Web Scanning Applications

It is useful to think of web scanning technologies as a way to fill a data entry form that is hidden from the user except when it has data errors. At that time, the user makes on-screen corrections that results in data that is structurally acceptable to a business tier of the application. (The data may yet contain errors of a semantic nature but it is the responsibility of the business tier to validate such cases.)

By definition, a ScanTools Plus Link SDK web solution is web-hosted code that consumes the Link API while running within a low integrity sandbox created by Internet Explorer. Web solutions are not part of the trusted computing base for the PC.

A web scanning solution has these characteristics:

• It renders and runs as one or more web pages in a web browser (IE8/protected mode).
• It is not installed on the client PC like traditional desktop software. It is not listed in Add Remove Programs
• It is subject to and does not violate local security policy. It should not require any changes to the default browser mode.
• It does not require full trust on the local computer. It can run as an un-trusted application in the internet security zone.
• It requires scanner drivers to be installed on the client machine. Drivers can be installed as a stand-alone program or part of the solution program.
• It requires Link runtime on the client machine for both scanning and editing. Link does show up in the Add Remove Programs.
• Its client side code is written in JavaScript.
• It does not store scanned output or sensitive data on the local machine. It posts scanned data to its home site in real time.

Link 8.0 provides the following services:

• Extensive support for the JavaScript language (scoped to OMR)
• OMR read levels in ScanTools, JSON and XML formats
• Resolved output in ScanTools JSON and XML formats.
• Data errors in XML format. Requires edit profile.
• Basic user interface for edit correction (without images).
• Extensive control on the scanning/correction user experience
• Supports data correction at both scan time and post scan
• It leaves a zero data foot print.
• It does not require or make changes to the default browser settings.
• It automatically applies the score profile upon correction.

Link 8.0 does not provide the following facilities:

• Support for non-Microsoft browsers like Firefox or Chrome
• Explicit support for other scripting languages (ADOBE ActionScript for instance). If it works great!
• Correction queue (available in desktop scanning only)
• Imaging services (available in desktop scanning)
• Posting data to web addresses

Link 8.0 implements first class support for client-side JavaScript within Internet Explorer. It follows commonly accepted best practices for security and standards. It is as compatible with JavaScript User Interface frameworks as Internet Explorer is.

The vast majority of the existing and new APIare available to JavaScript. However some APIs are out of scope for the 8.0 release.

Essentially any API that takes a structure as an argument is not compatible with scripting languages.

Any API that can potentially be used by malicious or incompetent script to violate local security policy is also blocked.

The Scantron OLE DB provider is unavailable because ALL Microsoft data access components (MDAC) are blocked for web access.

The following table lists existing APIs that are not available for JavaScript development solutions.

NOTE: ScanningManager Class.SetClientWindowHandle is also not available for Javascript development. The member is not applicable to web scanning solutions because Internet Explorer's window handle is implied.

The following table lists the new APIs or other elements that can be used for JavaScript development solutions.