Hey again guys,
First of all, standard disclaimer goes here: I'm not asking you to do my "homework" for me, nor am I asking to download anything illegal, unethical, or without the express written consent of the Major League Baseball Association. As usual, I'm looking for someone to just tap me with the clue by four.
The problem: Operators print off barcode labels and apply them to finished product. They then scan the labels to enter them into a database. The barcode is later scanned again when the product is being shipped out. Only, sometimes, there's an "item not in inventory" error message caused by the operator not scanning the barcode label when it's applied to the product.
I have a pretty good idea of what my ladder logic will look like, and the communication protocols that will be involved. I'm kind of hung up on the software side of things. I'm not allowed to mess with the software for the printer or the scanner. What I'd like to do is set up a program that would send out an ASCII stream with the barcode's number when it's printed, and one that will send an ASCII stream with the barcode number when the barcode is scanned. Our IT guy told me that we use an SQL database, if that's any help.
When I asked him if there was an off the shelf solution, he said that there wasn't, as far as he knew. My questions for you guys are as follows:
1. Is my IT guy right? If such a creature doesn't exist, I'm going to have to write a program. I'm willing, but completely clueless.
2. If the answer to 1 is yes, do you have any recommendations on where I should start? I've got a C++ textbook, and have been trying to teach myself a little here and there ahead of a class I'm going to be taking a couple of semesters down the road.
Once again, I'd be grateful for any light you could shed on this matter.
First of all, standard disclaimer goes here: I'm not asking you to do my "homework" for me, nor am I asking to download anything illegal, unethical, or without the express written consent of the Major League Baseball Association. As usual, I'm looking for someone to just tap me with the clue by four.
The problem: Operators print off barcode labels and apply them to finished product. They then scan the labels to enter them into a database. The barcode is later scanned again when the product is being shipped out. Only, sometimes, there's an "item not in inventory" error message caused by the operator not scanning the barcode label when it's applied to the product.
I have a pretty good idea of what my ladder logic will look like, and the communication protocols that will be involved. I'm kind of hung up on the software side of things. I'm not allowed to mess with the software for the printer or the scanner. What I'd like to do is set up a program that would send out an ASCII stream with the barcode's number when it's printed, and one that will send an ASCII stream with the barcode number when the barcode is scanned. Our IT guy told me that we use an SQL database, if that's any help.
When I asked him if there was an off the shelf solution, he said that there wasn't, as far as he knew. My questions for you guys are as follows:
1. Is my IT guy right? If such a creature doesn't exist, I'm going to have to write a program. I'm willing, but completely clueless.
2. If the answer to 1 is yes, do you have any recommendations on where I should start? I've got a C++ textbook, and have been trying to teach myself a little here and there ahead of a class I'm going to be taking a couple of semesters down the road.
Once again, I'd be grateful for any light you could shed on this matter.