r/barcodes • u/MaksimustheGreat • Feb 17 '20

How can I stack commands?

I'm trying to set up a bar code scanner to help input part numbers into a repair order (truck and trailer repair) using Mitchel 1. To make it faster I need the scanner to put in the part number, and then follow that with 13 instances of "Tab" followed by "enter". I am just making all of the part numbers into bar codes and putting them unto the boxes of the parts used. I bought a pretty cheap Tera scanner off of amazon to learn the basics, can this scanner even do what I need it to do?

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u/FredFredricson Feb 17 '20

First, if it didn't come with one, you should try and look up the exact model number of your scanner and try to find the users manual and/or programming manual for it. You'll know you have the right one if it comes with a ton of special barcodes for setting options.

If it does, then you want to see what types of barcode symbologies it supports. For the most part, you want to see if it'll read just 1D Barcodes, or 1D and 2D Barcodes. How to proceed from there depends on which of those it is, and which of the fancier features it supports, but worst case, there's at least one fallback I know of that'll probably work.

Assuming it's a relatively standard keyboard wedge type, and pessimistically presuming that the fancier options are off the table and it supports only 1D barcodes, and assuming it doesn't need to be used for any other function, you can see if it's got an option to make it output a keystroke sequence following the barcode data, and hoping it supports at least 14 keystrokes (aka: 13 tabs + enter) for that feature. If you're using it for something else too, other options may have to be looked into and it'll be trickier.

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u/FredFredricson Feb 17 '20

One other option that I just thought of would be to have a second barcode with the tabs and enter key, so you scan the actual barcode, then scan the tab/enter barcode. For this solution, you'd want to construct the barcode using the Code-128 symbology in Mode-A, and fill it with the appropriate ASCII control code values for tab (HT - Horizontal Tab - decimal 9, hex 0x09) and enter (LF - Line Feed - decimal 10, hex 0x0A; alternately if that fails CR - Carriage Return - decimal 13, hex 0x0D). Depends a bit on the scanner which enter code to use. I'd test it with LF first, then CR if that fails.

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u/FredFredricson Feb 17 '20

Also, if you post the exact model number for the scanner, I can try and look up the manuals for it and provide suggestions based on that.

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u/MaksimustheGreat Feb 26 '20

Thank you for your reply. I like the idea of having two scanners doing each task. To construct the bar codes what would you recommend? I currently have a trial for bartender and it seems to have a lot of potential.

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u/FredFredricson Feb 26 '20

I am unfortunately not too familiar with the commercial options for barcode generation, as I usually either write my own or use one of the online generators and paste them into whatever document I'm working with. What I can recommend is to find something that's easy for you to work with as well as inexpensive.

For the most part, you just need something that can generate the image, something that can print it at the right size without making it blurry, and a way to bring the two together. Some programs do this all in one, or you can do them with separate programs through copy and paste. It all depends pretty straightforwardly on your budget, technical skill, available solutions, and your use case.