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KORZYSTANIE Z IRONOCR

Jak stworzyć funkcję rozpoznawania znaków w języku C#

The technology of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) allows for the conversion of text into digital formats readable by machines. When a document is scanned (such as an invoice or receipt), it is saved by your computer as an image file. However, the text within the scanned image cannot be edited, searched, or counted using a regular text editor.

OCR can process the image, extract text, and transform it into a text format that can be read by computers. This enables the extraction of text from various sources, including PDF files and other scanned images. Furthermore, OCR capabilities extend beyond simple text extraction to include major image formats and PDF documents, converting them into searchable OCR data.

In C#, developers can leverage the power of OCR through various libraries, and one of which is the powerful library IronOCR from Iron Software. In this tutorial, we'll explore the basics of OCR and demonstrate how to use IronOCR to perform Character Recognition efficiently in C#.

How to create Character Recognition in C

  1. Create a brand new C# project and name the project in Visual Studio.
  2. Install the IronOCR .NET library and include it in the project folder.
  3. Utilize the IronOCR Tesseract to read text from images.
  4. Utilize the IronOCR advanced features to read the text in images.
  5. Performance Tuning of IronOCR Read Operation.

Pierwsze kroki z IronOCR

IronOCR, a C# library developed by Iron Software, provides advanced OCR capabilities. It offers accurate text extraction from images, PDFs, and scanned documents. Before we dive into the code, make sure you have IronOCR installed in your project.

Key features of IronOCR from Iron Software

Improved Tesseract OCR Engine

IronOCR elevates the capabilities of the widely used Tesseract OCR engine by enhancing both accuracy and speed. It serves as a robust solution for extracting text from various sources, including images, PDFs, and diverse document formats.

Wide Language Coverage

With support for over 125 languages, IronOCR is adept at handling multilingual requirements, making it an ideal choice for applications demanding linguistic versatility.

Versatile Output Choices

Extracted text can be conveniently outputted as plain text or structured data for seamless integration into further processing pipelines. Additionally, IronOCR facilitates the creation of searchable PDFs directly from image inputs.

Cross-Platform Adaptability

Engineered for compatibility with C#, F#, and VB.NET, IronOCR seamlessly operates across various .NET environments including versions 8, 7, 6, Core, Standard, and Framework.

Leveraging Tesseract 5

IronOCR harnesses the power of Tesseract 5, finely tailored for optimal performance within the .NET ecosystem.

Zone-Based OCR Capability

With IronOCR, users can precisely define specific zones within documents, enabling targeted OCR processing. This feature enhances accuracy and efficiency by focusing processing power where it's needed most.

Image Preprocessing Tools

The library offers a suite of image preprocessing functionalities such as de-skewing and noise reduction. These tools ensure superior results even when dealing with imperfect source images, ultimately enhancing the overall OCR experience.

Now, we will develop a demo application that utilizes IronOCR to read text from images.

Wymagania wstępne

  1. Visual Studio: Ensure you have installed Visual Studio or any other C# development environment.
  2. NuGet Package Manager: Ensure NuGet is present in order to manage packages in your project.

Step 1: Create a New C# Project in Visual Studio

To start with, let us create a new console application using Visual Studio as shown below.

How to create Character Recognition in C#: Figure 1 - Creating a brand new C# project in Visual Studio

Provide a project name and location below.

How to create Character Recognition in C#: Figure 2 - Provide a project name and the location you wish to save at

Select the required .NET Version for the project.

How to create Character Recognition in C#: Figure 3 - Select the appropriate .NET Version for the project

Click the Create button to create the new project.

Step 2: Install the IronOCR library and integrate it into your project.

IronOCR can be found in the NuGet package manager console as shown below. Use the command provided to install the package.

How to create Character Recognition in C#: Figure 4 - IronOCR NuGet Package Manager download page

Using the Visual Studio NuGet Package Manager, search for IronOCR and install it to your project folder.

How to create Character Recognition in C#: Figure 5 - Searching for IronOCR through the browse tab using NuGet Package Manager

Once installed, the application is ready to make use of IronOCR to read text from images.

Step 3: Utilize the IronOCR Tesseract to read text from images

IronOCR stands out as the exclusive .NET library offering Tesseract 5 OCR capabilities. At present, it holds the distinction of being the most sophisticated Tesseract 5 library across all programming languages. IronOCR seamlessly integrates Tesseract 5 into various .NET environments, including Framework, Standard, Core, Xamarin, and Mono, ensuring comprehensive support across the ecosystem.

Consider the below image file as input. Now, let's see how to read the text in this image file.

How to create Character Recognition in C#: Figure 6 - Example input

using IronOcr;

public class Program
{
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        var ocrTesseract = new IronTesseract();
        using var ocrInput = new OcrInput();
        ocrInput.LoadImage(@"sample1.png");
        var ocrResult = ocrTesseract.Read(ocrInput);
        Console.WriteLine(ocrResult.Text);
    }
}
using IronOcr;

public class Program
{
    public static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        var ocrTesseract = new IronTesseract();
        using var ocrInput = new OcrInput();
        ocrInput.LoadImage(@"sample1.png");
        var ocrResult = ocrTesseract.Read(ocrInput);
        Console.WriteLine(ocrResult.Text);
    }
}
Imports IronOcr

Public Class Program
	Public Shared Sub Main(ByVal args() As String)
		Dim ocrTesseract = New IronTesseract()
		Dim ocrInput As New OcrInput()
		ocrInput.LoadImage("sample1.png")
		Dim ocrResult = ocrTesseract.Read(ocrInput)
		Console.WriteLine(ocrResult.Text)
	End Sub
End Class
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

Wyjaśnienie kodu

  1. IronTesseract Instance: We start by creating an instance of IronTesseract to perform OCR operations.
  2. Loading Image: We load the sample image into the OcrInput object.
  3. Reading Text: The text in the image is read, and the result is printed to the console.

Wynik

How to create Character Recognition in C#: Figure 7 - Extracted text using IronOCR

Step 4: Utilize the IronOCR advanced features to read the text in images

The IronTesseract.Configuration object grants advanced users access to the underlying Tesseract API within C#/.NET, enabling detailed setup configuration for fine-tuning and optimization. Below are some of the advanced configurations possible.

Language Selection

You can specify the language for OCR using the Language property. For instance, to set the language to English, use:

IronTesseract ocr = new IronTesseract();
ocr.Language = OcrLanguage.English;
IronTesseract ocr = new IronTesseract();
ocr.Language = OcrLanguage.English;
Dim ocr As New IronTesseract()
ocr.Language = OcrLanguage.English
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

Page Segmentation Mode

The PageSegmentationMode determines how Tesseract segments the input image. Options include AutoOsd, SingleBlock, SingleLine, and more. Na przykład:

ocr.Configuration.PageSegmentationMode = TesseractPageSegmentationMode.AutoOsd;
ocr.Configuration.PageSegmentationMode = TesseractPageSegmentationMode.AutoOsd;
ocr.Configuration.PageSegmentationMode = TesseractPageSegmentationMode.AutoOsd
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

Custom Tesseract Variables

You can fine-tune Tesseract by setting specific variables. For instance, to disable parallelization:

ocr.Configuration.TesseractVariables["tessedit_parallelize"] = false;
ocr.Configuration.TesseractVariables["tessedit_parallelize"] = false;
ocr.Configuration.TesseractVariables("tessedit_parallelize") = False
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

Whitelisting and Blacklisting Characters

Use WhiteListCharacters and BlackListCharacters to control which characters Tesseract recognizes. Na przykład:

ocr.Configuration.WhiteListCharacters = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ";
ocr.Configuration.BlackListCharacters = "`ë|^";
ocr.Configuration.WhiteListCharacters = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ";
ocr.Configuration.BlackListCharacters = "`ë|^";
ocr.Configuration.WhiteListCharacters = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
ocr.Configuration.BlackListCharacters = "`ë|^"
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

Additional Configuration Variables

Explore other Tesseract configuration variables to customize behavior according to your needs. Na przykład:

ocr.Configuration.TesseractVariables["classify_num_cp_levels"] = 3;
ocr.Configuration.TesseractVariables["textord_debug_tabfind"] = 0;
// ... (more variables)
ocr.Configuration.TesseractVariables["classify_num_cp_levels"] = 3;
ocr.Configuration.TesseractVariables["textord_debug_tabfind"] = 0;
// ... (more variables)
ocr.Configuration.TesseractVariables("classify_num_cp_levels") = 3
ocr.Configuration.TesseractVariables("textord_debug_tabfind") = 0
' ... (more variables)
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

Now let us try to decode the same image using advanced settings

using IronOcr;

public class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Decoding using advanced features");
        var ocrTesseract = new IronTesseract() // Create instance
        {
            Language = OcrLanguage.EnglishBest, // Configure best English language
            Configuration = new TesseractConfiguration()
            {
                ReadBarCodes = false, // Disable reading barcodes
                BlackListCharacters = "`ë|^", // Blacklisted characters
                WhiteListCharacters = null, // No whitelist, allow all
                PageSegmentationMode = TesseractPageSegmentationMode.AutoOsd,
                TesseractVariables = null, // No custom variables used
            },
            MultiThreaded = false,
        };

        using var ocrInput = new OcrInput(); // Create a disposible ocr input object
        ocrInput.AddImage(@"sample1.png"); // Load the sample image
        var ocrResult = ocrTesseract.Read(ocrInput); // Read the text from the image
        Console.WriteLine(ocrResult.Text); // Output the text
    }
}
using IronOcr;

public class Program
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Decoding using advanced features");
        var ocrTesseract = new IronTesseract() // Create instance
        {
            Language = OcrLanguage.EnglishBest, // Configure best English language
            Configuration = new TesseractConfiguration()
            {
                ReadBarCodes = false, // Disable reading barcodes
                BlackListCharacters = "`ë|^", // Blacklisted characters
                WhiteListCharacters = null, // No whitelist, allow all
                PageSegmentationMode = TesseractPageSegmentationMode.AutoOsd,
                TesseractVariables = null, // No custom variables used
            },
            MultiThreaded = false,
        };

        using var ocrInput = new OcrInput(); // Create a disposible ocr input object
        ocrInput.AddImage(@"sample1.png"); // Load the sample image
        var ocrResult = ocrTesseract.Read(ocrInput); // Read the text from the image
        Console.WriteLine(ocrResult.Text); // Output the text
    }
}
Imports IronOcr

Public Class Program
	Public Shared Sub Main()
		Console.WriteLine("Decoding using advanced features")
		Dim ocrTesseract = New IronTesseract() With {
			.Language = OcrLanguage.EnglishBest,
			.Configuration = New TesseractConfiguration() With {
				.ReadBarCodes = False,
				.BlackListCharacters = "`ë|^",
				.WhiteListCharacters = Nothing,
				.PageSegmentationMode = TesseractPageSegmentationMode.AutoOsd,
				.TesseractVariables = Nothing
			},
			.MultiThreaded = False
		}

		Dim ocrInput As New OcrInput() ' Create a disposible ocr input object
		ocrInput.AddImage("sample1.png") ' Load the sample image
		Dim ocrResult = ocrTesseract.Read(ocrInput) ' Read the text from the image
		Console.WriteLine(ocrResult.Text) ' Output the text
	End Sub
End Class
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

Wyjaśnienie kodu

  1. IronOCR Configuration: An instance of IronTesseract (the main IronOCR class) is created and assigned to the variable ocrTesseract.

    Configuration settings are applied to ocrTesseract:

    • Language: Specifies the language for OCR (in this case, English).
    • Configuration: A TesseractConfiguration object that allows further customization:
      • ReadBarCodes: Disables reading barcodes.
      • BlackListCharacters: Specifies characters to blacklist (characters not to recognize).
      • WhiteListCharacters: No whitelist specified, allowing all characters.
      • PageSegmentationMode: Sets the page segmentation mode to "AutoOsd."
      • TesseractVariables: No custom variables were used.
    • MultiThreaded: Disables multithreading.
  2. OCR Input and Image Loading: A using block creates a disposable ocrInput object of type OcrInput. The image file "sample1.png" is added to ocrInput.
  3. Text Extraction: The Read method is called on ocrTesseract, passing in ocrInput. The result is stored in the ocrResult variable.
  4. Output: The extracted text is printed to the console using Console.WriteLine(ocrResult.Text).

Wynik

How to create Character Recognition in C#: Figure 8 - Extracted text using IronOCR

Step 5: Performance Tuning of IronOCR Read Operation.

When working with IronOCR, you have access to various image filters that can help preprocess images before performing OCR. These filters optimize the image quality, enhance visibility, and reduce noise or artifacts. They help to improve the performance of the OCR operation.

  1. Rotate:

    The Rotate filter allows you to rotate images by a specified number of degrees clockwise. For anti-clockwise rotation, use negative numbers.

  2. Deskew:

    The Deskew filter corrects image skew, ensuring that the text is upright and orthogonal. This is particularly useful for OCR because Tesseract performs best with properly oriented scans.

  3. Scałe:

    The Scałe filter proportionally scałes OCR input pages.

  4. Binarize:

    The Binarize filter converts every pixel to either black or white, with no middle ground. It can improve OCR performance in cases of very low contrast between text and background.

  5. ToGrayScałe:

    The ToGrayScałe filter converts every pixel to a shade of grayscałe. While unlikely to significantly improve OCR accuracy, it may enhance speed.

  6. Invert:

    The Invert filter reverses colors—white becomes black, and black becomes white.

  7. ReplaceColor:

    The ReplaceColor filter replaces a specific color within an image with another color, considering a certain threshold.

  8. Contrast:

    The Contrast filter automatically increases contrast. It often improves OCR speed and accuracy in low-contrast scans.

  9. Dilate and Erode:

    These advanced morphology filters manipulate object boundaries in an image.

    • Dilate adds pixels to object boundaries.
    • Erode removes pixels from object boundaries.
  10. Sharpen:

    The Sharpen filter sharpens blurred OCR documents and flattens alpha channels to white.

  11. DeNoise:

    The DeNoise filter removes digital noise. Use it where noise is expected.

  12. DeepCleanBackgroundNoise:

    This heavy background noise removal filter should be used only when extreme document background noise is known. It may reduce OCR accuracy for clean documents and is CPU-intensive.

  13. EnhanceResolution:

    The EnhanceResolution filter enhances the resolution of low-quality images. It's not often needed due to automatic resolution handling.

Here's an example of how to apply filters using IronOCR in C#:

var ocr = new IronTesseract();
var input = new OcrInput();
input.LoadImage("sample.png");
input.Deskew();
var result = ocr.Read(input);
Console.WriteLine(result.Text);
var ocr = new IronTesseract();
var input = new OcrInput();
input.LoadImage("sample.png");
input.Deskew();
var result = ocr.Read(input);
Console.WriteLine(result.Text);
Dim ocr = New IronTesseract()
Dim input = New OcrInput()
input.LoadImage("sample.png")
input.Deskew()
Dim result = ocr.Read(input)
Console.WriteLine(result.Text)
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

Common OCR Applications

  1. Document Digitization: OCR is widely used to convert scanned paper documents, such as invoices, receipts, forms, and contracts, into digital formats. This digitization process streamlines document storage, retrieval, and management, reducing paper clutter and improving efficiency.
  2. Data Extraction: OCR enables the extraction of text and data from scanned documents, images, and PDFs. This extracted data can be used for automated data entry, content analysis, indexing, and integration into databases or business systems.
  3. Text Recognition in Images: OCR technology allows extracting text from printed documents and images for indexing and search purposes. This capability is utilized in various applications, including augmented reality, image-based search engines, and translation services.
  4. Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR): ALPR systems utilize OCR to read license plate numbers from images or video streams captured by cameras installed in traffic surveillance, parking management, toll collection, and law enforcement applications.
  5. Accessibility Solutions: OCR plays a crucial role in creating accessible content for individuals with visual impairments. By converting text from images or documents into speech or braille, OCR helps make information accessible to people with disabilities.
  6. Identity Verification: OCR technology is employed in identity verification processes, such as scanning and processing identity documents like passports, driver's licenses, and IDs. It assists in verifying the authenticity of documents and extracting relevant information for identity verification purposes.
  7. Banking and Finance: OCR is used in banking and finance for tasks such as reading checks, processing invoices, converting an existing PDF document, extracting data from financial statements, and automating document-based workflows to enhance accuracy and efficiency in financial operations.
  8. Automated Translation: OCR technology is integrated into translation tools and language learning apps to convert printed text from one language to another. Users can capture text with their devices, and OCR assists in translating it into the desired language in real time.
  9. Archival and Historical Document Preservation: OCR is utilized in digitizing archival materials and historical documents, preserving them in digital formats for future access, research, and analysis while ensuring the preservation of valuable cultural heritage.

License Requirements

IronOCR. Provide the below details to get the key delivered to your email ID

How to create Character Recognition in C#: Figure 9 - IronPDF trial license page

Once the key is obtained either by purchase or free trial, follow the below steps to use the key.

Setting Your License Key: Set your IronOCR license key using the code. Add the following line to your application startup (before using IronOCR):

IronOcr.License.LicenseKey = "IRONOCR-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01";
IronOcr.License.LicenseKey = "IRONOCR-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01";
IronOcr.License.LicenseKey = "IRONOCR-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01"
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

Global Application Key (Web.Config or App.Config): To apply a key globally across your application, use the configuration file (Web.Config or App.Config). Add the following key to your appSettings:

<configuration>

    <appSettings>
        <add key="IronOcr.LicenseKey" value="IRONOCR-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01"/>
    </appSettings>
</configuration>
<configuration>

    <appSettings>
        <add key="IronOcr.LicenseKey" value="IRONOCR-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01"/>
    </appSettings>
</configuration>
XML

Using .NET Core appsettings.json: For .NET Core applications, create an appsettings.json file in your project's root directory. Replace the "IronOcr.LicenseKey" key with your license value:

{
    "IronOcr.LicenseKey": "IRONOCR-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01"
}

Testing Your License Key: Verify that your key has been installed correctly by testing it:

bool result = IronOcr.License.IsValidLicense("IRONOCR-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01");
bool result = IronOcr.License.IsValidLicense("IRONOCR-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01");
Dim result As Boolean = IronOcr.License.IsValidLicense("IRONOCR-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01")
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

Wnioski

In conclusion, IronOCR, offers a robust solution for OCR starting at $799. Embrace the power of OCR with IronOCR and unlock a world of possibilities in your C# projects.

Często Zadawane Pytania

Jak mogę wykonać rozpoznawanie znaków w języku C#?

Aby wykonać rozpoznawanie znaków w języku C#, można użyć biblioteki IronOCR. Najpierw należy utworzyć nowy projekt C# w programie Visual Studio, a następnie zainstalować bibliotekę IronOCR .NET za pomocą menedżera pakietów NuGet. Należy użyć klas i metod biblioteki IronOCR do wyodrębniania tekstu z obrazów, plików PDF lub zeskanowanych dokumentów.

Jakie są zalety korzystania z IronOCR do ekstrakcji tekstu?

IronOCR usprawnia ekstrakcję tekstu poprzez poprawę dokładności i szybkości działania silnika OCR Tesseract. Obsługuje ponad 125 języków, oferuje funkcje OCR oparte na strefach oraz zapewnia narzędzia do wstępnego przetwarzania obrazów w celu optymalizacji wyników OCR.

Jak zoptymalizować dokładność OCR za pomocą IronOCR?

Aby zoptymalizować dokładność OCR za pomocą IronOCR, należy użyć narzędzi do wstępnego przetwarzania obrazów, takich jak obrót, prostowanie i regulacja kontrastu. Można również precyzyjnie dostosować konfiguracje poprzez wybór języka, segmentację stron oraz dodawanie znaków do białej lub czarnej listy.

Jakie są typowe zastosowania technologii OCR?

Technologia OCR jest powszechnie stosowana do digitalizacji dokumentów, ekstrakcji danych, rozpoznawania tekstu na obrazach, automatycznego rozpoznawania tablic rejestracyjnych oraz w rozwiązaniach ułatwiających dostępność. Odgrywa również rolę w bankowości, weryfikacji tożsamości oraz archiwizacji dokumentów.

W jakich środowiskach działa IronOCR?

IronOCR jest kompatybilny z różnymi środowiskami .NET, w tym C#, F# i VB.NET. Obsługuje wersje .NET 8, 7, 6, Core, Standard i Framework, co czyni go wszechstronnym rozwiązaniem dla wielu konfiguracji programistycznych.

Jak postępować w kwestii licencji na IronOCR?

Aby zarządzać licencjami dla IronOCR, zastosuj swój klucz licencyjny za pomocą właściwości IronOcr.License.LicenseKey podczas uruchamiania aplikacji. Alternatywnie możesz skonfigurować go globalnie w pliku Web.Config lub App.Config, albo w pliku appsettings.json dla aplikacji .NET Core.

Jakie zaawansowane funkcje oferuje IronOCR?

IronOCR oferuje zaawansowane funkcje, takie jak wybór języka, tryb segmentacji stron, niestandardowe zmienne Tesseract oraz białe i czarne listy znaków. Funkcje te pozwalają na szczegółowe dostosowanie i optymalizację operacji OCR.

Czy mogę używać IronOCR do OCR opartego na strefach?

Tak, IronOCR obsługuje OCR oparte na strefach, co pozwala określić konkretne obszary obrazu lub dokumentu do wyodrębnienia tekstu. Ta funkcja jest przydatna do ukierunkowanego wyodrębniania danych ze złożonych układów.

Jak mogę zintegrować OCR z moim projektem w języku C#?

Aby zintegrować OCR z projektem C#, zainstaluj bibliotekę IronOCR z NuGet, a następnie dodaj do niej odwołanie w swoim projekcie. Wykorzystaj metody biblioteki do wdrożenia funkcji OCR, umożliwiając aplikacji przetwarzanie obrazów i zeskanowanych dokumentów.

Kannaopat Udonpant
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Zanim stał się inżynierem oprogramowania, Kannapat ukończył doktorat z zasobów środowiskowych na Uniwersytecie Hokkaido w Japonii. W czasie studiowania, Kannapat również został członkiem Laboratorium Robotyki Pojazdów, które jest częścią Wydziału Inżynierii Bioprodukcji. W 2022 roku wykorzystał swoje umiejętności w ...
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