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Managing Inventory with Barcodes

Antpocket lets you use a barcode reader (scanner) to quickly identify products and easily handle inbound, outbound, and inventory slip creation. This document explains the overall flow and usage of the barcode feature.

1. What you can do with barcodes​

  • Link a barcode to a product: connect a unique barcode to each product in your space.
  • Scan barcodes into a basket: use a barcode reader to scan multiple products in a row into one place (a basket).
  • Process inbound via barcode: convert the barcodes in a basket into products/quantities and perform inbound in one go.
  • Process outbound via barcode: perform outbound the same way, all at once.
  • Create an inventory slip via barcode: turn your scanned entries into an inventory slip (a document containing multiple actions) to be approved and performed later.

The barcode feature starts from Barcode Inventory in the left menu.

2. Setting a barcode on a product​

Barcodes are linked at the product level. Each product can have one barcode linked to it.

How to set it up​

  1. Go to Master Data > Products.
  2. Register a new product, or edit an existing one.
  3. Enter the barcode value in the Barcode field under the Other section of the register/edit dialog.
    • Entering it while registering links the barcode as soon as the product is created.
    • Entering it while editing an existing product links the new barcode, or replaces the existing link.
    • Clearing the barcode field and saving in edit mode removes the link.
  4. Click Confirm to save.

Notes​

  • The barcode value is usually the code printed on the product's packaging (EAN/UPC, etc.), but you can also use an arbitrary internal code your company defines.
  • A product without a linked barcode can't be identified by scanning, so link a barcode to a product first if you want to use the barcode feature with it.

3. What is a basket?​

A basket is a temporary collection of barcodes scanned with a barcode reader. Think of it like a shopping cart.

  • Every scan adds one more line to the basket. Scanning the same product multiple times adds that many lines, which are later converted into a quantity.
  • You can attach a note to a basket to indicate what it's for.
  • If you don't finish a task, the basket is kept, so you can reopen it later with Resume to keep scanning.
  • Baskets you no longer need can be deleted, and baskets are automatically deleted 90 days after creation.

Basket management screen (Barcode Inventory)​

FeatureDescription
Read BarcodesCreates a new basket and immediately goes to the scan screen.
ListShows the created date, note, and number of barcodes in each basket.
NoteEdit the note for that basket.
ResumeOpen an existing basket to continue scanning.
DeleteDelete the basket.

4. Reading barcodes (how to use a barcode reader)​

Barcode scanning happens on the Add Barcodes screen inside a basket. (Barcode Inventory > Read Barcodes, or Resume on an existing basket)

What you'll need​

  • A keyboard-emulating (HID keyboard mode) barcode reader, USB or Bluetooth. Most common barcode scanners fall into this category. (It types the scanned value like a keyboard and sends Enter at the end.)
  • No separate driver or installation is needed.

Scanning procedure​

  1. On the Add Barcodes screen, click the Start Barcode Recognition button.
    • The input field next to it becomes active and is automatically focused. You don't need to click into it again with the mouse.
  2. Scan the products' barcodes one after another with your reader.
    • Each scan adds one line to the list below, and if Show Products is on, the matched product name is also shown.
    • Even if the input field accidentally loses focus, it's automatically refocused, so continuous scanning won't drop input.
  3. Remove any incorrectly scanned items with the Delete button on that line.
  4. Once you're done scanning, click Stop to end recognition.

Screen options​

  • Show Products: shows the matched product alongside each scanned barcode in the table. Useful for checking which product a barcode is registered to.
  • Total: N: the number of barcodes currently in the basket.

Scanning a barcode that isn't linked to any product still adds it to the list, but the product column is left empty (-). In this case, see 2. Setting a Barcode on a Product to link a barcode to the product first.

5. Performing inbound / outbound / creating an inventory slip via barcode​

Once a basket has one or more barcodes, the three buttons at the bottom of the Add Barcodes screen become active. Whichever action you choose, the barcodes in the basket are grouped by product and converted into quantities. (e.g. scanning the same barcode 3 times → a quantity of 3 for that product)

Process inbound​

  1. Click Process Inbound.
  2. Review the converted product/quantity list.
  3. Select a Warehouse. (required)
  4. Optionally select a Trading Partner.
  5. Clicking Process Inbound performs the inbound action immediately, updating warehouse stock.

Process outbound​

  1. Click Process Outbound.
  2. Review the converted product/quantity list.
  3. Select a Warehouse. (required)
  4. Optionally select a Trading Partner.
  5. Clicking Process Outbound performs the outbound action immediately, updating warehouse stock.

Processing inbound/outbound this way skips the inventory slip and is performed right away. This may require action approval permission, and is recorded in warehouse stock and action history immediately upon execution.

Create an inventory slip​

Use this when you want to go through a review/approval process instead of performing the action right away.

  1. Click Create Inventory Slip.
  2. Review the converted product/quantity list.
  3. Choose which action to file it under: Inbound/Outbound.
  4. Select a Warehouse. (required)
  5. Optionally select a Trading Partner.
  6. Clicking Create Slip creates an inventory slip with the selected products/quantities, and takes you to the Inventory Slip History screen.
  7. The inventory slip can then be reviewed, and once someone with permission approves it, every action in the slip is performed.

See the Inventory Slips guide for details.

Note: permissions​

  • Linking/unlinking a barcode on a product requires the Manage data permission (the same permission needed to register/edit products).
  • Processing inbound/outbound (immediate) and creating inventory slips each follow the permission policy for that action. (See the Members & Permissions, Inventory Management, and Inventory Slips guides for details.)

FAQ​

Q. My barcode isn't being scanned.​

Please check the following in order.

1) Confirm the scanner is recognized as an input device

Open Notepad (or any text input field) on your PC or mobile device and scan a product barcode. If the barcode value is typed in as-is, the scanner connection is working correctly. If nothing is entered, check the scanner's pairing/connection status and reconnect it. The scanner needs to be set to HID keyboard mode. (For Bluetooth scanners, if it's set to a different mode such as SPP, values won't be typed in like a keyboard.)

2) Check whether an end-of-scan character (Enter) is being sent

If the barcode value is entered in Notepad but scanning still isn't recognized properly, check where the cursor ends up after scanning. The cursor should move down to the line after the barcode value. If the cursor stays right after the barcode value, the scanner isn't sending an end-of-scan character (suffix/terminator).

Antpocket's barcode recognition uses Enter (CR, Carriage Return) as the end-of-scan character. Check your scanner's manual and set the Suffix (or Terminator) setting to CR (Enter). (If it's set to Tab, it won't work — change it to CR. This is usually done by scanning a special configuration barcode found in the manual.)

Q. Which barcode scanner should I buy?​

Any scanner that can connect to a PC or mobile device will work, so choose based on your budget and needed features (wired/wireless, 1D/2D, usage environment, etc.). That said, for use with Antpocket the device needs to meet the following conditions:

  • Support HID keyboard mode (HID Keyboard / Keyboard Wedge): this delivers scanned values as keyboard input. It works on both PC and mobile without a separate driver.
  • If you also want to use it on mobile, choose a wireless scanner that supports the Bluetooth HID profile (Bluetooth HID, BLE HID). (SPP-only models aren't recognized as keyboard input on mobile.)
  • It must be able to set the end-of-scan character to CR (Enter). Most scanners support this.

If you'd like a scanner recommendation, please contact Antpocket.