Yes, you can do it. No, it's not native. Yes, it's kinda
hard, but no it's not really hard. Translation: It'll
cost you around $1,500 and 20 hours of development time.
Welp, there is a cheesy version to this. It's called a
scanner with a keyboard wedge. It comes with an adaptor
so that your scanner and keyboard plug into the same
slot. Basically, it's as though you typed it on the
keyboard. Unfortunately, it's not always easiest to know
whether it was the scanner doing the talking or the human
punching the keys, and I don't recommend this for any
professional solution. But! It's easy, and you can get a
CCD scanner with keyboard wedge for like $300.
I made the mistake of buying a CCD scanner the first
time. Sure, they're cheap, but the threats on my life and
limb by the poor creatures who used it wasn't worth it.
Spend the $1,200 on the Symbol or PCC(?) laser scanner
that is wireless. (Notice at WalMart they have Symbol
wireless laser scanners at their checkouts; they are
sweet!)
These wireless ones come with a a base station and isn't
that difficult to get set up. I'd definitely recommend
using the RS-232 input version, because when you get this
thing, then you have to write the "communicator" that
takes the input and talks to your Access program. I
implemented this by making a VB COM object that captured
COM1 and effected an event in my Access application. Now
I can capure scanner events, and leave the keyboard for
the neurosurgeon packing the boxes.
Next, ask me about predictive 3d bin packing.
David Atkins, MCP
