Chapter 1

1

Welcome to halFILE

Welcome! This chapter introduces you to the halFILE Document Manager and provides you with an overview of the contents of this User Manual.

About halFILE

halFILE is designed to provide for the management of your documents in an advanced yet easy to use environment. halFILE handles your documents from capture to indexing to storage to search and retrieval, and provides a variety of tools to streamline the process.

Document Capture

halFILE scans (local or remote), imports, and captures the printed output. The system can handle typical business documents in a variety of formats including TIFF, JPEG, PDF, and Office documents.

Document Indexing

halFILE provides sophisticated database support using powerful Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) drivers. Databases can include a variety of fields and validation types that can be populated by keyboard entry, barcode, database lookups and real-time Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

Document Archiving

halFILE can archive documents to a variety of media including WORM, magneto-optical, magnetic disk, network storage devices and CD-ROM. Archiving can be performed automatically as a nightly service.

Document Search

halFILE\’s powerful search engine lets you find and view your documents quickly. Reports of database information can be generated using powerful Crystal Reports.

Web Enabling

With e.halFILE, our web-based add-on product, you can web-enable your database search and document retrieval seamlessly.

Chapter Contents

Chapter 1: Welcome to halFILE™

Welcome! This chapter introduces you to halFILE™, the leader in document management and imaging, and provides you with an overview of this manual.

Chapter 2: Overview

HalFILE 3.0 is a major product release. This chapter tells you about new features and enhancements and describes the upgrade process from prior releases.

Chapter 3: System Setup

The steps used to install halFILE and set up hardware and software components is covered in this chapter. It also lists the system requirements, and tells how to set up special halFILE features. This chapter covers the halFILE Administrator in detail.

Chapter 4: Capturing Documents

This chapter describes how to scan, import, and capture the printed output to introduce new documents to halFILE.

Chapter 5: Indexing Documents

An explanation of how key word indices are entered, how barcodes can be used, how database lookups can streamline the index process and how "real-time" OCR works can be found in this chapter.

Chapter 6: Archiving Document Images

This chapter describes how images are moved to permanent storage such as optical disk cartridges or magnetic disk. It also discusses back up strategies for image files and the process of making CD-ROM copies of images.

Chapter 7: Search for Documents

This chapter provides an explanation of searching for documents and viewing and printing the database information and related images.

Chapter 8: Tools

A number of special tools and features of halFILE are available to you. This chapter covers these tools and discusses when they are best implemented.

Chapter 9: Other halFILE Features

This chapter describes some of the additional features you will find in halFILE.

Chapter 10: Security

halFILE provides powerful security features covered in this chapter on security.

Appendix I: Compatible Scanners and Engines

This appendix defines scanners, scanner cards, and other tools to use with halFILE.

Appendix II: Enabling Other Application

This chapter explains the halFILE API, an add-on product that can be used to image-enable your own Windows applications.

Appendix III: Building a Sample Application

In this chapter, you will find the steps used to build and use a sample application.

Appendix IV: Importing Other Document Types into halFILE

This describes how halFILE can be used to manage Associated Documents such as Acrobat PDF files, Word documents, and Excel Spreadsheets.

Appendix V: Text File Support

This section describes our add-on Text File Support product, halCOLD/ERM (Enterprise Report Management).

Appendix VI: Add-On Applications

This appendix provides a brief description of other utilities and applications available from hal Systems Corporation.

Appendix VII: Hot Keys and Short Cuts

This appendix includes a table of hot keys and short cuts that will help you streamline the operation of halFILE.

Online Help

halFILE provides you with many support features to help you learn about the system. This includes the following:

1. Context-sensitive help accessed by pressing the F1 key.
2. Help menus to provide access to on-line help file for each module including the Table of Contents, an Index and a full text Search of the help file.
3. Help menu to provide access to the complete manual with Table of Contents, Index and Full Text Search.
4. Help menu to access halFILE\’s web site, [www.halfile.com-http://www.halfile.com/], which provides an extensive technical support area to help to provide answers to problems, white paper and supporting documentation, and a knowledge base. Once you reach the web site, check out the Support and My halFILE links.

Search the halFILE Knowledge

In the Support area of [www.halfile.com.-http://www.halfile.com./], the "halFILE Knowledge Base" link lets you search our database of technical support incidents that describe resolutions to problems that have been encountered in the past.

Supporting Documentation

In the Support area of [www.halfile.com-http://www.halfile.com/], the Supporting Documentation link provides specific application support for add-on and feature products that are part of the halFILE family. The documents are provided in Acrobat PDF format.

Tech Support Briefs / White Papers

In the Support area of [www.halfile.com-http://www.halfile.com/], the Tech Support Briefs/White Papers link provides white papers and briefs about specific applications of halFILE as well as solutions to common issues.

HalFILE Users Group (HUG)

When you purchased halFILE, you became a member of the halFILE Users Group (HUG). The HUG web site can be reached by clicking the HUG logo on [www.halfile.com-http://www.halfile.com/] or by going to http://hug.halfile.com. Here you can find information about past and future HUG Conferences, training seminars, and items of interest to halFILE users.

Product registration

The first time you go into halFILE, you are shown a registration form. Once you fill out the form, it is automatically sent it to halFILE Technical Support. Issues with installation and registration may be directed to:

E-mail: [support@halfile.com-mailto:support@halfile.com]

Technical Support

Technical Support is provided to registered users having an active maintenance agreement. Technical support is available in the following methods:

Web site: [www.halfile.com-http://www.halfile.com/] Supporting Documentation, Tech Support Briefs, White Papers

E-mail: [support@halfile.com-mailto:support@halfile.com]

Fax: 214.691.4730

Phone: 877.425.3453 (877.halfile) 512.892.0972 214.691.4700

When you submit a technical support request, be sure to include the following information:

• A full description of the problem
• The error message you are getting
• Environment information including:

- Product Serial Number or Client Number - Windows version (Windows XP, 2000, Vista) - Network type - Scanner make and model (if applicable) - PC memory - Database Platform (SQL Server, MSDE, Sybase) and version

Technical support connections to your computer are supported with the following applications:

• PcAnywhere
• Remote Desktop
• halFILE HelpDesk

The halFILE HelpDesk communications tool lets you share your computer with a tech support analyst. To use the help desk feature:

• Select the Help-Share computer with Tech Support from the halFILE Manager menu.
• Go to [www.halfile.com-http://www.halfile.com/] and click on My halFILE. Then select the Share your computer with a tech support analyst link