do u know any thing about bar code systems??? please read

hi,,,
i have a store, and i want to use a bar code system, which means i want every single item in my store to have that little bar code number in it, and when a customer wants to buy something and came to the cashier then i use that laser scanner and just point it to that bar code thing in the item and then automaticly the price and the name of the item will appear in the monitor...
i'm sure you know what i just said, but do you have any ideras on how to make it, i mean i want to set a normal pc to use that bar code stuff, what kind of software do i neew, what kind of barcode stuff do i have to bring, and i need the main idea how to store the items in my shop in let every item has a barcode number , i mean that labels,,, any ideas please...
Thanx alot

First you need a Bar code reader, which is a commercially available device. I guess the manager of some local store could tell you the name of a manufacturer. Perhaps you only have to ask a clerk to let you read the name off the Reader he is using.

It is my guess that the manufacturer can tell you how to hook the device to a PC, and can probably provide you with pertinent software.

To the PC the device looks like an input device.

I am sure the manufacturer would be happy to sell you one or more of the devices. In order to get your business, he will provide more data than you can get from this VB Forum.

I have seen several variations of Bar Code Readers, so check other sources if the first manufacturer does not seem to have what you need.

I searched the web for bar code stuff for the pc. At the time, the popular "wand" style laser reader was the most inexpensive. You attach it to the pc through a "wedge" like interface (I think it was to plug the keyboard into the wand/wedge and the wand/wedge into the normal keyboard slot).

Then there were pricy printers. Instead, I used my current printer but had to learn the specification for the bar code. There are a few popular standards (UPC and some such). I actually programmed Excel (in VBA) to encode my text, draw lines and then print the result to a decent scale.

Depending on your level of effort and time constraint and budget, you might do something similar. But I think you'll want to encode minimal characters to be on the barcode and then that could be a primary key for a detailed database of information.

Like I said, it was a long time ago, so I don't have anything else to offer (like in concrete code). I didn't have VB at that job, only Excel and VBA. You could produce a tighter stand-alone VB app as I've described.

Good Luck.

Thanx alot guys

I found this on the web:
http://www.barcodehq.com/primer.html

This has a good introduction to barcodes. This is a site of a barcode reader manufacturer. They also have many readers available for sale. Should give you some good insights.

Cthulhu Dragon

Thanx alot

thats cool, so you mean when the reader reads it send the code and Enter Key after that, so all i have to do is a program which has a text box, and when you click enter it shows you the data realted to that bar code in the text box, so i point the cursor in the text box and just let the reader reads, is that how it is work???????
and about the mise, i think the reader will be connected to the keyboard ps/2, you first connect the reader to the pc, and then connect the keyboard to the reader, so when the reader reads it just send keys to the pc, i just read that in here --> http://www.barcodehq.com/primer.html , go and check it out, any way thanx alot

thanx lot honeybee

Hey.. How do u actually read from the scanner if it is connected to comm1? Is there any sample code? Could u please help me... thanks..

i have no idea, i would like to know that too

It's here: http://www.parksie.uklinux.net/Code39.ttf