Dear Friends
How to scan data into applications with a barcode scanner?Hi, I need help with the barcode scanner and reader. I am new to visual basic programing. Can any one help me with this. I have WCS 3900 scanner from wasp technologies. I need an application written in Microsoft Visual basic which can scan, read and then display it moreover save it in database for later use. Basically i am tring to build a program for a Mobile phone store for that the application need to read the barcode. I would be very much thankful if some one comes to my resque...bye..

Do you mean that there is no software coming with your WCS 3900 scanner from wasp technologies ? I expected the device to come with some applications and some IPL for the standard users ?

i have been researching barcode scanners because i am asctually thinking of buying one to make my job much easier! anyway, by the looks of the scanner you have, it has a keyboard wedge interface. in other words, it connects to the keyboard connector on the back of your computer (the PS/2 connector). This makes programming with the scanner easy! when the barcode scanner reads a barcode because it is connected via the keyboard input the computer reads this information from the barcode as if it was from the keyboard. so, technically if you have the cursor where you want it, say a textbox, then when you scan an item the information will be entered into the textbox!

this is good, but if you have the cursor in the wrong spot you will find that the information is entered into the incorrect location! you should be able to use the usb connection to connect the scanner to the computer and be able to control the information before it gets to your program. This is much harder and will require different software, you can search on the internet for barcode software, or you can have a look at the wasp software demo site at http://www.waspbarcode.com/software/demos.asp

Good Luck,
-jimmy

What i am guessing is that he already has the software and drivers from the company. But the place he is going to setup the system for needs him to create a custom software based on their own needs.

I ran through the same problem when i wanted to create an application for my university for ID card printing as my end semester project. Couldnt go forward with the project cause they wouldent lend me the printer (security reasons lol)

Aight vicky, heres what i would do. Since you have the hardware with you, you can do alot of testing with it. I havent gone much into hardware vs software interface programming, but since you have the drivers with you start with them. What ports they connect how they communicate etc .. then you could go into programming with VB or VC++ to create a software that would need you to use those drivers to create a connection between the hardware and the software you created. Guess some programming gurus here could help you in the hardcore programming. I just gave you an outline.

Hope that helps.
Regards
Dhanesh.

I don't know VB6 that well, so instead of explaining it based on another language I thought this would help you out:

http://www.idautomation.com/scanenable/

Cheers,

MC

Hey vicky, here is a simple test. Start your notepad, and connect your barcode reader to your PS/2 port like Jimmy has already mentioned. Make sure your keyboard is detached. Now pick up your barcode reader and try pointing it at any barcode that it accepts with the beep sound. Most probably, you will get the barcode in numerical format on the Notepad.
If this experiment is successful, then you can continue further.

Programming a PS/2 barcode reader is the easiest. It just acts like a KeyBoard thats it. So while you code, just keep in mind that there is no KeyBoard but only the barcode reader.

Now the programming part. If you notice the number read into notepad, you will see that it also reads the new line char i.e. chr(vbLf). Now what you need to do is have a text box in your program and make sure that it always stays in focus at any cost. There are many ways to do it but the more simpler and effective one is to have a timer control that will periodically set focus to the text box (i.e. txtBarcode.SetFocus). Now in the text box's KeyPress event you need to check the vbLf or vbCrLf or vbCr (try hit n trial).

Simply compare the KeyChar argument to the above constants. The moment condition is found true, whatever is in the text box should go to the database. Its as simple as that.

Before you go reinventing the wheel, check out Point of Sale software at www.sourceforge.net. There are some handy open source wear that is Barcode scanner ready.

i have my barcoding program set up so that as soon as the text box text matches a listing from the database (all the database barcodes are listed in a lstbox) the form loads the information from the database.

We have worked with barcode scanners before in some applications - managing items from a large database, to add, delete, and track items in the inventory. As CaptainRon pointed out, is really simple to set it up, because it works like a regular keyboard. So wherever you have the focus (ie a textbox) there your imput will go. So basically you treat it as data imput from the keyboard.
You can work with the barcodes that come with the items, for example the EAN or UPC codes, or you can generate your own. This comes handy when you have your own organizing system, or you want several copies of the same item (for example, in a rental system you have several DVDs for the same film) and you want to track them individually and have them in correlated order(you get to choose the numbers for the code). There are programs that have many different formats for barcodes: you can choose the size,width, the symbology you want to use, which can be UPC, EAN, PostNet, etc. And then you can print them out on self-adhesive labels.
For this, there are barcode printers, or you can just print them in a regular printer, just be careful with resolution and image definition, because it will affect the way the barcode scanner will read it.
You can try some barcode generators online to see what I mean:
www.barcoding.com
www.barcodesinc.com
For our applications, we generated and tested our own barcodes and they work perfectly fine.
There are also free applications already made to generate them from your desktop (just Google them), or you can make your own
Good luck with it!