Level Extreme platform
Subscription
Corporate profile
Products & Services
Support
Legal
Français
Scan barcode by using Surface camera
Message
From
01/12/2016 16:24:32
 
General information
Forum:
Visual FoxPro
Category:
Other
Miscellaneous
Thread ID:
01644204
Message ID:
01644213
Views:
107
>Hi,
>
>I am developing a program that will be working on Surface tablet. These tablets have cameras. Do you know if it is possible to use the camera to scan barcode into a VFP application form textbox?

With a quick Google search I didn't find any obvious answer. It looks like there may be 2 issues to overcome:

1. Is the camera good enough - focus close enough/high enough resolution to read a bar code e.g. http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_rt-windows_store/surface-barcode-reader/5961cb6b-7919-4a6a-8150-fd5a492b8591

2. It might require some sort of driver to make the camera appear as an auxiliary keyboard or Human Interface Device (HID in MS parlance). There are some apps such as https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/scan-qr-code-and-barcode-reader/9wzdncrdr9tp , but they work by processing the captured image and then effectively calling ShellExecute() to bring up a browser if a URL is scanned, NotePad for text etc. Instead, you need straight keyboard emulation. I haven't found anything that does that. Even if you do, you'd first need to ensure #1 above, that the camera is physically capable of resolving a bar code.

If it's for heavy-duty use such as retail POS then you'd be better off attaching a dedicated USB bar code scanner. Surface Pros have only 1 USB port but you can attach a powered USB3 hub to give more. You can also get USB "mini docks" which can include things like wired Ethernet, HDMI for an external monitor as well as more USB port(s).
Regards. Al

"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent." -- Isaac Asimov
"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right." -- Isaac Asimov

Neither a despot, nor a doormat, be

Every app wants to be a database app when it grows up
Previous
Next
Reply
Map
View

Click here to load this message in the networking platform