Here I will explain how to set the Cipherlab 8001 to accept and work with a Lookup file. The lookup file will allow the user to scan an item and see the matching description or any other information in the lookup file on the display.
We will use the Forge Batch Application Generator explained in a previous post.
Application for the Cipherlab 8001 using a lookup file.
The lookup file that we are going to use must be in a CSV File Format (Comma Separated Value). It is a plain Text File that contains data separated by a comma.
Example of a Lookup File in CSV Format – 1234567898773, Crayon
The 1234567898773 will be the barcode we are going to scan and the “Crayon” is what will display on the display of the 8001.
Using the Application Generator, we need to set up the Lookup portion. Below is an example
Select the First Lookup File from the list on the left. In our Lookup CSV File we are using two fields, one is the barcode and the other the description. Fill in the number of fields 2. Make the Delimiter “44” which will give us a “,”. You need to fill in the maximum length of the first field, in our case 13 and the maximum length of the second field. I used 50 as the lengths of the second field varies. Field 1 will be our “Key Field” in our application.
The rest of the settings can be left as they are or customized to how you want the unit to react to different situations.
Now we can go to Form 1 and set up the application to allow us to scan the barcode, display the scanned barcode, the corresponding Description and the Quantity.
In the above Form we have selected the First Lookup File as we need to tell the 8001 to use a lookup file. Fill in the form to look like the example above. You will notice that where the scanned data appears, Field 1 is selected – the Key Field.
Field 2 is selected where the description is to be inserted from the lookup file. The rest is the Quantity which will be input by the keypad only.
Save the application and transfer it to the Cipherlab 8001 as explained in the first article about using the Forge Batch Application Generator.
When the download or transfer is complete you will notice a new item in the “Utilities” menu of the 8001 – Download Lookup.
Select option 8 and follow the prompts and insert in the cradle. On the PC Application select “Transfer” and the “Send Lookup”. Choose your CSV Text file in the box that opens. Set Download Via to Cradle-IR, Your Com Port number and the Baud Rate should be 115200bps unless you have changed it on the Cipherlab 8001.
You can now scan the barcode that corresponds to the first field of your lookup ad it should display the description on the 8001’s display.
I hope this has given you an idea of how to use the Application Generator to program the 8001 to use a lookup file.
If you have any questions or need help with programming your 8001, please contact us.