RE: scanning barcodes into html forms

> <scan_enable> tells browser that this form is intended for scanning and
> to turn on or enable scanning device.
> <scan guide="textID" prefix="ID" type="code39" length="10">

Would this not satisfy your need without mangling HTML?

<object classid="classid:someBarCodeReaderAppletURL" standby="Please wait
while your barcode reader is initialized.">
<param name="keyTabStart" value="1">
<param name="keyTabEnd" value="3">
<param name="scanTabStart" value="4">
<param name="scanTabEnd" value="6">
<param name="autosubmit" value="true">
</object>

<form id="formSomeBarCodeInput" action="/inventory/addnewstuff"
method="post">
<input type="text" size="15" id="fldEmployeeName" tabindex="1"> Your Name
<input type="text" size="15" id="fldEmployeeID" tabindex="2"> Your ID
<input type="text" size="15" id="fldEmployeeStuff" tabindex="3"> More
keyboard in
<input type="text" size="10" id="code39" tabindex="4"> Item 1
<input type="text" size="10" id="code43" tabindex="5"> Item 2
<input type="text" size="10" id="code27" tabindex="6"> Item 3
<input type="submit" id="fldSubmit" tabindex="7" value="Submit Form">
</form>

You just need to write a script, applet, browser extension, or device driver
that makes the bar code reader act like any other input device.  The bar
code script or applet could easily automate the form using DOM.  You would
likely have to do much more complex things to add weird extensions anyway,
so it would be best to stick with standard elements.  From there you could
use client/server scripts to handle the actual data transfer.  Briefly, you
could append a tab after the data stream when you press the reader's
trigger, then have the script submit the form when the submit button is
focused by the last field.

,David Norris

World Wide Web - http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/1652/
Home Computer - http://illusionary.tzo.cc/
Page via mail - 412039@pager.mirabilis.com
ICQ Universal Internet Number - 412039
E-Mail - kg9ae@geocities.com

Received on Friday, 4 June 1999 04:22:30 UTC