Computer Programmers: ADVICE NEEDED

[toyo rob]

i could really do with some help from some forum computer people.

Scenario;

Firm recently bought a PDA with scanner.

Idea to scan goods into the warehouse, make life easier!!

Problem is the software i've found isn't quite what we need and the only way to use the scanner is to "make" the program.

Problem is the software developer kit, got from the pda website, is all in C++.

 

I know it is a very powerful and basic programmer code but thats it.

i know bits about Visual Basic but C++ is way out of my league.

 

is there a way of changing visual basic code to C++ and vice versa.

or is there a scanner 'package' in visual basic that i can adapt.

 

Cheers

 

Rob S

[S7EVE]

What/which PDA? - Operating System?

[toyo rob]

Symbol SPT 1550

 

Firm is running Desktops on XP Pro

Servers on 2003, i think - the new NT

[Dash Rendar]

The usual MS solution for software development on a PDA is the "Embedded Visual Tools" package which comes with embedded Visual C++ *and* embedded Visual Basic. Symbol usually also provide the APIs you need to interface with their hardware.

 

Alternatively, you can go down the Java route. Many integrated development environments for Java are free (e.g. Eclipse). Although Java is easier to develop with than Visual C++ / C++, it is *much* harder than VB. Also, Java development on a Symbol handheld will require a small-footprint JVM. Symbol do provide (or atleast used to provide) the NSIcom Creme JVM with some of their handhelds, but a preferred option would be the J9 JVM from IBM designed for small-footprint devices. IBM also provide a 'Device Developer' edition of their Java development environment, but it's not free.

[Lewis]

I don't know the reasoning behind the way you did it.

 

For our kit, we bought handheld wireless scanners and have 2 tracking control stations, write a quick vba/access app with a sql backend and auto-focus the fields after input, scan of a 'completed' barcode finished off the job and opened a new record, we can quickly swap between adding, removing or amending in this way using the barcodes to intruct the app what to do next, took about a week and under a grand for the two scanners.

 

job done!

[Dash Rendar]

Sounds sweet. That's what I call RAD!

[Lewis]

We have a bit of a stolen nike attitude at work "just Feckin do it"

 

So we just feckin did it lol

 

it's such a simple thing yet when we were deciding whether to code it ourselves or not, some companies charge 20k for it. It cost us less than a grand and does EXACTLY what we wanted rather than tailorin our processes to fit the software.

 

Sorry though, this dosn't help rob now he has bought the PDA lol

[toyo rob]

thing was only a tester,

thing is we are currently running our system in Access, and the computer guy at work, who developed the database, knows VB well but never went into C++.

the system is already up and running and has been for a couple of years. each product has space for bar codes but weve never used em. Recently we decided to try and sort it out so we bought a cheap scanner, this symbol to see how it would work.

looked about and found a loads of development software and bits so downloaded them and tried out a few bits of free software.

hence the above.

 

a bit of background, firm is food wholesaler, over 5000 product lines. we place orders through forms that we print out as Purchase Order Reports, simple to export as excel sheets. We were thinking along the lines of;

 

downloading po's onto pda, when people deliver, click supplier then scan barcode - show products details we double check then enter amount , done!!

then upload onto computer, double check enty versus delivery note and confirm.

then have an additon screen for creating new po's

 

cheers for the input

 

Rob S