This article shows you how to activate barcode searches for quickly adding visit items to a visit or receive items to a receive.
Definition
In PantrySoft, you can enable a barcode scanner widget on Visit and Receive screens for quickly adding items to a visit or receive item list.
Enable the barcode widget
Perform the following steps to activate barcode scanning for both Receives and Visits:
- Login with an Org User
Ensure you are logged in as a User with the Org Admin role. - Go to Inventory Settings
Go to Setup->Inventory Settings. - Enable Inventory Barcode setting
Under Inventory Management switch "Show Search by Barcode" to Yes. This will enable barcode searches for inventory management (receives etc.). Under Visit Distribution switch "Show Search By Barcode" to Yes. This will enable barcode searches for Visits. - Save and Exit
Click the Save and Exit Button. - Verify Barcode field on the Receive Screen
Go to Inventory->Receives and create or edit a receive record. You should see:
Scanning a Visit Item or Receive Item
Now that you've enabled barcode scanning for inventory items, you can begin to scan the barcode on the side of individual products.
Associating Codes
The first time you scan a UPC, you'll have to "teach" PantrySoft how the real-world item corresponds to an Inventory Item you've set up in your PantrySoft inventory.
For instance, if you set up an inventory item called "Black Beans" go into an Inventory Receive, and then scan a can of black beans, you'll probably see the following message and dropdown below the barcode widget:
Perform the following steps to associate an unknown code with an item:
- Find the Appropriate Product
Use the dropdown selector to choose the PantrySoft Inventory Item you wish to associate with this specific barcode (this specific product). - Click Associate Code
This will store the code association in memory, and it will also add the item to the item list.
Adding Known Codes.
If you scan a product you've already associated with a PantrySoft Inventory Item (as in the steps above), it will simply be added to the item list below. If you scan the same item multiple times in a row, the new item at the top of the list will simply increment its quantity.
Editing Code Associations
Code Associations in PantrySoft are not permanent links between product barcodes and PantrySoft Inventory Items. Rather, they're more like a dictionary for PantrySoft to use when you pick up a scanning gun. Pantrysoft lets you alter the association of a code with an inventory item, even after you've already used the code to add an item to a list. It's important to note that changing an association after you've used it does not affect prior activity at all (it will not instantly swap Receive Items or Visit Items you've already logged).
Perform the following steps if you need to delete or edit a code association you've made:
- Go to Inventory Item Codes
Go to Inventory->Item Codes. - Option: Edit the Code Association.
Click the Edit button and see the details of the code association (see figure immediately below). Usually, you'll re-associate a known code by finding the code in question and changing the item it's paired with. Don't forget to Save and Exit. - Option: Delete the Code Association.
Click the Delete button next to a code association. This will erase the association, but it won't have any impact on existing inventory records (Receives, Visits). Now scanning that code you deleted will once again prompt you to re-associate the code with an item of your choice.
Barcodes as Pantry Item Categories. Some pantries will create their own barcodes (there are online services for printing a page of barcodes, or there are barcode stickers that can be purchased). They will then put a list of barcodes (perhaps color-coded and labeled as a category, i.e., "Meat") next to their cashiers, who are trained to interpret pantry items as belonging to a specific category. The cashier scans one of the codes in front of them for each item in the customer's basket. In this way, some pantries scan categories rather than products.