Frist Time Handheld Developer - Is it Hard to Code a Basic Barcode Scanner App?

G'Day all,
I am a fairly fluent developer in vb.net 03/05 and some basic c# also.
But I have never had anything to do with pocket pc / windows ce.
However I am now faced with the task of purchasing a barcode scanner
device (something like a symbol branded unit) that runs pocket pc 03/05
and writing an application that can scan in the data from the barcode
scanner on the end of it, pump it to a text/portable sql file, doing
checks to see if its been scanned before or not ect...
My main question is, is it hard to code an app that uses the barcode
scanner or is something that you just say: (pseudo code)

on button click

scan.scansomeitem.totext

save text to file/sql

end

Do I have to do any crazy dll programming for the scanner part or??
I await your replies eagerly!!

Dave.

ctacke/>
Mon Apr 03 22:50:38 CDT 2006

It's quite simple. Just like on the desktop, most scanners have a mode that
simply inserts scan data to the keyboard stream, so if a textbox has focus
and you scan, it gets text for the scanned item.

-Chris


<hack123@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1144113251.857129.65100@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> G'Day all,
> I am a fairly fluent developer in vb.net 03/05 and some basic c# also.
> But I have never had anything to do with pocket pc / windows ce.
> However I am now faced with the task of purchasing a barcode scanner
> device (something like a symbol branded unit) that runs pocket pc 03/05
> and writing an application that can scan in the data from the barcode
> scanner on the end of it, pump it to a text/portable sql file, doing
> checks to see if its been scanned before or not ect...
> My main question is, is it hard to code an app that uses the barcode
> scanner or is something that you just say: (pseudo code)
>
> on button click
>
> scan.scansomeitem.totext
>
> save text to file/sql
>
> end
>
> Do I have to do any crazy dll programming for the scanner part or??
> I await your replies eagerly!!
>
> Dave.
>

Richard
Mon Apr 03 23:13:53 CDT 2006

Hi,

To elaborate a bit, I make sure that the textbox to receive the scan always
has the focus. I make the textbox not visible. If any other control on the
form can get the focus, I make sure this either results in going to some
other form, or immediately set the focus back to the scan textbox.

So the user knows what is going on, I have another textbox that shows what
the app has read. I guess this could also be the same textbox that receives
the barcode scan, but in my case the app reads the scan and interprets it.
This interpretation (perhaps a product name read from a table) is displayed
in the second textbox. If the scan is not recognized, I display an error. In
any case, I always return the focus to the first textbox so it can receive
the next scan (if appropriate).

If your app creates the barcodes, you can select the barcode format. Do
research on the formats available. The format I use includes a checksum
character and I verify this in my code. If the checksum is wrong, I display
an error in the second textbox.

The code I use on PocketPC is almost identical to the code I use on a
desktop.

--
Richard
Microsoft MVP Scripting and ADSI
Hilltop Lab - http://www.rlmueller.net

"<ctacke/> opennetcf com>" <ctacke<@.> wrote in message
news:enzW0r5VGHA.4424@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
> It's quite simple. Just like on the desktop, most scanners have a mode
> that simply inserts scan data to the keyboard stream, so if a textbox has
> focus and you scan, it gets text for the scanned item.
>
> -Chris
>
>
> <hack123@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1144113251.857129.65100@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>> G'Day all,
>> I am a fairly fluent developer in vb.net 03/05 and some basic c# also.
>> But I have never had anything to do with pocket pc / windows ce.
>> However I am now faced with the task of purchasing a barcode scanner
>> device (something like a symbol branded unit) that runs pocket pc 03/05
>> and writing an application that can scan in the data from the barcode
>> scanner on the end of it, pump it to a text/portable sql file, doing
>> checks to see if its been scanned before or not ect...
>> My main question is, is it hard to code an app that uses the barcode
>> scanner or is something that you just say: (pseudo code)
>>
>> on button click
>>
>> scan.scansomeitem.totext
>>
>> save text to file/sql
>>
>> end
>>
>> Do I have to do any crazy dll programming for the scanner part or??
>> I await your replies eagerly!!
>>
>> Dave.
>>
>
>

hack123
Tue Apr 04 07:11:13 CDT 2006

Hi Guys and thanks so far,
I didnt realise that it would be that easy.
Do you's have any recommendation for a hardware palm device that I
could use? Like is there a simple HP unit that can have a scan
attachment added to it? Or should I look more at something like the
symbol branded range where they are durable and more made for the task
with inbuilt barcode reader head?
Cheers!!

Dave.

Dick
Tue Apr 04 11:59:52 CDT 2006

Hi,

As Chris says, it is straight forward. The examples that are furnished with
the SDK from most device manufacturers will get you half-way there, the last
50% will take 90% of your time... From the simple description that you
stated, that might be a days worth of work (after you familiarize yourself
with the developement environment).

Naturally, real programs don't stop there. So, plan on more real time after
the initial "Gosh this is cool. See what it does?" First step.

Dick

--
Richard Grier, MVP
Hard & Software
Author of Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to Serial Communications, Fourth
Edition,
ISBN 1-890422-28-2 (391 pages, includes CD-ROM). July 2004, Revised March
2006.
See www.hardandsoftware.net for details and contact information.

Dick
Tue Apr 04 12:03:22 CDT 2006

Hi,

This really depends on what you want to do (the environment in which it will
be used). You can use a simple PPC and something like a scanner from Socket
(www.socketcom.com), for example, or an industrial-strength PPC (there are a
number of manufacturers -- I use Symbol because that's what my clients use,
for the most part).

Dick

--
Richard Grier, MVP
Hard & Software
Author of Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to Serial Communications, Fourth
Edition,
ISBN 1-890422-28-2 (391 pages, includes CD-ROM). July 2004, Revised March
2006.
See www.hardandsoftware.net for details and contact information.

r_z_aret
Tue Apr 04 17:11:53 CDT 2006

You can choose either of three approaches.

You can use the "keyboard wedge" that comes with the scanner. This is
an app that will collect output from the scanner and redirect it to
whatever window has focus. This method avoids any need to deal with
device-specific SDK. Richard Mueller provide methods to make sure the
right window has focus. I'm much lazier; I display very few windows at
any time and assume users will learn to keep the right one in focus.
This approach has worked far better than I feared. I have had _no_
complaints from users or my boss.

Another approach is to use the SDK for the bar code. You could fully
embed calls to that SDK in your app. Or you could modify the wedge to
work more closely with your app, by figuring out the right window.

Another approach is to buy the app. I'm definitely biased, but really
do think this approach is often less expensive. The individual pieces
are not so hard. But they do add up. Making it all work in the real
world can be tough. And, unless the requirements really are clear and
not at all likely to change, you will need to handle changes. Some
apps are likely available for less than a month of your time.

You can find at least a bit more by using google
(http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search) to look up
wedge
in this newsgroup.


On 3 Apr 2006 18:14:11 -0700, hack123@hotmail.com wrote:

>G'Day all,
>I am a fairly fluent developer in vb.net 03/05 and some basic c# also.
>But I have never had anything to do with pocket pc / windows ce.
>However I am now faced with the task of purchasing a barcode scanner
>device (something like a symbol branded unit) that runs pocket pc 03/05
>and writing an application that can scan in the data from the barcode
>scanner on the end of it, pump it to a text/portable sql file, doing
>checks to see if its been scanned before or not ect...
>My main question is, is it hard to code an app that uses the barcode
>scanner or is something that you just say: (pseudo code)
>
>on button click
>
>scan.scansomeitem.totext
>
>save text to file/sql
>
>end
>
>Do I have to do any crazy dll programming for the scanner part or??
>I await your replies eagerly!!
>
>Dave.

-----------------------------------------
To reply to me, remove the underscores (_) from my email address (and please indicate which newsgroup and message).

Robert E. Zaret, eMVP
PenFact, Inc.
20 Park Plaza, Suite 478
Boston, MA 02116
www.penfact.com

r_z_aret
Tue Apr 04 17:11:53 CDT 2006

On 4 Apr 2006 05:11:13 -0700, hack123@hotmail.com wrote:

>Hi Guys and thanks so far,
>I didnt realise that it would be that easy.
>Do you's have any recommendation for a hardware palm device that I
>could use? Like is there a simple HP unit that can have a scan
>attachment added to it? Or should I look more at something like the
>symbol branded range where they are durable and more made for the task
>with inbuilt barcode reader head?

For a list of companies that make rugged Windows CE devices, see my 19
April 2005 contribution to a thread called "Looking for special
material" in microsoft.public.pocketpc. The list is a bit old, and I
don't remember which ones include scanners. I know Handheld Products
and Symbol make them.


>Cheers!!
>
>Dave.

-----------------------------------------
To reply to me, remove the underscores (_) from my email address (and please indicate which newsgroup and message).

Robert E. Zaret, eMVP
PenFact, Inc.
20 Park Plaza, Suite 478
Boston, MA 02116
www.penfact.com

hack123
Tue Apr 04 21:31:52 CDT 2006

Thanks guys so far,
I like the idea more of the fact that the scanner will just send the
barcode into a stream of text as if one was typing it on a keyboard.
This way I will just send the scanned text into a textbox and then the
user has to select what room it came from and then press "accept"
or something and it will enter itself into the mobile database or flat
text file whichever. (It will do other checks and stuff - that's
behind the scenes
stuff)
I really like the Symbol MC50 and MC70 devices so far.
Once again thanks heaps so far!

Cheers

Dave.