action Cancelled at User Request")
	file.rename(oldfile,filename)
	goto getsig
end if

if file.exists(filename) then 
'this is where I open the default photo editor to allow for cropping
	sys_open(filename)
else
	ui_msg_box("Error Opening File","File "+ filename +" does not exist.",ui_stop_symbol)
end if 

'back in alpha,  display the photo that was just taken for approval or retry
'display a message box
f = file.open(filename,FILE_RO_SHARED)
ui_bitmap_load("temp",f.readb(10000000))
f.close()
DIM SHARED varC_result1 as C
heading_string = "Is the Picture OK?"
yes_button_label = "&Yes"
no_button_label = "&No"
cancel_button_label = "&Cancel"
varC_result1 = ui_dlg_box("Photo Confirmation",<<%dlg%
	{region}
	{text=30,1:heading_string};
	{endregion};
	{region}
	{image=temp}
	{endregion};
	{line=1,0};
	{region}
	<*15=yes_button_label!Yes> <*15=no_button_label!No> <15=cancel_button_label!Cancel>
	{endregion};
	%dlg%)
if varC_Result1 = "No"
	ui_msg_box(Agency+" Photo Capture","Please Try Again")
	file.remove(filename)
	file.rename(oldfile,filename)
	goto photostart
  elseif varC_Result1 = "Cancel"
	ui_msg_box(Agency+" Photo Capture","Action Cancelled at User Request")
	end
  else
  	topparent:Bitmap1.bitmap.filename = filename
	parentform.Refresh_Layout()
	
end if

My guess with your situation is that whatever software is actually controlling the camera, not the twain interface, or Alpha, is keeping sone sort of link to the folder where you keep your photos, and displays thumbnails of all previous photos. In my case, that would be insane as I have about 22000 client photos in the folder.

Tom

[DaBoomer]

Re: ActiveX for Signature Pad

Thanks for all your help Tom... care to take a stab at what I think is my final problem?

This is real basic code just to make it work, so i havent done commenting or error dialogues.

I placed the (PICFILE) variable in the init section of the form it simply reads

table.open("Employee")
dim global picfile as c
picfile = "C:\photos"+chr(92)+alltrim(str(employee->Emp_fname))+"_"+alltrim(str(employee->Emp_lname))+".jpg"


This is my OnPush button
tw = ole.create("twaincontrolx.twain")
tw.CurrentDevice = "0"
tw.Acquire()
tw.SaveToFile(picfile)

if file.exists(picfile)
tbl = table.current()
tbl.change_begin()
tbl.Emp_Photo = image_filename_encode(picfile)
tbl.change_end(.t.)
end if

parentform.Refresh_Layout()

My problem is, this works great for existing records, but when I do a new record, i get an error about the tbl.change_begin already began.

If I remove that, then new records work fine, but existing records dont work because change_begin hasnt begun.

I have tried so many different things i've confused myself. i tried an
if tbl.mode_get() = 1 then
tbl.change_end
but this doesnt work

any ideas???


DanH

[Tom Henkel]

Re: ActiveX for Signature Pad

You said, "When I enter a New Record". This is indicating that the table is open for enter. You need to check that the table is in "edit mode"


wrap this around your "Change Begin" and "Change End" statements, NOT the code between.

If Tbl.mode_get() =0
                   Change_begin()
          End if

...  Your Code Here


If Tbl.mode_get() =2
                   Change_end()
          End if

This should aleviate your "already in change mode issue"