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Main => Help Me => Topic started by: beaker on October 07, 2009, 10:49:34 AM

Title: scan barcode to auto buy-in and seat
Post by: beaker on October 07, 2009, 10:49:34 AM
I have just started using TD; what an excellent application!!! My first tourney using the software went perfectly.

With the help of existing forum posts, I've been able to easily connect a barcode scanner to scan driver licenses (linked to player ID) to locate players within the Database. I was hoping to take this one step further and have the drivers license scan automatically select the player / league member, buy-in the player and seat the player. As configured currently, I need to manually "check" the player once he is found using the scanner, then manually press okay a couple times to buy-in and seat the player. Anyone know of a way to by-pass the confirmations?

I would love to have each player either scan or swipe their drivers license after paying up and have them be totally set-up within the application (bought in and seated), without having to manually setup within the software. Thanks very much for your help / input
Title: Re: scan barcode to auto buy-in and seat
Post by: Corey Cooper on October 08, 2009, 09:05:01 AM
There's no way to do that at this point, without using some type of 3rd party software to simulate the appropriate keypresses, etc.

How does your scanner work?  When you scan/swipe the card, does it essentially enter the card number by simulating typing the numbers on the keyboard?  And does it simulate pressing the Enter key after the card number is entered?
Title: Re: scan barcode to auto buy-in and seat
Post by: beaker on October 08, 2009, 04:00:48 PM
Thanks for the reply! Your comments got me thinking a little more. As you mentioned the scanner simulates a keyboard to enter  the card number. Since reading your post I investigated altering the scanner programming to include a user defined suffix along with each scan. This is possible, unfortunately it appears that I'm only permitted to include a 10 character suffix which is not enough to locate, buy-in and seat the player. Of course.... I need 11!

I can transmit the following suffix along with the scan code - TAB, Enter, TAB, TAB, TAB, TAB, TAB, SPACE - this will successfully locate the player and click on the player check box. However I cannot simulate a tab press enough times to actuate the okay key to finalize the action. Simulating a shift / tab twice would get the job done, but the shift / tab character seems to crash scanning all together. I'm so close!!

I've worked on this for a while and I"m not sure if I'll make it much further. I'll maybe give it a shot one more time before accepting defeat. If anyone knows of a character that will allow a jump from the "player check box" to the "okay" button without having to hit tab repeatedly, that would be extremely helpful. Thanks again!



Title: Re: scan barcode to auto buy-in and seat
Post by: beaker on October 23, 2009, 05:58:49 PM
I've got things working at 99% now. I've connected a bar code scanner to my PC and installed a very simple Keyboard Wedge application. Within the keyboard wedge app I've been able to manually specify the required key stokes (following the scan) to accomplish the following. Scanning the bar code will find and select the appropriate player within the database (as the bar code corresponds the the player ID field). The player will then be bought in and automatically seated.... all with a single bar code scan. I can see everything working fine, and then Internet Explorer CRASHES!! If I remove the last "enter" from the whole equation, I can complete the task manually with no crash. I think that the keyboard wedge is sending the final enter key to seat the player too fast before IE has completed the buy-in action and crashes. I can't figure out how to add a wait to my process.

Anyways, wondering if there is a way to force TD to use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer? Maybe Firefox will handle things better.

Thanks!
Title: Re: scan barcode to auto buy-in and seat
Post by: beaker on October 23, 2009, 09:24:35 PM
Please disregard my last question, I read the help file and learned that IE is a requirement

Thanks anyways!