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From: john@chinet.chi.il.us (John Mundt)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.databases
Subject: Re: Reading bar codes in C
Keywords: Bar codes C Paradox
Message-ID: <1990Jun8.173153.8912@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 8 Jun 90 17:31:53 GMT
References: <1875@cybaswan.UUCP>
Organization: Chinet - Chicago Public Access UNIX
Lines: 34

In article <1875@cybaswan.UUCP> csnuttge@cybaswan.UUCP ( k nuttgens) writes:
>Does anyone have experience of reading bar codes using C. I want to 
>use either Turbo C or Microsoft C to read bar codes into Paradox (using
>the Paradox engine). 

Not your problem!

This is something that is generally done transparently for you by the
barcode widget.  Whether you have a light pen or a laser scanner, the
input comes from a black box which transfers what the light pen read 
into ASCII.  Most of the black boxes sit between the terminal and the
computer, or the keyboard and the computer, and pass data between the
two constantly unchanged.  When the light pen reads something, it is
put onto the input stream as if it had been typed at the terminal.

The black box will put a header string or trailer string onto the
data read by the reader if you wish to distinguish between keyboard
and light pen.

Or, if you want to be difficult, it can be output to an RS232 port
which you can read to see if any data has come in.

A good company for this, with good equipment (plug coming and I don't
work for them, but like their stuff) is Worthing Data, 417-A Ingalls
Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (408-458-9938).  

If you want to print barcodes, Symbologic, PO Box 4749, Cerritos, CA
90703 offers source code for $79 that you can incorporate into your
programs.  213-926-2823.
-- 
---------------------
John Mundt   Teachers' Aide, Inc.  P.O. Box 1666  Highland Park, IL
john@admctr.chi.il.us *OR* fred@teacha.chi.il.us
(312) 998-5007 (Day voice) || -432-8860 (Answer Mach) && -432-5386 Modem