From Blank Template to Extraction Schema
The watchtheink Form Designer lets you model any paper form as a structured hierarchy before a single scan is submitted. This post walks through creating your first template end to end.
Understanding the Hierarchy
Every template follows the same shape:
FormTemplate
└─ FormGroup (logical section group, e.g. "Personal Details")
└─ FormSection (a visual block on the page, e.g. "Contact Information")
└─ FormField (an individual field, e.g. "Full Name")
Groups and sections are organisational — they don't appear on the paper form. They tell the extraction engine how to group confidence scores and structure the JSON output.
Step 1: Create a Template
Open the Designer at /designer and fill in the template metadata at the top:
- Name — a stable identifier (e.g.
quiz-answer-sheet-v2) - Description — human-readable context for reviewers
- Version — increment this whenever the field layout changes
Step 2: Add Groups and Sections
Click Add Group in the left panel to create your first group. Give it a descriptive label. Then click Add Section inside that group to create the first visual block.
Step 3: Define Fields
Inside a section, click Add Field. The right panel opens the field editor. For each field:
| Property | What it controls |
|---|---|
| FieldType | How the AI interprets the region (Text, Checkbox, Signature, ...) |
| Label | The key used in extracted JSON output |
| isRequired | Whether a missing value should flag the scan for review |
| maxOccurrences | 1 = single value; >1 = repeating rows (e.g. answer grids) |
Step 4: Save and Submit a Scan
Hit Save in the top bar. Your template is now available in the Template Library and in the scan submission form. Navigate to /scan to submit your first scan against it.
Next Steps
Once you have a few scans processed, the confidence scores will tell you where the AI is uncertain. Use those signals to refine your template — add validation rules, split ambiguous sections, or adjust field types.