Context File

In ScanTools software, the scanning, editing, scoring, and file conversion functions reside in the main program, ScanTools Plus.exe. Multiple command parameters are replaced by a single parameter which references a context file. A context file is an ASCII text file.

NOTE: If you want to start ScanTools software from the Run dialog box or create your own icon and command line to automate a particular ScanTools function, you can use a context file with a command line entry.

Context files do not affect the stored context of an application; they only temporarily change the application's context. If you require control over paths used with the application, you can define new data, application, and profile paths in the context file. These paths remain in force until the current session is completed.

The context file consists of lines of text with a keyword on the left and a value on the right. Case is irrelevant. White space and lines beginning with an exclamation mark (!) are ignored. At least one space must separate the keyword name and the value, and the keyword name and the value must appear on the same line. The name field may be upper, lower, or mixed case.

The keyword value is determined using the following set of rules:

ScanTools uses the value that appears with the associated keyword in the context file.

If the keyword does not appear in the context file, then ScanTools uses the keyword default value. The list of keywords and their default values appear later in this topic.

If, in the context file, an optional keyword appears without a value, then ScanTools will use the default value assigned in the Defaults dialog of the application module (Default Application Context).

For keywords that take file names as the value, the file name value may NOT contain spaces. This includes values for the following keywords:

FILENAME

EDITP

SCOREP

CONVERTP

CONVOUT

NOTE: If a context file name has spaces embedded in it, the entire file name must be enclosed in double quotes. For example, "ScanTools Plus".

You may use the same context file for scanning, editing, scoring, and converting; the fields unused by the current action are ignored. If an error is present in the context file, an appropriate error message is created and displayed; then, ScanTools software terminates.

CAUTION: Do not use an autoname with the *s (sequence number) code in a context file. This code is not supported in a context file. All other autoname codes are valid.

Sample Context Files

Sample 1 - Context file for scanning.

Sample 2 - Context file for scanning.

The following table shows the allowed syntax for each keyword. The column labeled Default shows what is used if a keyword is not included in the file. The context file default value is NOT the same as any Application Defaults you may define using the Defaults dialog.

The APPLPATH, DATAPATH and PROFPATH keywords use a default value from the Paths dialog. If you want a different value, these keywords must appear first in the context file, before the APPLICATION keyword.

Keyword	Default	Scan	Convert	Edit	Score	Archive	Values
APPLPATH	Paths dialog current value	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional	Application path to use
ARCHDIR	No default	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Optional	Full path name of the directory to use for archiving. Images in a different location than the data file specified in the FILENAME keyword. If ARCHDIR keyword is used, the DEFARCHDIR NO keyword setting must also be included.
DATAPATH	Paths dialog current value	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional	Data file path to use
PROFPATH	Paths dialog current value	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional	Profile path to use
APPLICATION	No default	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Application number to use
FILENAME	No default	Required	Required	Required	Required	Required	Name of data file to use. Cannot contain spaces.
EDITP	None	Optional	N/A	Required	N/A	N/A	Name of edit profile to use. Cannot contain spaces. Must include extension .$EP
SCOREP	None	Optional	N/A	N/A	Required	N/A	Name of score profile to use. Cannot contain spaces. Must include extension .$SP
CONVERTP	None	Optional	Required	N/A	N/A	N/A	Name of conversion profile to use. Cannot contain spaces. Must include extension .$CP
CONVOUT	None	Optional	Required	N/A	N/A	N/A	Name of conversion output file. Cannot contain spaces. If you use a conversion profile in scanning, and DEFCNVT does not have a yes value, this field is required
APPENDFILE	Yes	Optional	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes (append to existing file). New data is added after last data record of the named Data and Converted files. No (replace/overwrite existing file) NOTE: APPENDFILE Yes means the same as REPLACEFILE No and APPENDFILE No means the same as REPLACEFILE Yes. Because one keyword sets both flags, select only one keyword—APPENDFILE or REPLACEFILE—to set both flags for converted and data file append/replace.
AUTONAME	No	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes (use FILENAME as template), No, Batch (set batch name to sequence number)
AUTORESET	Never	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Controls resetting sequence numbers. Never, Daily, Weekly and Monthly
BATCH	1	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Batch number
CORRECTEDIT	No	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes (correct online) or No
CLEANARCHDIR	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Optional	Yes - Delete all files in image file directory before archiving. No - Preserve existing files in image files directory.
DATE	Today	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Scan date, see Scanning Options.
DEFARCHDIR	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Optional	Yes - Use for archiving images in the same location as the data file specified in the FILENAME keyword. No - Must specify ARCHDIR keyword. DEFARCHDIR NO keyword must be included when ARCHDIR is used.
DEFCNVT	Yes	Optional	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes (create default conversion output name) or No
EDITTYPE	All	N/A	N/A	Optional	N/A	N/A	All - edit all records, same as Edit normally in Edit Options. Unflag - edit unflagged records only, same as Recheck all records for edit failures in Edit Options. Clear - clear record edit flags without editing, same as Clear all edit flags in Edit Options.
EXITKEY	Yes	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional	Yes (require keystroke before exiting) No (exit immediately following operation)
LITHOSTOP	Yes	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes or No
MARGIN	Medium	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Any read level allowed by the application
POFFSET	No	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	No - normal transport printing Yes - offset edit failure printing
PRINT	S	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Print options: S(erial), B(atch), R(un), D(ate), F(our) and N(one). N or a blank space turns the printer off. F is for printing four-character year, and must immediately follow D.
PRINTPOS	1	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Start print position from 1 to 63
REPLACEFILE	No	Optional	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes (replace/overwrite existing file) New data replaces all the old data in the named files. All old data is erased and not recoverable. No (append to existing file) NOTE: REPLACEFILE No means the same as APPENDFILE Yes, and REPLACEFILE Yes means the same as APPENDFILE No. Because one keyword sets both flags, select only one keyword—REPLACEFILE or APPENDFILE—to set both flags for converted and data file append/replace.
RUN	1	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Run number
SERIAL	1	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Starting serial number (ignored if appending to a file)
SYSTEMSTOP	Yes	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes or No
THICKSTOP	Yes	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes - means that the scanner controls thickness checking, not the ScanTools application. This is the same as using the Scanning Options, Thickness error check on. No - means that the value defined for the sheet in the ScanTools application is used for thickness checking. Related topic:Sheet Thickness Checking.
THRESHOLD	Normal	Optional	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Any read level allowed by the application

Keyword

Default

Scan

Convert

Edit

Score