Scan-IT to Office App User Manual

Introduction

The Scan-IT to Office App is available for mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) running Android or iOS. To use this App, you also need to install the desired Scan-IT to Office Add-Ins or Scan-IT to Office Tools on your desktop computer.

Terminology

A short explanation of the terms used in this manual:

• App
  Denotes the Scan-IT to Office App that is installed on your mobile device.
• Add-In
  Refers to the Scan-IT to Office Add-Ins. These Add-Ins are optimized extensions for Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Google Chrome and Google Sheets to ensure seamless data collection with documents, spreadsheets and browser applications. Add-Ins are usually installed from within their hosting applications (e.g. via Microsoft AppSource or Chrome Webstore).
• Target
  Denotes the target document (e.g. a Microsoft Excel sheet) or target system (e.g. a desktop computer) receiving data collected with the Scan-IT to Office App.
• Tool
  Denotes the Scan-IT to Office Tools, these are auxiliary applications which are installed directly on the target system. The Scan-IT to Office Tools may forward collected data to any Windows/Mac application (utilizing the Scan-IT to Office Smart Keyboard Wedge) or store this data immediately in a database using ODBC (Scan-IT to Office Smart Database Connector).

Download & Installation

The Scan-IT to Office app can be tested for free. The free version transmits demo data in irregular intervals, for unlimited use we ask you to purchase a subscription. Download the Scan-IT to Office App using the links below:

• Scan-IT to Office App for Android (Google Play)
• Scan-IT to Office App for iOS (App Store)
• For users with a volume license TEC-IT offers a bulk-license version of the App.

In addition to the Scan-IT to Office App you need to install at least one instance of Scan-IT to Office Add-Ins or Scan-IT to Office Tools on your macOS or Windows desktop computer. Depending on the type of the Add-In/Tool this installation is either done on operating system level or from within the target application:

• How to Install Scan-IT to Office Add-Ins and Tools

After both App and Add-In/Tool were installed you need to pair them:

• How to Pair

If you experience any problems, please check out the Known Limitations, the Scan-IT to Office FAQ or simple get in touch with us.

User Interface

Menu

The main menu ( ⋮ ) shows the following entries:

• Connections
  Shows the paired targets and their states - e.g. online, paused, offline.
• Forms
  Select a predefined input form or use the built-in form editor to create or share a custom data entry form.
• History
  Shows a list with the recently captured data.
• Subscriptions
  Purchase and manage subscriptions.
• Settings
  Adjust a number of options for supported barcode types, character sets, camera scanner preferences, history behavior, etc.

Toolbar

Rotation Lock
The App can be used in portrait or landscape orientation. Lock the desired orientation by tapping on this button.

Connection State
Shows the current connection state in the respective color (see next point for details).

Forms
Click this button to select the desired data entry form for data collection.

Manual Input
Tap this icon to enter barcode data manually.

Connection States

A green icon indicates, your target application is ready to receive data.

If a yellow icon is displayed, make sure your app is paired with an add-in, the add-in is currently active and your device is not paused in this add-in.

A red icon indicates a connection error, please make sure your smartphone or tablet has internet access.

Connections

The App's main menu entry Connections lists all currently paired targets along with their connection state by using the following colors:

• green = online
• yellow = paused
• gray = offline

If your connection is unencrypted, the following status icon is displayed next to the connection name:

Unencrypted connection

To encrypt connection, enable end-to-end encryption in the corresponding target (see Add-In/Tools Manual). If you are using the Scan-IT to Office Tools, please make sure that you have installed the latest version.

Add Connection (Pair)

Pairing connects the Scan-IT to Office App with the target application or target document on your desktop computer:

• Mobile device: Open the main menu ( ⋮ ), go to Connections and click the button Add Connection (see previous picture).
  The Add Connection screen comes up automatically when starting the App without established pairings.
• Desktop computer: Open the installed Scan-IT to Office Add-In/Tool, which displays a QR code for initial pairing. If no QR code is shown, click Add Phone.
• Mobile device: Select Scan QR-Code to scan the displayed pairing code (see picture).

That's all, both App and Add-In/Tool indicate a successful pairing with a green icon or green state indicator. You are now ready to start collecting data with your mobile device; data is automatically forwarded in real-time to all connected and active targets.

Advanced

• If you want to collect data with multiple devices for a single target document, add another phone by clicking Add Phone in Add-In/Tool.
• If you want to forward collected data to multiple targets simultaneously, connect the App with additional Add-In/Tool instances. For details, see Scan-IT to Office FAQ.

Add Connection (Cloud)

With the Google Sheets (Drive) target you can connect the Scan-IT to Office App directly to a Google Sheet without the need of an additional Add-On:

• Open the main menu ( ⋮ ), go to Connections and click the button Add Connection
  The Add Connection screen comes up automatically when starting the App without established pairings.
  Select Google Sheets (Drive) to connect a Google Account with the Scan-IT to Office App.
• Scan-IT to Office will ask for access to the Google Account and permissions to view files in your Google Drive and view/edit/create/delete spreadsheets.
• Once the permissions are granted, all available Sheets will be displayed in the App.
• Select or create a spreadsheet and a sheet
• That's all. You are ready to collect data into your Google Sheet

Data Entry Forms

The Scan-IT to Office App provides an optimized function for sole barcode scanning as well as a number of predefined standard input forms for common field data acquisition tasks.

• With the built-in form editor (Create New Form) users are able to create custom input forms using any combination of supported input fields.
• Share input forms with others by tapping . To import a shared custom form into the App simply tap on the received file.
• To cover even more advanced input form requirements (e.g. with branding or additional functionality for product lookups) input forms can be developed in HTML 5. Please contact us for specific requirements!

Field Types

The form editor currently provides the following field types:

• Barcode
• NFC Tag
• Text (OCR)
• Number (e.g. quantity)
• List (single and multiple selection)
• Date
• Time
• Checkbox
• Image (from camera or gallery)
• Location data (GPS)
• Date & time
• Static text
• Stopwatch

Text Recognition (OCR)

Text can be typed manually or inserted using the text recognition function.

• To start text recognition, just tap on the camera symbol next to the text field.
• Take pictures with your camera or add them from your photo library (adding from library is available on iOS only).
• The integrated text scanner converts Latin text (or characters) on images into editable text.
• Select the detected text by dragging your finger over it and tap the Confirm button.
• The selected text is automatically inserted into the text field.

The following buttons are displayed in the text scan view:

Cancel Selection
Tap this button to clear all text selections.

Select All
Tap this button to select all recognized text blocks.

Select/Take Image
Tap this button to select or take an image for text recognition.

Confirm
Tap this button to insert the selected text into the text field.

History

The App buffers captured data in a history of user-adjustable size (see Settings). You can use the App when connected to the Internet (recommended) and when offline. Data captured while offline will be sent automatically to the paired targets when online again, the data collection order is preserved.

• View
  Captured data is automatically stored in the history of the app. The history contains the list of the most recently collected data including information like transmission status, scan / send time or the received server status message (not available on all platforms).
• Resend
  Resend individual data records or the complete history to connected targets.
• Export
  Data may be exported as Excel or CSV files by tapping the button (not available on all platforms).
• Delete
  Individual records or the complete history can be deleted.

Settings

Please note that the availability of options may differ between iOS and Android.

License State

Shows the current license state of the App. Licenses are available as paid subscriptions (auto-renewing) on Google Play or App Store and can be changed, cancelled or renewed anytime by the user himself. Bulk-licenses are available directly from TEC-IT (Google Play / App Store payments or accounts are not required for bulk licenses).

Forms

Select, manage or create a custom data entry form using the built-in form editor.

Scanner Configuration

Adjust barcode scanner relevant options like outlined below. The Android version is prepared for future support of additional built-in hardware scanners. In the current version this configuration is without effect on most devices.

• Recognized 1D / linear barcode symbologies
• Recognized 2D barcodes
• Barcode character set
• Remove symbology identifier
• Flashlight
• Silent scan
• Autofocus mode
• Permanent autofocus
• Autofocus delay
• Batch scanning
• Pause between scans
• Prefix
• Suffix

History

Adjust options relevant for the history:

• Size
  Number of entries stored in the history
• Clear
  Deletes all entries in the history
• Automatically resend
  When activated unsent data is retransmitted automatically when online
• Resend interval
  Time span between resend retries
• Server confirmation required
  Deactivate this option if a single data entry is transmitted repeatedly to the target.

Connection

Adjust the friendly device name (displayed to the user in the paired Add-In/Tools) and manage connected targets. You may also select the server settings used for communication. For more details see Show Connections.

Behavior

Offers options to adjust auxiliary App functionality.

• Manual barcode input
  When enabled, the App offers the possibility to enter barcode data manually instead of scanning
• Feedback
  Several audible and haptic feedback options
• Battery saver
  Adjusts whether the display should be switched off when inactive

Lock Configuration

Enable this function and enter a password to protect your configuration. This is a very valuable feature, if several employees use the app with the same settings (e.g. for company-wide data collection). Once enabled, the following areas can be locked individually:

• Settings
  If locked, a password is needed to open the Settings.
• Form Editor
  If locked, a password is needed to create/edit/delete forms.
• Form Selection
  If locked, a password is needed to change the selected form.
• Connections
  If locked, a password is needed to connect new or disconnect existing targets.

About

Offers links to various user manuals, social media and YouTube videos, displays terms and conditions of use and provides information about the App version.

Known Limitations

Due to technical reasons, not all features are available in all target applications, the following limitations may occur:

Limitations when using Microsoft Excel 2013:

• Collected data cannot be split into multiple columns, instead it is inserted into a single cell, separated by spaces (works with Microsoft Office 2016 or later).
• The selected cell does not change after inserting data. All data is inserted into the same cell (works with Microsoft Office 2016 or later, if all required updates are installed).

Inserting images is only possible with the following applications:

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

The option Resize cells to fit image size is only supported in the following applications:

• Microsoft Excel for Windows (Version 1601 or later)
• Microsoft Excel for Mac (Version 15.22 or later)

Limitations when using Text Recognition (OCR) on Android:

• Text recognition is supported from Android 5.0 (Lollipop) onward and requires installed Google Play services.

Multi-User & Multi-Target

• Multiple mobile devices can be used to capture data for a single target simultaneously. To do this, pair each mobile device running the Scan-IT to Office App with the Scan-IT to Office Add-In/Tool associated with your target.
• A single mobile device may send the collected data to multiple targets at the same time. To do this, pair the Scan-IT to Office App with multiple Scan-IT to Office Add-Ins/Tools.