RE: Barcode Scanner Purchase

["Steve Morgan" <wormpurple@xxxxxxx>]

I have used keyboard interface scanners in the past for an EPOS application and to be honest, I prefer the RS232 versions.

 

With the keyboard ones, the app doesn't know where the data has come from, so if focus is on the wrong field, all hell tends to break loose. Think about the size of your bill if you get the barcode number into the quantity field of your automated shopping list! You can usually get the scanner to generate special characters around the data stream, but it still won't be recognised by someone else's app - you'd have to write the code yourself to intercept the data stream.

 

At least with an RS232 version, the code monitoring the serial port knows that the data is barcode data. It would be fairly straightforward to write an app that ran in the background. When it received barcode data from the scanner, it could automatically set focus to the appropriate control in the appropriate application window and post the data straight into the correct field. This would work with most 3rd party apps. You could write something similar as a keyboard hook for the keyboard 'wedge' type scanners - though under NT (or a derivative) this causes serious complications if the console is locked or the screensaver is active.

 

So, level-shifting aside, RS232 for me, please!

 

Hey - if someone wants to build me a couple of level-shifters, I'll write the code to redirect the data, OK?

 

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: Mick Furlong [mailto:hiltoneltd@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 28 February 2002 09:55
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxxSubject: RE: [ukha_d] Barcode Scanner Purchase

Have you looked at the keyboard interface barcode scanners? They are much eaier to interface....just plug them in and scan and it pops up in your application. A lot less hassle.

 

just my thoughts ;)

 

Mick

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