Barcode scanning with Excel

[Chief1904]

My office is trying to go paperless with our hunting program and issue ID cards with bar codes. I'm trying to have a barcode scanner be able to scan the ID card and pull up their information in excel or access. How can I do this? My boss doesn't want to spend $12,000 on a full setup of software and hardware. Any help would be great!

 

[rpaulson]

with my Scanner I needed to add a postamble; I used a "Tab" key. you can program most scanners with any postamble you want. The procedure should me in the scanner manual.

 

[ukwildcats]

Can you make this example available again??
I'd like to look at it. Thanks!

Hi Chief,

I'll make some assumptions on a possible solution to your scan-in and get info-back.

Scan the ID card number into A1.

Elsewhere on the Excel sheet you have a data base (table if you will) where all the ID card numbers of the hunters are listed, lets say column F.
In columns G, H, I, J, K are five items (you can have more if needed) of info that relate to the ID number in F. (Name, Address, Telephone No., Expire date of ID card, Blood Type, whatever...)

In the cells where you want to return that info you can use a VLOOKUP formula that will look something like this:

=VLOOKUP(A1,$F$1:$K$50,{2,3,4,5,6},0)

So the formula will take the value in A1 and look for it in column F and when a match is noted, returns the information in columns G, H, I, J, K.

Is this some what like what you are after?

I don't know anything about Access.

Regards,
Howard

 

[L. Howard]

Can you make this example available again??
I'd like to look at it. Thanks!

Take a look at this workbook I put together.

Instructions and examples of a couple array vlookup formulas.

Be glad to answer any questions or help you get going with your formula, if needed.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/74hkhrxs813pc0p/Vlookup Demo sheet.xlsm?dl=0

Howard

 

[ccasanovajr]

hi

I am looking to create an inventory system using Excel for my boss. He has asked me to see if there is something I can create in order to save the company money.

Basically, I am looking to be able to use a Fingerprint Reader for User Input and a Barcode reader for Inventory. In essence, an employee would scan his/her fingerprint and then the merchandise in which they are trying to take from the office would be scanned in as well. Excel would update the values of the items accordingly and inventory will be able to be accounted for.

Is this something that can be done? Am I wasting my time trying to figure this out?

thank you

 

[L. Howard]

hi

I am looking to create an inventory system using Excel for my boss. He has asked me to see if there is something I can create in order to save the company money.

Basically, I am looking to be able to use a Fingerprint Reader for User Input and a Barcode reader for Inventory. In essence, an employee would scan his/her fingerprint and then the merchandise in which they are trying to take from the office would be scanned in as well. Excel would update the values of the items accordingly and inventory will be able to be accounted for.

Is this something that can be done? Am I wasting my time trying to figure this out?

thank you

I have no experience with barcode scanners, not the various codes or protocols they deal with.

I have done a few barcode scanning projects where first and foremost is, the scanned ENTRY to the worksheet is an actual value that Excel can recognize and process.
And when a scan takes place on the sheet, the scanned entry reacts the same as if you typed something into a cell and hit ENTER. The Fingerprint Reader is a new wrinkle to me. It would have to produce something Excel can digest also. So if is true, then it is not to difficult a task to do what you want.

There may be Excel add-ins for barcodes and such, seems I have seen mention of them. Also, the complaint is they are expensive, but I am not much informed about that.

An example workbook showing the data (non-sensitive but representative) and with a detailed want list of what you want to happen and where you want it to happen would likely be all that is needed.

I did a schoolbook checkout system where the student would present a student ID which was scanned in to Cell A1 and the student name, date/time, and name of the book was logged in the Checked Out columns and when the book was returned the date/time of the return was entered.

And one for the same students for an attendance record. ID scanned to a cell >> Name >> In school @ ??? -- Out school @ ???.

Probably a combination of formulas and some VB coding would make it work.

Howard

 

[SpillerBD]

i just took the scanner off our Pitney Bowes mail machine we use for scanning Delivery Confirmation racking numbers on out going mail..plugged it in to my pc , opened excel and it scanned every barcode i tried..USPS,FEDEX UPS, DHL..so maybe you dont need a barcode reader program?..

The exception is the BarCodes that use check codes. Modes barcodes used in commercial environments use the check codes. When scanning without such bar-code reading software there is no check of verification performed, it just sends the data it "reads" with any errors in that read.
You could have a macro that evaluates the check-sums for validation.
If you've gone through a self-check line, you may have had it happen where the scanner didn't pickup the UPC code on an item. It may have seen the bar-code but failed the check-sum and the item "didn't" scan for that reason.

 

[Legacy 334819]

Hi there. Looking for some help regarding a database in excel. I'm not experienced with databases so would like to keep it as simple as possible.
its just to keep track of stock. All i need to know is location and quantity. I would like to assign a barcode to each chemical, so that when chemicals are taken they can be scanned out and scanned back in when returned. Then to be able to search the database to see if i have a certain chemical in stock. The items have no barcodes on them at present. I have a barcode reader, but no idea how to write and print barcodes or put them into Excel. Is this possible in Excel? All help much appreciated, thanks

 

[rpaulson]

Just get a bard code font for windows, there are some free ones out there. Then you can just change the font in excel to the bar code font. I do it all the time.

 

[rmullings]

I did a schoolbook checkout system where the student would present a student ID which was scanned in to Cell A1 and the student name, date/time, and name of the book was logged in the Checked Out columns and when the book was returned the date/time of the return was entered.

And one for the same students for an attendance record. ID scanned to a cell >> Name >> In school @ ??? -- Out school @ ???.

Probably a combination of formulas and some VB coding would make it work.

Howard

Howard, i am trying to figure out how to do exactly what you created above, which is to track the login and log out of students. do you by chance a worksheet example i could look at to see how that can be done. any help is appreciated.

 

[L. Howard]

Maybe there are some code or formulas in this old version that may be some help. Was written in 2003 with Excel 2003 (I think).

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9br2rtrc67pukat/Manhattan Library 1092003 Drop Box.xlsm?dl=0

The instructions are on sheet 1.

Was going to set up a userform to select if the book was being checked in or out but never completed that. The format of the sheet will of course not suit your situation, but some of the coding may be adaptable, ranges and the such.

Might be better to state your needs of ranges and column/cells etc. and start with new code written exactly to the ranges and such as needed.

Maybe an example workbook with the Headers and all in place and an example of the data that will be used.

Howard