OS Commerce + Barcode Reader

[gddevey1012]

Hi all

 

One of my clients has asked me if i can create a way for him to use his site as also his instore facility to save him time with constantly updating the stock levels etc.

 

Have had a look around and all i can find is http://www.magneticone.com/store/osCommerce.Modules/osCommerce.Point.of.Sale now i cant find much about this product anywhere but does anyone use it or have any other suggestions how i can do this for him as its a bit beyond my skillset.

 

Basically he wants a Barcode reader to interface with the store so that he can quickly and efficiently process in store transactions using his main shop webstore.

 

Any help would be great

 

Gareth

[♥bruyndoncx]

We use the dutch osFinancials system which has the same origin as Turbocash, which is more widely used internationally.

osFinancials is our accounting system doing stock control, POS and interfacing with oscommerce to pull products and orders and push stock levels.

It can be setup to have all product data in osFinancials and push the data out to different webshops, osCommerce or otherwise acting as a central hub.

[newburns]

I am currently investing into the megneticone POS system. I have the trial up and running, and it works perfect for brick and mortar shop. I have been researching the barcode as well, and believe that http://addons.oscommerce.com/info/2845 should HELP for generating barcodes on invoices and slips. This puts the "model number" into barcode format printed on packing slips and invoices. I'm still testing to see if each product has a label or just one for the whole slip. I am also stuck on how to view the barcode before an order is placed in order to put these codes on my product.

What I am assuming is a barcode is more-or-less a universal language, so each character is represented by the same symbol no matter what language, currency, or location. If that is the case, this contribution uses 3 of 9 "barcode language" to print barcodes on the invoices or slips. HOWEVER, magneticone has built in capabilities to read barcodes and match them to whatever table you select. i.e. Barcodes are generated from products_model table. Therefore, when doing a search:

Magneticone will scan the barcode with a reader, which translate into characters.

If these characters match the table you select (ie. products_model), that product will be selected.

The problem then becomes getting the barcode translation on the product, and which barcode type does magneticone support. Is it 3 of 9 or EAN13 or etc.

 

This site should help when comparing barcodes to see compatibility. http://www.barcoding.com/upc/

I am currently trying to workout a way to view a page with only the barcode generated by the contribution so that it can be used with regular Avery labels. Or even a barcode directory of all products that can sit at the register. The contribution generates the barcode necessary, there just needs to be a way to view the code without the invoice or packing slip.

 

The last question that has not been answered yet, is how do you determine what scanner to get. Is there a scanner specific to Code 3 of 9 or will one scanner recognize all codes. If so, how will magneticone determine which Code standard to use?

[jacqueline@]

How about this barcode reader including guide.

[Guest]

look at this... sweet.

[clippers]

I use olla cart in my high street shop, that is also works with Qtpro as most of my stock have different manafacture barcodes on each clothing size,

so what i do is make and print barcodes using dymo and use the product model section for barcode, it works with scanner and uses the attribute drop down for size selection.

It prints a receipt as well as making an instore order (i use a thermal printer), it also allows to select a customer and create a customer for customer not present transactions,

been using it for years and it is all in sync with my website :-)

 

forgot to mention, ollacart works off the same SQL as Oscommerce and that it has to have online connection to work

[Weekend_warrior1999]

I worked with several POS system using barcode scanners... there are several Image/Code structures used, but there is one main one that most manufactures globally use for UPC's as for reading them, most barcode readers bought for a PC are nothing more the an input device, meaning the image scanned is converted by the scanner into the UPC number not the the PC converting the Number. For This type of system to work what you are gonna need is a module that can convert a number into the barcode image and then display it. Weather it be the UPC, Model, Invoice Number, ect. it all acts the same. A barcode reader acts as a optical based keyboard. Multiple data fields are tab delimited if I remember correctly. Find the right code type and you can create a html form that automagically fills itself out by scanning a persons drivers license if barcoded like they are here. I used to run a ISP and on the billing I used a wasp scanner and created forms to automatically fill out by scanning the customers drivers license to obtain their billing information, (beep...Click save)

[peterseas]

How about this barcode reader including guide.

That is a good barcode solution site. Now I am using their VB.NET barcode generator in WinForms. Very nice.

[newburns]

I just thought there may have been a way to print the labels from within osCommerce. As far as plugging in the model number to a barcode generator, and then scanning that barcode so it places it back on the line is already available with nothing extra. You are just transcribing the same thing into different languages. So, the same word is recognized in English (osCommerce), but written in French (Barcode). No difference in the word or meaning, just the language used to describe it. The scanner translates for you. I wanted a way to translate to a barcode image, attached to each product via the database.

This gives the ability to mass print barcodes, and barcodes with product name and number on label, for example.

 

I am using Magneticone, and I must say, it is pretty awesome.

@@clippers

How do you deal with partial payments in different forms? Such as half cash and half in check. What about Credit Card processing?

[♥bruyndoncx]

I have pricecards for the store which include barcodes.

My small barcode printer has each label as a separate page. Positioning on the 'label' page will be tricky in osCommerce, but it should be possible.

[newburns]

@@bruyndoncx

Not sure what "pricecards" is.

But I'm assuming this allows you to print barcodes from within osCommerce?

[♥bruyndoncx]

@@bruyndoncx

Not sure what "pricecards" is.

But I'm assuming this allows you to print barcodes from within osCommerce?

Yes, it is. It"s what we use in the store to show the different items in a product line, eg different glasses from a certain design, different pots and pans in a particular series, a list of tableware items etc.

It's an easy way at the checkout to scan the products bought without having to have the individual labels on the products.

[♥bruyndoncx]

Part of my codebase that generates the barcode from a page in the admin folder

//BEGIN BARCODE STUFF
define (__TRACE_ENABLED__, false);
define (__DEBUG_ENABLED__, false);

require("../ext/barcode/barcode.php");           
require("../ext/barcode/c128aobject.php");

function printBarcode ($barcode = "12345") {
   /* Default value */
   $output   = "jpeg";
   $type	 = "C128A";
   $width    = "100";
   $height   = "25";
   $xres	 = "1";
   $font	 = "1";
   $drawtext = "on";
/*********************************/

   if (strlen($barcode)>0) {    
     $style  = BCS_ALIGN_CENTER;                   	    
     $style |= ($output  == "png" ) ? BCS_IMAGE_PNG  : 0;
     $style |= ($output  == "jpeg") ? BCS_IMAGE_JPEG : 0;
     $style |= ($border  == "on"  ) ? BCS_BORDER       : 0;
     $style |= ($drawtext== "on"  ) ? BCS_DRAW_TEXT  : 0;
     $style |= ($stretchtext== "on" ) ? BCS_STRETCH_TEXT  : 0;
     $style |= ($negative== "on"  ) ? BCS_REVERSE_COLOR  : 0;

     $obj = new C128AObject(250, 120, $style, $barcode);
     if ($obj) {
  	  if ($obj->DrawObject($xres)) {
  		  return "<img src='../ext/barcode/image.php?code=".$barcode."&style=".$style."&type=".$type."&width=".$width."&height=".$height."&xres=".$xres."&font=".$font."'>";
  	  } else return "<table align='center'><tr><td><font color='#FF0000'>".($obj->GetError())."</font></td></tr></table>";
     }
   }
}
//END BARCODE STUFF

 

The barcode class (under my /ext/ folder) is from

http://www.mribti.com/barcode/