I have made a Windows Form application with a textbox. I will force users to use the barcode scanner, so the keyboard input should be disabled. The KeyPressed event does not work, because is also disabled input from the barcode scanner.
I thought maybe I can set a timer on the TextChanged event, but I do not really know how it works.
Have someone a good idea?
Based on your description, I assume that your barcode scanner is an HID barcode scanner. If so, there is no easy answer here because the barcode scanner functions exactly like a keyboard. Disabling keyboard input will disable the barcode scanner.
I have done this before, and there are a few solutions I know of:
Use a barcode scanner that is not an HID barcode scanner. Ex: Serial, or something like that.
Configure the barcode scanner to send a special character at the start and end of the barcode scan. (This is something you can do if you have the manual for the particular model of barcode scanner.) Write your KeyPressed event to listen for these special characters as a signal that it is getting data from the barcode scanner. When it sees them, enable and disable the text box.
Use Windows API calls to communicate directly with the barcode scanner. This requires knowing the VID and PID of the barcode scanner, and some detailed knowledge of APIs like GetRawInputDeviceInfo, GetRawInputData, and RegisterRawInputDevices. This is very powerful, since you can receive barcode input from anywhere in the application, but it is very complex.
However, one caveat: You probably don't want to disable the text box at all. What if the barcode is damaged and the scanner cannot read it? You always want the user to be able to manually enter the barcode. Next time you go through the cash register at a store, notice that there is always a way to manually enter the barcode.
You can find the way to check with keysUp and Keysdown event.
Check here for detailed answer.
Check here for answer
Check here for github code
Related
I have a Zebra TC70x and am looking for a keyboard wedge solution. I am needing to input any scanned barcode into a text field, but apparently, the barcode scanner will not function without being called.
Does anyone know of a way to use the barcode scanner as described above?
I want to get input from barcode reader in specific text box which is disabled I don’t have any idea to do something so I have few problems
I need the library name which .Net framework has for barcode scanner
how can I get the input from barcode scanner in a specific text box which is already disabled and also it is visibility is false
In general, if you need more than just keyboard wedge input from barcode scanners in your application, you might try the Pos for .Net SDK. With it, you can control POS devices directly. You may have to re-configure barcode scanners as a HID BarcodeScanner, instead of as a keyboard. You can find the SDK at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=55758
I've been thinking whats the best way to handle a barcode scanner via code. The thing is, I have 3 different pattern of barcodes in one window/dialog. before I put these barcodes in the right field i should be able to handle the barcode scanner programmatically. similar to how we handle others devices via serial port. But my barcode scanner is detected as HID instead of COM. what should i do? I've tried the Point of Service for .Net but it doesn't recognized the scanner. Point of Service always returns "Simulator devices" and not the actual devices installed on the PC.
I understand that my barcode scanner detects as a keyboard. but the thing is that I want to control it programmatically to place the right barcodes in the right fields.
I have been asked to develop a C# Winforms application that reads barcodes and processes data based on products with the relevant barcode.
The barcode scanner we're using is a Symbol LS2208 usb scanner and when it came there was no instructions or cd in the box. We plugged it in, it beeped at us and were were able to scan barcode values into notepad as a test.
In my application, how do I ensure that the scanner populates data into the relevant textbox (I've been setting focus after every other action such as button clicks etc) and how do I know when the entire barcode has been scanned? Currently I have a form timer that ticks every 50ms and checks the length of the textbox value. If it stops getting bigger, I assume the entire barcode has been written.
It just feels a bit "clunky" and wondered if there was another way to do this?
Distinguishing Barcode Scanners from the Keyboard in WinForms
Check out this thread. There's everything you need there.
If you'll be using this particular scanner, you can setup it to send a specific signal at the end of the input. To setup your scanner gun you need to read the documentation for your device, probably provided on the website of the manifacturer.
Another solution if you will be using the same scanner gun.
If your clients are going to use a lot of different scanners, it would be slight difficult to set everyone of them and track their input. In such case, you have to do it with counting the time between the keypresses (Windows cannot distinguish between barcode scanner and normal keyboard). But you still have to know the suffix of the input the scanner sends.
Most barcode scanners send a couple of control characters before and after the actual barcode data, usually something like ^B and ^C.
Take a look at what keys its actually sending by listening to the keypress event and watch for what control characters it sends. Then you can be sure when the barcode data begins and ends.
Motorola Driver and SDK for Scanners
Sounds to me that Motorola actually have a SDK for this kind of thing with a driver specific LS2208.
Lot of documentation:
Motorola LS2208 Documentation
Seriously, google moar!
The symbol or Motorola LS2208 is a pretty standard barcode scanner.
LS2208 on RJLTechnologies.com
However the issue with what you are doing is not the scanner it may be the way you are approaching the entire application from the foundation which relates to the barcode being used.If there are multiple layers of information that need to be gathered from a single code maybe it would be better to utilize a 2d barcode maybe a data matrix or something to that effect.
additionally parsing would be simplified and you can use the symbol/motorola adf pre existing library to program the scanner outside of the application either through programming barcodes or you can use the scan utility 123SCAN2 from Motorola Solutions. This means that your application is a bit more flexible is not tied down to a particular scanner and gives greater flexibility to use what ever hardware is needed instead of a codependence on a particular brand or scanner.
regards,
You want a solution that will be used to do some sort of actions after the barcode is scanned. You want to do something just after scanning a barcode by your barcode reader, right? Then this will help you more.
Write the keyPress event for the textbox which is used to scan the barcode. Now if you write any code there it will be executed every time you presses any key from keyboard or every time when barcode scanner reads a character. If you want to execute some code after the barcode has been scanned, you need to add on condition in that keyPress event. Barcode scanners has the return character (\n) associated with every barcode scan. So you need to add this condition in keyPress event. Below is the code for your reference.
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void textBox1_KeyPress(object sender, KeyPressEventArgs e)
{
if (e.KeyChar == (char)Keys.Return)
{
MessageBox.Show( textBox1.Text + " scanned...");
//write your code here
}
}
}
I have two devices(KeyBoard and BarCodeScanner) and 2 textboxes(text box 1 and text box 2).
Now I want to restrict user that he can only use keyboard in text box 1 and barcodescanner in text box 2.
How is this possible in C#?
You should have a look at this: Read data from Bar Code Scanner in .net (C#) windows application!
So your scanner might send special characters to help you identify it the input was from a scanner, or maybe it provides you with an additional library you could use to detect such events.
Let's suppose thought the scanner acts identically to a keyboard without any special characters to help you know it was from a scanner and without any additional library from the manufacturer site you could use.
Then what you could use is: measure the typing speed in the KeyDown event of the second textbox.
I suspect the scanner enters the code instantly so you would have a huge typing speed measured.
Then if the typing speed is greater than a threshold ( E.g. for humans the world speed record is somewhere around 1000 characters per minute) then you delete the text that was entered.
It's hacky, but I've got no better idea.
I worked with barcode scanner only once. In my scaner was possible to force it to generate special control sequence before it pass input to computer. This behavour was mastered through scanner's native software. But I cant specify any details because of I didnt participate in customizing - my colleague customized it before me .
In my case scanner sent Ctrl+J before scanned date and I was able to determin from which source input come from keyboard or from barcode scanner.
It depends on how the scanner is connected I guess. If it's just wired in between the computer and the keyboard, you're out of luck, since there wouldn't be any reliable way to distinguish keyboard inputs from scanner inputs.
If it's connected separately there must be some means to get at the scanner data, maybe by way of a class that the scanner software provides, so you have to use what's provided there and put whatever you receive into TextBox2.Text. As for disabling the Keyboard input for this box, you could simply prevent any input by setting TextBox2.ReadOnly = true.