Tip: A FREE way to incorporate Bar Code Scanning for testing your DB.

[Loki]

Hello,

I just figured something out that may interest a few people. It's certainly no cure for cancer but if you're looking for an easy way to hookup a bar code scanner to your computer and test out some things with it on Filemaker, it's pretty neat.

All ya need to do is goto Radio Shack and get their Cue Cat bar code reader, they give 'em away for free. It is very IMPORTANT tho that you just connect the scanner and don't install their software driver. The scanner itself plugs into the back of your computer where your keyboard is connected and then ya connect your keyboard into the 'Y' cable on the mouse. That's all there is to it.

The reason I say it's for testing purposes is because, as far as I know, and I know absolutely nothing about what text a 'normal' scanner outputs when you scan a bar code. When you scan a barcode with the Cue Cat Scanner, it spurts out a line of text, in the same way your keyboard would. Meaning, if you would open up a Notepad, and scan a barcode on the Scriptology book, it outputs this line of text: (including the '.' at the end)

.C3nZC3nZC3nXD3bZDxv3CNnY.cGen.ENr7C3P1Dxn7DhvZDW.

Now I'm not sure if a regular scanner wand would give ya the same code. I suspect that the circuitry within the Cue Cat converts the barcode into its own format so it can't be used to replace existing bar codes. Which is fine, I only tried this out because, regardless of wether the text is in a standard code or not, it is 'Unique' so for testing it can be used for a product ID or whatever.

Another note is this, while the code is quite long, only the Right(18, Barcode) is actually unique. What I mean is that when I scan the book, as I did above and then scan say a barcode for Hollow Milk Chocolate 'Nipper' thingy, I get this, the 1st being the book again and the 2nd being the chocolate:

.C3nZC3nZC3nXD3bZDxv3CNnY.cGen.ENr7C3P1Dxn7DhvZDW.

.C3nZC3nZC3nXD3bZDxv3CNnY.fHmc.C3DYCxv6C3nYDhrW.

As you can see, only the last 18 ( I think) have changed.

The Cue Cat also seems to enter a carriage return in after the scan also.

Like I said, It's pretty much only for testing purposes. If you plan on having someone else use your database for commercial use, they will need to buy a scanner.

I realize that the Cue Cat wasn't designed for this type of use, as a result, I wouldn't recommend anyone selling a custom database and telling them they can use this scanner. Code will most likely have to be changed to make it work properly with a regular scanner.

[Loki]

Clarification:

.C3nZC3nZC3nXD3bZDxv3CNnY.cGen.ENr7C3P1Dxn7DhvZDW.

.C3nZC3nZC3nXD3bZDxv3CNnY.fHmc.C3DYCxv6C3nYDhrW.

As you can see, only the last 18 ( I think) have changed.

What I meant, not that it really needs pointing out, is that the left part, between the decimal point is always the same...

[LiveOak]

Barcode scanners and wedges (the part that decodes the output of the scanner and connects between the keyboard and the computer) have to be programmed to output keyboard info for either the PC or Mac. When properly configured, the scan of a barcode results in perfectly readable text with no extra characters. In the case of the barcode on the back of the Scriptology book it should be the same as the ISBN number printed above or below the barcode. The character string you are getting is definitely not standard.

The lowest cost scanners with non-USB are about $150. A USB converter is about $40 and seems to work fine with the several wands and laser scanners I have tried (all wedge-->ADB-->USB on the Mac).

-bd

[BobWeaver]

Does the cue cat scanner always give you the same code for a given barcode, or does it come up with different codes?

[Loki]

It's always the same code for the same barcode. I have entered in a ton of stuff and did finds to locate the items.

I realize that the code given by the cue cat scanner doesn't give you a UPC code or anything like that, I said that in the orig post, but the text code it does give you is unique and always the same for a given barcode. So it can be used as a substitute for a pricey scanner for testing purposes. I just mentioned this incase someone wanted to monkey around with it. There has to be an algorithm that would convert it into a specific code like UPC or whatever, but I wouldn't stand a rats chance in you know where of deciphering it.

[ May 05, 2001: Message edited by: Loki ]

[ May 05, 2001: Message edited by: Loki ]