Indexing parameters

Processing parameters can contain index and conversion parameters, options, and values. For most reports, the PDF indexer requires at least three indexing parameters to generate index data.

TRIGGER
The PDF indexer uses triggers to determine where to locate data. A trigger instructs the PDF indexer to look for certain information in a specific location on a page. When the PDF indexer finds the text string in the input file that contains the information specified in the trigger, it can begin to look for index information.
The PDF indexer supports the following types of triggers:
  • GROUP TRIGGERS

    The PDF indexer compares words in the input file with the text string specified in a trigger. The location of the trigger string value must be identified using the x,y coordinate system and page offsets.

    A maximum of 16 triggers (group or float) can be specified.

    Group triggers are used in conjunction. For example, all the group triggers must match before the PDF indexer can begin to locate index information.

    The group triggers and the fields based on them are used to define the extent of the groups.

    The indexer must find all the group triggers at least once within the document or it will stop processing and issue an error message.

  • FLOAT TRIGGERS

    Float triggers are used to locate fields which might occur more than once within a group, or might not occur at all. The PDF indexer compares words in the input file with the text string specified in a trigger. The location of the trigger string value must be identified using the x,y coordinate system and page offsets.

    A maximum of 16 triggers (group or float) can be specified.

    The float trigger must match before the PDF indexer can begin to locate index information. The fields based on floating triggers do not define the extent of the groups.

    If a floating trigger is not found, the indexer continues processing with no error.

    The following rules apply when using floating triggers:
    1. Trigger1 must be a group trigger.
    2. Fields based on floating trigger must contain a default value.
    3. Fields based on floating triggers cannot be combined with any other field in an index.
    4. At least one index must contain a field (or fields) based on a group trigger.
FIELD
The field parameter specifies the location of the data that the PDF indexer uses to create index values.
  • Field definitions are based on TRIGGER1 by default, but can be based on any of 16 TRIGGER parameters.
  • The location of the field must be identified using the x,y coordinate system and page offsets.
  • A maximum of 128 fields can be defined.
  • A field parameter can also specify all or part of the actual index value stored in the database.
INDEX
The index parameter is where you specify the attribute name and identify the field or fields on which the index is based. You should name the attribute the same as the application group database field name.
  • The PDF indexer creates indexes for a group of one or more pages.
  • You can concatenate field parameters to form an index, unless any of the fields was based on a floating trigger. Fields based on floating triggers cannot be combined with any other field in an index.
  • A maximum of 128 index parameters can be specified.

The PDF indexer creates a new group and extracts new index values when one or more of the index values change, unless the index contains a field based on a floating trigger. Fields based on floating triggers cannot be used to create a new group.

The following example depicts a portion of a page from a sample input file. The text strings that determine the beginning of a group and the index values are enclosed in rectangles.
Begin figure description. This illustration is described in the preceding text. End figure description
TRIGGER parameters tell the PDF indexer how to identify the beginning of a group in the input. The PDF indexer requires one TRIGGER parameter to identify the beginning of a group (statement) in the sample file. FIELD parameters determine the location of index values in a statement. Fields are based on the location of trigger records. INDEX parameters identify the attribute names of the index fields. Indexes are based on one or more field parameters. The following parameters could be used to index the report:
  • Define a trigger to search each page in the input data for the text string that identifies the start of a group (statement): 
    TRIGGER1=ul(0,0),lr(.75,.25),*,'Page 001'
  • Define fields to identify the location of index data. For the sample report, you might define four fields:
    • FIELD1 identifies the location of customer name index values. 
      FIELD1=ul(1,1),lr(2,1.25),0
    • FIELD2 identifies the location of statement date index values. 
      FIELD2=ul(2,2),lr(2.75,2.25),0
    • FIELD3 identifies the location of account number index values. 
      FIELD3=ul(2,2.25),lr(3.25,2.5),0
    • FIELD4 identifies the location of the balance index values. 
      FIELD4=ul(2,3),lr(2.75,3.25),0
  • Define indexes to identify the attribute name for an index value and the field parameter used to locate the index value.
    • INDEX1 identifies the customer name, for values extracted using FIELD1. 
      INDEX1='cust_name',FIELD1
    • INDEX2 identifies the statement date, for values extracted using FIELD2. 
      INDEX2='sdate',FIELD2
    • INDEX3 identifies the account number, for values extracted using FIELD3. 
      INDEX3='acct_num',FIELD3
    • INDEX4 identifies the balance, for values extracted using FIELD4. 
      INDEX4='balance',FIELD4