Bar Code Scanners

Using a barcode scanner you can access some features of the system quickly. The system supports 1-D and 2-D (PC keyboard only) scanners, these can be used to:

• Point of sale

  Items can be scanned at the Items .. prompt, you should enter any quantities (or meta-characters etc.) before scanning the item. Batch details (if ' Ask for batch' is on) will be filled in where possible from the details contained in the code.

• Adding/Editing a stock record

  If you are using the Centaur 2-D bar codes you can, at the 'Description' prompt scan the label. This will fill in automatically the Description, Supplier Code and Bar code fields. With Centaur, the Barcode should be the same as the Supplier Ref.

  For items supplied by NVS you do not need to enter anything in the Barcode field as the barcode used is the same as the supplier reference. Normally, NVS codes will be six characters long, however, some sites have entered them differently (usually 8). To get round this you should set NVS_Code_Length in params.txt to the length of the supplier ref.

• Accessing Stock Cards

  You can at the 'Enter stock number or name' prompt use the scanner to access the item rather than type in the name or code.

• Stock In

  Centaur and Genus both currently print batch details in barcode form on the Invoice/Delivery note. You can by using the Scan Delivery Note option on the ordering menu, scan the batch details automatically.

  In the case of Centaur, if you scan the 'Tote' sheet it will update all the quanties and prices in addition to the batch details.

Scanning Order

The system will check for barcodes in the following order:

• Manufacturer
  The 'Bar Code' specified on the Stock Card.
• Supplier Code
  Genus and NVS use their reference code within the barcode
  (NVS reference will be six digits).
• Dunlops
  If you have received batch details from Dunlops these will be checked last.

Setup for Symbol P304PRO

The Symbol PRO 300 is a scanner that supports the reading of 2-D barcodes (PDF417) that are used by Centaur. The Pro 300 will also read the 1-D bar codes used by the other drug wholesalers.

The only setup required is to set the Prefix and Suffix values. This is done by:

• Use Scan Prefix (Page 2-96) and set it to 1001 (page 2-120).
• Use Scan Suffix (Page 2-96) and set it to 1001 (page 2-120).
• Then set Scan Data Transmission Format (Page 2-97) and set it to <Prefix><Data><Suffix>

Setup for Gryphon D200

The Gryphon is another scanner that will read the Centaur 2D bar codes, it is a little slower than the Symbol above.

The only setup is to set the Header and Terminator values. This is done by:

• Use Data Format - Header (Page 33) and set it to, one character header, followed by 01 (Appendix C).
• Use Data Format Terminator (Page 34) and set it to, one character terminator, followed by 01 (Appendix C).

Setup for Opticon

The Opticon scanner reads the standard 1-D bar codes.

The only setup required is to set the Prefix and Suffix values. This is done by:

• Use Set Prefix - All (Page U108) and set it to SOH (page U128).
• Use Set Suffix - All (Page U111) and set it to SOH (page U128).

Setup for Symbol LS1004

The Symbol scanner reads the standard 1-D bar codes.

The only setup required is to reset it then set the Prefix and Suffix values. This is done by:

• Use Set All Defaults (Page 4-9)
• Use Prefix - User Choice (Page 4-31) and set it to 001 (page 4-33).
• Use Suffix - User Choice (Page 4-32) and set it to 001 (page 4-33).

Scanners and Wyse Terminals

The above examples showed how to set the start/end character to ^A (001). However, Wyse terminals use ^A for their function keys which makes ^A a bad choice. With these terminals you need to alter the start code to an unused character and tell premvet what that character is.

Program the scanner as above (use a character that is not used) and then add to params.txt and entry Scanner_Start = key where key is the 'ascii number' you entered when programming it e.g. Scanner_Start = 002 is ^B etc.

You should speak to support when setting the start/end characters as many of the usable characters are already used by the system.