Mini Data Capture System - The Barcode Software Center
Contents
1. Mini Data Capture System User Manual Ledtee Corg Seve Conky Ae Cancel Done MEC Software Data File The Data File is the final destination for information retrieved from the scanner The Data File can be a comma delimited ASCII text file a Microsoft Access database or an Excel spreadsheet The Mini Data Capture software records a list of all the data recorded by the scanner including a TimeStamp date and time and each of the fields you have defined location and asset tag number for example 11 18 2002 09 33 48 MOV AP 102 409589 Leen EE Bai 11 18 2002 09 33 58 MOV AP 102 405533 11 18 2002 09 38 07 MOV AP 255 405989 d Figure 4 Barcode data is captured with the portable scanner a The Mini Data Capture software b retrieves data from the scanner organizes it and records it in either a comma delimited text file c or a Microsoft Access database d Click the Data File tab on the Configuration screen to display the following settings see Figure 5 Type of Data File Specify the format in which the captured data will be saved Select Text fora standard comma delimited ASCII text format file each line in a text output file begins with a date time stamp followed by the fields defined in the configuration See Data File Formats Page 20 for more details Select Access for a Microsoft Access database captured data is saved as records in data tables Select Excel for a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet2. space plus sign hyphen percent symbol period start stop Figure 14 Code 39 Character Set Code 39 is variable length and can contain any reasonable number of characters In practice barcodes with more than 15 or 20 characters begin to be a little long The point size used must be large enough so that the scanner can resolve the individual bars 24 points is a good minimum size Bear in mind that inkjet images tend to spread so you may not be able to make smaller barcodes with this type of printer As to the maximum length remember that many of the scanners in common use are CCD devices with fixed maximum widths 3 inches is typical Code 39 barcodes do not require any special formatting or checksum calculation but they do have to start and end with a special start stop character which is represented by an asterisk Just print the data with an asterisk at each end using the Code 39 font For example here is a text string and the result when it is printed with a Code 39 barcode font BCD1234 i IM ABCD1 23 4 D This will be read by the scanner as ABCD1234 Without the asterisks the barcode will not scan be sure that the asterisks as well as the data are printed with the Code 39 font Never use bold italic or any other special character effects The space character requires special handling When Windows sees a space character in a text string it inserts a blank white spot in the printout For e
3. A further word about physical inventory To take a physical inventory start by removing any existing records in the physcial inventory table you may wish to make an archive copy of the exist ing records for future reference Next use the Inventory transaction code and scan locations and all assets found in those locations Depending on the size of the organization this may take hours or days As data is uploaded the Mini Capture Software stores physical inventory data in a separate data table information in the main inventory table is not changed When you think every asset has been recorded compare the Physical Inventory table and the Main table In Microsoft Access this can be done with a few simple queries that detect assets which have not been found or are in an unexpected location If everything is in the proper place the physical and main tables should agree with no discrepancies to report Once a physical inventory is complete and all discrepancies are resolved the physcal inventory records may if desired be archived and the physical inventory table cleared in preparation for the next inventory cycle Mini Data Capture System User Manual 21 MEC Software Printing barcodes The Mini Data Capture System includes a selection of Code 39 TrueType fonts Code 39 is a widely used general purpose type of barcode which includes the following characters upper case letters A Z dollar sign digits 0 9 forward slash
4. Database Driver Use this field to select the appropriate driver for your database The most likely driver is selected automatically when Type of Data File is selected Does not apply to Text files Pathname of Data File Enter the drive and folder where your existing data file can be To browse to an existing file click on the Browse button to display a standard Windows file selection dialog Raw Scanner Data Table Access only Specify a table that will be used to store raw scanner data You may select an existing table from the scroll down list or type in a name for a new table If the table or any of the required fields do not already exist they will be created automatically Post to Main Inventory Access only After data has been uploaded and stored in the raw scan ner data table it can be automatically posted to a main inventory table Select the data table from the scroll down list to the right of the checkbox if you fill in the name of a new table which does not yet exist it will be created automatically the first time it is needed A main inventory is typically a permanent record in which each item or asset has a single record when posting to the main inven tory the Mini Data Capture software locates the existing record for the item and changes selected information For example the software will look up an item and change the Location field to match Mini Data Capture System User Manual 8 MEC Software w Mini Data Capture
5. C Program Files MiniCapturel Shortcut key None Run Normal window L Find Target Change Icon Comment o Jm Figure 13 In addition to appearing in shortcuts the pathname to the executable file can be entered manually at command line prompts or included in batch files Options follow the pathname to the executable on the command line lt Pathname to Executable file gt lt options gt For example the command line below tells the Mini Data Capture Software to use the configuration file named MYTEST CFG note that the option is separated from the executable pathname by a space and that it is not included inside the quotation marks C Program Files MiniCapture MiniCapture exe config MYTEST CFG For clarity in the examples below we have shortened the executable pathname to MiniCapture exe Mini Data Capture System User Manual 18 MEC Software Log on to protected databases Use the following parameters when the host database which will receive the captured data requires a user identification and password uid lt user identification gt pwd lt password gt MiniCapture exe uid joedoaks pwd holycow Specify pathname to database A database location other than the one defined in the Mini Data Capture Software configuration may be specified with this parameter database lt database pathname gt MiniCapture exe database M Shared Inventory mdb Spe
6. The first sheet includes several transaction barcodes and the second includes several typical location codes The list of transaction barcodes should match the transactions defined on the configuration screen To add more transaction codes to the spreadsheet just copy and paste one of the existing lines and then change the Description and Code settings the barcode will update automatically To create additional sheets click on Edit gt Copy or Move Sheet Check the Create Copy box and specify where the new copy should be inserted probably after the last sheet currently in use Then change the Type of Barcode the Prefix and edit the list of Descriptions and Codes Values The Barcode column in the spreadsheet simply combines the Barcode Prefix cell with the Code Value cell and adds asterisks at the beginning and end One of the Code 39 barcode fonts included with the system is used as the font for the barcode cells E4 Microsoft Excel Barcodes xls File Edit View Insert Format Tools Data Window Help DOSE S6RY se GER 4 iG gt KI Arial TRANSACTION TRN 10 RECEIVE HCH TRNRCV 11ISS5UE ISS TRNISS 12 MOVE Mov TRNMOV 13 14 Figure 15 Mini Data Capture System User Manual 24 MEC Software Configuration File Format The Mini Data Capture Software saves its configuration settings in files with a cfg filename exten sion Any number of configurations can be created and each is sto
7. Trigger Save Page 10 Each time an AssetTag is scanned that information and the most recently scanned location and transaction are recorded Each saved record will contain the transaction code location asset tag number and a date time stamp To move on to another location the operator would scan a new location code followed by more asset tags The previously scanned transaction code remains in effect until a new transaction code is scanned Note that data is not saved until a barcode which is configured for Trigger Save is scanned see Page 8 until the data is saved it is kept in temporary registers Each time a barcode is scanned the new data replaces the contents of the temporary register for that type of barcode To clear all of the temporary registers for a clean start scan the special command barcode below data which has already been saved is not affected The barcode contains the special prefix CMD anda command CLEAR II To transfer the collected data from the scanner to the computer click Read Scanner see Figure 2 Page 7 The Mini Data Capture Software will communicate with the scanner upload and process the data and then automatically erase the scanner s memory To transfer the data from the screen to the database or text file click on Save Data see Figure 2 Page 7 If the software is running in demonstration mode one character in every data field will be changed at random when it is trans ferred
8. software to communicate with the scanner Following installation you can see the new USB device and COM port by clicking on Start gt Set tings gt Control Panel gt System and clicking on Device Manager This will list the devices known to the system Mini Data Capture Software Insert the Mini Data Capture System program disk in the computer s CD ROM drive and execute the Setup exe program You will be guided through the software installation process When the software runs for the first time a pop up window will ask for the Installation Key This number can be found on a label affixed to the CD ROM case and on the CD ROM itself Enter this number and click Continue If you click Cancel the software will operate in demonstration mode and will ask you to enter the key each time you start the software The first time you use the software click on the Configuration button to set up the system See the section Configuring the Mini Data Capture System beginning on the following page Barcode Fonts H you want to print barcodes install the Code 39 fonts which are included with the Mini Data Cap ture System On the Windows desktop click on Start gt Settings gt Control Panel gt Fonts In the Fonts window click on File gt Add New Font When prompted for the font file browse to the CD ROM and select all of the files in the Fonts folder The software includes a spreadsheet Microsoft Excel format for printing barcodes see Printin
9. to the database Mini Data Capture System User Manual 15 MEC Software Using a Keyboard Wedge Scanner If Use Keyboard Wedge Scanner is checked on the scanner configuration screen see Figure 3 Page 7 the main display will include data entry fields for Keyboard entry You may enter data manually or with a keyboard wedge scanner which is wired to the computer s keyboard port The entry fields are based on the fields defined in the configuration pages Here is a sample where we have defined three fields Transaction Location and Asset Tag the TimeStamp field is filled in automatically using the system clock and is not shown as one of the data entry fields Mini Data Capture loj x DEMONSTRATION MODE Read Scanner Save Data Simulate Scanner Transaction Location AssetT ag TimeStamp Transaction Location AssetT ag Figure 11 Main screen with keyboard wedge scanner enabled When data is entered in any of the fields the Mini Data Capture Software checks it against the configuration to see if it can identify what type of data it is For example if you have specified in the configuration that Transaction barcodes always begin with TR and you enter TRMOVE the data will be automatically placed in the Transaction field even if the keyboard cursor was in a different field when you entered the data If the software cannot identify the data it leaves it in the field where the keyboard cursor was located
10. Configuration X lol x Default cfg Type of data file Database driver Microsoft Access Driver mdb v Pathname of Access data file mdb JH MEC Products MiniD ataCapture 2 T estD ata xls Raw scanner data table ban d Post to main inventory D O Post to chronological history Ir d Physical inventory table fo Load New Config View Error Log Cancel Done Save Config As Figure 5 Data File configuration settings the location captured by the scanner Post to Chronological History Access only As data is posted to a main inventory table the Mini Data Capture Software can add the information to a history table a chronological record of all data captured by the scanner Use the Keep a chronological history of all transactions checkbox and select the data table from the scroll down list to the right of the checkbox if you fill in the name of a new table which does not yet exist it will be created automatically the first time it is needed Histori cal information can be useful during an audit or when trying to track down a discrepancy For example the main inventory table contains only the most recent location of an item while the history table contains a list of every time the item was moved Note If posting to either main inventory or history are enabled the data in the raw table will be automatically erased after it has been posted If posting is not enabled data will accu mulate in the raw data
11. IEC Software Mini Data Capture System User Manual Version 3 0 Mini Data Capture System User Manual Version 3 0 Copyright 2001 2004 Measurement Equipment Corporation All Rights Reserved Distributed by The Barcode Software Center 1113 Hull Terrace Evanston Illinois USA 60202 Tel 847 866 7940 Fax 847 866 9836 www makebarcode com Contents ureien WEE 5 ASU AMON EE 6 tora I ANE EE 6 Mini Data ee 6 Barcode Gu EE 6 Configuring the Mini Data Capture Software cceecceceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaeeeeeeteeeeeeaeeees 7 Scanner Settings isthe en eae ania de Aen els cele nahs haeuas duck ran Geestesiavermerkreresnunetcnecnaaceanus 7 BiA ele aca eege EC 8 faellt 10 Field Separator E 12 Bleu een EE 13 Loading and Saving Configurations EE 14 Capturing and Uploading Data ccceceeeeeeeceeeeee eee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeceeeeeeeeeeeteeeneeeeeeeeeeteennees 15 Using a Keyboard Wedge Scanner ANEN 16 The Scanner Simulation Screen ENEE 17 Command Line ODOM S esti i eet ae lee Aa EnA A SAAREN Ae iil tree alae hg 18 Data File FOUMialS on testtece ete tae etcetera ER teen castes 20 BEENA SUE 20 Database File iO cc EA ee ee Al A ek dara 20 Prnting eru 22 Pre Printed Barcode Worksheets AA 24 Configuration File dE 25 Nalo E EE 27 this page intentionally left blank MEC Software Introduction The Mini Data Capture System provides an efficient means for reading and storing barcodes using portable sc
12. S NUMERIC YES DEFAULT MAIN STRIP YES INITSAVE NO FUNCTION Location Note This example is shown on multiple lines for clarity actual configuration entries must be on a single line Mini Data Capture System User Manual 25 MEC Software Transactions Up to 10 transaction codes may be defined using the following parameters NAME transaction name or code as it will be scanned TYPE defines how data recorded as part of this type of transaction will be posted choices include Receive Move Issue Ship Dispose Inventory Checkout Checkin Example TRANSACTION NAMI Kal ll MOV TYPE Move Database Only one database may be defined in each configuration this entry defines where the saved data will be stored The RAWTABLE MAINTABLE and LOGTABLE parameters only apply in the case of Access databases MAINTABLE and LOGTABLE parameters are ignored unless data is to be posted to the main inventory table or to a history table PATH full pathname to the file TYPE type of file Access or Text RAWTABLE name of the table used to store raw scanner data Access only MAINTABLE inventory table for posting scanner data Access only LOGTABLE table for storing chronological log of scanner data Access only Example DATABASE PATH c Inventory scandata txt TYP GI Text Here is a comp
13. The name initials employee ID number or other information which identifies the person who collected the data Location The physical whereabouts of the item in question When posting a Move transac tion the software will find the Location field and update it to the new value Field Separator In some applications it may be advantageous to print two or more pieces of information in a single barcode Use Field Separator to define a character that will mark the end of one piece of data and the beginning of another be sure to choose a character that will not appear in the data For example assume that Part Number barcodes begin with the prefix PN and Quantity barcodes begin with QT Setting Field Separator to a slash character permits a single barcode to contain both pieces of information The Mini Data Capture Software will treat the following barcode as two separate entries Part Number 12345 Quantity 25 PN12345 QT25 Mini Data Capture System User Manual 12 MEC Software Transactions Transaction barcodes identify the situation in which data was collected For example the user may move several items from one location to another and then receive new items into inventory The Mini Data Capture Software uses transaction information when posting to a main inventory table Post to main inventory checked see Figure 4 Page 9 Even if posting is not enabled transaction Transactions Transaction Code Fu
14. ample presume that Employee and Location barcodes do not trigger a save Trigger Save unchecked and Asset Tag barcodes do in normal operation the user would scan an Employee and a Location barcode first and then scan one or more Asset Tag barcodes Each time an Asset Tag is scanned the Mini Capture Software will record the Asset Tag along with the most recently scanned Employee and Location Type of Data for posting Click on the arrow at the right of the field to display a scroll down list of choices and select how the data will be handled during posting This setting does not apply if the Type of Database is Text File or if Post Updates to the Main Inventory Table is not checked see Figure 5 Page 9 The list below describes the available types of data and how they are handled If you require posting procedures more complex than those built into the Mini Data Capture Soft ware it may be best to leave data in the raw data table by unchecking Post to main inventory see Figure 5 Page 9 and then use custom software to transfer data to the main inventory table ID Tag Used to look up a unique item by ID number often fixed assets file folders or other items that are individually identified Each database record refers to a single item Description General descriptive information such as type of equipment reason for dis posal sales order etc Fields for Sales Order and Purchase Order could both be Descriptions Employee
15. anners organizing the data from the barcodes and uploading the data to a host com puter Capturing data by using barcodes takes less time and produces many fewer errors than manual data entry This system can be used effectively in a variety of applications which do not require portable display or keyboard entry data is captured using barcodes alone Typical applica tions include e Tracking fixed assets Recording inventory receipt movement and consumption Collecting equipment serial numbers on service calls Confirming order fulfilment and shipping e Monitoring customer traffic at ski slopes amusement parks sporting events e Recording security incidents The scanners used by the system are compact and economical Since they do not have a key board or display every piece of information that they capture must be in the form of a barcode Some of these barcodes will be attached to the items to be recorded asset tags for example others can be carried by the operator on a pre printed card For example Employee identification on badge or ID card Transaction Type on pre printed sheet or card Location on shelf bin cabinet labels Asset Identification label on the item itself The battery powered scanners capture barcode data and store it in memory until connected to a computer workstation The scanners simply store barcodes in the order they were scanned The Mini Data Capture software which runs on a Windo
16. at 20 Specifying location 8 Default value for data fields 12 F Field Name 11 Field separator 12 Fields configuration 10 Function transaction configuration 13 H History Data Table 9 l Installation 6 Introduction 5 K Keyboard wedge scanner Scanner keyboard wedge 16 Mini Data Capture System User Manual Index MaxLen 11 Microsoft Access 8 MinLen 11 P Physical Inventory Table 9 Posting to database 8 R Raw table 8 S Scanner configuration 7 Strip Prefix 11 T Tranactions Codes 13 Transactions Functions 13 Trigger Save 12 Type of Data field 12
17. below The software will ask for anew name and save the configuration in a new file the original configuration file will not be altered Save Configuration As E lol x Existing configuration files Name for new configuration file bob cfg connecticut cfg CPLAB cfg Cytomation ctg Default cfg dicb cfg sl Figure 9 Save configuration under a new name Mini Data Capture System User Manual 14 MEC Software Capturing and Uploading Data As an example let s track fixed assets computers monitors desks etc using the three fields shown in Figure 6 on Page 10 Transaction Location and AssetTag These barcode types are typical for a fixed assets tracking application Every asset should be identified with an AssetTag barcode Location barcodes can be affixed to door jams and cubicles or the user can carry a barcoded list of locations Transaction barcodes are typically printed on a sheet of paper or card carried by the user Figure 10 Let s assume that a major re organi zation is underway with equipment and furniture being moved throughout the facility the user is charged with the task of updating the locations recorded in the central database To begin the user would scan a Move transaction barcode Next the user would choose a place to start and scan its Location code Then the user would scan the AssetTag for everything in that location Only the AssetTag field is checked to trigger a save see
18. cify database driver The data provider is software installed on the system that provides orderly access to the data The default provider for Microsoft Access databases is Microsoft s Jet database engine To specify a different provider use this option examples of some commonly used drivers are shown driver lt driver name gt Command Line Option Driver driver SQLOLEDB SQL driver MSDASQL ODBC driver Microsoft Jet OLEDB 3 51 MS Jet default driver MSDAORA Oracle Specify Mini Data Capture Software configuration By default the Mini Data Capture Software will use the configuration that was used last Use this parameter to specify the name of a configuration file You may specify a complete pathname if you specify only a filename the software will automatically try to find it in the program directory prob ably C Program Files MiniCapture config lt name of configuration file gt MiniCapture exe config JobTrack cfg Automate upload and exit The Mini Data Capture Software normally waits for the operator to initiate the uploading of data Use the Upload option to cause Mini Capture to connect to the scanner immediately upon starting The Post option transfers data to the host database immediately after uploading it from the scanner without waiting for the operator The Exit option terminates the program immediately after posting data The default setting for all of these options is No up
19. e is not a good indicator set MinLen to 0 and MaxLen to 30 or some other large number Allow 0 9 and Allow A Z If the Allow 0 9 box is not checked barcodes that contain any digits will be disqualified if the Allow A Z box is not checked barcodes that contain any letters will be dis qualified The Mini Data Capture Software will not let you uncheck both boxes which would dis qualify barcodes with any letters or numbers The prefix if one exists is not included in the 0 9 or A Z check For example an inventory tag field could be defined with a Prefix of TAG and Allow A Z unchecked no letters allowed the fact that TAG includes letters would not disqualify the barcode because the only letters are part of the prefix Mini Data Capture System User Manual 11 MEC Software Default Value This is the value that will be recorded in a field if data is not provided by the scan ner For example if the default value for Location is set to Warehouse that is the value that will be saved in the data file if no location barcode is scanned The default value may be left blank if no data is captured by the scanner for that field the field will be left blank Trigger Save This checkbox indicates that this type of barcode should trigger a data save opera tion In general only one type of barcode should trigger a save and it should be the last one scanned all other barcodes are held in temporary memory until a save is triggered For ex
20. g Barcodes Page 19 for more details Mini Data Capture System User Manual 6 MEC Software Configuring the Mini Data Capture Software Run the Mini Data Capture Software and the main screen will appear see Figure 2 Demonstra tion Mode will appear if the software has been installed without an Installation Key see Installation Page 6 w Mini Data Capture Read Scanner Save Data TimeStamp Staff JDL x Simulate Scanner Location Incident Student Configuration Quit Figure 2 The main Mini Data Capture screen If this is the first time the software has been run click on the Configuration button to display the configuration screen see Figure 3 and make the initial settings Settings are divided into four pages which can be displayed by clicking one of the tabs at the top of the page Scanner Data File Fields or Transactions To save changes and return to the main screen click Done to return without saving changes click Cancel Scanner Settings Select the type of scanner you are using and the serial port to which it is connected see USB Driver Installation Page 6 if you are using a scanner with a USB interface Click on the arrows immedi ately to the right of the Type and Port fields to display pull down lists of choices If you want to use a scanner which con nects between your keyboard and com puter click the Keyboard Wedge checkbox see Page 14 for more details
21. l Inventory If so the Raw scan table is checked again for any Physical Inventory transactions If any are found the Mini Data Capture Software updates the location for items that are already on Mini Data Capture System User Manual 20 MEC Software the Physical Inventory table and creates new records for those that are not If no Physical Inventory table is specified any captured physical inventory records will remain unposted in the Raw scan table If posting to either the Main or History tables is enabled the Mini Data Capture Software will auto matically delete records from the Raw table after they are posted If no posting is specified data is left on the Raw table with the expectation that it will be processed and then deleted by other soft ware Note It is important that the database file not be locked by another program or otherwise unavail able to the Mini Data Capture Software To insure that Microsoft Access data tables are shareable use two mdb Access files for every database application One mdb file should contain only data tables and should be stored on a shared network disk drive there should be only one copy of this database The other mdb file contains the queries forms reports and code modules plus links to the data tables which are actually located in the first file In Access click on File gt Get External Data gt Link Tables This structure permits simultaneous access to the data by several programs
22. le barcode To scan a barcode double click on one of the data fields below Contents of scanner s memory Woe ooo o uTom UFrank Ooo mov ooo C IER LES pes LMAN uNONE TEKO l Normal Button E C Delete Button Erase List Done de Figure 12 To create simulated barcodes type data into any of the 20 entry fields on the left half of the screen Don t forget to include barcode prefix characters if you have defined them in the configura tion The Mini Data Capture Software will remember these entries and display them the next time you use this screen To scan a barcode double click on its entry field the data will appear on the list at the right of the screen which simulates the scanner s memory The portable scanner has two scan buttons one for scanning barcodes the other smaller button to erase them from memory Click on Normal Button or on Delete Button to select which button is being simulated To erase a barcode select Delete Button and then scan double click the barcode which is to be erased The most recent scan of that particular barcode will be erased from memory this simulates the way the real scanner works To erase the entire list click on Erase List this performs the same function as holding the scanner s delete button down for 6 seconds Click Done to return to the main screen Mini Data Capture System User Manual 17 MEC Software Command Line Opti
23. lete example Because of space limitations some definitions are continued on a seco line Min FIE FIE FIE FIE TRA TRA TRA TRA TRA TRA DATABASE PATH c Inventory scandata txt TYPE Text Mini nd line indented for clarity In the actual configuration fileeach definition must be on a single i Data Capture Configuration LD NAME Transaction PREFIX T MINLEN 0 MAXLEN 30 ALPHA YES NUMERIC YES DEFAULT MOVE STRIP YES INITSAVE NO FUNCTION Transaction LD NAME TAG MINLEN 4 MAXLEN 4 ALPHA NO NUMERIC YES STRIP NO INITSAVE YES FUNCTION ID Tag LD NAME Location PREFIX L MINLEN 0 MAXLEN 30 ALPHA YES NUMERIC YES DEFAULT MAIN STRIP YES INITSAVE NO FUNCTION Location LD NAME User PREFIX U MINLEN 0 MAXLEN 30 ALPHA YES NUMERIC YES DEFAULT NONE STRIP YES INITSAVE NO FUNCTION Employee SACTION NAME CKI TYPE Checkin SACTION NAME MOV TYPE Move SACTION NAME CKO TYPE Checkout SACTION NAME INV TYPE Inventory SACTION NAME RCV TYPE Receive SACTION NAME DIS TYPE Dispose Figure 16 Data Capture System User Manual 26 MEC Software A Allow 0 9 11 Allow A Z 11 Barcodes Font Installation 6 Prefixes 11 Printing 22 Strip prefix 11 Worksheet 24 C Command line options 18 Configuration 7 Allow A Z Allow 0 9 11 Data Fields 10 Data File 8 Default Value field 12 MaxLen 11 MinLen 11 Scanner 7 Trigger Save 12 D Data file configuration 8 Database File Form
24. load lt yes no gt post lt yes no gt exit lt yes no gt MiniCapture exe upload yes post yes exit no Mini Data Capture System User Manual 19 MEC Software Data File Formats Text File If data is to be saved in comma delimited text format the fields are saved in the order in which they are defined on the configuration screen see Figure 6 Page 10 The date time stamp is recorded by the scanner and appears as the first field on the text line Using the sample configuration screens which defines Employee Transaction Location and Asset Tag barcodes the format of each data record would be lt time stamp gt lt employee gt lt transaction gt lt location gt lt tag gt Here are some sample records which assume that Mr Jones scanned his identification badge a MOVE transaction barcode the location barcode on the door frame at Room 102 and then in rapid succession two asset tags He then moved to Room 103 scanned the location barcode and then scanned one asset tag Since the TAG field is checked for Trigger Save each tag caused data to be written to the disk file All of the other registers retain their value until replaced by a new scan 2 5 2001 09 15 JONES MOV RM102 56698 2 5 2001 09 15 JONES MOV RM102 66958 2 5 2001 09 15 JONES MOV RM103 66339 Comma delimited ASCII text is a standard data format and can be easily imported into virtually all spreadsheets databases and
25. nction MOV Move INV Inventory ES Issue LeLelelelelelelele Figure 7 Transactions Page codes are still recorded in text files raw scanner tables and history tables A data collection sequence typically begins with a transaction barcode For example if you intend to move items to a new location scan a Move transaction barcode followed by a location and then several asset tags Up to ten transaction codes may be defined Transaction Code The word or abbreviation that will appear in the barcode and identify the type of transaction The codes should be reasonably short in the interest of compact barcodes For example for taking physical inventory the code INV used in Figure 7 would be better than TAKEPHYSICALINVENTORY Function This field tells the Mini Data Capture Software how to handle this type of transaction when posting information to the main table The following functions are available Move Look up the item and change its current location Receive Add a new record to the system Ship Look up the item and reduce the quantity on hand Dispose Look up the item and set its quantity to zero Check Out Look up the item mark as checked out and update the employee and location fields Check In Look up the item and mark as checked in Inventory Collect data in a separate physical inventory table Mini Data Capture System User Manual 13 MEC Software Loading and Saving Configurations All of
26. ni Data Capture Configuration 3 iol sl Default cfg Scanner Data File Transactions Data Fields Field Name Transaction SH Barcode Prefix TR Strip prefix v New Min Lenath 4 Allow D i V Ger Delete Max Length ft 0 Allow AZ M Default Value Trigger Save P Move Type of data E Tag DI Down for posting Move Up Field Separator Load New Config Save Config s Cancel Figure 6 Field configuration page As each barcode is retrieved from the scanner the Mini Data Capture Software starts at the top of the list of Data Fields see Figure 5 and compares the field definition to the barcode If the data does not fit the requirements for the field too many characters for example the software contin ues down the list until it finds a match or reaches the end of the table In general the most specific field definitions eg barcodes with prefixes should go at the top of the list and the more general definitions at the end Click on a field in the Data Fields list to display its details on the right of the screen where you can edit the settings To add a new field to the list just click the Add New button Clicking the Delete button will delete the field currently selected on the list you will be asked for confirmation before the field is removed Clicking the Move Up or Move Down button will change the position of a field on the list Mini Data Capture System User Manual 10 MEC Software Field Name This i
27. o identify the barcode Strip Prefix Checking the Strip Prefix box removes the prefix from the data once a barcode has been classified While the prefix may be useful to the Mini Data Capture Software for organizing the data it may not be recognized by other software that will use the database MinLen and MaxLen The Mini Data Capture Software checks the overall length of the barcode against MinLen and MaxLen barcodes which are too short or too long are disqualified and the software moves on to the next definition in the Field List If a prefix is defined it is not included in the length calculation For example if a barcode contains LORM107 and LO is a defined prefix the Mini Data Capture Software considers the length to be 5 characters RM107 If no prefix is defined length may be a good way to identify a barcode serial numbers might always be exactly 8 digits long for instance Even if a barcode contains a prefix the length check provides insurance that it will be identified correctly This is especially true for short prefixes For example if inventory tag barcodes begin with the letter T there is the risk that some other type of barcode a manufacturer s model number perhaps might also begin with a T and be mis identified With a length check the Mini Data Capture Software can tell the difference between T338478 an inven tory tag and TBB 449858 AR manufacturer s model number If the length of the barcod
28. ons Command line options can be used to control the behavior of the Mini Data Capture Software This feature can be especially useful for integrating the Mini Capture Software into larger systems and for automating some of the functions normally performed by the user A command line tells Windows to ex ecute the Mini Data Capture software Every Windows shortcut contains a command line called Target on the shortcut screen Figure 13 shows an example of a shortcut to the Mini Data Capture Software To display this shortcut on your system after the Mini Data Capture Software has been in stalled click on Start Programs and then MEC Software right click on MiniCapture and then click on Proper ties Note that the pathname to the MiniCapture exe program file is en closed in quotation marks This is because the folder name Program Files contains a space Spaces are normally used as separator characters on command lines Without the quota tion marks Windows would try to split the pathname into two separate items and would not be able to find anything named C Program or Files MiniCapture MiniCapture exe The result would be a File not found error Mini Data Capture Properties i 2lsl General Shortcut Mini Data Capture Target type Application Target location Ethereal Target C Program Files MiniCapture MiniCapture exe Runin separate memory space J Run as different user Start in
29. other types of data management software The data management software can build a chronological log of transactions using appropriate code it can interpret each record according to the transaction code and post the data Database File Barcode data is uploaded from the scanner to the Raw data table in the database file The Mini Data Capture Software expects the Raw table to include a date time field named TimeStamp It also expects to find data fields with the same names as defined in the configuration screen If the Raw table does not already exist the Mini Data Capture Software will create it automatically After storing barcode data in the Raw table the Mini Data Capture Software looks at Post to main inventory see Figure 5 Page 9 If it is checked the software then makes changes or additions to the data in the Main table according to the information captured from the scanner For more infor mation on how the data is posted see the section on configuring transaction codes beginning on Page 13 If posting to a chronological History table is specified in the configuration see Figure 5 Page 9 the Mini Data Capture Software transfers data from the Raw scan table to the History table It expects the History table to contain field names which match the ones used in the Raw scan table If the History table does not exist it is created automatically The Mini Data Capture Software then checks to see if a table has been specified for Physica
30. red in a separate file in the same folder as the application typically C Program Files MiniCapture The configuration files are plain ASCII text and they are automatically created or updated by the interactive configuration screen There is normally no need to view or edit the files directly the syntax of the files is described here for reference The first line of the cfg file must read exactly as follows Mini Data Capture Configuration Subsequent lines in the file may appear in any order each line begins with a type FIELD TRANASCTION or DATABASE followed by parameters in the following format lt type gt lt parml gt lt value gt lt parm2 gt lt value gt lt parmn gt lt value gt Fields Up to 50 data fields may be defined using the following parameters NAME name of this data field PREFIX barcode prefix character s if any MINLEN minimum allowed length MAXLEN maximum allowed length ALPHA alphabetic characters allowed yes no NUMERIC numeric characters allowed yes no DEFAULT default value if no data scanned STRIP strip the barcode prefix before saving data yes no INITSAVE initiate save of data yes no FUNCTION determines how the field will be handled when posted choices include Description Employee ID Tag Location Part Number Quantity Transaction Example FIELD NAME Location PREFIX L MINLEN 0 MAXLEN 30 ALPHA YE
31. s the name given to each field definition When saving data to a text file field names are not recorded In Excel the first row should contain matching field names When using Access the field names should match the fields in the database if a field with a matching name does not already exist in the raw scanner data table or in the history table it will be created auto matically However the Mini Data Capture Software will not create new fields in a main inventory table For example if you want to update an existing field named CurrentLocation in your main inventory table be sure to use the name CurrentLocation for one of the Mini Data Capture Software field definitions Barcode Prefix This setting defines a fixed prefix that will be found at the beginning of each barcode for this field A prefix can be one or more letters or digits but should be short to avoid long barcodes For example the following barcode includes a LO prefix to indicate that it contains location data the prefix is followed by the location RM107 LORM107 A prefix is a very reliable method for differentiating types of barcodes Even when the Mini Data Capture Software recognizes a prefix to be certain it checks the length of the barcode and whether letters or numbers are not allowed You may leave the prefix setting blank in which case the Mini Data Capture Software will not expect any fixed prefix and will use other methods MinLen MaxLen Allow A Z Allow 0 9 t
32. select one of the Code 39 fonts In the Properties for the field edit the Control Source Property so that it looks like this x amp MyFieldName amp This will add the required asterisks at the beginning and end of the data Access may not always interpret complicated expressions which are embedded in the Control Source Property For ex ample you may see an Err message if you try to put a numeric field long integer integer double etc between the asterisks If you try to use a Str or Format function in the Control Source Property Access may object The best solution may be to use a query as the source of the data and perform the numeric to string conversion in the query For example the query includes the field CaseNumber which is a long integer data type Add a column to the query with the following expression in the top row Formats CaseNumber As soon as the cursor moves somewhere else Access will automatically give the expression a name this name can be manually changed to something more descriptive Expril FormatS CaseNumber In the report use this expression in the Control Source Property in place of the CaseNumber field Wax amp Expr1 amp War Mini Data Capture System User Manual 23 MEC Software Pre Printed Barcode Worksheets The Mini Data Capture Software includes sample spreadsheets Microsoft Excel format to assist with the task of creating pre printed barcodes
33. table until the user or other software erases it see Data Saved in Database File Page 15 for more details Physical Inventory Table Access only Data collected during a physical inventory is stored ina separate table Once all of the inventory data has been collected the contents of the physical inventory table can be compared to the main inventory table to create a list of discrepancies the comparison function is not part of the Mini Data Capture Software Once discrepancies have been resolved the physical inventory table is typically erased in preparation for the next physical inven tory Select an existing table or enter the name of a new table in the field labeled Physical inventory table If you fill in the name of a new table which does not yet exist it will be created automatically the first time it is needed Mini Data Capture System User Manual 9 MEC Software Fields The barcode scanner stores a list of barcodes in the order they were scanned To organize the information into a useful form the Mini Data Capture Software must determine what kind of infor mation is in each barcode and how it should be recorded employee identification asset tag num ber location etc You may define up to 50 different Fields each definition tells the Mini Data Capture Software how to recognize the barcodes for this field and if you are posting to a main inventory table or history table how to handle the information during posting Mi
34. the settings described in Configuring the Mini Data Capture Software Pages 7 13 are saved in a configuration file You may create any number of configurations with different settings for barcode prefixes data files etc Each configuration is saved in a separate file in the Mini Data Capture Software s home directory the files are named with a cfg extension When Mini Data Capture runs for the first time it automatically loads the standard configuration Default cfg The name of the currently loaded configuration is displayed in the top left corner of the configuration screen To load a different configuration click on Load New Configuration see Figure 5 Page 9 to display the Select Configuration File screen see Figure 8 below Click the scroll down arrow to display a list of available configurations including samples shipped with the software and any new configurations that you have created The Mini Data Capture Software will automati cally load the most recently used configuration each time it starts is Select Configuration File g O Sl Figure 8 Select Configuration File screen Once you have modified the configuration click Done see Figure 5 Page 9 to save the configura tion under its original name This will replace the previous settings stored in that file If you prefer to save the configuration under a new name click Save Config As see Figure 5 Page 9 to display the Save Configuration As screen see Figure 9
35. when the data was received If the field is incorrect the operator may erase the field and rescan the data or cut and paste the data into the correct field Entering data in a field which is marked in the configuration to Trigger Save causes the data to be transferred to the grid on the display You may enter data from the keyboard a keyboard wedge scanner or from a portable scanner all of the data will appear on the data grid and then be trans ferred to the database when you click Save Data Mini Data Capture System User Manual 16 MEC Software The Scanner Simulation Screen The scanner simulation screen appears when Simulate Scanner is clicked or when Read Scanner is clicked and the software is operating in demonstration mode see Figure 2 Page 7 This screen is used to demonstrate how the scanner collects data it can also be very useful for testing and refin ing configurations and for training Data collected on the simulation screen is processed and posted to a database just as though it had come from a scanner configurations created and tested with the simulation screen should work exactly the same way with a real scanner ia Mini Data Capture Scanner Emulation E iol sl The screen simulates the operation of a portable barcode scanner Enter sample barcode data in the fields below this information will be saved when you click Done If you defined prefix characters in the configuration don t forget to include them in the samp
36. ws computer retrieves organizes and saves the data to files Users can define how data will be organized with a series of configuration screens Figure 1 Two scanner models are available The CS 1504 keychain scanner left is a very compact laser device it stores about 150 barcodes includes an internal clock calendar and runs on readily available watch batteries The CS 2000 right does not have an internal clock but does have a more powerful laser stores as many as 500 barcodes and runs on two standard AAA batteries Mini Data Capture System User Manual 5 MEC Software Installation Scanner Connect the scanner to an available USB port on the computer Windows should detect the arrival of the new device and automatically begin the Add New Hardware wizard If the wizard does not begin automatically it can be started manually by clicking on Start gt Control Panel gt Add New Hardware When the wizard asks if you wish to specify a driver click on Browse and navigate to the Mini Data Capture CD ROM Select a folder USBDriverWin98 if you are running Windows 98 or USBDriverWin2K if you are running Windows 2000 Then click Next on the wizard screen to pro ceed with the installation First the USB driver itself will be installed Next a new virtual serial port will be installed this port will be automatically given the next available serial port number COM for example and it pro vides the pathway for application
37. xample the following barcode has a space character in the middle ABCD 1234 This is not good for a barcode we need a pattern of bars to represent the space When a space is required in the barcode use the underscore character _ instead It is automatically translated by the font into the correct Code 39 barcode character for a space D BCD 1234 D Mini Data Capture System User Manual 22 MEC Software BCD_1234 UM ABCD 1234 If the barcode includes rectangles instead of bars the data probably includes characters which are not part of the standard Code 39 selection For example the following barcode is not scannable ABCD 123 4 Lower case letters a z are not part of the Code 39 character set but they are automatically trans lated to upper case characters by the font D BCD 1234 D You can use the barcode fonts in almost any type of Windows based software such as spread sheets word processors and database reporting programs Caution Beware of auto formatting features in some software Microsoft Word 2000 for example automatically treats a pair of aster isks as a command to format the enclosed data as Bold text you can turn this feature off Using Barcodes with Microsoft Access If you are using Microsoft Access you can easily add barcodes to a report Set up a text field and
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search