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Managing Inventory with Barcodes

Antpocket lets you use a barcode reader (scanner) to quickly identify products and easily receive, ship out, and create inventory slips. 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).
  • Receive via barcode: convert the barcodes in a basket into products/quantities and receive them in one go.
  • Ship out via barcode: ship out 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 memo 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.
  • A basket is deleted automatically once you receive, ship out, or create an inventory slip from it. This prevents performing the same barcodes twice; the record stays in action history and the inventory slip.
  • Baskets you no longer need can be deleted, and baskets are automatically deleted 90 days after creation.

Basket list (Barcode Inventory)​

FeatureDescription
Scan barcodesCreates a new basket and goes straight to the scan screen. If you already have a basket with no barcodes in it, that basket is opened instead of creating a new one.
ListShows the created date, memo, and number of barcodes of your baskets in the current space. Click a row to open the basket and keep scanning.
MemoEdit the memo for that basket.
ResumeOpen an existing basket to continue scanning.
DeleteDelete the basket.

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

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

What you'll need​

  • A keyboard-input (HID keyboard mode) barcode reader, USB or Bluetooth. Most ordinary barcode scanners work this way (they type the scanned value like a keyboard and send Enter at the end).
  • No driver or installation is needed.

Scanning procedure​

  1. On the Add Barcodes screen, click Start scanning.
    • The input next to it becomes active and gets focus automatically. You don't need to click into it.
  2. Scan product barcodes one after another.
    • Each scan adds a line with the barcode and its matched product, and the new line is briefly highlighted.
    • A short beep confirms the scan; a low warning tone plays if it fails or the barcode isn't linked to a product. Use the speaker icon next to the input to turn sound on or off (remembered by your browser).
    • If the input loses focus by accident it takes focus back, so you won't miss input while scanning continuously. (While the memo editor or the receive/ship-out window is open, scanning pauses and resumes when you close it.)
  3. Remove a wrong scan with the Delete button on its line.
  4. When you're done, click Stop scanning.

Screen layout​

  • Per-product summary: above the list you'll see N products · M in total and a count for each product, so you can check quantities before receiving or shipping.
  • N total: the number of barcodes currently in the basket.
  • Memo: edit it right away with the pencil icon next to the memo at the top.
  • Baskets: the button at the top right takes you back to the basket list.

Barcodes not linked to a product​

If you scan a barcode that isn't linked to any product, it is added to the list but shown with a yellow background and a Not linked badge, and a notice says those barcodes will be left out of inbound/outbound. Link the barcode to a product (see 2. Setting a barcode on a product) and try again, or delete that line.

5. Receiving / shipping out / creating an inventory slip via barcode​

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

All three use the same window:

  • Edit quantities: you can change the quantity of each product directly. For several units of the same product, scan once and change the quantity. (Whole number of 1 or more)
  • Leave out this time: the × button on a row leaves that product out of this run.
  • Unlinked barcodes: if any barcodes aren't linked to a product, a notice says how many were left out. If there's no product left to perform, the run button is disabled.
  • Warehouse: required. If there's only one warehouse it's selected automatically; otherwise the warehouse you used last is preselected.
  • Trading partner: optional.
  • While it runs, the buttons are disabled so the same action isn't performed twice.

Receive / Ship out​

  1. Click Receive or Ship out.
  2. Check the products/quantities and adjust if needed.
  3. Choose the Warehouse (required) and Trading partner (optional).
  4. Click Receive/Ship out at the bottom of the window. The action is performed right away and warehouse stock is updated.
  5. The basket is then deleted and you return to the basket list.

Receiving and shipping out this way skips the inventory slip and is performed right away. It requires the relevant action permission, and is recorded in warehouse stock and action history immediately.

Create an inventory slip​

Use this when you want a review/approval step instead of performing the action right away.

  1. Click Create inventory slip.
  2. Check the products/quantities and adjust if needed.
  3. Choose whether to add them as Inbound / Outbound.
  4. Choose the Warehouse (required) and Trading partner (optional).
  5. Click Create slip. An inventory slip (status: Drafting) is created, the basket is deleted, and you're taken to that slip on the Create Inventory Slip page.
  6. Review it and Submit. When a user with permission approves it, all actions in the slip are 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).
  • Receiving/shipping out (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.