reading magnetic cards 1

[admoore]

I am writing a web-based application which needs to read an ID # off of the magnetic data stripe on a membership card to fill a field within a secure html form... This is perhaps somewhat off-topic; but my MySQL interface here is in PHP- Does anyone have any experience in this or a suggestion for an avenue for more data?

TIA,

-Allen

 

[skiflyer]

I'm guessing here, but have been considering something similar for a UPC bar code scanner. I believe you'll need some kind of plugin for the browser that gets the data on the client machine from the reader to the browser. At that point, it should be just a standard data submission via the browser.

-Rob

 

[Bastien]

this would be better as a java or non web based application (not non internet based ) just not web based...easier to interface with the card reader


if you are planning to use web based then just have the user type in the number...simpler and easier as no other user based application or device needs to be installed on the client...

Bastien

cat, the other other white meat

 

[admoore]

Good suggestion w/ JAVA; but, I think I have my solution- I found stripe readers that plug between the cpu & the keyboard and xmit read data as it it were typed-in, so, all I have to do is have the operator make sure they are in the appropriate field before swiping the card and Vióla!

Thanks for the help!