Question Barcode Reading in Access 2007

[rtdc]

I need to get Access 2007 to read a barcode reader live, as in take the data as it is scanned and put it in a table. I have got it to create the barcodes for me that was easy but getting the data back in is doing my nut in lol.

I have a R232 data logger which saves the data to a text file so I know the scanner and barcodes are fine. What I need is either the code to get Access to read the R232 port or an external program to read it and store it in an mdb or at a pinch an Excel file. The budget is tight (of course lol) so freeware or inexpensive software is needed, I have spent hours looking online and as yet not found the solution.

I considered just reading the text file the R232 logger creates and it is an option but I would like a package that will date and time stamp to, as this is a personnel clocking package.

Any ideas folks?

 

[HiTechCoach]

Do you have the Windows driver for the bar code reader?

All the readers/scanners I have worked with send data as if it was typed on the keyboard. The scanner's Windows driver takes care of all that. There really is nothing that needs to be done in Access since Access already handles keyboard input. You place the cursor in a control and then scan. The data from the bar code scanner will appear n the control as if it was typed on the keyboard. So any windows program the will accept keyboard input can be used with the scanner.

 

[rtdc]

I have a windows driver for the scanner and all works well. I do not want the scanner to input into a field but to capture and store the data in the background unattended. In this instance the barcode is being used as a clocking in device (the clients way of doing things), so i need either Access or a third party package to read the scan which will have the perons ID, put it in a table (or excel), assign the date and time at that moment.

If Access could do this live without interfering with the other functions of the database great or I could just upload the data periodically. I know VB6 can do it but alas I am not a VB6 prgrammer.

 

[HiTechCoach]

Note: You can do almost everything that VB6 do with Access VBA.

So you really do not need to interact with the bar scanner at all. You need to work with a file that happens to be produced by a bar code scanner.

I t is possible with Access VBA to read a text file. Is that what you are needing help with?