Using Microsoft InkAnalysis APIs without Tablet input?

Question

I recently discovered that all Windows 7 machines have an handwriting recognition API within them called Microsoft Ink Analysis ( http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms704040(v=vs.85).aspx ).

I would like to use the API for intelligent character recognition - to convert individually spaced handwritten letters from an image into text. I have found demos of the API being used with paper surveys ( http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms840402.aspx ), but it appears in all the demos the handwriting itself needs to be entered live -

Is it possible to use the Ink Analysis API to analyze images, instead of live input? If so, how is this done?

Answer 1

Ink Analysis uses stroke information inputted from ink panels to recognize handwriting (aka "live input"), and does not do analysis on raw image data.

Unfortunately, you'll need to find an OCR library for that.

Answer 2

I have been trying to answer that question myself, in theory it only works with live input, but ink analysis also enables developers to save and load ink strokes using Ink.Load and Ink.Save. Maybe you can turn a bitmap image into an array, and save this array into an ink object. Then you can use ink analysis to analyze your strokes.