Working on an app and client threw a wrinkle at us (go figure). Now wants app to loop each time a user runs their barcode ID (ie read ID, log ID, process various scripts (ie debit accounts, identify and log transaction,etc.), loop back and ready to read next ID. But of course, they want to do this unaided by a human (ie no hitting "new record" on the touch screen). They wish to basically toggle the feature on, let the system loop, then turn it off again and process the balance manually as normal and originally designed.

Asterisk's (barcode start/stop control characters) are not captured during a scan, so looping based on 2nd asterisk is out. ID's apparently are not of fixed length, so checking for character length may also be problemmatic. Any other ideas, suggestions?

Hi docfx,

You haven't said what the set-up is for getting the barcode output into FMP, but the approaches I'm familiar with enable you to achieve the functionality your client is asking for without using a loop script step.

This is based on the use of a plug-in such as Troi Serial, which has a function call to set it to watch for a defined character or string from the serial port, and to trigger a specified script when it receives the designated serial signal input.

In order to get the looping effect, you simply end your script with another 'listen for serial input' step. Then the set-up responds to the barcode reader without the aid of human hand until a 'script cancel' action is taken.

Depending on what plug-in or other 'conduit' you're using to bring the barcode reader output across into FMP, this approach may or may not be possible.

This can be done without going to all the complexity of using a serial scanner and watching a serial port by using the features built into many barcode scanners. Many scanners can be programmed to add a preable and postscript to the scanned characters. If you add a "Control-1" (Command-1, Mac) as the preable and a "Control-2" (Command-2, Mac) as the postscript, a script will be triggered before the scanned characters are "typed" (I'm assuming a keyboard wedge scanner) and another after. The "Command-1" script can be as simple as a Go to Field, the "Command-2" script can process the scanned information. This only requires that the two needed scripts be set to show as the first two scrips in the Scriptmaker manu. You will also need to set up flags to prevent the scripts from being triggered a second time before your first run concludes. FM will run the scripts a second time WHILE the first trigger is running, if you don't. For compete automation, some scanners can be set to scan continuously.

If you do a search of the Barcode Forum using the keyword "preamble", you will find many posts on this topic.

-bd

The client is also in the process of changing over FROM serial port scanners TO keybd wedge (guns) as they found the former (card swipers) too unreliable. So the serial option won't work (at least any longer). Our familiarity thus far has been w/ the kybd wedges AND a custom conduit we did to deal w/ Palm/Symbol and Handspring PDA's for bulk import. However, we always had some level of user interaction following the scan via guns.

Thanks for the pointer to pre/post-amble scripts, I'll check into it.

Ok, I've reviewed the bardcode forum. I'll give it a try on Monday - It certainly sounds plausible. I've got what appears to be a 50-50 chance - works for you not, thus far, for rgeller.

So then a question... what does having these two scripts as the first in the script menu have to do it? That's the only thing I note as different in what you posted here vs the ones in the barcode forum?

They don't have to be the first two, just so long as they are within the first ten (in which case they will be automatically allocated a keyboard command - ie ctl-0 thru ctl-9 - by FMP), and so long as whatever position they are in corresponds to the trigger commands you have set up to be returned from the BCreader.