Question:
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?
Answers:
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.
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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?
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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.
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Not rocket sience then? Thanks
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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).
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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.
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I guess the wedge ones also save a USB port!
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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'...
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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 . 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.
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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).
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(and you can strap them on your arm and look like the Borg)
Bonus!
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I've used quite a few different barcode scanners over the years and you really need to speak to a professional unless your usage is going to be basic sit at a desk scanning in codes.
The range of scanners is so massive these days with serial, keyboard wedge and usb.
They range from the sub 100 quid scanners that you have to manually line up to omni-directional that should scan in any direction. You then have different forms of rf scanners that give you 10 or 20 metres in extra range from your base station to complete wifi terminal devices that also run software. Then there are ones you can roam anywhere with and then dock the scanner back in its base and do a batch update.
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Without wanting to put a downer on the idea, my experience has proved that very quickly operators go back to key input. Try one first before spending a lot.
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A lot of it depends on what type of barcode it is you are reading and where it is going (i.e. where the field it).
The majority of barcode readers need to know what type of barcode it is they are scanning, most come able to scan many of the more common barcode types (interleaved 2 of 5, code 128, etc). When they scan a barcode, this is converted/decoded into a string of numbers and/or letters which is then sent over to the computer.
With the keyboard wedge type barcode scanners, this is simple. Because the barcode reader is plugged in between the keyboard and the base unit, the computer receives the string of charcaters as if it has been typed into the keyboard and processes it as such.
The USB type barcode readers are only slightly more complex. The driver for the barcode reader mimics a keyboard so the computer still interprets the decoded barcode as a character string. An added bonus of this is that if the barcode reader is plug and play and you are using a plug and play operating system (i.e. Windows XP), the computer automatically loads the correct driver and the barcode reader just works. (If the Operating system is not plug and play then you manually have to install the driver).
This is fine for the barcode characters themselves. You need to program the barcode reader to tell it it needs to add extra characters to the beginning or end of the decoded barcode character string if they are necessary.
To do this, almost all barcode readers come with a book (or it is downloadable from the manufacturer). As has already been said, this book includes various barcodes that program a chip inside the reader and tell it what to do. Some of these barcodes will tell the reader what type of barcode it is going to scan (if this is not enabled by default). Others will tell it to add characters at the end or beginning of the character string (as if you typed the control, enter, arrow or letter/number keys on the keyboard). Finally, the most important barcode in the book is the master reset barcode, so if you mess things up programming it, you can reset to how you got it and start again!
Some of the newer readers do all this programming of the reader through a program on the computer (sometimes accessible as a standard program in the Start meny, other times through the control panel - although usually installed when you install the driver for the scanner).
As you can see from all this, it is a potentially complex field to get a scanner setup and working correctly. All I have discussed so far is the scanner. You also need to consider that you need to select the correct field to enter the number in.
If, for example you are scanning into a website, once you are on a page, you can get to the field by pressing tab, then enter the number in, then press enter - which processes the number and returns you to the screen ready for the next number, you could probably program the scanner to add a tab at the beginning and an enter at the end and thus just scan away. Anything more complex and whatever program you are using may need some reprogamming work to let it work properly.
As I said at the beginning, a lot of the processing depends on what type of barcode you are using and where it is going. If you use this system at work, it should be the IT people at work who are best placed to advise you on how to set it up. If it is an external system (i.e. an EDI or B2B system) then the people who provide the system should be able to help set it up (i.e. which barcode readers work, how they should be setup - which type of barcode, etc).
Hope all this helps. Sorry for the long post, but I work for a company who provides an on-line order tracking system to over 200 suppliers, most of who use barcode scanners so I have some experience in these things. If you have any more specific questions, feel free to PM me.
Cheers, Icy.