Bar code scanners and Access

[M Skabialka]

I have been asked whether it is possible to create a database where the
users will scan items with a bar code scanner and they want to maintain the
inventory in Access, probably Access 2003 or 2007.
Does this work with any bar code scanner or should they have a particular
one (they may have one already). And how do you move the data from the
scanner to Access? I have read that you can download a file from a scanner
and import it line by line into Access. Is this the only way? Is it
possible to scan directly into Access on the fly?
Are there samples of this available on any of the websites maintained by the
MVPs who have already figured this out?
Mich

 

[John W. Vinson]

I have been asked whether it is possible to create a database where the
users will scan items with a bar code scanner and they want to maintain the
inventory in Access, probably Access 2003 or 2007.
Does this work with any bar code scanner or should they have a particular
one (they may have one already). And how do you move the data from the
scanner to Access? I have read that you can download a file from a scanner
and import it line by line into Access. Is this the only way? Is it
possible to scan directly into Access on the fly?
Are there samples of this available on any of the websites maintained by the
MVPs who have already figured this out?
Mich

Most handheld or "gun" barcode scanners connect to the computer via the
keyboard port, or a USB connection which is perceived as a keyboard port. When
you scan a barcode, the computer "perceives" it as if you were just typing
very fast and very accurately. You can thus simply set focus to a textbox on a
form, scan the code, and zap, the value is entered.

Looking at some of my favorite Access resources I find:

http://www.taltech.com/
http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/barcode.htm

A Google search turns up scads of references (free and commercial).

The "scanner" you're referencing in your message is probably referring to
scanning a page of text and using optical character recognition to convert the
text into computer-readable form rather than scanning an individual item's
barcode.