Scan-IT to Office FAQ


Scan-IT to Office App

Scan-IT to Office - History

App: Will Data Be Lost Without an Internet / Add-In Connection?

Don't worry, if the connection to the Internet / Add-In is lost during data collection the data won't get lost:

  • If offline, captured data is stored in the History as unsent (see picture).
  • The app transmits this data automatically when the Internet connection is restored.
  • The data is forwarded in the same order as it was captured.
  • Users can also manually resend individual data records from the history or resend the complete history, if required.

Please refer to the Scan-IT to Office User Manual for further information.

App: How to Activate a Bulk License

Requirements

Android users need to download and install Scan-IT to Office from the Scan-IT to Office download page, or they can use the app version from Managed Google Play (the organization ID must be sent to TEC-IT). The public Google Play version will not accept activation keys.

iOS users can download Scan-IT to Office via our Scan-IT to Office download page or directly from the App Store.

Instructions

Please, follow the instructions on the Licensing FAQ page.

App: Auto-Import License and/or Settings File

For auto-import (on multiple Android devices) place the TEC-IT activation file (or license file) in one of the supported folders on the device. The app validates the license during startup (or when you open the Subscriptions view).

  • Scan-IT to Office 4.2.0 or later:
    Use the external app folder /sdcard/Android/data/com.tecit.android.bluescanner.office/files
    (or /sdcard/Android/data/com.tecit.android.bluescanner.office.moas/files for the Private / Managed Google Play version).
    Please note that this folder is not available before the first app start. For license distribution via Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution, it may be necessary to automatically create this folder.
  • Scan-IT to Office prior to 4.2.0:
    Use the download folder /sdcard/Download

Settings can be imported in the same way: Rename the exported settings file to ScanItToOfficePrefs.xml and place it in that folder. It will be automatically loaded on startup.

Please note:
Alternatively, you have the possibility to distribute activation keys and app settings via managed app configuration (MDM). In this case no files are needed. The settings are directly provided via the Device Management Software. Requires Scan-IT to Office version 4.5.0+.

App: How to Upload Customer Specific Forms

Android

  1. Open the HTML Form file (eg. MyForm.html) on the device for example by opening the mail attachment or by opening the file in a file manager app.
  2. Select Open With -> Scan-IT to Office
  3. The Form should now appear in the app in Forms -> Uploaded Forms

iOS

  1. Open the HTML Form file (eg. MyForm.html) on the device for example by opening the mail attachment or by opening the file in the Files app.
  2. Tap the iOS upload button button and select Copy to Scan-IT
  3. The Form should now appear in the app in Forms -> Uploaded Forms

Alternatively you can upload the form files from your Mac to your iOS device using File Sharing. The next few steps show how it works:

  1. Open Finder on your Mac
  2. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac
  3. Select your iOS device in Finder
  4. Select the Files tab
  5. Drag and drop your form file on Scan-IT
  6. Restart the app on your device
  7. The uploaded form is now displayed in your app

    Customer Specific Form Upload
Note: If you are using Windows or an older version of macOS (Mojave or lower) you can find the File Sharing feature in iTunes. For further information, check out this FAQ or see Apple Support.

App: How to Upload Customer Specific Forms via File Sharing (iOS)

You can copy files between your computer and apps on your iOS device using File Sharing with Apple iTunes. The next few steps show how it works:

  1. Open iTunes on your Mac or PC
  2. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer
  3. Click your device in iTunes
    Input form Upload
  4. In the left sidebar, click File Sharing
  5. Select the Scan-IT to Office App
  6. Drag and drop files from a folder in the documents list or click Add.
  7. iTunes copies these files to the app on your device
  8. Restart the Scan-IT to Office App on your device
  9. The uploaded custom forms are now displayed in your app
    Input form Upload
For further information about file sharing with iTunes, please check out the Apple Support.

App: Import/Export Custom Forms on Android

  • Manual import/export:
    The App stores custom forms in an internal app directory that cannot be directly accessed via file managers (applies to versions 4.2.0+).
    • To import a form click on an .sto file in your file manager.
    • To export a form use the share function in the Form editor or long-tap on the required form in the Form manager and select Share.
    Note: All custom forms will be deleted when uninstalling the app (or when clearing the app data), so make sure you export the required forms before that.

  • Auto-import of old forms (from an app version preceding 4.2.0):
    On the first start of the form manager, the app automatically recovers old forms saved with previous app versions (prior to 4.2.0).
    To be able to access all previously created forms without any further actions, please make sure the Storage permission is granted.
    The auto-import option may become unavailable on Android 11+ devices in future App versions.

App: OCR Scanner Won’t Start – Error: 'Failure, try again in a few minutes'

Launching the OCR scanner on Android results in the following error message 'Failure, try again in a few minutes. If the problem persists contact support@tec-it.com'.

The error message 'Failure, try again in a few minutes' means that the OCR library is trying to download the text detection module from the Web. Ways to fix it:

  • Make sure your internet connection is active.
  • Wait for some time to check if the module can be loaded. Please don’t stop the app while waiting.
  • Clear the data of the Google Play Services App. Here you can find the “How-To” steps (taken from the Google Play Help page):

    • 1. Open the Settings of your Android device.
    • 2. Tap Apps & notifications.
    • 3. Open Google Play Services. If you don't see it in the list, tap See all apps first and then select Google Play Services.
    • 4. Tap Storage 🡒 Clear cache.
    • 5. Open the Google Play Store app.
    • 6. Wait for 5 minutes, then try your download again.

App: How to Cancel, Pause or Change a Subscription

App subscriptions purchased on Google Play or App Store are auto-renewing by default. In case you want to cancel, pause or renew the subscription, follow the steps in the links below:

On Android, you may cancel a subscription also from within the app: Open the Scan-IT to Office menu, tap Buy subscription, tap Manage Subscription, tap the active subscription and finally tap Cancel subscription.

App: How to Connect Multiple Add-Ins?

If you want to forward captured data to multiple target documents (e.g. in case of multiple locations, offices, etc.), you have to connect the Scan-IT to Office App with further Add-Ins:

  • Open the main menu (Open contextual menu) of your Scan-IT to Office App.
  • Select Add Connection from the menu
  • Select Scan QR-Code and scan the QR code® of the Add-In you want to pair
    (In the Add-In you can show the QR-code with the button Add Phone (Add Phone) below your Configured Phones list)
  • Repeat these steps with as many Add-Ins as you like :)
All currently connected Add-Ins and their connection states, are listed in the app item Show Connections in the main menu (Open contextual menu)

App: How Can I Use the Zebra TC57 Built-In Scanner?

Use the DataWedge tool from Zebra. It can forward the data from the barcode scanner to associated applications.

DataWedge provides barcode scanning and processing services for Zebra devices running Android. Included with every Zebra device, DataWedge enables all apps on the device (whether stock or added later) to acquire scanned data without using scanner APIs directly.

Note: The DataWedge profile must be configured for Keystroke Output.

Sample workflow:

  1. In the Scan-IT to Office form you can use a normal text input field instead of a barcode field.
  2. Set the cursor into the required input field
  3. Scan data with the device's built-in barcode scanner
  4. Data from the Data Wedge will be inserted into the field.

Related links:


Scan-IT to Office Add-Ins/Tools

STO App Form

How to Send Form Data to Different Sheets

Sometimes you may want to create multiple forms and send each form to its own sheet in your spreadsheet.

This can be solved with a Macro in Excel or with Google Apps Script in Google Sheets.
By adding a Static Text field with a category identifier to your forms the Macro/Script can identify the category of the captured data and move it to the desired sheet automatically.

Scan-IT to Office APP:

  1. Add two new forms or edit your existing forms and add a “Static Text” field to each form.
  2. Set the values of the “Static Text” fields to your desired category names
    (in this example we used “Cat1” and “Cat2”).
  3. Make sure the “Static Text” field is the first field in your forms.
  4. You may also want to hide the “Static Text” fields.






STO Add In

Microsoft Excel:

  1. Download the sample spreadsheet and open it in Excel.
  2. Insert the Scan-IT to Office Add-In.
  3. Select “Insert after last non-empty row” in the Add-In options and make sure “ScanData” is selected.
  4. Open the “Categories” sheet and change the values under “Category” to match the values of the “Static Text” fields.
  5. If you want to rename your Sheets you also need to change the values under “Sheet” accordingly.
  6. STO Excel Values
  7. Note: Do not rename the “ScanData” sheet and the “Categories” sheet otherwise the Macro will stop working.






STO Sheets Add Trigger

Google Sheets:

  1. Open our sample spreadsheet.
  2. Choose File -> Make a copy to make an editable copy of the sample.
  3. Open the script editor select Tools -> Script editor.
  4. In the script editor add a new trigger to the sheet
    Edit -> Current project’s triggers -> + Add Trigger
    Change the “Select event time” to “on change” and save the changes.
  5. Insert the Scan-IT to Office Add-On into the spreadsheet or connect to the “ScanData” sheet via Google Sheets (Drive) connection.
  6. If you are using the Add-On select "Insert after last non-empty row” in the Add-On options and make sure “ScanData” is selected.
  7. Open the “Categories” sheet and change the values under “Category” to match the values of the “Static Text” fields.
  8. If you want to rename your Sheets you also need to change the values under “Sheet” accordingly.
    STO Sheets Value
  9. Note: Do not rename the “ScanData” sheet and the “Categories” sheet otherwise the Google Script will stop working.

Office Add-In: Data Can’t Be Sent to Word or Excel Document

Problem: The target document (Microsoft Office) does not receive the sent data.

Solution: Please make sure, that all available Windows and Office updates are installed!

Related Links:

Office Add-In: All Scanned Data Is Inserted into the Same Cell

Problem: When using Microsoft Excel 2013, the selection does not move automatically to the next cell after inserting. All captured data is inserted into the same cell.

Solution: This feature is available for the following applications:

  • Microsoft Excel 2016 (or newer)
  • Microsoft Excel Online
  • Google Sheets
Workaround: You can also try to use a VBA Macro 🠢 see sample spreadsheet.

When using Microsoft Office 2016, please make sure, that all available Windows and Office updates are installed!
Related Links:

Office Add-In: How to Use Developer Mode

JavaScript action endpoints under developer tools section are used to customize the data acquisition logic when scanning data into Excel worksheets. With the help of JavaScript and the Office-JS API you are able to:

  • Insert data into specific worksheet fields,
  • Check if a data entry is eligible for insertion,
  • Perform arbitrary lookups and validations,
  • Send feedback to the device, etc.

Our demo endpoints show examples of how inserts can be manipulated.

STO Add In developer mode

Here is how you can download sample Excel sheets:

STO Add In

Note: The JavaScript action is triggered only if a matching action name (see "Supported Actions") is sent from the data entry form in the Scan-IT to Office app. Currently, this feature is only supported by custom forms.

Debugging: For custom scripts, use the log tab to see errors and debug with the addLogEntry function as shown in the JavaScript code section.

STO Add In

Note: Once a JS action endpoint is deleted, it cannot be recovered.

The Backup/Restore feature allows you to save and load endpoint scripts and AddIn settings locally. This enables us to create custom JS action endpoints and share them with our users.

STO Add In

Additionally, users can backup their custom JS action endpoints and transfer them between devices.

Office Add-In: Image Support Is Not Available

Scanned images are not transferred to Office documents. You receive the following error message: Oops, unfortunately image support is not available in this Office application. Check out the FAQ for details.

Solution: Image support is available for the following applications:

  • Microsoft Word/Excel for Windows (2016 or later)
  • Microsoft Word/Excel for Mac (15.20 or later)
  • Microsoft Word Online
  • Google Sheets Add-In

Office Add-In: Unsupported Server Location on Android Devices

Disable DOM Storage Error Message

If you download the Scan-IT Office Add-In on your Android device, the file can't be opened and/or installed, because this Add-In is only supported on desktop devices. You receive the following error message: Can’t open file. Sorry, Scan-IT-to-Office---Barcodescanner-for-Office.xlsx is stored in an unsupported server location.

Solution 1: Insert the Add-In directly into your Office application:

  • Go to the menu bar and click Insert
  • Now choose My Add-Ins
  • Open the store and search for Scan-IT to Office
  • Click on Add

Solution 2: Download the Add-In from Microsoft AppSource on your Desktop PC or Mac.

Office Add-In (macOS): Can’t Send Barcode Data…

You receive the following error message in the Scan-IT to Office App if you send data to Office on Mac OS: Can’t send barcode data to a Microsoft Office document. Please connect this app with Microsoft Office. This error message is displayed if a connection between App and Add-In is lost or was never established.

Solution 1: Deactivate computer sleep mode in the system settings under Energy Saver on Mac OS.

Solution 2: Re-pair the Scan-IT to Office App with the Scan-IT to Office Add-In. Contact support@tec-it.com in case of recurring problems.

Image FAQ

Office Add-In: Is Displayed Incompletely

The Scan-IT to Office Add-In looks inactive and only displays the buttons "Phones", "Log" and "Options" without functionality.

Solution: Add the Scan-IT to Office Add-In as a trusted site as follows:

  • Start Internet Explorer.
  • Click on the icon Icon Settings and then on Internet Options.
  • Open the tab Security and then select the Trusted Sites zone.
  • Click on the button Sites.
  • A dialog to add new trusted sites will appear.
  • Enter https://tecit-sto-office.azurewebsites.net in the text field and click the button Add.
  • Close Internet Explorer and restart your Office application. The Add-In should now be displayed correctly.
Another possible reason for this problem might be a disabled JavaScript setting. See next FAQ entry.
Enable JavaScript for Scan-IT to Office

Office Add-In: Does Not Work Because of Disabled JavaScript

JavaScript is required to use the Scan-IT to Office Add-In. If JavaScript is disabled, you receive the following error message: JavaScript is required to use this Add-In. Please check the FAQ to correct this.

Enable JavaScript by setting Active Scripting to Enable under Security - Custom - Custom level in your Internet Options.

Add-In App Error

Office Add-In: Does Not Work Because of an App Error

When you use Microsoft Office 2013 or later, you may receive the following error message: APP ERROR: This app could not be started. Close this dialog to ignore the problem or click "Restart" to try again.

Solution:

For Office 2013, first make sure that the update in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article is installed: Update KB2986156 for Office 2013 (May 12, 2015)

Re-enable protected mode for Restricted Sites in Internet Explorer:

  • Open the Internet Explorer and click the tools button Icon Settings, and then click Internet Options.
  • Click the Security tab, and then select the Restricted Sites Zone.
  • Select the Enable Protected Mode check box, and then click OK.
  • Restart Internet Explorer.
For further information on this topic, please check out the Microsoft Support.
DOM Storage is Not Available in Your Browser

Office Add-In: Settings Are Not Saved

The Scan-IT to Office Add-In shows the following error message: DOM storage is not available in your browser. The Add-In is operable but settings will not be saved permanently. Please check the FAQ to correct this.

Solution:

Make sure that in the Internet Properties of MS IE under Advanced - Security the option Enable DOM Storage is activated. We are not aware of any such settings for MS Edge.

Office Add-In: Find Value in Another Column or Sheet in Excel

In Microsoft Excel an article name (stored in a separate table) should be displayed automatically after a barcode was captured with Scan-IT to Office (e.g. for inventory).

With VLOOKUP, Microsoft Excel provides a lookup and reference function, which lets you lookup captured data in some table automatically. For example, you will find an item description based on the remotely captured item number.

VLOOKUP is composed as follows:

VLOOKUP Function in Excel
VLOOKUP (lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup]) 

Example:

  • =VLOOKUP(A5;ItemList!$A:$B;2)

Useful Links:

Google Sheets Add-On: Can’t Insert Data Because of Authorization Error

If a different account is logged in to Google Chrome than in Google Sheets, the add-on may not have write permissions for spreadsheets.

  • The following error message appears when opening the add-on:
    Error: Multiple accounts issues. Please log out of your account john.doe1@gmail.com to use Scan-IT to Office with the account john.doe2@gmail.com.
  • The following error message appears when scanning data :
    Error on Insert: ScriptError: Authorization is required to perform that action.

Workaround: To solve this problem, please try these two possibilities:

  • Log out or change the account that is logged in to the Chrome Browser.
  • Share the spreadsheet with the account logged into the Chrome Browser.

Google Sheets Add-On: Oops, Images Are Currently Not Supported

To insert data into Google Sheets, Scan-IT to Office provides 2 connection types:

Google Sheets (Drive):

  • Transmission of images is not supported.
  • Data is written into the sheet whenever the mobile App is online (you don’t need to keep the connected sheet open).
  • To write data from multiple devices into the same sheet, the spreadsheet must be shared with the Google accounts of users that should be able to insert data into the sheet.

Google Sheets (Add-On):

  • Supports transmission of images.
  • To write data into the target sheet, the Add-On must be installed on a Windows or macOS system, the sheet and the Add-On must stay open and online.

Solution:

To insert images into a Google Sheet, use the Google Sheets (Add-On) connection.
Click here for download and installation instructions

Google Sheets Add-On: Stops Receiving Data After a Period of Time

Connection between the app and the Google Sheets add-on is lost or interrupted after a period of time. Restarting the add-on helps but it makes using the app inconvenient.

This issue might be caused by a functionality of Google Chrome that closes unused/inactive connections. To change the setting, please, proceed as follows:

  1. Open a Google Sheets document
  2. Open the URL chrome://discards/ in a new browser tab
  3. Now search the line with the opened Google document and click on the Toggle button in the Auto Discardable column to disable this option (see the screenshot):

  4. Google Sheets Auto Discardable Settings

How to Correct the Time Stamp in Google Sheets?

The App uses the date/time settings of the mobile device and sends data with the timestamps converted to UTC+0 time. The targets receive the UTC+0 time and convert this value to the time zone used by the system or - in case of Google Sheets - to the time zone set for the spreadsheet.

Please check your Google spreadsheet settings:

  1. File
  2. Spreadsheet setting (set the required Locale and the time zone)
  3. Refresh the sheet

Scan-IT to Office Smart Database Connector

Smart Database Connector: How to Insert Images into SQL Server

Your requirement: I want to receive images in my database.

Solution: Images are transmitted to Smart Database Connector as a Base64 string. This string can be internally converted to an image by SQL Server. Below you’ll find a sample solution:

  1. Create two data fields:
    - for a Base64 string (nvarchar(MAX), allows nulls), e.g. ImageBase64
    - for binary data (varbinary(MAX), allows nulls), e.g. ImageBinary

    Here is a definition of a sample database “TestTable” in SQL Server 2005+

    Insert Images into an ODBC Database
  2. Use the SQL statement INSERT INTO in Smart Database Connector to send image data from the app (the data field name “Image”) to the field “ImageBase64” of the database “TestTable”:

    INSERT INTO TestTable (Data, ImageBase64) VALUES (%Barcode%, %Image%)

  3. Conversion to an image can then be carried out in a TRIGGER stored procedure invoked by an INSERT event. E.g.:
    CREATE TRIGGER dbo.ConvertImageOnInsert 
       ON  dbo.TestTable 
       AFTER INSERT
    AS 
    BEGIN
           UPDATE TestTable SET ImageBinary = CAST('' AS XML).value('xs:base64Binary(sql:column("i.ImageBase64"))', 'VARBINARY(MAX)')
             FROM TestTable t
               INNER JOIN inserted i
                   ON t.ID = i.ID
    END
    GO
    

Smart Database Connector: How to Configure a 32-Bit ODBC DSN for ACCDB Databases

If you want to use accdb databases (created with Microsoft Access 32- or 64-bit edition) with 32-bit software (like TWedge, TFORMer and Smart Database Connector) you need to set up a suitable 32-bit ODBC data source.

Smart Database Connector: Configuration Page Is Empty

You encounter the following problem: The configuration page (http://localhost:33333) of the Smart Database Connector is empty. The service is running (check Task Manager) but the event log shows an error like Category: Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel - System.IO.FileNotFoundException: File name: 'Microsoft.AspNetCore.Diagnostics.Abstractions' when you perform a restart of the service.

The reason for this problem is that the temporary .NET Core execution folder has been corrupted. This comes from a bug in .NET Core from Microsoft (fix is planned in Nov-2020).

Solution:

Delete the shadow copy of the service so that it will be recreated automatically with all DLLs needed.

  1. Stop the Smart Data Base Connector Service in Task Manager.
  2. Locate the folder: C:\Windows\Temp\.net\Scan-IT to Office Tools - Smart Database Connector\
  3. There is a sub folder like xngvhz1s.an0 (name is individual) ⇒ Delete this folder!
  4. Start the Smart Database Connector Service again.