Interactive tool for modifying an automatically generated electronic form

Abstract

In some aspects, a method includes receiving data corresponding to a source document. The source document has an input file format. The method includes generating an intermediate file representing an electronic form based on the data. The intermediate file includes metadata indicating one or more elements of the source document, the intermediate file having an intermediate file format. The method includes providing an interactive tool configured to enable display and modification of the electronic form based on user input. The modification includes adding an additional element, deleting at least one of the one or more elements, modifying at least one of the one or more elements, or a combination thereof. The method includes converting the modified intermediate file to an output file having a target output file format. The output file represents the electronic form configured to support user entry of input information. The method includes outputting the output file.

1 . A method for generating editable electronic forms from one or more types of source documents, the method comprising:
 receiving, by one or more processors, data corresponding to a source document, the source document having an input file format;   responsive to the input file format failing to match a particular file format, performing, by the one or more processors, image processing-based element detection on the source document to detect one or more elements of the source document;   generating, by the one or more processors, an intermediate file representing an electronic form based on the data, the intermediate file including metadata indicating the one or more elements of the source document, the intermediate file having an intermediate file format; and   providing, by the one or more processors, an interactive tool configured to enable display and modification of the electronic form, the interactive tool including one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that depict a visual representation of the electronic form and enable a user to add additional elements to the electronic form and to edit locations of the one or more elements within the visual representation of the electronic form and properties of the one or more elements based on user input indicating selection and manipulation of the one or more elements within the visual representation of the electronic form.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the source document comprises a legacy electronic form. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the source document comprises a static electronic document. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the particular file format comprises a file format configured to store document metadata that represents elements within a corresponding document. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 responsive to the input file format matching the particular file format, generating, by the one or more processors, the one or more elements of the electronic form based on the document metadata.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein performing the image processing-based element detection comprises detecting the one or more elements of the source document from the data based on a predetermined element interpretation rule set that includes text interpretation rules and visual element interpretation rules. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 after the modification of the electronic form via the interactive tool, converting, by the one or more processors, the intermediate file to an output file having a target output file format of one or more output file formats that are each distinct from the intermediate file format, wherein the output file represents the electronic form and is configured to support user entry of input information.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein converting the intermediate file to the output file comprises setting one or more submission parameters of the output file to cause generation of one or more data structures including the input information upon submission of the electronic form represented by the output file. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more data structures enable performance of one or more workflow operations. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the interactive tool is further configured to enable editing of the locations or the properties of the one or more elements within the electronic form represented by the intermediate file via modification of corresponding parameters in one or more interactive menus. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the interactive tool is further configured to display one or more sets of options for modifying parameters of a selected element of the one or more elements within the visual representation of the electronic form represented by the intermediate file, the parameters including input type associated with the selected element, dimensions of the selected element, formatting associated with the selected element, a label associated with the selected element, a type associated with the selected element, one or more interactive aspects associated with the selected element, display properties associated with the selected element, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus for generating editable electronic forms from one or more types of source documents, the apparatus comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to:
 receive data corresponding to a source document, the source document having an input file format; 
 responsive to the input file format failing to match a particular file format, perform image processing-based element detection on the source document to detect one or more elements of the source document; 
 generate an intermediate file representing an electronic form based on the data, the intermediate file including metadata indicating the one or more elements of the source document, the intermediate file having an intermediate file format; and 
 provide an interactive tool configured to enable display and modification of the electronic form, the interactive tool including one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that depict a visual representation of the electronic form and enable a user to add additional elements to the electronic form and to edit locations of the one or more elements within the visual representation of the electronic form and properties of the one or more elements based on user input indicating selection and manipulation of the one or more elements within the visual representation of the electronic form. 
   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a database coupled to the processor, the database configured to store intermediate files, output files, source files, or a combination thereof.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 an interface coupled to the processor and configured to enable communication with a data source that stores the data, an electronic device configured to receive the interactive tool, or a combination thereof.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the intermediate file format is distinct from any particular electronic form format. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the interactive tool is further configured to enable linking of a data source to a field within the electronic form represented by the intermediate file for auto-populating the field based on the data source. 
     
     
         17 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for generating editable electronic forms from one or more types of source documents, the operations comprising:
 receiving data corresponding to a source document, the source document having an input file format;   responsive to the input file format failing to match a particular file format, performing image processing-based element detection on the source document to detect one or more elements of the source document;   generating an intermediate file representing an electronic form based on the data, the intermediate file including metadata indicating the one or more elements of the source document, the intermediate file having an intermediate file format; and   providing an interactive tool configured to enable display and modification of the electronic form, the interactive tool including one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that depict a visual representation of the electronic form and enable a user to add additional elements to the electronic form and to edit locations of the one or more elements within the visual representation of the electronic form and properties of the one or more elements based on user input indicating selection and manipulation of the one or more elements within the visual representation of the electronic form.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein editing the properties of the one or more elements includes changing a type of an input field to a date field or a list field, wherein the date field is configured to initiate display of an interactive calendar for entering a date, and wherein the list field is configured to initiate display of an interactive list for selecting an input. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein editing the properties of the one or more elements includes changing a type of a table to a repeating table, and wherein the repeating table is associated with one or more icons configured to enable addition or deletion of a row of the repeating table. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 after the modification of the electronic form via the interactive tool, converting the intermediate file to an output file that represents the electronic form and has a target output file format of one or more output file formats that are each distinct from the intermediate file format, wherein the target output file format comprises a web-fillable file format.