From 6.1, support for Windows Image Acquisition has been added to Adlib. With this functionality you can link images to records in Adlib, images that you create at that same moment and save in a desired format in a folder of your choice, with a device for making still images that is connected to your computer: these are devices like scanners, digital photo camera's, web cams or digital video camera's. In other words: when you fill in a visual documentation record, you can scan an image or make a picture from within Adlib, save this image any way you choose, and link it to the current record immediately. And all this in a few simple steps. A prerequisite is that the relevant device* supports WIA (you can check this in the documentation of the device), and that you have a Windows XP or higher system.

Preparing your application for WIA

To be able to read in images with WIA when you create a visual documentation record, it is necessary to make a few settings for the image reference field (usually B1 in version 3.4 or older applications, and FN in version 3.5 or newer applications) in your visual documentation database (usually photo), through Axiell Designer. Only for fields of the data type Image you can make these settings: a properties tab is present for such a selected data dictionary field in the Application browser, called Image properties.

1.First choose a File name assignment type. You can choose between From field content or Automatic sequential generation:
•From field content means that the user has to enter a new file name manually for the image that will be read in subsequently, when generating an image to be linked for an image reference field, via the From scanner or camera... button in Adlib. (See the Adlib user guide, for button icons used in Adlib.)
•Automatic sequential generation means that the user reads in a new image through the From scanner or camera... button, without having to enter a file name for it, because that name will be generated automatically via an auto-numbering format.
Of course, for creating a link to an image, the user also still has the possibility to select an existing image file via the Finding image file… button.
2.If you chose From field content, the options in the File name generation box are read-only; with this input method file names cannot be generated automatically.
For Automatic sequential generation, setting the File name generation is mandatory, because file names of images to be read must be generated and saved automatically.
The file name generation uses auto-numbering to be able to generate a new file name for each new file. The file name is put together here in a similar way to autonumbered fields.

After setting these properties, your application is ready to import images through WIA.

Creating and importing images through WIA, from within Adlib

1.Connect your WIA compatible device to the computer, if that hasn't been done yet.
2.In your Adlib application, open the database in which the adjusted Image field appears, for instance Visual documentation.
3.Open a new or existing record to which you want to link a reproduction image yet to be created, and place the cursor in the Image field, for instance Identifier (URL) in older applications or Reproduction reference in newer applications.
4.Click the From scanner or camera… button in the toolbar.
5.If you had set the File name assignment type for this field to From field content, then a standard window appears: Save image as… Search the desired folder to save the new image in, type a file name, choose a file type, and click Save.
If you had set the File name assignment type to Automatic sequential generation, then the Save image as… window is skipped because the file name will be generated automatically.
6.A WIA device dependent dialog appears with which you can make the new image, have it saved automatically, and directly include the appropriate link in the Identifier (URL) or Reproduction reference field. The created image is also immediately visible in the Image viewer.
See the documentation of the relevant device for an explanation of the options that the interface offers when making the image.

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* Whether a device supports WIA actually depends on its driver software. Driver software (which can be updated), is either provided by Microsoft and is built into the Windows operating system by default, and/or provided by the manufacturer of the device. If the documentation of your imaging device doesn't mention WIA support, then please contact the relevant manufacturer (e.g. through their web site) and inquire about a driver supporting WIA.