How to Integrate Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services Ink Recognizer API in C#

Install Required Packages

• Ensure you have the .NET SDK installed. Use the terminal to run the commands to add the necessary NuGet packages.

 

• Install `Microsoft.Azure.CognitiveServices.InkRecognizer` package using the NuGet Package Manager Console or through a terminal with the command:

dotnet add package Microsoft.Azure.CognitiveServices.InkRecognizer --version YOUR_VERSION_NUMBER

Set Up Configuration

• Retrieve your Azure subscription key and endpoint URL from the Azure portal specifically for the Ink Recognizer API.

 

• Store these values in a configuration file or environment variables for better security practices.

Implement the API Client

• Create a class to encapsulate the functionality for calling the Ink Recognizer API. This class will handle authentication and API requests.

using System;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Microsoft.Azure.CognitiveServices.InkRecognizer;
using Microsoft.Azure.CognitiveServices.InkRecognizer.Models;

namespace InkRecognizerExample
{
    public class InkRecognizerService
    {
        private readonly InkRecognizerClient _inkRecognizerClient;

        public InkRecognizerService(string endpoint, string subscriptionKey)
        {
            _inkRecognizerClient = new InkRecognizerClient(new ApiKeyServiceClientCredentials(subscriptionKey))
            {
                Endpoint = endpoint
            };
        }

        public async Task<InkRecognitionRoot> RecognizeInkStrokesAsync(byte[] strokeBytes)
        {
            var response = await _inkRecognizerClient.RecognizeAsync(strokeBytes, "application/json");
            return response;
        }
    }
}

Create and Call Service

• Instantiate the `InkRecognizerService` with the endpoint and subscription key.

 

• Prepare the ink data properly, typically passed as JSON byte data representing ink strokes.

 

• Call the `RecognizeInkStrokesAsync` method to process and recognize the ink input.

using System;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

namespace InkRecognizerExample
{
    class Program
    {
        static async Task Main(string[] args)
        {
            string endpoint = "YOUR_ENDPOINT_HERE";
            string subscriptionKey = "YOUR_SUBSCRIPTION_KEY_HERE";

            InkRecognizerService inkRecognizerService = new InkRecognizerService(endpoint, subscriptionKey);

            // Example byte array of stroke data (Replace with actual ink stroke data)
            byte[] strokeData = GetSampleInkStrokeData();

            var recognitionResult = await inkRecognizerService.RecognizeInkStrokesAsync(strokeData);

            PrintInkRecognitionResult(recognitionResult);
        }

        static byte[] GetSampleInkStrokeData()
        {
            // This is a placeholder. Replace with actual stroke data preparation logic.
            return new byte[] { /* Stroke data */ };
        }

        static void PrintInkRecognitionResult(InkRecognitionRoot inkRecognitionRoot)
        {
            // Handle and display the ink recognition results
            Console.WriteLine(inkRecognitionRoot.ToString());
        }
    }
}

Handle and Display Results

• Parse the ink recognition results to extract meaningful insights.

 

• Utilize the `InkRecognitionRoot` class to navigate through the ink recognition data returned by the API.

 

• Handle any potential exceptions to ensure that your application can recover from errors gracefully.