barcode crash course

[VICH]

can someone explain to me how to implement a bar code scanner into a database....my boss would like to add that feature but i don't know how

[stanley]

VICH:

Barcode scanning can be fairly straightforward to implement. Really, it depends on the specifics of your deployment, and feel free to post here with details and questions.

First off, you can consider a barcode scanner to be an extension of your keyboard. When you scan in a barcode, it is the equivalent of typing data into a field. So, for example, in a word-processing application, you can scan any code - say, the ISBN code off the back of a book - and it will insert the ISBN data at the cursor. In FileMaker, you can put the cursor in a field, scan a barcode, and the data goes into the field. Pretty simple.

There are things you can do to increase the power of barcode scanning in FileMaker - such as adding preamble or postamble data to the scan, which is something you can either program into the scanner (some scanners add a carriage return after the data is scanned, for example) or which you can add into the barcode itself.

For example, I've got two clients who use a particular barcode solution I developed, which tracks the use of equipment within their factories. To check a piece of equipment out, they scan a barcode on the workstation labeled "Check Out". That barcode contains command-1, setting off the first script in the ScriptMaker list, just as if I had typed in the keyboard shortcut. That script takes you to a layout (and pauses) which says "Scan in the item's barcode", with the cursor in the appropriate field. They scan the item's barcode, which has a "enter" postamble, and the data goes in the field, the "enter" resumes the script, and the item is found and marked as "checked out." A similar procedure is followed for checking items in, for indicating the location of an item, etc.

The best thing you could do would be to post up a response here with some specifics of what you would be most likely to do with barcode scanning, and I (or someone else) can give you a fairly clear rundown of what it would entail.

Best of luck.

-Stanley

[VICH]

well the application i would like it to do would be a clock in clock out function....we have timesheets per job...and each job is broken down into parts and it would be great if the scanner clocked in the indivudual parts...and clock them out when finished by scanning a bar code on the sheet is this possible?

[Jeremy Wood]

Sure that's possible.

My advice would be to build on what Stanley said, and work on this project from two angles.

1.) The clock in and clock out of job tasks.

In this case, you would probably have a script that would receive a task ID, check that task's status, and then set the start or finish time of the task, and mark the task's status as appropriate. This part could be implemented many different ways, and is really outside the scope of a discussion of barcode use.

2.) Actually integrating the barcode scanner into the database.

I have used barcode scanners from several different sources at our company (we use barcodes to track our product through mfg. as well as manage parts inventory) and I have found that they are extremely programable. It is easy to make the scanner send a control-2 (or whatever) before sending the code, pause for a moment, send the code (that is, the number or text that comprises the actual data encoded by the bars) and then send a .

I use the above method to trigger a script when something is scanned, move the input focus to an appropriate field, and then continue the script to do the real task (as briefly outlined in step 1.)

Making this all work smoothly requires a little bit of thought and fiddling, but once it's working, it works very well, in my experience.

More: There is an advantage to relying on the scanner to put in things like "control-1" (to trigger the script) and "ENTER" to continue a paused script—it makes your barcodes more universal, it doesn't bog your id data down with junk. While this does involve programming the scanner, said programming is generally a matter of scanning the right sequence of special program commands, which you can prepare for your colleagues/clients in the event that they need to program/re-program a scanner.

Edited September 29, 2005 by Guest
clarification