Hi John,

Several ways to do this with options ranging from inexpensive to expensive and simple to complicated. In our POS/Inventory app we first tried this using a programmable handheld which required us to have the ability to write code in WINDOWS CE for a hand held scanner that cost between $1500-$2000. That certainly worked but we have since arrived at a much better solution:

We purchased Metrologic Scan Pal 2 scanners that come with the ability to program simple input screens. You can download "look up files" and then upload the results. In fact our first usage was the inventory job you mentioned. These scanners are available for around $500. The VFP code to produce the "Look Up" file and then to read the results file was trivial.

Hope this helps,

Ken

>I we now have 2 different requests where customers want a hand held scanner or PDA scanner to gather data in a shop or wholesale environment and then exchange data with my VFP apps.
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>One is inventory control where the scanner gets the barcode which brings up the part number and description and the user inputs the quantity on the shelf or whatever.
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>The other is where the user goes around a repair shop and scans a barcode on a window tag. This will bring up the repair order in the PDA. Then we need one or more picklists to appear so the user can select things like the location and also change the expected finish date.
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>In both cases the user would then place the scanner in the cradle or attach the USB cable and export the data so my VFP app can then update the proper tables from the PDA data. I also need to be able to update the data on the PDA with things like new part numbers, locations, vehicle IDs, etc. in existing tables on the PDA.
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>Is there any software already available for this type of work that can be easily modified or does anyone know where to point me? I'm not sure where to start.