HanDBase How to Question

[swarris]

Hello, I'm brand new to HanDbase and I'm looking for a tool to build a simple application on my PocketPC device. Below is a quick outline of what my application needs to do so I'm hoping one of the experts can help me figure out if HanDbase will work for my needs.

I need to develope an app that will contain (5) fields: UPC, Item Number, Desc, Qty and Found. The data needs to be imported to the PocketPC device refreshing the table before each use via MSActivSync. I then need a form that will allow me to use the Barcode Scanner function on the PocketPC device to scan the UPC code on the product. Once a barcode has been scanned or keypunched into the search field it needs to locate the matching record in the table and display the fields listed above. If it's found I then need to edit the Found field and key in the number of boxes. If it's not found I need to create a blank record and key in the found amount and desc.

Once I'm done scanning all of the boxes and entering the amounts found I then need to export the data back to the PC for reporting.

I hope I've explained what it is I need to do here so again I'm hoping someone can tell me if what I'm explaining above is or isn't possible with in HanDbase.

Thanks again for your time..

[dhaupert]

Hi there,

Thanks for your excellent question! The bar code scanning done on Windows mobile is typically done using a wedge program. This program comes with the bar code scanner and basically sets it up so that whenever you scan a bar code using the scanner, it will send the bar code data as text via simulating the keys being pressed. For example, if the bar code is 12345 then the letters 12345 are inserted into whatever text box has the focus in whatever app is running in the foreground.

So assuming the above is true for your setup as well, the scenario you describe is mostly possible with HanDBase. You'd open the Find dialog and then scan to scan in the barcode. Then you could search and if there is no match, add a new record. The only thing- if you add a new record, you'll have to scan it again.

I'd suggest giving it a try and letting me know if you have any problems!

[swarris]

Thanks for your reply Dave, can you recommend any sample or tutorial that I can follow to get things going. Also would I need to setup a relational database one for storing what I've scanned and one for the possible items to be found or can I just setup one table load my data and do the search on it. Sorry for all of the probably very basic questions but I'm trying to get my arms wrapped around how I'm going to proceed with this.

Thanks again.

[dhaupert]

Hi there,

There are many ways you can go about it but I think a single table would be fine for this example. I'm not aware of any specific tutorials for this sort of things, but it should be straightforward to create each field you need in a single table and then use the advanced find feature to search for bar codes. Let me know if you run into any specific snags!