There are two types of scanning validation:

• Spelling validation checks a response against a stored dictionary of words, and tries to match responses to words in the dictionary.
• Pattern validation attempts to match a response against the expected pattern of characters. This is often used to validate responses such as dates, telephone number and zip or post codes.

There are different versions of spelling and pattern validation for handwritten and printed characters.

Scanning validation options

This tutorial shows how to set the scanning validation pattern for a question and provides instructions on creating your own validation pattern.

Apply a system pattern for scanning validation

1. Open the questionnaire in the Questionnaire window.
2. Select the question and click Variable Properties. This opens the Variable Properties dialog.
3. In the Scanning Validation property select Pattern. This is the pattern for handwritten response.

4. In Pattern, select the required pattern from the list of available patterns. The patterns in the list will include system patterns as well as your organisation’s patterns that are valid for the variable’s response type.

Alternatively, you can also set up the scanning validation and pattern using the Variable Details window, which is opened from the Variables window.

Set up your own validation pattern

This section shows how to create a simple validation pattern. The example is a pattern for an ID of two letters followed by five digits.

1. Select View | Patterns to open the Patterns dialog. (Prior to build 12.10 this was on the Tailor menu.)
2. Select New in the Patterns dialog to display the Pattern Properties dialog.

3. Choose a name for the pattern and type it in to the Name box.
4. Enter a Label giving more information. This will be displayed when the pattern is shown in the Patterns dialog.
5. Select the response type that the pattern will be used with from the Usage drop-down list.

6. In the Matches section, select New to create a match. This opens the Match Pattern dialog.
7. In this pattern there are two letters followed by five digits. In Global Patterns, double click the pattern ‘letter’. This adds the pattern to the Match.

8. Click Repeat then select Exactly and click OK. The default number is 2.

9. In Global Patterns, double click digit to add the digits to the Match.
10. Click Repeat then select Exactly and change the number to 5. Click OK.
11. Click OK to save the Match and return to the Pattern Properties dialog.
12. Click OK to save the pattern. This pattern can be used in scanning validation.

Further Information

You can find more details on the system patterns and creating your own patterns in Introduction to patterns.

You can find more information on scanning validation in Checking the scanning design recommendations.

If there is a topic you would like a tutorial on, email to snapideas@snapsurveys.com

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This tutorial describes how to create a questionnaire in booklet format and then scan the returned questionnaires. The steps assume that you have an existing scanning questionnaire that has been set up according to the advice given in Planning your scanning survey.

Set up the questionnaire as a booklet

1. In the Survey Overview window, select and open the scanning survey in the Questionnaire window.
2. If required, you can preview the scanning questionnaire by clicking the Print Preview  button on the Questionnaire window toolbar. This opens the print preview of the questionnaire where you can check the size, layout and number of pages. Click Cancel to close the preview window.
3. Click the Questionnaire Properties . This opens the Questionnaire Properties dialog.
4. In Section, select Page then select Print as booklet.

5. Set the paper size you will print on. Select the questionnaire orientation. Portrait assumes that the booklet opens like a book. The dotted line shows where the fold would be. The example shows a questionnaire to be printed on A3 paper and folded to A4. It will put two A4 portrait pages on a single A3 landscape sheet. You would need to set the printer to A3 landscape as that is how the paper is printed. To create an A5 folded booklet you need to set the Snap settings to A4 and Portrait. You would then set the printer to A4 landscape.

6. Click OK to save the settings.
7. Click Print Preview  to preview your questionnaire. The number of pages will have doubled and the pages will have reduced in size. Close the preview window.
8. Select File | Publish to publish your questionnaire as a booklet. The dialog will include the text Booklet Printing Is On. You can adjust the layout of each page of your questionnaire by changing the Spacing value below this text.

In Printer setup, you can set the printer to landscape printing and double-sided as required. Make sure that the printer is NOT using booklet printing.

Scanning the booklet

This step assumes that the questionnaire was published in Snap XMP Desktop as a booklet and that the scanner has been set up correctly.

You will need a blank questionnaire booklet (with any staples removed) to calibrate the questionnaire.

1. Prior to calibration, scanning needs to be activated. This is done in the Data Entry Tailoring dialog. Select the Tailor | Data Entry menu.

2. Select the Scanning option then click OK to save your settings.
3. Click Data Entry  on the Snap XMP Desktop toolbar. This opens the Data Entry window.
4. Click Prompted Mode  on the Data Entry window toolbar.
5. Click the right mouse button in the left-hand half of the window, and select Calibrate from the context menu. Click Next.

6. Click Check Sheet Map. This opens the Sheet Mapping dialog. The Layout will be set to Book if Print as booklet was selected when the questionnaire was published. If Duplex is checked, double-sided pages are expected.

7. Check that the settings are correct and click OK to return to the calibration.
8. Click Next to start the calibration and follow the on-screen instructions. (You will need to scan a blank booklet, starting with the sheet containing the first and last pages of the questionnaire.)
9. When you have finished calibrating the questionnaire, click Finish.
10. Test that a completed response booklet scans correctly. You can then scan your questionnaires as normal.

Scanning a booklet from a standard questionnaire

If you have not used the Print as booklet in the questionnaire, the scanning process expects to scan normal pages. You will need to calibrate the scanned questionnaire in Snap XMP Desktop for it to be recognised as a booklet.

1. Prior to calibration, scanning needs to be activated. This is done in the Data Entry Tailoring dialog. Select the Tailor | Data Entry menu.
2. Select the Scanning option then click OK to save your settings.
3. Click Data Entry  on the Snap XMP Desktop toolbar. This opens the Data Entry window.
4. Click Prompted Mode  on the Data Entry window toolbar.
5. Click the right mouse button in the left-hand half of the window, and select Calibrate from the context menu. Click the right mouse button in the left-hand half of the window, and select Sheet Map from the context menu.
6. Select Book in the Layout dropdown list.

7. Check through the options to make sure that they match the booklet that you are scanning, and click OK.
8. Right-click the left-hand half of the data entry window, and select Calibrate from the context menu. Follow the on-screen instructions.
   This calibration is the only way that Snap has of matching the positions of responses to questions.
9. Scan a test questionnaire that includes responses. If this is successful, you can then scan your questionnaire booklets.

If there is a topic you would like a worksheet on, email to snapideas@snapsurveys.com

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Prior to printing the data report, you must have retained the image files created by the scanning process. Scanning must be activated from the Data Entry Tailoring window by selecting the Scanning check box.

To print the scanned data report:

1. Click Data Entry on the Snap XMP Desktop toolbar. This opens the Data Entry window.
2. Click Print  to open the Print Data dialog. (Note: You must select Scanning in Data entry tailoring to access this dialog).

3. In Title, enter a title to describe the data in the printed report.
4. In Filter, you can select which results to print by entering a filter selection. Note: You can only use a variable as a filter with stored data, e.g. if you have not keyed in a Literal Response question and it only exists as an image in Snap XMP Desktop. You cannot filter a variable that has not been interpreted successfully.
5. In Content, specify which variables to include in the report by entering the variable names.
6. Select Scanned Questionnaire in the Style section and any other options you may require:
   • Show Boxes Only: does not show question text in the report
   • Remove Blank Space: reduces any space around an answer image
   • Show Case Number: displays the case number on the report
   • Two Columns: displays the replies in two columns
7. Click OK. This prints a list of the images for the data responses.

If there is a topic you would like a worksheet on, email to snapideas@snapsurveys.com

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1. Create a brand new survey specifically for scanning using the Scanning template provided with Snap XMP Desktop when creating it.
2. Provide instructions at the beginning of the survey advising on how to complete the questionnaire.
3. Use check box questions wherever you can rather than ones which ask the user to write a response.
4. Apply the grid box style for open-ended questions
5. Use scanning validation and patterns to help recognise the type of data that will be entered.
6. Calibrate and TEST your survey BEFORE distributing it. This can involve printing some copies, get colleagues to complete them and scan the answers in to check that everything works.
7. Sort your surveys before scanning and make sure the page order and orientation are consistent.
8. Scan in batches of between 10 and 50 pages.

Don’t

1. Design questionnaires with boxes that are shadowed, contain a coloured background or have a non-rectangular shape, such as a circle.
2. Design questionnaires with boxes that do not have a clear margin around the perimeter of each box or with boxes that are too close together.
3. Design questionnaires with background or drop-out colours that might conflict with the particular scanner in use. Certain light colours can appear transparent to a scanner but it is manufacturer dependent and light colours should always be used with caution.
4. Change the margins, font or questions of a survey once live.
5. Reduce the margins of the survey to any less than .25 inches/cm
6. Expect to get good results from cases containing poorly written numbers or words. Although Snap will attempt to recognise them.
7. Print on dark coloured paper; ideally stick to black text on white paper.
8. Change printer or printer driver.
9. Change the PC’s operating system.

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