Barcode scanning

In the times of dynamic e-commerce market growth, entrepreneurs increasingly need to pay attention not only to the price of the offered product, but also to the speed and quality of order handling. Implementing a barcode system and using a scanner significantly reduces order fulfillment time and also limits the risk of error when performing routine tasks. BaseLinker supports the introduction of such a solution to the company.

 

Barcode scanner

A barcode scanner is a device designed to read information stored in the form of a barcode. Modern barcode scanners often work as a keyboard emulation – the read barcode appears on the computer screen at the cursor position. Scanning a code can also trigger a specific action in the system – equivalent to selecting a specific button using the keyboard and mouse.

 

 

There are many types of scanners available on the market for different purposes. The BaseLinker system works with any barcode scanner connected to a computer, tablet, or phone. It is worth spending some time and choosing a scanner appropriate for the specifics of a given company’s operations.

 

You just need to connect the scanner to the computer according to the instructions for the given model (e.g., via a communication cable or USB cable) and possibly upload the driver provided with the scanner. You can also choose a wireless scanner and connect it to a phone or tablet via Bluetooth.

 

In both cases, you don’t need to buy any additional software! You also don’t need to configure the BaseLinker system further. It is enough for the scanned code to be entered into the browser where BaseLinker is open. This means that you only need to open the system panel in any web browser on the device to which the scanner is connected (on a computer, tablet, or phone).

 

To ensure everything works properly, remember a few important principles.

• At the time of scanning, no text field (e.g. quick search field, table filtering field) can be selected. Otherwise, after scanning the code, instead of the expected action, the system will fill in the selected field on the page.
• The reader cannot add additional characters (including non-printable characters) to the scanned code, e.g. @. This can cause problems in the BaseLinker mechanism, and in such a case, you should search the scanner settings and properly configure the prefixes and suffixes.
• The barcode must contain at least 6 characters. BaseLinker allows reading barcodes whose length is not less than 6 characters.
• In the case of order numbers from the store, which are shorter than 6 characters, you should add leading zeros on the barcode printouts (in the Orders → Printouts and exports → Edit selected printout) to increase the length of the content of this code to 6 characters, e.g.
  • 2010 → 002010
  • 1990 → 001990
  • 1968 → 001968
• In the case of order numbers generated in the BaseLinker system, you should place the prefix BLO_[order_number] on the barcode printouts.
• Make sure to update your web browser. Verify whether the installed browser extensions do not block the BaseLinker mechanism. Also check if one of the processes running in the background on a given workstation is not blocking the BaseLinker system.
• There are no recommendations regarding the minimum dimensions of the code itself, it just needs to be legible for the scanner.

 

Barcode

A barcode is a graphical representation of characters understandable to barcode readers. It is a type of identifier that allows you to quickly and easily obtain the necessary information. Barcode fields contain black and white patterns that can be scanned and read as data, and in this form, added to the database. On a large scale, barcodes were implemented in the 1970s as a solution to the problems of product identification and flow control.

 

The BaseLinker system allows the creation of different types of barcodes, e.g.:

• EAN8,
• EAN13,
• CODABAR,
• C128.

 

By default, a C128 type code is created. The full list can be found in the Orders → Printouts and exports → Edit (selected printout)/New printout/export section.

 

 

Barcode types in the BaseLinker system

The BaseLinker system allows reading the following types of barcodes:

• Codes related to orders:
  • order number codes – after scanning this code with the order list open, the system performs the action assigned to the given code according to the entered Barcode scanner configuration,
  • courier label codes – after scanning this code on the order list, the system performs the action assigned to the given code according to the entered Barcode scanner configuration;
• special codes that trigger specific built-in system functions or custom events;
• codes placed on products (EAN or SKU type) – after scanning this code with the Pick&Pack Assistant open, the system will mark one unit of the scanned product in the open order as packed. However, after scanning the EAN code with the order list open, the code will be pasted into the Orders → Order list → Advanced filtering → Product EAN filter field.

Codes related to orders

In the BaseLinker system, there are two types of codes related to orders:

• order number codes,
• courier label codes.

Order Number Codes

The order code is used to identify a specific order and can be assigned both in the BaseLinker system and in the online store system.

 

The BaseLinker system allows creating various types of order printouts and exports in the Orders → Printouts and exports section. These documents can be generated with a barcode. For this purpose, a specially prepared barcode generator can be used.

 

Order barcodes can be found among others on the following documents:

• order card printout,
• shipping list printout (in the version with order codes),
• invoice printout (with a template containing order codes)

 

Courier label codes

The barcode visible on the courier label contains the shipping number and is used to identify a specific shipment. It is created by the courier system and retrieved into the BaseLinker system directly via the API.

Barcodes related to product

The BaseLinker system allows for proper product identification by scanning the EAN or SKU code. This streamlines the order collection and packing process.

 

The EAN code is a barcode that is found on all standard product boxes (this is the code that is scanned at the supermarket checkout). If such a code is retrieved along with the order (and in some cases also assigned to a given product in the warehouse system), it will allow the identification of that product during packing. When working in the PickPack Assistant module, after scanning such a code with a barcode reader, the system will mark one unit of the given product in the open order as packed.

 

The seller can also assign an SKU code to each product in the warehouse. This is a code that also allows for product identification, but is mainly used for managing the given goods in the warehouse. This code, unlike the EAN code, is created only for the needs of a specific warehouse.

 

In this case, not only must the SKU code be assigned to each product in the system, but also additional physical product labeling must be provided. This means that you need to prepare the barcode containing the SKU numbers yourself and stick them on the products. Therefore, we recommend using the EAN code instead of the SKU code.

 

When creating an SKU code, it is also worth remembering that the BaseLinker system detects the scanning of barcodes whose length is not less than 6 characters.

 

The EAN or SKU code is displayed in orders coming from platforms like Amazon or eBay.

However, in the case of other platforms (e.g. Allegro), for the EAN code to be visible in the order, the auction on which the product was listed must be in the BaseLinker system. Additionally, this auction must be associated with a product from the warehouse that has an assigned EAN or SKU code (Products → Product list → Edit → Product → EAN or SKU).

 

 

BaseLinker allows assigning barcodes to:

• built-in system functions;
• user’s own automatic actions.

Built-in system functions

Shortcuts related to built-in system functions are:

• shortcuts related to the PickPack Assistant module:
  • collect order products,
  • pack the order,
  • close the collecting/packing window,
  • take a photo for the order;
• other shortcuts:
  • open the All status,
  • next page/order,
  • previous page/order,
  • select all,
  • deselect all.

 

User’s own automatic actions

The barcode summary printout can also contain shortcuts for user-defined automatic actions. To do this, it is necessary, in the Orders → Automatic actions → Personal events section, when creating a custom event, to check the Enable barcode field.

 

Barcode scanner configuration

In the Orders → Settings → Barcode scanner section, you should assign the selected action performed in the order manager after scanning the order number code or the shipping code.

 

 

Depending on the settings, the system may do the following after scanning the order number or label:

• Open order/return card – this function is useful if you want to view the full details of the orders/returns being processed.
• Select the order/return on the order list – each barcode will mark the order on the open order list. This way you can, for example, scan all the prepared packages and check if all the orders from a given status have been marked (whether any have been missed). This function is useful for verifying the order list;
• Search and select the order/return on the list – all scanned orders will appear on a single order list. This way you can quickly check how many orders have been scanned and manually perform some action for them (e.g. change their status);
• PickPack assistant – Collecting order products;
• PickPack assistant – Packing order;
• Personal event – the system can additionally perform a personal event created by the user immediately after scanning the order number or shipping number. This allows, for example, quickly changing the order status by scanning the label.

 

Additionally, in the Orders → Order list → PickPack assistant → Scanner settings section, there is an option to configure the scanner separately on a given workstation. The settings saved in this place will overwrite the default scanner settings until the user logs out. After logging back in, the default settings, which can be specified in the Orders → Settings → Barcode scanner section, will be restored.

 

 

Scanning orders by multiple employees

The system can be used by several people at the same time. If we have several warehouse employees, each employee should have:

1. a separate employee profile in the Account → Employee profiles section;
2. a separate scanner (if employees will be handling orders using the scanner at the same time);
3. each scanner must be operated by a different device (in addition to the computer, it can also be a tablet or mobile phone);
4. optionally – their own status, to which the orders intended for packing for a given employee are assigned. This is not required, however, as the Packing History is available on the Order Card. This is where the information is located about who marked a given order as packed. However, a separate status is useful when generating specific statistics – e.g. how many orders were packed by a given employee.