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Barcode Solutions & Information

Former Member
Former Member
Good afternoon Community,

We are working on a demonstration for a potential client and one of their central requirements is the application of barcodes (with labels containing extracted metadata) on a file, folder and box level. A bit of this request is vague so the scope still needs to be confirmed however some preliminary information gathering is in order.

I have seen information online related to using barcode fonts in order to produce the image of the barcode as required for the scanning process, essentially converting the text of the document number to a barcode, for example.  What barcode format would be required for M-Files to recognize it Code 39, Code 128 or QR?  Could a combination be utilized?

What sort of implementation solutions have been used previously?  What level of integration can be expected by the client?  For example, would the system know when a mobile user takes a photo of the barcode that its searching based on the document number field?

The clients requirements sound rather straight forward but producing the barcode labels leaves me with some basic concerns.  What software could be used to generate these labels (likely requiring some extracted metadata to be utilized and/or printed alongside the barcode) in a quality and efficient manner?  Or does this even require another software for the solution as there appear to be a number of Word or Excel based alternatives. 

The client also notes the desire to produce labels that contain a large amount of metadata information alongside the barcode, which makes it seem that a very robust and structured solution is required.  Any information is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

CP


Parents
  • Hi CPlant,

    Output of barcodes:

    Generation of barcodes is relatively simple using a barcode font. I've used things like 3 of 9 before (www.dafont.com/3of9-barcode.font). You simply create a Word document, type in the content you want in the barcode, then change the font to that font. You can use it as part of document templates as well - I've created a Word template with a footer which outputs the document ID as a barcode quite simply. One thing to note is that for a reader to read the barcode then it must START AND END with an asterisk, from memory. So if you want the number "123" (without quotes) to be in the barcode, then the text in the font should be "*123*" (without quotes).

    You may want to also install the font onto the server so that server-side PDF conversion can use the font as well.

    Reading of barcodes:

    M-Files can read barcodes as part of the connection to external file sources functionality. You define where the barcode is expected to be, and what metadata property to pull it through to. You then write some scripting to handle that value and process the document accordingly. For example: there was (at least at one point) an example in the partner demo environment that did this with "signed contracts"; the contract is printed and signed, then scanned in and added alongside the original in a multi-file-document.

    If you want to read the barcode from other places (e.g. mobile or desktop client, whilst importing the document), then this would require you to add the functionality yourself - M-Files does not (currently) do this out of the box.

    If you would like some more guidance then I suggest that you contact your channel account manager who will be able to guide you further. Additionally: if you are a partner then I suggest posting queries like this into the M-Files Partner Network Yammer group instead of in this public forum, as you'll get pointers from other partners who have done solutions like this as well. Please send me an email (craig.hawker@m-files.com) if you are a partner and do not have access to this group.

    Regards,

    Craig.
Reply
  • Hi CPlant,

    Output of barcodes:

    Generation of barcodes is relatively simple using a barcode font. I've used things like 3 of 9 before (www.dafont.com/3of9-barcode.font). You simply create a Word document, type in the content you want in the barcode, then change the font to that font. You can use it as part of document templates as well - I've created a Word template with a footer which outputs the document ID as a barcode quite simply. One thing to note is that for a reader to read the barcode then it must START AND END with an asterisk, from memory. So if you want the number "123" (without quotes) to be in the barcode, then the text in the font should be "*123*" (without quotes).

    You may want to also install the font onto the server so that server-side PDF conversion can use the font as well.

    Reading of barcodes:

    M-Files can read barcodes as part of the connection to external file sources functionality. You define where the barcode is expected to be, and what metadata property to pull it through to. You then write some scripting to handle that value and process the document accordingly. For example: there was (at least at one point) an example in the partner demo environment that did this with "signed contracts"; the contract is printed and signed, then scanned in and added alongside the original in a multi-file-document.

    If you want to read the barcode from other places (e.g. mobile or desktop client, whilst importing the document), then this would require you to add the functionality yourself - M-Files does not (currently) do this out of the box.

    If you would like some more guidance then I suggest that you contact your channel account manager who will be able to guide you further. Additionally: if you are a partner then I suggest posting queries like this into the M-Files Partner Network Yammer group instead of in this public forum, as you'll get pointers from other partners who have done solutions like this as well. Please send me an email (craig.hawker@m-files.com) if you are a partner and do not have access to this group.

    Regards,

    Craig.
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