Barcodes and QR codes
Key Points
- Products can have multiple barcodes assigned. That is, a single product can have none, one, two or even 5000 barcodes assigned to it
- Barcodes can point to multiple products (can be enabled/disabled per site). When these barcodes are scanned the POS will prompt the user for which underlying product should be used
- Barcodes can be used on many things besides products; customers, shelves, staff identification, coupons, prepay/gift cards, vouchers, some pricing options
- QR codes are mostly treated the same as barcodes, consider the QR "text" to be the barcode value
Barcode Scanners
Fieldpine supports a wide range of scanners (PosGreen on Windows):
- Any USB connected scanner (operating in HID mode)
- Serial connected scanners, or USB scanners operating in SPP mode
- Bluetooth scanners (some models only)
- Using the onscreen manual emulator (key in barcodes by hand)
- There is also an API to allow barcodes to be "injected" from external sources
When using a browser or mobile device the list is
- Any scanner that appears as a keyboard to the browser
Staff Identification Barcodes
A staff login record can have a barcode assigned to it. When scanned this barcode then automatically logs in the staff member, without any password requirement. The barcodes assigned to the staff member must be unique within the system, you cannot use a valid product barcode for example.
If a staff barcode is scanned on the Past Sales screen, the search list filters to sales sold by that staff member but does not change the current logged user
Invalid Barcodes
You can enter some barcodes as invalid barcodes, which means that when scanned they can be configured to:
- Be completely ignored by the POS, as if you hadn't scanned it at all
- Display a message to the user and then be ignored
Invalid barcodes are designed to record incidental barcodes that might exist on the checkout counter and might be scanned by accident. Barcodes on rulers and marker pens being common examples.
02 Barcodes (variable priced items)
EAN defines a barcode sequence starting with 02 and 13 digits long. This barcode is often created by pricing scales that print a barcode and price inside the label. The POS is able to process these barcodes, but you will need to configure which value is used in the ID field, so that the scales and POS agree.
Markdown Barcodes
Markdown barcodes are created by Fieldpine and are unique one time barcodes that include a price (similar to 02 barcodes). They are typically used for placing on products being marked down in price and might include a reason ("short dated", or "clearance") the price and the barcode. While markdown barcodes are typically used on price reductions, they can be used for normal pricing as well, especially if you want the added tracking they offer.
- Markdown barcodes are invalidated once sold. They cannot be scanned and sold multiple times. This is to stop mistakes at checkout and also as anti fraud
- The POS records the date/time the markdown label was created and when it was sold (or destroyed)
- To use markdown barcodes you need a suitable label printer and must define the label format to be printed.