Barcode Scanning for Asset Management

[RonHolton]

Hello,

Has anyone incorporated a Barcode Scanner into ServiceNow? I am hoping to be able to create a inventory view that does the following:

1. Able to select a Stockroom and Status.
2. Scan the Barcode of a laptop and have it automatically update the devices Stockroom and Status.
3. After the Barcode is read, automatically insert or update and be ready for the next scan.

and/or

1. Create a input page that has a field that a Barcode scan would insert and new.

The Barcode Scanner can return either a "Return" or "Tab" after scan. Just can't get the record to update/insert with that action.

Thanks in advance...

Ron

[geoffcox]

I have many bar-code scanning applications in use in ServiceNow.

We have an asset auditing app: You scan a cabinet's bar code, then you scan each asset's bar code. As you go along, it tells you which assets are supposed to be in the cabinet, which you have found, and which you haven't, etc. When you're done with the cabinet, you submit the audit and it updates the cmdb with assets found/lost/etc.

We have presented this app a couple times: at K10, K13 and the 2012 Gartner convention.

Our scanner is configured to issue a carriage return after each successful scan.

If you are treating return as submit, the browser may not be able to determine which action you are performing. You can specify a specific sys action when the return key is pressed (e.g. a scan is successful).

The key thing is to develop custom forms for use with the scanner. It is important that you have only one input field on the html "form", so that this is the field that is submitted when you "hit return". You also don't want a lot of buttons on the same form. If you need to display other fields, just insert additional html form tags for the other sections so that submit doesn't get confused on the primary form (where your scan field is).

We did all this with a combination of custom form views, script includes, UI macros and formatters. I spent a lot of effort overcoming stuff introduced by SNC forms. If I were to do it again, I would probably just use UI pages, so I would have complete control over my html and javascript.

There is more detail that I can cover here, I would be happy to discuss in further detail.

Cheers,
Geoff.

[RonHolton]

Geoff,

I would like more info on your implementation of Barcode scanning... My profile contains contact info. Looking forward to your solution.

Thanks in advance...

Ron

[Aaron40]

I am suprised something like this didn't win KB13. Kudos to Target for what they provided but an barcode tool like this would have been amazing to see take home a prize. I haven't come across many companies utilizing bar code scanning just yet but it's powerful. Hope you bring it to K14!

[geoffcox]

Actually, I submitted for Innovation of the Year in 2010. We sent in videos, but what they judged that year had to be passed around in paper form, so it didn't get very seriously evaluated. 🙂

I can still share the videos (see attached).

Cheers,
Geoff.