Annotations

Introduction

Annotations are shapes that you draw on an image area so that they can be used for further processing. Annotation sets, on the other hand, group your annotations. If you have already worked extensively with variables, you are probably already familiar with categories. In this case, annotation sets are equivalent to categories.

Important: By data type Region, we mean a binarized image and not an image section. The so-called Region Of Interest (ROI) can be configured in the form of annotations and used in other places.

Managing Annotations

Before you can create annotations, you must have at least one annotation set. This must be created in advance. To use and manage annotation sets and annotations, you must first ensure that you are logged in as an active editor and then check that the workflow is not active.

Annotation sets

Adding annotation sets

You can create annotation sets in the “My Workflow” section. These annotation sets are a collection of annotations you have selected. When you click on the plus icon, you must select Add Annotation Set from the menu so that you can then create an annotation set.

Removing annotation sets

When you hover your mouse over an entry, a trash can icon appears on the right-hand side. Clicking on this icon opens a dialog box in which you must confirm the deletion process.

Important: Annotation sets can only be removed if they or associated annotations are not used as nodes in the workflow. If they are in use, you must first remove the node from the workflow before you can remove the annotation set.

Annotations

Adding annotations

You can create annotations in the “My Workflow” section. These annotations are assigned to an annotation set. When you click on the plus icon, you must select Add Annotation from the menu in order to create an annotation. A dialog box opens in which you must assign your annotation to an annotation set. You must also specify the shape in this dialog box. The following shapes are available:

• Box

• Circle

• Ellipse

• Line

• Polygon

• Rectangle

Removing annotations

When you move the mouse over an entry, a “trash can” icon appears on the right-hand side. Clicking on this icon opens a dialog box in which you must confirm the deletion process.

Important: Annotations can only be removed if they are not used as nodes in the workflow. If they are used, you must first remove the node from the workflow before you can remove the annotation.

Sorting annotations

In the list of annotations, you will find an icon with two horizontal lines on the left side of each entry. If you click on it and hold down the button, you can move entries within the annotation set area. This gives you a better overview.

Usages of annotations

As soon as you add an annotation as a node in the event graph, a usage is created. You can recognize this by an icon next to the annotation name. If you click on this icon, a dialog box opens listing the usage of the annotation with some details.

Using annotations in the workflow

To use an annotation in the workflow, add the Get node of the respective annotation to the workflow. You can then connect it to other nodes, provided that the permitted connection types match.

Common nodes that accept and process shapes are:

• Crop By Shape

• Draw Shape

• Reduce Domain To Shape