Re: Bar coding and Informix

On Aug 25, 8:14am, Darin Melin wrote: > Subject: Re: Bar coding and Informix > On 24 Aug 1995, BCFlorian wrote: > > > > > The bar code readers we use will work with ANY software. They are simply > > another input device like your keyboard. > > > > Bill, > > Gee that is very nice that the "bar code readers we use will work with ANY > software"...... Would you mind letting us know the type of bar code > readers and setup you use, in order that others may expand their horizons??? > > Thanks > | ... ... | Darin Melin | Darin, DHL uses many different types of bar code readers around the world but they all work on the same principle. They convert the bar code into it's equivalent ASCII string. As long as you can read the port that this string is coming from your program handles the barcode as if it was keyboard entry. In fact that's how many are rigged up they share the keyboard port with the keyboard so that the program doesn't know that it's getting data from a barcode reader. Standalone ones work a little differently. Here you have a small unit containing a computer chip, screen, keyboard and scanner + memory. You program each unit to read barcodes and keyboard data entry into memory as flat ASCII files. These are then downloaded through a serial port to the host computer where your 4GL program reads the flat file using c routines. Hope this helps though a more carefully phrased question would have been preferred. Cheers - Jim -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Gordon DHL Airways Inc. jgordon@us.dhl.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- My opinions are my own. They may vary with time but they remain mine!