Capture a signature and store in DB

[Ian Branch 128]

Hi Team,

D10.3.3, 32Bit Apps.

I have written a couple of native Windows Apps for a Company that is now making them available to their Customers via ThinFinity from Cybele Software.  https://www.cybelesoft.com/

Some of their Field Techs are now using it to log and complete tasks in the field via the browser on their Company iPads.

Everything works as designed, no issue.

What they, the Company, have now asked is if I can add the ability for their Customer to Sign the iPad against the Task signifying their acceptance that the Task is finished to their satisfaction.

The Company expects the Signature to be recorded against the database Task record.

Given the configuration..

Application running on a Win 2012 Server via Thinfinity and the Web to the browser on the iPad.

Is it even possible to capture the signature through this means?

I can certainly add a field in the database and Tasking interface to present a Memo field of some sort but I don't know that it is possible for the application to capture a signature via the iPad hardware/software.

Does anybody have any experience/thoughts along these lines?

 

Regards & TIA,

Ian

Edited February 27, 2020 by Sherlock
Changed Title

[Sherlock 663]

How sure do you have to be, that the signature is real? It is quite easy to let someone draw his signature in a TPaintbox, and then store the image as a BLOB in the DB. But if you need to make sure, this signature is real, then you would have to store the dynamics of its creation. That is tricky.

[Ian Branch 128]

Thanks Sherlock.

Making sure the signature is real is not my concern.

Taking your cue, and having never used it, I did a quick search for using TPaintBox.

I found some references but nothing that would point me in the direction of writing into it with a mouse.

I did see one suggestion to use a TImage rather than TPaintBox but it wasn't particularly helpful 😞

I'd appreciate any hints/references to writing into a TPaintBox in an App with a mouse.

 

Regards & TIA,

Ian

[Attila Kovacs 631]

Hi Ian,

I'm not sure if it helps as I don't know Thinfinity, but this is the unit I made for capturing signatures.

Just create the class with a TImage in the construcor parameter:

    imgSigno: TImage;
    ....
    FSigno := TSigno.Create(imgSigno);
    FSigno.OnChange := OnChangeSigno;

 

On the OnChange you can do some validation or GUI events like enabling a button OK.

You can set the FSigno.PenWidth to fine tune the signature quality.

On SaveAs* the image will be cropped to the actual signature to minimize the image size.

You can use it as you want if it works or helps. 

Signature.pas

[Ian Branch 128]

Hi Atilla,

Thank you very much.

Unfortunately my skills don't match yours. 😞

I have the following..

procedure TShowRecordForm.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  fSigNo:TSigNo;
begin
  fSigno := TSigno.Create(imgSigno);
  //fSigno.OnChange := OnChangeSigNo;
....
....

When I run the App and click the button I get an Access violation for the TSigNo.Create(imgSigNo) line. 😞

Signature is included in the uses and I have     imgSigno:TImage;  in the public area.

 

Ian

[Attila Kovacs 631]

Just created a new app and works fine for me. You have to debug. 

Is it a VCL app? The TImage is on the Form not just declared somewhere?

[Ian Branch 128]

Yes, it is a VCL App.  The TImage is on the form.

I just created a new app too.

unit Unit23;

interface

uses
  Winapi.Windows, Winapi.Messages, System.SysUtils, System.Variants, System.Classes, Vcl.Graphics,
  Vcl.Controls, Vcl.Forms, Vcl.Dialogs, Vcl.StdCtrls, Vcl.ExtCtrls;

type
  TForm23 = class(TForm)
    Image1: TImage;
    Button1: TButton;
    procedure Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
  private
    { Private declarations }
  public
    { Public declarations }
    imgSigno:TImage;    
  end;

var
  Form23: TForm23;

implementation

uses
  Signature;

{$R *.dfm}

procedure TForm23.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  fSigNo:TSigNo;
begin
  fSigno := TSigno.Create(imgSigno);
  //fSigno.OnChange := OnChangeSigNo;

end;

end.

Same error

on the Create. 😞

 

Ian

 

 

[Attila Kovacs 631]

You should forget imgSigno and pass "Image1" in the Create().

imgSigno is not instantiated, its just declared. Delete it.

fSigno := TSigno.Create(Image1);

Edited February 26, 2020 by Attila Kovacs

[Ian Branch 128]

Ah Ha!  Bingo!

Thank you very much.

If I enable   fSigno.OnChange := OnChangeSigNo;  I get an undeclared identifier when building.

It doesn't know about OnChangeSigNo.

 

I also deleted the imgSigno:TImage; declaration.

 

Ian

 

[Attila Kovacs 631]

You have to declare OnChangeSigNo first, but from now you have to do some work too 😉

OnChangeSigNo  = TNotifyEvent which means you add a procedure to your form like:

 

procedure TForm1.OnChangeSigNo (Sender: TObject);
begin
end;

 

Please let me know if it works over Thinfinity. 

 

@Sherlock could you rename the topic that others can find it too?

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by Attila Kovacs

[Ian Branch 128]

Atilla,

Ah Ha!  Thank you.  Will advise.

 

Ian

[Ian Branch 128]

Atilla,

This is via Thinfinity.

Haven't sussed out the saving yet but at least I can write.

It doesn't work on my iPad though. 😞  Probably needs the stylus.

Ian

[Attila Kovacs 631]

Thx Ian. I'm afraid it's rather the lack of a touchmanager in VCL. At least I could not find any info how to fire it up, if it even possible.

Maybe somebody has an idea.

[Ian Branch 128]

Atilla,

On the iPad, I did find that when I clicked the button and moved the mouse/pointer down to the TImage, the first press of the screen left a dot but wouldn't track.

It is a relatively old 9.7" iPad, don't know if that has any bearing.  Might see if I can find someone with an iPad stylus to try.

Thanks for all your help.

Regards,

Ian

[Rollo62 539]

8 hours ago, Sherlock said:

How sure do you have to be, that the signature is real?

Have you received UPS/DHL packages recently ?

Make a test, how important the signature nowadays is ...

I could even make 3 crosses, and nobody complains.

[Ian Branch 128]

HI Rollo,

I understand your point but it's not my call.

The Customer has asked for it.

Ian

[Sherlock 663]

22 hours ago, Attila Kovacs said:

@Sherlock could you rename the topic that others can find it too?

Done

[Ian Branch 128]

Hi Team,

Update - I received and tested on an Android tablet today.  Same outcome as the iPad.

 

Ian