Two questions… Can sambapos generate a barcode for user pins? I would like to use a barcode scanner for login and have a way for the manager to reprint a barcode if a user looses theirs. Second Does anyone have any recommendations for a good barcode scanner to use for user login?..
A barcode scanner just connects to the PC and acts as a keyboard, so essentially when you scan a barcode it is no different to typing it on the keyboard. Therefore you can easily use for user login.
SambaPOS doesn’t have the feature to generate barcodes, but you can easily create these yourself. The barcode would be the same as the User PIN, therefore if the PIN is 1234, just create a barcode for 1234. There are many free barcode generator websites online, here is one I found from a quick web search: https://www.barcodesinc.com/generator/index.php
As for barcode scanner recommendations, any would suffice, cheap ones will work fine for this type of use. However it is best to go for a laser type rather than CCD, as they are faster to use and more accurate, yet still cheap. Depending on where you live, you can probably find a cheap one off eBay or Amazon.
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Ive had a couple of just basic ones off ebay, never had any issues.
The scanner will need to have CR (carriage return) as a suffix. Often this is default but if you find it scanning in the numbers but not ‘entering’ and loging in this will be why, the manuals usually have a set of bar codes you scan to enable/disable features like this.
Don’t we have the <BAR> tag for templates?
Although samba wouldn’t be able to make bar code for the users pin number from the built in samba users system (but could be done using the user entities setup like kendash) automatically it could be done manually but it would be just as easy to get an app which makes the bar-codes as bar-codes are ‘standardized’.
SambaPOS can generate barcodes. You can use <BAR> tag to print out any barcode you want. For example <BAR>1234 would print a barcode for 1234.
Why wouldnt it? You could use the new SQL tag to extract it or use JSCRIPT with SQL to extract it.
<BAR>{CALL:'{:CURRENTUSER}'} or <BAR>{REPORT SQL DETAILS:X}
I was meaning doesn’t have the feature to create barcodes for user ids. Not that SambaPOS can’t generate barcodes. But @Jesse suggestion would work well.
Kendash why are you using “CALL:x” in this way as I would of thought {SETTING:CURRENTUSER}? Call is {CALL:lib.function(para1,para2,..)}?
Arr, good point, didn’t realize pin numbers were stored as plain strings in the database but never been into the users table…
I thought {CURRENTUSER} pulled the user name not the pin?
But understand how the SQL report tag could be used.
Kendash is suggesting to use the CALL:X tag to invoke a function that reads the PIN from the DB when you supply CURRENTUSER as a parameter to the function.
So in that case, yes, it would be something like:
<BAR>{CALL:lib.function('{:CURRENTUSER}')}
or using report tag, something like:
<BAR>{REPORT SQL DETAILS:SELECT PinCode from Users WHERE Name='{SETTING:CURRENTUSER}'}
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This would be really nice because I have found a nice cheap time clock that works with a barcode scanner and uses a finger print reader to clock in employees. TimeClock MTS Ive tested it with the finger print reader and a magnetic card swipe and it works great. Only problem is that if a uses looses the magnetic card it could become a pain and eventually could cost money to program a new one so if I get a barcode scanner that should solve the problem. I just need to setup both systems to use the same user id/pin and if a employee looses their barcode the manager could just reprint it for them.
A basic MSR writer costs around £80-100 and blank cards are like 10-15p if you buy say 100
I got my writer from ebay along with the blank cards.
Just so you know.
If your meaning the Time clock software came with cards there is unlikely to be anything special about the cards. MSR tech is fairly standardized and a little experimentation would be all that was needed if they have specific setup for the actual number on the card.
EG the epos software at one place I help at (non samba) doesnt look for <CR> to enter it just needs a ; prefix and a ? suffix and it uses the ; and ? as to know when the pin began and ended and logs in based on hearing the ?
Just took a little playing using 2-3 programmed cards to work out what the software was keying to.