Apple 2 manual Deferred Recognition

C H A P T E R 6

Data Input

Deferred Recognition

A user can defer text recognition by selecting Ink Text from a Recognizer picker. While recognition is set to Ink Text, the Newton system recognizes word boundaries but does not recognize words, letters, numbers, or symbols themselves. Later a user can double-tap ink text to have the Newton system recognize it. The user can double-tap one word at a time or can select a group of words and have them all recognized by double-tapping the selection. As the Newton system recognizes a word, it displays a small curved arrow above it and then replaces the ink text with typeset text. When a user double-taps a selection of several words, the Newton system recognizes them all, displaying a small curved arrow above each one in turn, before replacing the ink text selection with typeset text.

In general, ink text can appear anywhere regular text can appear, and the two can be mixed. Your application should permit ink text everywhere it accepts general text entry. There are times when users need the speed of ink text, and there are users who prefer ink text over recognized text. For those users, ink text is an important data-input tool. If your application does not allow ink text, you have needlessly limited the number of satisfied customers.

Of course there are exceptions to allowing ink text universally. An application that needs to make decisions or perform calculations based on what users write can’t allow ink text. For instance, the built-in Formulas application doesn’t and shouldn’t allow ink text, because it makes calculations based on values that users write. Similarly, an application that keeps track of mileage might allow ink text in user comments or notes, but not elsewhere. Yet that application would be more versatile if it allowed ink text everywhere and deferred calculations based on ink-text values. A user in a hurry could jot down information in ink text without worrying about recognition errors. Later the user could double-tap the ink text to have it recognized and the application could make calculations based on the newly recognized text.

Your application does not have to disallow ink text in input fields that may be used for sorting or sequencing. If a user writes ink text in such a field, your application can display an Alpha Sorter picker, in which the user selects a sort key. Figure 6-16 shows how the built-in Names File application uses

6-18 Writing, Drawing, and Editing