Digital Workshop

Firstly, a huge thanks and my deepest gratitude to both Sandy and Mac for their help with this one. - Its truly a fine example of how simply AWSOME people can be here on this board. - I am humbled.

I was thinking not long after I got off here yesterday, instead of a small midi sample for the kids to hear, I thought a collection of farm yard animals might be funnier!. so William can crow like a rooster, and john can quack like a duck!

As yet, my friend with the closed down video store hasn't handed over the reader gun yet.. BUT! - the day is YOUNG!. - and besides, if I have to wait for him to get off his carcass, I might never get this running so I'm off to shop for one on e-bay!.

Again, THANK YOU! I can't WAIT to get this done and installed.....( will of course include FULL credits to both Sandy and Mac ) in the "about" info for their donation of time and support.

...a sense of community can sometimes be more powerful than the cents of profit.

Cheers and many thanks

Viper.

great idea, kids would love that. Opus is brilliant for rapid development. You could make animal sounds, show pictures of the animal and speak the childs name.
Where will you put the bar codes?? I just checked and if the radius of the bar code is smaller than approx a tin of beans it mat not scan well, but it depends on the length of the barcode. I think all you will need is 1 to 500 and use that to index the database. You can download a free code 39 true type font from here http://www.idautomation.com/fonts/free/ ... rcode_Font and you can start printing your own bar codes. I just printed a sample code and for 500, the code is only about 15mm, so curvature will not be a problem. If you could get one of the ink jets they use in production lines, you could blast the bar code across the kids forehead...but that might not be scannable.
Sandy

Bar codes across their forehead - it would make it even harder to read if they frowned.

Ok, on a more serious note, regarding code 39 true type, that was my " weapon of choice! " so to speak....the reason for this is that the bar code itself will be printed out onto a playing card sized sheet of colored cardboard ( pink or blue ) and the whole card will be slipped onto a clear plastic pouch with an elastic strap that would be placed around the patients upper sleeve. An alternative idea would be to see if the same principal used for the medical ID tag ( the clear wrist strap ) might be possible as the empty straps themselves are hard as hell to get off ( as some of us know ) AND they have a ready supply of them - ( being a hospital and all ). - your thoughts?

hey! I just had another idea!..... depending on what " bar code number " comes up....the family could be issued a voucher for a free lunch at the cafe! - now this is getting REALLY interesting!

O.P.U.S. ( Outstanding Professional Use Software! ) - well, that's MY take on it.

Cheers!

I was going to suggest using pre-printed bar codes, you just use that number as an index and reuse it over and over. That way you wouldn't neet to print?? however, The advantage of using a printed bar code.... you can have human readable on the bottom so it acts as a normal ID with the childs name, you could also have emergency contact info etc without having to refer to the database. What ever system you design must function without a PC if necessary, so that no information is locked away if the system crashes/ power out etc.
For best results, you need good contrast between the black bars and the backgroound, so yellows and pastels will work, but dark colours will not work well. you just have to test things to see what will and won't work.

Again, my thanks....and the latest news? - I purchased a hand scanner reader yesterday from HK at $30.00 apparently, it requires no drivers..and can be plugged into EITHER a keyboard OR USB - it SHOULD be here in a couple of days! yay!

Well, I got THAT sorted! and STILL not a word from my mate with the ex-video store and his bar code reader ( ya GET that I guess ) - when it arrives, Ill let you know...

Regarding the colors - yes, I suspect that the BEST option would be a simple black ink on a white background.

I think in ONE respect after reading your last post, I might be actually missing an elephant in the room... when I print a bar code I see the text at the bottom of the code itself....( code 39 ) so if I use the code as a reference ONLY I understand that I can have that ( bar code ) represent HEAPS of information ( because that code will link to whatever I need it to )..what I am MISSING is ... how do I print a code.... ( remembering that I'm using code 39 )..that WONT have a human visible version at the bottom? - is that a different code type?...... like 128 for example?

I ask this, because I have a freeware program that allows me to type a message into a text box, then it converts it to code 39...the ISSUE is that if I type ANYTHING...it ALWAYS displays the text at the bottom. Is there a way to turn OFF this human readable message?

cheers!

If you have 'professional' bar code software, you can choose to have human readable or not, the free stuff you get on the web, may or may not have it , but it will not be selectable when it's created from a true type bar code font. You would have to use a different font for the two.
I'm not sure what information you will have on the label? Bar code scanning will speed up the recording of who is in or out, but you can't have a huge amount of data contained in the bar code, but you can use it to link to a huge amount of data in a database.
You have to think about what you are trying to achieve? The original requirement was to just have a barcode which links to a database, so human readable is not necessary, but always very handy to have.

V,
Do a googlish search on Avery and barcode.
Avery labels sometimes distributes a CDROM (as bundle w/ printer?, or maybe I got it with a package of Labels). But they also have some software for downloading. I think they also provide template layouts for MS Word or such. But the point is... with their barcode setup they refer to an external file.

Not sure if you realise??
You can print barcodes from within Opus if you install a bar code true type font such as here.... http://www.idautomation.com/fonts/free/ . There is a slight limitation, but there may be a work-around. To test: install the ID automation code 39 TT font, may have to re-start PC, then in Opus create a text input and set the font to the code 39 bar code font, this will display the bar code on screen, then create a button with a print action attached and print the text input object, Opus will print the barcode!! If you try to print the variable fron the text input box, it defaults to some standard font....haven't tried to find a way round this, but there may be?
Sandy

Sandyn......GENIUS! - also, Lar_123 I'm going to trawl Google as we speak!..... simply awsome! people.

Viper,
if you are going to pursue printing from within Opus you may find it worthwhile to review prior posts related to 'printing'.
Do a search in forum for: chapter print
You could also search for: chapter long
The results you will see talk about setting up to print a full standard page ('letter' or A4, or other as you please -- although you have to play with the pixel dimensions to get it right)

Also, suggest you review 'Quick Build' or 'QuickBuild' in the help files.
One useful example there would be: creating a table (actually, search for demofred post on a similar topic -- Talks about duplicating objects or multiple objects).
QuickBuild may also point you to using arrays (for that table).

Hi Sandy,

I gave this ago and it seemed to work, but then I think I found the issue you refer to.

I created an Input Box with a variable called myBarcode.
I then created a Text Box with the same variable as above.
I then added a print button to print the text object (step two).

The barcode would not show. However, if I put a space before the variable in the Text Box (step two), the bar code displayed whatever was in the Input Box (step one) and printed correct.

May this solves your issue

Mack

P.S Thanks for font link - I'm sure this will come in useful or fun.

Thanks Mack,
I'll try it tomorrow....just going out.
I wasn't very sure if you were printing the text object, or the text variable. I can print any object which contains the bar code text variable, but if I try to print the variable direct from the print action dialogue, it goes to a standard..non bar code font. I thought I had found a work around in tools option fonts default font and set it to the ID 39 font, but the text variable is still printed with no bar code. I don't think it really matters, as long as you can put the variable in an object and print that.
I'll still try your method to see.

I seem to know too much about barcodes, but!!!! I still can't read them by eye, so I don't qualify as a bar code anorak yet!!!

Sandy

Ah - light goes on! I knew I was probably slightly miss reading the problem. That's not a barcode font issue. The print variable spits out plain text whatever the font / formatting.

Yes, I printed the text object rather than the variable and this worked - with Opus 7s improved printing, you get a clean crisp look reminiscent of the delightful Miss Alba

Regards,

Mack

BTW - you can deny it all you want - but the bar code anorak award is yours. Although I hear that snow might be heading for your neck of the woods so a ski jacket might be better option.

Thanks Mack!
Viper will still be able to print bar codes by printing the object, so no great problem.
Yes, snow on the A9 and M74 this morning, so winter is here again!!
Sandy

Hiya Sandyn, - ...guess what turned-up this afternoon?!

An L-2008 bar code scanner/laser bar code reader. - so! where do we go from here? - er...with a slight problem....the manual is in NOT in english. lol! the thing IS though, as soon as I plugged it in to the USB port, it instantly beeped and Windows said - it was found and is ready to use. ( fingers crossed ! )

Cheers!