Bar code scanners can be setup to decode the scan code on the card and
output it as text. On your incoming site, place cursor in text box, scan
card, code on card is entered as text, hit enter, text field sent to
database where all the F* Magic takes place.
You will also need a method to create the cards and get the data into
the database associated with the number. You can use Word or other text
program and a bar code font to print the cards with bar-code, or use
pre-printed peel and stick barcode labels to place on a card. To
Initialize the card, have an new member interface where the data for the
member is entered, along with their bar-coded number.
There are a LARGE number of bar-code codes. Pick one of the more common
that uses alphanumeric and symbols.
Tips: Have a backup reader or hard wire the bar-code scanner into a
power outlet. The cheaper hand held ones don't have a very good battery
life. Print the number on the card under the bar code. This will help
when a drink smears the bar code or it becomes unreadable. The door
person can enter the number by hand.
Dewey Williams
-Original Message-
From: Daevid Vincent [mailto:dae...@daevid.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 5:43 PM
To: php-general@lists.php.net
Subject: [PHP] Magnetic Stripe Reader or Barcode to PHP
I'll confess that I've done almost zero research on this topic as of
right
now aside from pricing readers and blank cards.
So we're opening a new super-club here in Seattle. One of the ideas
we'd
like to pursue is that people are assigned a card. This can be a
magstripe
card or something with a barcode. Not really sure at the moment which
way
to go.
The idea being that when they enter, we swipe/scan their card and we
can
log stats (# of visits, # guests, favorite drink so the bar has it
ready,
enter into contest, etc.) I was thinking we setup a simple netbook
with
a
USB reader at the front door when they pay. Then we have another back
at
the bar. Connect via WiFi. Have a notebook somewhere behind the scenes
that
runs LAMP (or a VM thereof). No internet needed. The backend database
and
even web/GUI stuff is of course trivial with any LAMP stack.
What I don't know is how do I interface _to_ PHP from say a magstripe
reader. They're dirt cheap ($50), but I assume come with zero
software.
http://www.kanecal.net/mag-stripe-reader-scanner.html . And there are
hundreds of these gadgets out there all the same basically.
I guess what I'm hoping for is some pointers, from someone who's done
this
sort of thing.
My gut thought is something so simple, where there is some XP software
(or
Linux I suppose) that reads the card (and generally they only have a
number
encoded on them) and this is sent via a URL we define, such as
http://192.168.10.100/door.php?id=123456 or
http://192.168.10.100/bar.php?id=123456 etc. (ignore the security
issues
and all that. It's trivial to encode the parameters, plus it's a
closed
system with WEP/WPA/WTF). But does anyone know of such a key piece of
code?
Like I said, I'm not locked into magcards. It could be a barcode
reader
just as easily. Or fingerprint scanner, or facial recognition. In the
end
it's just a unique thing that maps to a unique number. I just need
the
FM (F*ckin' Magic -- it's a programmer term -- look it up!) that
goes
in
between PHP and the hardware.
http://daevid.com
Some people, when confronted with a problem, think 'I know, I'll use
XML.'
Now they have two problems.
--
PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/)
To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
--
PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/)
To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
