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1.23. Guide: K3Automater Information & Troubleshooting (Win)
Last Updated: July 2023
Applies to Versions: Kurzweil 3000 for Windows
FAQ
Where can I download the Automater?
You can download different versions of the Automater on the download pages below(scroll down for the link):
The Automater will not work unless it's installed on a computer with Kurzweil 3000 (K3000) of the applicable version. Make sure to download the Automater version that matches your version of K3000. So if you're using K3000 v22, download Automater v22.
Before using the Automater it's recommended to make sure K3000 is also up-to-date. You can check for updates using Online > Updates in Kurzweil. You can also check our downloads page.
What is the Automater?
The K3Automater is a program that is typically used by institutions that offer a scanning service to their students. It is designed for mass conversion of files captured by a high-speed scanner into the Kurzweil format (.kes).
If you have a high-speed scanner and have a high conversion workload, it is often more efficient to use that scanner's software to scan your material as fast as possible over scanning directly into Kurzweil 3000. The result of the scanning process is a set of image or PDF files.
Kurzweil 3000 Automater simplifies the process of converting those scanned image/PDF files to KES files.
When would you want to use the Automater?
The automater allows you to convert a batch of files in an automated process. If you have many files to process and do not want to manually bring them in one by one into Kurzweil 3000, it's suggested to use the Automater and/or the Uploader tool
Note: If you have Kurzweil 3000 Subscription, you could use the Uploader to bring your files to your Kurzweil Universal Libary: Using the Uploader
The typical workflow of preparing to use the K3Automater would go something like this:
- Have a batch of previously scanned files that you wish to convert to .KES format, and/or file(s) from a publisher (in TIFF or PDF format) containing images for each page of a book that you wish to convert to .KES format. TIFF and PDF are the formats supported by K3Automater since they allow for multiple-page images in a single file.
- If starting from a physical textbook, it's suggested to scan using a high-speed scanner and use the capture software provided by the scanner manufacturer to capture images to 300-DPI PDF or TIFF files.
- Refer to the "How to use the Automater" section listed below for tips on how to use the Automater tool.
- This conversion process can take some time. If you have many documents or files with many pages you may need to leave it running over the night and check on it the next day.
- The K3Automater will process all the PDF and TIFF files it finds in the Source Hierarchy, converting each to a KES file by running it through Kurzweil 3000 and placing the resulting file in the appropriate directory in the Destination Hierarchy.
How to use the Automater
To use the Automater:
1. Create a "source" folder on your hard drive (or elsewhere on your system), and place the TIFF and/or PDF files into it.
2. Create a "destination" folder on your hard drive (or elsewhere on your system). This is where you want Kurzweil 3000 to place the converted KES files.
The K3Automater is configured to look for PDF or TIFF files in a specified directory on the system it is installed on (called the "Source Hierarchy"). It is also configured to place output KES files in a specified directory (called the "Destination Hierarchy"). These special folders are called hierarchies since if there are multiple directories in the source hierarchy K3Automater will mirror that same directory structure in the destination hierarchy. This makes it easier to organize and locate specific files. Note that K3Automater must be installed on a machine that has a valid copy of Kurzweil 3000 installed to function.
3. Run K3Automater.exe on a system that has Kurzweil 3000 installed.
The Kurzweil 3000 Automater dialog box appears.
4. Specify the folder which contains the TIFF and/or PDF files in the Source Hierarchy box and the folder which you would like to use for the KES files in the Destination Hierarchy box.
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You can also use Browse to find the folders on your system or over your network.
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Note: If the Source folder contains a TIFF file and a PDF file with the same name, you will only get one .kes file in the Destination folder.
5. Specify or browse to the folder which you would like to use for the KES files in the Destination Hierarchy box.
6. If you want, you can use Command Arguments to instruct the Automater to perform additional tasks, such as deleting the source file after conversion.
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The default command argument -in:^S -out:^D - x , simply takes the source path and file name (^S) as input, and outputs it to the destination path and file name (^D). "-x" indicates the end of the command line.
7. Click OK.
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When the Automater is done converting the files, it waits for more files in the Source folder.
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To stop the Automater, click Cancel.
Notes:
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You can add more files to the Source folder while the Automater is converting existing files. You do not need to restart; it checks the source folder every few seconds for additional work.
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The Automater remembers the Source and Destination hierarchies you specify, so the next time you use it, these hierarchies appear in their respective boxes.
- If Kurzweil 3000 is configured to use the Ask for User at Startup option, you should use the -user:name command option. If you don't, you will be forced to log on each time the Automater begins to convert a file in the Source folder.
Does the Automater work with Kurzweil 3000 Web License Editions?
Yes, make sure to enter your Web License username and password into the Automater for proper function with the Web License version. You also may be interested in the UL Uploader tool, which is on the pages linked above as well.
Tips for troubleshooting the Automater
Note: Always update Kurzweil before you attempt troubleshooting. You can use Online > Updates in Kurzweil to check for Updates.
Note: Use the latest version of the automater, currently located here: https://www.kurzweiledu.com/news-resources/software-updates/misc-updates_v22.html
Note: Certain source file names will not be processed correctly by the Automater. i.e. Long file paths, spaces, hyphens, and any characters besides alpha and numeric..
- It's best to close Kurzweil first before attempting to use the Automater. The Automater opens and closes Kurzweil as part of its process.
- The Automater cannot convert Kurzweil files, as they are already converted - it will only convert PDF and image files.
- If your source file and destination are going to a Network drive or other type of Cloud drive, this may cause issues - it's recommended to have local destinations of your files and then move them after the processing is complete.
- Make sure you are logged into Windows as an administrative user.
- Try to print something to the KESI Virtual Printer. It should print out into Kurzweil when you choose it as your printer outside of Kurzweil(i.e. from Word or Notepad), If it doesn't, the automater will not function correctly. Tips on troubleshooting the virtual printer are here: https://support.kurzweiledu.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=1599#link7
- Make sure you have adequate space available on your hard disk drive.
- Make sure your temporary folder (typically in "C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Temp", where <username> is the name you use to log on to Windows) does not have its Read-Only attribute set. Finally, make sure your user account has permission to access your "temp" folder. Consult your Microsoft Windows documentation or see your System Administrator for help in checking these items.
Make sure .pdf files are opening properly:
1. Navigate to C:\Program files\Kurzweil educational systems\Diags\fileassociate.exe OR on a newer 64-bit system, Navigate to C:\Program files (x86)\Kurzweil educational systems\Diags\fileassociate.exe.
2. Enter PDF in the extension and click Get Current Association
3. It should show you the correct path for Adobe Acrobat Reader
4. Click OK
5. Click Associate and accept the change (even though it's not really changing anything)
6. Try opening a pdf and make sure it opens in Adobe then close Adobe.
7. Run the Automater again
Automater Command Arguments:
- in:file name.foo file to open
- out:file name.foo file to save
- stat:file name.foo file to save recognition statistics
- user:name change user name
-x exit end the command line (must be last)
-d delete previous "-in" file
-2page turn on 2 page mode
-autorotate force auto-rotate ON
-rotate0 rotate 0 (disable auto-rotate)
-despeckle force despeckle ON
- nodespeckle force despeckle OFF
-deskew force deskew ON
- nodeskew force deskew OFF
-despeckle force despeckle ON
- nodespeckle force despeckle OFF
Typical usage:
-in: foo-bar.tif -out: my file. kes -d -x
Notes:
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Currently -d applies only to TIF and PDF files.
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Currently only one file may be opened.
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Use full pathnames for -in and -out when running from a DOS command line.
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If the output file exists, it will be overwritten without warning.
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Filenames can contain "-" but not " -" (hyphen with a preceding space).
Viewing Automater Recognition
The Automater's Statistics function can help you to determine the quality of the recognition process performed by the OCR engine selected in the Kurzweil 3000 Scanning Options pane.
To view recognition statistics:
Click the Automater's Statistics button.
This opens the Recognition Statistics dialog box, which contains a number of statistics regarding the recognition of the files processed by the Automater.
For each processed file, the following statistics are provided:
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The number of pages.
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The number of characters recognized.
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The Confidence Level.
Interpreting the Confidence Level
Confidence Level is a measure of how confident the system is about the recognition process. The higher the number, the more confident Kurzweil 3000 is regarding the accuracy of the recognition process. You can consider a Confidence Level of 95 as a borderline level between a good recognition and one that requires a visual inspection of the file.
When you inspect your files, look for some of the following recognition anomalies that may be affecting the confidence level:
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If the files were originally created via scanning, look for broken or touching characters. This could indicate that the original scanning brightness was too low. You'll will need to edit the underlying text in order to correct these problems.
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In some cases, the OCR engine might try to recognize text within a graphic and either fail completely or misrecognize the characters, causing a lower confidence level number. However, this may or may not be important to you, since you might not want this type of text read anyway. If you don't want the text read, and Kurzweil 3000 is reading it (poorly), use the Zone Editor to designate the area that the text appears in as a graphic.