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Inventory barcode scanner

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dalchri

Programmer
Apr 19, 2002
608
US
I am getting ready to integrate an inventory barcode scanner and printer into our custom inventory program. What I would like to know is if anyone could recommend a product line with an API? I looked into WASP but their scanners seem to be proprietary.

I am looking for the following:
- Wireless, robust, industrial grade scanner that can identify a barcode and allow for a quantity to be entered
- It would be nice if the item description could be displayed as a verification when the item is scanned
- The scanner can store our database of inventory items and the scanned items until it is plugged into a computer
- The scanner can accept our inventory database from our inventory program using an API
- The scanned items can be read out of the scanner using an API

It would be nice to get something that is widely used like the WASP product line. Anyone have any suggestions?
 
You might want to look at the Symbol product line.

Chip H.


____________________________________________________________________
If you want to get the best response to a question, please read FAQ222-2244 first
 
Symbol and Zebra make the best barcode scanners.

In most cases, they plug in and act as a regular keyboard input.

Do yourself a favor and look into the code3of9 font for barcodes. You can then create your own barcodes if you need to. Remember that a barcode using this font starts and ends with *

*01258457298*

In terms of identifying the product you are looking at using this unique barcode (number) to query a database that you create for yourself. Create your app around this to provide functionality like Quantity and so on.
 
I've looked over a couple product lines now and none of them seem to detail how the data you gather makes it off the scanner once you reconnect to a computer. I had gathered that some of the wired scanners act as a keyboard.

Maybe what I'm missing is that it is up to you to write an app that actually runs on these wireless scanners (or is this really called a data terminal once you are storing the data on it) to receive this keyboard input and store the data. Then it is also up to you to pull that stored data out of the app you wrote once you reconnect to a computer.
 
Yup. That's generally how they work.

Chip H.


____________________________________________________________________
If you want to get the best response to a question, please read FAQ222-2244 first
 
I have the symbol pdas with built in scanner which have wifi so they connect directly to the database an do their thing . Very easy to do with asp.net/winforms/java ME(?) Since the pdas run windows ce.

Christiaan Baes
Belgium

"My old site" - Me
 
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