Integrating bar code functionality with web-based point of sale app?

sneakyimp

A couple of complimentary questions that I hope someone might answer:

1) Can anyone suggest a way whereby one might scan a UPC bar code (with camera or connected device) and directing a browser to a particular url with the UPC code appended? I'm not especially familiar with how barcode scanners work. I know that QR codes can encode a url and that there are phone (and iPad) apps that will open a window to the corresponding url, but I'm not so sure how this might work with a UPC code.

2) Can anyone recommend a free PHP library that one can use to generate QR codes? I've been googling and have found a couple but am wondering if anyone has on they like.
https://developers.google.com/chart/infographics/docs/qr_codes?csw=1
http://sourceforge.net/projects/phpqrcode/
https://github.com/t0k4rt/phpqrcode

bradgrafelman

sneakyimp;11034815 wrote:
1) Can anyone suggest a way whereby one might scan a UPC bar code (with camera or connected device) and directing a browser to a particular url with the UPC code appended?

Use a <form> with a method of "GET". After all, scanning a barcode is nothing more than typing in the decoded ASCII characters and pressing enter on a standard keyboard (sometimes without the "pressing enter" bit, depending upon the scanner's mode/configuration).

sneakyimp

OK so I would not be surprised if these USB barcode scanners would provide text input like a keyboard. The method in that case would be to highlight the field where you want to enter the UPC code in your form and then scan the object and this would be functionally equivalent to just typing in the UPC code, right?

That seems great for desktop and/or laptop machines that would have a USB port, but what about an iPhone/iPad and/or tablet? I know that there are barcode scanner apps available for these, but the ones I've seen all feature an automatic product search, use their own built-in browser, and have rather invasive terms of service. The hardware ones look quite expensive.