Need to specify barcode reader sheet/cell input.

**PCSOhio** · 06-04-2014, 02:24 PM

Greetings.

I'd like to be able to scan a barcode in one sheet and have the data input into a specific column range in another.
Is this even possible with Excel [2010] or will it require a fancier [and more expensive] reader? Or both?

Can Excel even distinguish whether input data is from the keyboard or a barcode reader?

Thanks.

**FORTRANguru** · 06-04-2014, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by PCSOhio

Greetings.

I'd like to be able to scan a barcode in one sheet and have the data input into a specific column range in another.
Is this even possible with Excel [2010] or will it require a fancier [and more expensive] reader? Or both?

Can Excel even distinguish whether input data is from the keyboard or a barcode reader?

Thanks.

My experience with barcode readers is that their output string is equivalent to keyboard input up to and including <Enter>.

So, you should be able to select the destination cell, scan a barcode, and see its value appear in the selected cell.

**massonmilo** · 08-24-2014, 10:33 PM

Can Excel even distinguish whether input data is from the keyboard or a barcode reader?

Agree with the idea for "equivalent to keyboard input up to and including...". But what i know is that some characters in barcode cannot being input through the keyboard, like carriage return, space, tab, etc. So there may be some differences between keyboard and barcode reader.

**PCSOhio** · 08-25-2014, 07:22 AM

Thanks for the replies.
It was actually quite simple, once I thought about it.
I just made the barcode scan input a variable, activated the sheet I needed, set the active cell, and then placed the variable value into the cell.
Works like a charm.