Digital Workshop

Hi, - I've been wanting to see if I could create a simple program using Opus pro 6.0 that would let me use a bar code scanner.

All I really want to do is have the ability to swipe a card in front of a reader and have the information display on a screen.

I MUST point out that I have no idea of the difficulty involved as I have no concept of the " inner workings " as far as programming bar codes go. -Surely, it cant be THAT difficult can it? - the technology has been around for sooooo long.

I've looked on the forum for reference to this but I seem to be at a loss - Talking barcodes were mentioned but I'm after a much simpler solution - I only have to read about 800 items in total that never change.

Anybody care to shed a bit of light on this subject?

Also, at this point I don't have a bar code reader ( I was thinking about a USB version either on a stand or a hand scanner version I'm not sure which I will go with yet because I want o find out which is the best direction to go first before I spend resources on a system that might be too hard or not compatible with Opus. ) - I mean, how hard can it BE to get opus to read these input devices anyway?

Cheers

Divide the problem into two parts. Getting a bar scanner to work to store the data in a file. And then getting Opus to read the file (or get data from the Clipboard) and display the data.

Maybe that is an oversimplification, but it makes the point: the 'technology' part centers on Windows OS, a serial device interface, and whatever driver or utility comes with the scanner. You will have to educate yourself on this by googling some.

As for Opus projects, search the forum for 'serial' and you will get a little closer to what others have done for external device/interface input. Again, it does not need to be complicated -- if your bar scanner can get the data to the Clipboard or into a file.

Out of curiosity, I did a little googling (actually Ask.com searching )...

It is possible you can get a bluetooth or other BC scanner --- and it will "send keystrokes followed by a return to the active WinXP window". Of course by now you have already found the exact same information in your Search...

Further to the conversation regarding bar code readers, I found a neat little bit of FREEWARE that allows you to read quite a few types of barcode of various objects - using your WEBCAM!

Simple install and then your away!

I found myself scanning loads of things as a test and these included bar codes from: a bottle of coke,various packets of items out of the pantry in the kitchen and even the barcode from my photo I.D.

Of course its just a sequence of numbers - but at least it saves you the purchase of a hand scanner device.

Hers the link:
http://www.top4download.com/free-barcod ... pfepn.html

I hope this helps for those of you ( like me ) who want to expand your horizons using Opus.
Cheers!

I have produced many applications using bar code scanners with Opus. A talking bar code scanner for visually impaired people, talking bar code scanner for goods inward inspection. It is very simple, because a bar code scanner is just seen as an alternative input to the keyboard.
There are 2D and 3D barcodes, the 2D are the traditional and most common You can see them on every product you purchase(EAN code)...they comprise of black and white stripes, where the relationship between the width of the stripes is where the information is encoded. They can be scanned with a simple laser scanner, either hand held, or the counter top design, such as used in supermarkets. All supermarkets use omni directional scanners, so the orientation of the product is not critical. The laser is progressively scanned in every orientation very quickly, so they eventually match and it will read. 2D barcodes contain very little information, the more information, you have the longer the bar code gets. You can usa a high density code such as 128, but eventually, you run out of resolution at the printing and scanning stage. A 2D barcode contains just one line of information
3D barcodes are often used by courier companies. They are square with hundereds of little squares within. The position of these squares is how the information is encoded. Some have circles in the centre for locating the barcode. A 3D barcode can contain a lot of information, 1 to 2 k in a small square. 3D codes are very rugged, approximately one third of the information can be missing and it will still read OK. 3D codes require a camera, because they have to be scanned as an image, then analysed by the applecation. There are huge developments going on with 3D barcoded, because they can be read from screen, so all kinds of possibilities with iPhones etc.
You can get barcode fonts for windows, so the text is automatically converted to encoded text. And you can print 3D codes as well. I haven't tried any oof the free reader software for 3D codes. For serious applications you need something which is very quick and accurate. I must have a look at the freeware software to see how quick it is.

Sandy

Thanks Sandyn very helpful info - Ive actually always wondered why bother with different codes and now understand why.

I think I've figured out how to get the data "in" - but a few of questions remain -

1: Can this action be done without using a database like mysql or MSDB ( or other such software? ) - my application ONLY requires a total of 500 items that will never change ( OR be added to ) so can I make my OWN small simple reference point within Opus to hold these codes?

2: Can this be done without scripting?

3: what program would I be able to use to " read" these bar codes that will sit quietly in the background and not pop up over the top of my Opus project?.....or put another way, what 3rd party reader software do you use to achieve this?

cheers!

Sorry for the brief reply, hopefully others will give you more details about the easiest way to create a datebase without scripting. I haven't used actions for a long time, so I can't remember the specifics of what they can and can't do compared to scripting, but you can do most things without scripts, but sooner or later you will have to use simple scripts. They are quite easy and you will always get help on here.

You don't have to use an external database for you data, You can use file storage and actions to write and read to the file. Each line in the file could hold a record.

If you get a bar code scanner, you don't need any program in the background, it just looks like keyboard input.

Sandy

You can generate PNG barcode images online, to paste into your layout application here
http://www.barcoding.com/upc/
or use Avery Label Pro software
cheers

Thanks sandyn -I understand that there will be SOME point where I have to dive off into the deep-end and paddle through the ocean of script.....and your right.

On thing though, if I were to purchase an actual hand scanner ( instead of using my web cam which works perfectly as it is )....how the heck do I tell opus to recognise the hand scanner? so I can set the "key" for it?

Regarding using my web cam currently: All Ive managed to do, is have the camera read various types of bar codes through another program, and spit the barcode out onto my screen. ( well, at least I have an input device..) - of sorts lol..


Also, thanks Mac for the link to the on-line PNG barcode images

So, while I'm here..... is there anybody out there that can offer advice on the most common TYPE of barcode? - this being found, I can use THAT format instead of trying to use some obscure format that wont be compatable with a lot of hand scanners.

Cheers...
Viper

I use an old datalogic hand held scanner. Barcode scanners are intelligent and programmable, they aren't just passive devices. When you point the scanner at a bar code, and it sucessfully registers the code, it will then automatically generate an 'enter' as well. A USB scanner should be plug and play, ie you plug it in to the PC point it at a barcode, scan and it will 'mimic' a keyboard entry with an enter (you may have to configure it first) interestingly, you program most scanners by scanning barcodes in the manual, so it should be easy.
You are thinking they are a lot more complicated than they actually are. but you get good bar code scanners and bad bar code acanners. The one I use is good for most bar codes.
One of the most common bar code and probably most usable for you is code 39. They are printable with a inkjet at normal inkjet resolution. Code 128 is a much higher density, the barcode is a lot shorter, this is normally very importand, say where you want a serial number, but the product is really small, you use a high density code, but you then need to use special label printers such as Zebra thermal printers which can achieve very high resolution for accurate scanning of the label.
For everything about bar codes....but you were afraid to ask....., see http://www.idautomation.com/ there is some very useful information there.
I haven't looked at bar code scanner technology for a while, so there will be WiFi hand held scanners, bluetooth etc etc by now, but the cost will be higher. I just had a look on e-bay and there are scanners from £13 upwards, so not too expensive. I have no idea how good the cheaper ones are?? but probably OK for your purposes??
Laser scanners are only usable with 2D codes.

Once again thanks my friend.

Ok I now have a much better understanding of barcode setting up - and yes, Ive actually seen a step-by-step process on youtube of a guy setting one up... he used one code to activate it, another to set the code type he wanted, and another at the back of the booklet to " save the settings ".

This stuff is REALLY interesting! - seriously! for me thins might become a whole new world of thinking and interaction.

The end product I want to achieve, is to produce a barcode that can be put inside the average key window ( you know) ...its the clear plastic fob that people the world over uses to identify what the key set is for.
I'm hoping the barcode used to produce this will fit inside it ( and that DOESN'T require one of those high-end label printers ) my only OTHER alternative is to have a "book" with a simple open-the-page-and-scan-it option. but Id MUCH rather the code fit on the key fob itself.

As for the code type? - yes! code 39 is very popular.

I actually will invest in a proper hand scanner device, and so, another question is this....
To make the labels ( or code ) to fit on ( or even replace ) those small cardboard inserts that come with a key fob, - do you think code 39 will fit?

Many thanks to all for this help thus far...

Viper.

The length of a code 39 bar code is proportional to length of the data. it also has 'quiet areas' at the start and finish and there are check characters....etc etc, see here http://www.adams1.com/39code.html

For your information, this is an american web page and they still use imperial dimensions. Approx 40 mil=1mm. ( a mil is not a mm, but a thousandth of an inch).
so it depends mainly on the number of data characters. However this makes it all look very complicated and it isn't really.
Bar codes are scalable, the smallest dimention is a single bar, so if you have a 600 DPI printer, you could theoretically make the single bar one dot wide, or 1/600 of an inch, but with an inkjet, you get some splatter and bleeding of the ink into the surrounding area, so if you had a single bar, then a space, then another bar, the space (white area) would have some black in it annd the barcode reader might be fooled into thinking it was black and give an incorrect reading. To get round this problem, you can scale up the code, so a single bar, is two, or three dots wide. the code gets wider, but it gets much more reliable. This is why commertial barcodes use thermal printers for high density codes, they use thermal printing with a ribbon, so they can achieve higher resolution. However when i was speciifying a code 128 bar code, I always made them at least 2 dots wide, because most hand held scanners can not resolve 600dpi.

So you are interested?? Once you get your scanner, I will send you a copy of my talking bar code scanner. I created if for a goods-inward inspection area. Sometimes a person has to check a list of serial numbers against items received so it reads ouut the scanned bar code. Also, bar codes/ readers are not 100% accurate when using code 128 and the label printers have not stuck to the rules, so the code had to be scanned twice as an additional check.
I also diid my MSc dissertation on a talking bar code scanner. It does exactly what you are trying to do. It allowed a visually impaired, or blind user to scan an article, and my system looked up a database, then read out what the item was. It used the EAN barcodes on purchased products. So a blind person could tell the difference between a tin of beans and a tin of peas.....but???? how does a blind person scan the barcode??? I used an ommni directional scanner, so it was quite easy for them to develop a technique to scan the code and exact alignment was not necessary.
The database was an excel spreadsheet.
This application does what you want, but it has a lot more to allow the user to add entries, or edit entries.
I would recommend that you use this interest to learn some scripting, and if you are familiar with excel, I would use that as the database, but use actions to query the database. It all looks very complicated to start with, but it isn't really. When you create an excel spreadsheet with the data, you just have to ensure that each column has a column name at the top. The most difficult part for a new user is to set up the ODBC link to the spreadsheet, but once you learn the steps, it's easy. The spreadsheet is just a structured way of storing the information. when you run the application, Excel is not used or required, it's just an easy way to create the data.

If you are interested in interfacing Opus to the outside world. I create applications using an USB interface card. it gets even more interesting.

Sandy

Hi Sandyn, and again thanks for the reply.

Yes in fact, I did read your earlier post regarding your talking bar code reader - and with respect to the question of exactly HOW a blind person would know where the bar code was...YES! - I was more than just a little intrigued as to how a blind person could manage to find the bar code.. I was thinking of a simple device attached to the bar code reader itself - like a slightly over-sized cup with a rectangle cut out - that way, the user simply puts the can inside the object, ( or cup )... and rotates it till the information is spoken. ( with only 360 deg's to rotate in I think it might have been easy!) - BUT! YOUR idea is MUCH simpler AND effective! ( besides, not all companies have their bar code in the same position on their cans )

I would be most grateful for the opportunity to sample your talking bar code reader, actually - it would make for some serious FUN for my project in fact!.

My aim is to create a simple reader project for a day ward at an inner city hospital where they take out appendix or tonsils or whatever kinds of reasons kids stay in a day ward for. ( this is a freebee for them as a way of saying thanks for their help - AND...as a way of preventing them having s meltdown lol!

My son had to go there for a minor op and it was insane! - every kid ( well almost every kid ) was running around like a chook with their heads cut off and it was hard for staff to keep track of this gated area where the day ward kids could play till their doctor was ready ..and some were so fearful, they wouldn't tell the staff their name! LOL! and you have to CATCH the little beggars in order to read their medical wrist bands. I thought of a more " novel " approach.

I just want a way that the staff can keep track of kids in and out of their "play area" while mum & dad are getting other kids organized, or seeing the doctor, or even taking a break in the small cafe.

Thinking about it....It would be great to have the ability to have a child WANT to have their sticker on and KEEP it on - especially if it " spoke their name " and then played a short little tune " every time they waved their sticker in front of the scanner

I figure a MAXIMUM total of 500 codes in all.

With respect to programming using USB boards.....I am just starting with Arduino technology in conjunction with my R.C. aircraft and auto-pilot systems and YES! I really AM getting " hooked " and am LOVING the possibilities!. -we should " chat on skype or Yahoo some time perhaps...

Cheers my friend. and Ill be getting a bar code reader this afternoon off a friend of mine that used to own a small video store that's now out of business.

Cheers!

Just thought I'd throw in a thanks for the post people. It's interesting to see Opus being used in so many technically diverse ways and having sat and stared at the strange square barcode on the HDD in the dock on my desk for some time now, it good to understand what it's about a bit more

@Viper - as it's for a good cause, if the speech in your program is TTS, I'll happy donate a copy of our Speech DLL for Opus for you to use.

http://www.live.interaktiv.co.uk/index. ... Itemid=166

Mack

Hi Viper,
let me know when you get your scanner and I'll send the imp to you. It would be easy to make it a talking scanner and much more fun for the kids. I see Mack will donate his TTS dll. I use TextAloud, but the talking bar code scanner I will send just uses my voice recorded, since there was no need for text to speech, since the character set is limited and it produces a self contained application with no licence problems, but it does have a Scottish accent!
Macks TTS dll would be ideal for your application since it will be integrated into the Opus publication , so no set up problems.
The applications I have created using Opus and an interface card....a dual channel data logger. I use it for monitoring temperatures, voltages and currents. Battery charger with temperature monitoring ....A talking passive infra red sensor/ ultra sonic detector, if it detects movement, you can program what you want it to do. It can be configured to be an burglar alarm, door entry, talking booth, could be built into a home automation system. You need a spare PC to run it. I've also done a power monitoring system which gave a real time display of power consumption in a Hotel complex..... and the carbon saving.
Never looked into the Arduino board, looks interesting!

Sandy