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GBG Documents & Biometrics Documentation

Get started

This page takes you from an empty Windows computer to a first identity document read by your own code. Each step links to the full instructions.

Before you start

Section titled “Before you start”
  • A computer that meets the system requirements: Windows 10 or 11, 32-bit or 64-bit, a dual-core processor, 4 GB of RAM and 30 GB of disk space.
  • A supported scanner or camera, such as a ScanShell scanner or a SnapShell camera, disconnected from the computer until the drivers are installed.
  • The AcuFill SDK installer and your activation key. A temporary licence for evaluation normally lasts 60 days; GBG Technical Support issues both kinds.
  • A Windows account with administrator rights.

Steps

Section titled “Steps”
  1. Install the SDK and device drivers. Uninstall any earlier device drivers first, run the 32-bit or 64-bit installer as an administrator, and choose the drivers for your device. To install on many computers, use the silent installation.
  2. Activate the licence. Open Start > Acuant > Activation, enter the activation key and choose Activate on Server.
  3. Connect the device. It appears in Device Manager under USB or Imaging Device. Connect it to a port on the back of the computer rather than through a hub, so that it has enough power.
  4. Choose the interface for your application: the ScanW COM library for most languages, ScanWex when you need region-based auto-detection or more than one scanner, ScanX from VB scripts, or the Slib.dll C functions from C and C++. The programming guide explains which library each task needs.
  5. Read a card. With ScanW, initialise each library with your licence key, then scan the card in true colour at 300 dpi with ScanToFile. Run ProcState to extract the text, then call RefreshData to fill the IdData properties with the name, address, dates and document number. The VB demo program shows all of this in one project.

Check it worked

Section titled “Check it worked”
  • The ActivateSDK window shows the licence details after activation.
  • InitLibrary returns LICENSE_VALID for each library you use, and IsScannerValid is true.
  • After a scan and RefreshData, the Name and ID properties hold the data printed on the card.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”