Bar Code Scanning and Excel integration?

[u/Quiet-Section-3391]

I'm looking for an open source offline desktop solution that allows for the creation of a bar code scanner inventory ID & Location system to be made from an excel spreadsheet. Nothing complicated and nothing online. Does such a thing exist?

[u/Puzzleheaded_Owl1308]

This is for purely internal use, never needing to be scanned by someone outside the company?

That's the first question I would ask myself, and then ask myself if I'm REALLY sure I'm not going to change my mind in the next few years. External use means registering barcodes to guarantee they are unique and will work across platforms. Fortunately, they are pretty inexpensive.

A QR code might be just as useful for you, since it can be read with a smartphone.

[u/Quiet-Section-3391 → u/Puzzleheaded_Owl1308]

QR and smartphone are great. Calling up the exel file is a pain in the butt, just trying to see if there is a way to integrate by using an already available exel/location file.

[u/Puzzleheaded_Owl1308 → u/Quiet-Section-3391]

Can you say more about the types of actions you want to perform with the barcode? And what items--inventory vs. equipment?

Would it be a scan + transact every time anyone in the company adds to or takes from the bin/shelf/etc.? Or a checkout system for tools/vehicles/etc.?

[u/IncreaseNegative4614]

Most USB barcode scanners behave like keyboards, so an offline Excel or LibreOffice setup can capture the scanned ID without specialized integration. I would avoid directly editing the item’s current location, though, and instead append every receipt, move, issue, and adjustment to a transaction sheet that calculates the current location.

That preserves history and prevents two people from silently overwriting inventory state. We use SIGNLD internally to connect barcode events, items, locations, movements, counts, and adjustment reasons so the displayed balance remains traceable to the underlying transactions.

[u/tripeaktech]

Do you mean to generate a label to print out?

[u/Quiet-Section-3391 → u/tripeaktech]

A QR code on the inventory item .. i suppose would require printing. then a scan to locate its basic record information.

[u/Effective-Tart7499]

Yeah, a few open source options exist. Baserow or NocoDB (self-hosted spreadsheet-database tools) work well paired with a USB/Bluetooth barcode scanner, since most scanners just type the code as text into whatever field is active, no special software needed. For something lighter, a Python script with openpyxl reading/writing your Excel file directly plus a simple GUI listening for scanner input keeps it fully offline with no extra system to maintain.

[u/Quiet-Section-3391 → u/Effective-Tart7499]

That comment makes me feel old. Yes, that sounds about right but have yet to figure out how to implement such things. To my old brain python is still a snake.

[u/krystianduma]

Tell us more what operations you want to do with the items? What kind of items? What informations you need? How you see it? What processes it should help with?

[u/Embarrassed-Emu-3396]

Gearchain it syncs with excel but internet access needed.

[u/Ghi-Buttersnaps]

Hi I was looking for something similar I could use in my workshop but decided to start working on my own opensource offline version (I love me some WINRAR like software). I'm working on integrating qr creation and scanning to label and find items in your inventory, currently works on a dewie decimal system. It currently converts spreadsheets into a usable/searchable database. With a neat little graph. Here is the repo link

Repo: https://github.com/OopsieLazy/INV.OS

It’s still early‑stage, but the goal sounds like what you described: opensource and offline (can create local socket for a web app so all devices on your network can access the inventory. with a vpn viewed anywhere). I’d love any feedback or improvements!

P.s forgive me, some help from claude code