Tool: Automatically extract purchase order data from emails Thread poster: Ulrich Leininger
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I have developed a software tool for automatically extracting purchase order information from emails (or also PDFs, Cloud-Systems). I had the idea because in my own work, I was tired of always manually copying and pasting the PO number, remuneration, etc.
It works by first setting up an Extraction Scheme with a Wizard defining which information exactly you want to capture. Typically you need one Extraction Scheme per client, given each client tends to use their own PO formatting. Bu... See more I have developed a software tool for automatically extracting purchase order information from emails (or also PDFs, Cloud-Systems). I had the idea because in my own work, I was tired of always manually copying and pasting the PO number, remuneration, etc.
It works by first setting up an Extraction Scheme with a Wizard defining which information exactly you want to capture. Typically you need one Extraction Scheme per client, given each client tends to use their own PO formatting. But once you have set it up, you save time copying and pasting each time you receive an order from that client. I've been using it for almost a year now myself and it helped me a lot. When I receive an order, I only press a hotkey to save the data and can immediately start work. There's also a fast Dataviewer included with useful functions such as summation.
If interested, have a look... it's free to use and doesn't require installation.
http://autobook.logitope.com/doku.php?id=overview
[Edited at 2022-08-28 06:18 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Promising tool | Aug 30, 2022 |
Hi Ulrich,
Your tool looks promising. I will look into it in more detail when I have the time. Thanks for sharing!
| | | | | Feedback welcome | Sep 3, 2022 |
Thanks Erwin. Let me know how you liked it, if you find time.
I am hoping to get some more feedback in this forum, as freelance translators perfectly fit the use case I have in mind. There is also a function to automatically create project folders using the extracted information (e.g. ...\ClientFolder\[Date].[PO-number]). Overall, exchanging data in this way should be significantly faster than using browser-based cloud systems.
| | | | | New features | Feb 22, 2023 |
I'm expanding Auto Book with a few general productivity functions. The first new capabilities are a hotstrings function and a simple notes box, shown on the new "Extra" tab. The new version 1.3 is already up on the server (to update from earlier versions, it's enough to overwrite the file "autobook.exe").
To use the Hotstrings function, simply select the text for which you want to set up an abbreviation, then press the Windows key and H (can be customized) to enter the abbreviation.... See more I'm expanding Auto Book with a few general productivity functions. The first new capabilities are a hotstrings function and a simple notes box, shown on the new "Extra" tab. The new version 1.3 is already up on the server (to update from earlier versions, it's enough to overwrite the file "autobook.exe").
To use the Hotstrings function, simply select the text for which you want to set up an abbreviation, then press the Windows key and H (can be customized) to enter the abbreviation. When you later type the abbreviation in any application, it will be automatically expanded into the full text. (You can also directly enter abbreviations and their expansions by clicking on the Edit Hotstrings button.)
There are three options available when defining hotstrings:
- Don't require an ending character (by default, the hotstring will be triggered when you press space, tab, or enter).
- Allow in-word replacements (by default, the beginning of the hotstring must follow a non-word character or whitespace).
- Make the abbreviation case-sensitive. By default, it's case-insensitive, and the expanded text tracks the entered text. For example, if you use :mn: as an abbreviation and my name as the expansion, :MN: will be expanded to MYNAME, and :Mn: to My name.
Expansions can include multiple lines or even paragraphs.
I personally don't use hotstrings much for translation because I have speech recognition for that. However, I find them useful for writing emails. I have hotstrings for delivering projects, sending invoices, and addressing my clients by name (especially useful for foreign names with cruel and unusual spelling). I also use hotstrings to access symbols that are not directly available on the keyboard, such as various accents of foreign languages that I need occasionally, arrow symbols, and the like. I may also use hotstrings for AI prompts in the future.
I realize that not everyone is enthusiastic about AI yet, but personally, I haven't been very excited about any technology since the 90s when both the internet and I were coming of age. I believe that AI is an even bigger leap forward than the internet. If you've tried ChatGPT, you know that writing more detailed prompts can result in significantly better answers. And I think that hotstrings will be useful here. As has been mentioned in other threads, ChatGPT is currently not that good at translation, but it's also about how you use it. I think there is a legitimate use case as an idea generator when the human brain is uncooperative. It can produce many variations of translations at once and follow instructions regarding style, etc. So, I am also considering how an AI interface in Auto Book should be structured and what it should do (ideas welcome).
In any case, I will add a few more features to Auto Book, and next up is a clipboard manager, which just needs a bit more testing. After that, I might add a calculator, a file list generator, mouse gestures, and favorite folders. The goal is to bring some of the small, useful functions typically spread over separate applications together in a single, lightweight tool.
Almost forgot about the notes box. This is just a simple blank space for jotting down text notes, which are automatically saved. It's really absolutely trivial, but I often have some notes I need for the next day or just a bit of information that I need to survive a computer reboot. I have a note taking application (I'm using OneNote), but starting it takes a few seconds and I don't like waiting. That's what the notes box is for. In the future, it will also support mathematics.
[Edited at 2023-02-22 16:05 GMT]
[Edited at 2023-02-22 16:06 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| New functions | Mar 15, 2023 |
sorry, in review...
[Edited at 2023-03-15 04:13 GMT]
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