Barcode Problem (1 Viewer)

J86

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Hey guys...sorry if this has already come up.

For a project, i have to create a system that allows guests of a hotel, access to different rooms in the hotel. Eg. Bedroom, executive lounge, bar. The guests are sent a barcode image to the mobile phones vis SMS, where they would just scan the barcode image off their mobile phones to allow access to those certain rooms.

this is the first time i'm using access. I have created a database consisting of the following information, name, address, customer id, date of birth, with access to bedroom and access to gym info set as Yes/No data type.

I have stored about 8 guest's information i'm trying to create a barcode for each guest, that when scanned it would show details of the guest and what rooms that they are permitted to access.

i've done loads of research on barcode creating in access. Downloaded loads of barcode active x controls but there all demo's. Hit a dead end now would sum1 please advise what to do next. Or if there's an easier way to do this.

thank you.
 

Alisa

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Hey guys...sorry if this has already come up.

For a project, i have to create a system that allows guests of a hotel, access to different rooms in the hotel. Eg. Bedroom, executive lounge, bar. The guests are sent a barcode image to the mobile phones vis SMS, where they would just scan the barcode image off their mobile phones to allow access to those certain rooms.

this is the first time i'm using access. I have created a database consisting of the following information, name, address, customer id, date of birth, with access to bedroom and access to gym info set as Yes/No data type.

I have stored about 8 guest's information i'm trying to create a barcode for each guest, that when scanned it would show details of the guest and what rooms that they are permitted to access.

i've done loads of research on barcode creating in access. Downloaded loads of barcode active x controls but there all demo's. Hit a dead end now would sum1 please advise what to do next. Or if there's an easier way to do this.

thank you.

Does the customer not require a specific barcode font?
There are lots of different barcode fonts, and some of them are free. For instance, I just did a project with interleaved 2 of 5, which is free (google for it). Another one that comes to mind is barcode 3 of 5. Each barcode font requires different special characters or encoding. For instance, barcode 3 of 5 requires a that your code be enclosed in asterisks, and I2of5 requires that you encode the entire barcode in 2 digit pairs with ascii characters. Some barcodes require a check digit, which involves summing and multiplying various digits within the barcode. This is what I would do if I were you:

1. Find out whether the client is willing to pay for a barcode. If they are, it is really easy to spend one or two hundres dollars and get a plug in solution with no effort required.
2. If they are not willing to pay, choose one of the free fonts. You need to research which one(s) will work for your application - different barcodes have different densities and sizes, and work better or worse for different applications. I am sure there is information out there on the internets about which fonts will work for what you are trying to do.
3. If you pick a free font, you will have to do some research on what is required to get that font to work (check digit, special characters, etc.).

hth, Alisa
 

neileg

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Not sure how useful it will be printing barcodes if you haven't got a scanner. A barcode is just a set of numbers so the database side of your project just needs to be able to match the numbers against the rooms.

I presume this is an assignment and not a real world issue.
 

J86

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thanx for the replies

yes this is for an assignment.

i have a handheld scanner. it is metrologic barcode scanner that reads most 1D barcodes. Unfortunately i cant pay hundreds for a barcode. Alisa i have tried to find the interleaved 2 of 5 barcode font but still cant find one. keep ending up the demo plugins. i would be greatful if u can send me the link which you got the barcode font from.

In truth, i just need to create a barcode and assign it to the customer details. Once i have scanned the barcode it would just show up customer information and nuthing else.

i apologise if i sound stupid but i have never come across a project like this.

thank you for ur help.
 

Alisa

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thanx for the replies

yes this is for an assignment.

i have a handheld scanner. it is metrologic barcode scanner that reads most 1D barcodes. Unfortunately i cant pay hundreds for a barcode. Alisa i have tried to find the interleaved 2 of 5 barcode font but still cant find one. keep ending up the demo plugins. i would be greatful if u can send me the link which you got the barcode font from.

In truth, i just need to create a barcode and assign it to the customer details. Once i have scanned the barcode it would just show up customer information and nuthing else.

i apologise if i sound stupid but i have never come across a project like this.

thank you for ur help.

Don't have the link handy right now, but all you need is the .ttf or .otf file - put it in your fonts folder. If you installed a demo, it probably already did this for you. That's all you need.
 

J86

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thanx alisa. i have found a free font and have located the .tff file. it has been saved in the fonts folder but i havent a clue wat to do next :eek:. help much appreciated.
 

Alisa

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thanx alisa. i have found a free font and have located the .tff file. it has been saved in the fonts folder but i havent a clue wat to do next :eek:. help much appreciated.

Well you use it just like any other font - apply it to your form or report or whereever you are using your barcode. However, most barcodes won't scan unless you use the proper special characters/encoding like I said before, so you need to look that up and use the right characters.
 

Atomic Shrimp

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Will your barcode scanner read a barcode that is displayed on the screen of a mobile phone? Black and white images on a screen look similar to printed black and white material to human eyes, but they may not appear the same to whatever imaging technology is used by your scanner.
 

J86

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yes sumhow the barcode has to be read off a mobile phone screen. The barcode is sent as a picture mesage via SMS to the mobile phone.
 

Rabbie

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yes sumhow the barcode has to be read off a mobile phone screen. The barcode is sent as a picture mesage via SMS to the mobile phone.
The reflective nature of many mobile phone screens may make this a bit unreliable.

What happens to customers who don't have the right type of mobile phone?
 

Alisa

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J86,
You will get better results if you post your questions here, plus that way the answers can help others in the future.

Also, I know you are trying to finish your assignment on time, but keep in mind that 99% of programming is having the persistance to figure things out. A few months ago, I had a client that wanted barcodes. I said sure, no problem, I can have that done next week, despite that fact that I had never done anything with barcodes in my life. Then I went home and figured out how to do it. You can figure it out too - I am happy to point you in the right direction, but you shouldn't expect other people to spell everything out for you.

With that said, a barcode is just a number with a special font. Instead of Arial or Times New Roman, just apply your barcode font.

hth,
Alisa
 

Atomic Shrimp

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With that said, a barcode is just a number with a special font. Instead of Arial or Times New Roman, just apply your barcode font.
Just a nitpick: that's true for some kinds of barcodes, but not others.

Code 128 and 3of9 are just fonts, but UPC and EAN are more complex (there are still fonts available to construct them, but it's not a simple matter of formatting the string.

That said, if this is a non-commercial project (i.e. an assignment or proof of concept), the OP would probably be OK to use code 128 or code 3of9.

If it's a commercial venture, some kind of 2D barcode would probably be more appropriate, as they are typically square or rectangular and would fit a mobile phone screen better.
 

J86

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thank you for ur help :)

i decided to pay for a barcode generator. i have made 5-10 barcode images. each barcode for a different customer, they are all interleaved 2 of 5. the barcode maker allows me to enter random numbers, 8 digits for example and created an image of the barcode.

my question is this, if u have a fullly installed barcode maker/generator that lets u create a barcode image for you. and you copy and paste the barcode image into access, assign it to record in the database. y is the check digits and special characters still relevent?
 

Alisa

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thank you for ur help :)

i decided to pay for a barcode generator. i have made 5-10 barcode images. each barcode for a different customer, they are all interleaved 2 of 5. the barcode maker allows me to enter random numbers, 8 digits for example and created an image of the barcode.

my question is this, if u have a fullly installed barcode maker/generator that lets u create a barcode image for you. and you copy and paste the barcode image into access, assign it to record in the database. y is the check digits and special characters still relevent?

I'm glad you found a solution that worked for you. I think i2of5 doesn't require a check digit anyway, and the generator should have taken care of the encoding for you, so you should be all set with that.

Storing barcode images sounds like a strange way to do it - normally you would have your barcodes stored as long numbers (like 1234568) in a table, and then you would use the barcode generator to generate the barcode images for you when you need to display them.
 

J86

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thats wat i thought too. its called barcode magic v3.1 from http://www.barcodemagic.com/ when u list which type of barcode u want, you enter the text u wish to put...when put digits here you can see how different check digit changes the width of the lines for each barcode. when you have completed a barcode. it lets u save the image and you can just copy n paste on access where i can use the control source to detemine where i can link it to...

still sounds a bit dodgy to me...not sure i'm going about this correctly.

the worse part is that my customers have a date of arrival and date of departure fields for there stay so whether a customer stays for 2 weeks or 2days the barcodes i've create have to change every 24hours for security purposes. lol i have 2 research how i'm going to do this.
 

pbaldy

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Others are handling the barcode issue itself, so I just wanted to address your last point. I wouldn't think of changing an individual's barcode every day. I'd have a unique barcode for each customer, which it sounds like you're already doing. Your reader would lookup the barcode in the data, determine who it was for and if the current date falls between their dates of arrival/departure. Then it would take the appropriate action.
 

J86

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appreciate ur feedback mate, i understand wat ur sayin...but my tutor who assigned me this project wants me to do it this way its compulsory. :mad:
 

Alisa

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thats wat i thought too. its called barcode magic v3.1 from http://www.barcodemagic.com/ when u list which type of barcode u want, you enter the text u wish to put...when put digits here you can see how different check digit changes the width of the lines for each barcode. when you have completed a barcode. it lets u save the image and you can just copy n paste on access where i can use the control source to detemine where i can link it to...

still sounds a bit dodgy to me...not sure i'm going about this correctly.

the worse part is that my customers have a date of arrival and date of departure fields for there stay so whether a customer stays for 2 weeks or 2days the barcodes i've create have to change every 24hours for security purposes. lol i have 2 research how i'm going to do this.

So you have to go to a website to generate the barcode each time? That seems unecessarily complicated. The solutions I have seen give you a module to import into your access project, with a function to call to generate the barcode whenever you want. Azalea even makes a free solution like this, but it is only for visual studio, not for access.

This page has a lot of info: http://www.idautomation.com/fonts/interleaved2of5/
And so does this one:
http://www.adams1.com/fonts.html

As far as the changing codes every day thing, that should be simple enough - just create a barcode from a unique customer id and a number representing the date (like 12042009). That will give you a unique barcode every day.
 

J86

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yes...basically. the customer has already registered at the hotel, so basically they go on the website to confirm their details and choose wat access levels they want..eg bar,bedroom. when they would click confirm, their details i would match against the database and produce a barcode. depending on duration of their stay the barcodes would change daily. i know its sounds proposturous but its the requirements of my assignment.

airline companies have a similar process...air china for example. passengers have already booked their tickets, but they check in online just before they would get to airport and the airline companies send passengers barcodes via SMS, so they would use that barcode to allow them to get to different access levels...exec lounge etc. it saves time and money. i have to use the same principle...
 

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