[JAVA] Bar codes

[WarStorm]

Bit of a strange one this! Any help what so ever would be appreciated.

I need to do some research into how to interface with a bar code reader using java, how hard is this? Are some barcode readers easier to use than others?? Is java the best language to do this in? (Im best at java but can do C and C++)

I guess I need to be able to print out bar codes as well - how are they created? - Is this easy to do in java?

Basically I need to have a think about it and see if its doable- any one with any experience of doing anything like this?

Cheers Guys,

Greg

[Stephen Veteran]

iirc barcodes just emulate a keyboard, asin its the same as typing in the number it represents

ste

[SkyyPunk Veteran]

  Ste said:

iirc barcodes just emulate a keyboard, asin its the same as typing in the number it represents

ste

yea thats been my experience with most too. Only time you get different is if you have some wireless ones that store everything you scan until you get back to its docking station, then dump the data off

[WarStorm]

Right ok - I thinking about overhauling a stock system we have and doing everything with barcodes. This is gonna have a web front end and a backend database. I need to read bar codes, to select the current product and print new barcodes.

My concern was that I'm gonna need some kind of application running to do some low level stuff with barcode reader to make it work with web interface. But what your saying is, it works like a keyboard (so there is no need for any application of this type). - Is this correct?

Any idea on how I go about producing a program to print out barcodes?

[WarStorm]

Is it just a case of storing an image for each number and letter and then simply displaying them?

[kjordan2001]

  WarStorm said:

Right ok - I thinking about overhauling a stock system we have and doing everything with barcodes. This is gonna have a web front end and a backend database. I need to read bar codes, to select the current product and print new barcodes.

My concern was that I'm gonna need some kind of application running to do some low level stuff with barcode reader to make it work with web interface. But what your saying is, it works like a keyboard (so there is no need for any application of this type). - Is this correct?

Any idea on how I go about producing a program to print out barcodes?

There are readers that plug into the PS/2 port and have another port going off them for the regular keyboard and they put the number right in as if it had been typed.

As for generating barcodes, look at barcode4j (http://barcode4j.sourceforge.net/) or barbecue (http://sourceforge.net/projects/barbecue/)