How do Bar Code Readers integrate?

MickKnipfler

I have a system at work where I have to put bar code numbers in manually. If I want to use bar code readers, how do they work?

Do they just plug into a USB?
Can you use a button on the reader to "tab" between fields?
I assume there is somekind of driver?
What do software development people then have to do so that the bar code number gets put in the field? Or, does the software just think it's input by a keyboard?

ManAtHome

You can get USB ones (as you guessed with a driver) or "keyboard wedge" types (these plug in between keyboard and PC. Both should look like entry from the keyboard.

Don't know of any with a Tab button, you'd normally encode a Tab into the barcode - not all codes support this though. Alternative is auto-tab when the barcode field is full - obviously only works if (a) you're writing the software or it already works like this and (b) you're reading fixed-length barcodes.

MickKnipfler

Thanks for that. I'm not defining the bar codes they will come already supplied. Looks like a manual press or a software change.

Where do you buy them from?

TheFaqqer

I think that some readers have more buttons than others - I've used some in warehousing that will read the barcode and then you can click to tab, but these are quite expensive.

My wife uses a pen reader (like they have in libraries) for copying ISBN numbers from the barcodes into Amazon for listing books. Fairly straightforward - we use a parallel connection, but there are USB or even serial port connections as well as those mentioned above.

MickKnipfler

Not rocket sience then? Thanks

pknottm

If you need to add additional characters to the beginnning/end of a barcode (eg, TAB, CR, LF, etc), most barcode readers can easily be programmed to do this (by scanning the configuration barcodes that come with the barcode reader).

nej

Serial ones used to be quite common when I last did POS systems (6 or 7 years ago), but the Keyboard wedge ones were the best because they just plug in-line with the keyboard so it just works.

MickKnipfler

I guess the wedge ones also save a USB port!

Jeewhizz

You don't code the 'tab' into the barcode at all...

On systems I use for work, When you setup the barcode reader on the system, you setup a end-of-barcode 'character'. When you get the barcode, you usually get a manual with a set of configuration barcodes. You scan the 'tab' barcode, and then after you scan your barcodes on the products, the barcode reader will send a 'tab' command to the system - which it will then interpret as a tab. You can configure it to do pretty much anything - we have our's set to 'enter'...

superscaper

I recently bought a flic scanner off ebay (new) which connects by serial, which is quite convenient as I've run out of usb ports and have yet to get a hub. It only cost about £40 and I have so far used it to catalogue my dvds, cds, games and books using software from http://www.collectorz.com. Pretty easy to use the scanner and I haven't come across a barcode yet that it won't scan, so it's mostly down to the software in terms of what you want to do with the barcodes.

ManAtHome

Sure the last Misco catalogue I saw had a few scanners - the cheap ones are likely to be less configurable though. The whizzbang ones at work are programmable (and you can strap them on your arm and look like the Borg), but for the cheaper ones you could always print a Tab barcode on a separate bit of paper - scan the item, then the paper etc... (Code39 is the best for embedding control characters).