Get Started
This page will guide you through the process of adding ID Capture to your Xamarin application. ID Capture is a mode of the Scandit Data Capture SDK that allows you to capture and extract information from personal identification documents, such as driver's licenses, passports, and ID cards.
The general steps are:
- Creating a new Data Capture Context instance
- Accessing a Camera
- Configuring the Capture Settings
- Implementing a Listener to Receive Scan Results
- Setting up the Capture View and Overlay
- Starting the Capture Process
Using ID Capture at the same time as other modes (e.g. Barcode Capture) is not supported.
Prerequisites
Before starting with adding a capture mode, make sure that you have a valid Scandit Data Capture SDK license key and that you added the necessary dependencies. If you have not done that yet, check out this guide.
You can retrieve your Scandit Data Capture SDK license key by signing in to your Scandit account.
Module Overview
The modules that need to be included in your project depend on the features you want to use. The following table lists what modules you need to include in your project, depending on the features you want to use.
Module | Required for Feature |
---|---|
ScanditCaptureCore | Required for all ID Capture features |
ScanditIdCapture | Required for all ID Capture features |
ScanditIdCaptureBackend | Extract data from visual inspection zones (e.g. the front of IDs and driver licenses, or the human-readable data on Passport) |
ScanditIdEuropeDrivingLicense | Extract vehicle category data from the back of EU Driver Licenses |
ScanditIdAamvaBarcodeVerification | Verify US Driver Licenses |
ScanditIdVoidedDetection | Reject voided IDs |
Note that your license may support only a subset all ID Capture capabilities. If you need to use additional features, contact us.
Create the Data Capture Context
The first step to add capture capabilities to your application is to create a new data capture context. The context expects a valid Scandit Data Capture SDK license key during construction.
DataCaptureContext context = DataCaptureContext.ForLicenseKey("-- ENTER YOUR SCANDIT LICENSE KEY HERE --");
Add the Camera
You need to also create the Camera:
camera = Camera.GetDefaultCamera();
if (camera != null)
{
// Use the settings recommended by id capture.
camera.ApplySettingsAsync(IdCapture.RecommendedCameraSettings);
context.SetFrameSourceAsync(camera);
}
Create ID Capture Settings
Use IdCaptureSettings to configure the scanner type and the accepted and rejected documents.
Check IdCaptureDocumentType for all the available options.
IdCaptureSettings settings = new IdCaptureSettings
{
AcceptedDocuments = IdDocumentType.Passport | IdDocumentType.DriverLicense,
RejectedDocuments = IdDocumentType.IdCard,
};
Implement the Listener
To receive scan results, implement IdCaptureListener.
Capture results are delivered as a CapturedId. This class contains data common for all kinds of personal identification documents.
For more specific information, use its non-null result properties (e.g. CapturedId.barcode).
public class MyListener : Java.Lang.Object, IIdCaptureListener
{
public void OnIdCaptured(IdCapture mode, IdCaptureSession session, IFrameData data)
{
CapturedId capturedId = session.NewlyCapturedId;
// The recognized fields of the captured ID can vary based on the type.
if (capturedId.CapturedResultType == CapturedResultType.MrzResult)
{
// Handle the information extracted.
}
else if (capturedId.CapturedResultType == CapturedResultType.VizResult)
{
// Handle the information extracted.
}
else if (capturedId.CapturedResultType == CapturedResultType.BarcodeResult)
{
// Handle the information extracted.
}
}
public void OnErrorEncountered(IdCapture mode, Throwable error, IdCaptureSession session, IFrameData data)
{
// Implement to handle an error encountered during the capture process.
}
public void OnObservationStarted(IdCapture mode)
{ }
public void OnObservationStopped(IdCapture mode)
{ }
}
Alternatively to register IIdCaptureListener interface it is possible to subscribe to corresponding events. For example:
idCapture.IdCaptured += (object sender, IdCaptureEventArgs args) =>
{
CapturedId capturedId = args.Session.NewlyCapturedId;
// The recognized fields of the captured ID can vary based on the type.
if (capturedId.CapturedResultType == CapturedResultType.MrzResult)
{
// Handle the information extracted.
}
else if (capturedId.CapturedResultType == CapturedResultType.VizResult)
{
// Handle the information extracted.
}
else if (capturedId.CapturedResultType == CapturedResultType.BarcodeResult)
{
// Handle the information extracted.
}
};
Create a new ID Capture mode with the chosen settings. Then register the listener:
idCapture = IdCapture.Create(context, settings);
idCapture.AddListener(new MyListener())
Set up Capture View and Overlay
When using the built-in camera as frameSource, you will typically want to display the camera preview on the screen together with UI elements that guide the user through the capturing process.
To do that, add a DataCaptureView to your view hierarchy:
DataCaptureView dataCaptureView = DataCaptureView.Create(this, dataCaptureContext);
SetContentView(dataCaptureView);
Alternatively you can use a DataCaptureView from XAML in your MAUI application. For example:
<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
xmlns:scandit="clr-namespace:Scandit.DataCapture.Core.UI.Maui;assembly=ScanditCaptureCoreMaui">
<ContentPage.Content>
<AbsoluteLayout>
<scandit:DataCaptureView x:Name="dataCaptureView" AbsoluteLayout.LayoutBounds="0,0,1,1"
AbsoluteLayout.LayoutFlags="All" DataCaptureContext="{Binding DataCaptureContext}">
</scandit:DataCaptureView>
</AbsoluteLayout>
</ContentPage.Content>
</ContentPage>
You can configure your view in the code behind class. For example:
public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
{
public MainPage()
{
InitializeComponent();
// Initialization of DataCaptureView happens on handler changed event.
dataCaptureView.HandlerChanged += DataCaptureViewHandlerChanged;
}
private void DataCaptureViewHandlerChanged(object? sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Your dataCaptureView configuration goes here, e.g. add overlay
}
}
For MAUI development add the Scandit.DataCapture.Core.Maui NuGet package into your project.
Then create an instance of IdCaptureOverlay attached to the view:
overlay = IdCaptureOverlay.Create(idCapture, dataCaptureView);
The overlay chooses the displayed UI automatically, based on the selected IdCaptureSettings.
If you prefer to show a different UI or to temporarily hide it, set the appropriate IdCaptureOverlay.idLayout.
Start the Capture Process
Finally, turn on the camera to start scanning:
camera.SwitchToDesiredStateAsync(FrameSourceState.On);
And this is it. You can now scan documents.