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Board index FiveWin for Harbour/xHarbour UPC lookup
Posts: 3022
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2005 01:45 PM
UPC lookup
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2022 05:46 PM

A barcode reader inputs what it sees into a text field. On products, what is "seen" is the UPC ( Universal Product Code ). I have no problem retrieving this with a barcode reader and inserting it into the right field for use and saving.

My question: Has anyone tried working with a decoding option for UPC codes that looks up the item, and returns the descriptive data ? I know this is commonly available in many apps, so I assume there may be some existing API to do this. Perhaps someone has already found a solution for this with FWH.

Again, I read and use the barcode with no problem. The issue is finding a resource database for decoding the UPC data itself which likely uses a web based database.

Thanks for any input.

Tim Stone
http://www.MasterLinkSoftware.com
http://www.autoshopwriter.com
timstone@masterlinksoftware.com
Using: FWH 23.10 with Harbour 3.2.0 / Microsoft Visual Studio Community 2022-24 32/64 bit
Posts: 44158
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 05:47 PM
Re: UPC lookup
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2022 06:05 PM
Dear Tim,

Please google for "UPC rest api" (without the quotes) and you will find several services that provide it, in example:

https://upcdatabase.org/api
regards, saludos

Antonio Linares
www.fivetechsoft.com
Posts: 4840
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2005 04:52 PM
Re: UPC lookup
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2022 06:09 PM

Tim,

Just search for "UPC API" on the web.

I tried to do this many years ago but at that time UPC's were new and I never found a universal database nor an API for access. Things have changed a lot since then.

James

FWH 18.05/xHarbour 1.2.3/BCC7/Windows 10
Posts: 1487
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2016 07:51 AM
Re: UPC lookup
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2022 06:10 PM

Not 100% sure what you need :

Like this ?

https://stevesie.com/apps/barcodelookup ... igQAvD_BwE

You are looking for a online database for retrieving random data ?
In my case I get the data from manufacturers and generate my own database from all of them, but this you have/can do...

Marc Venken

Using: FWH 23.08 with Harbour
Posts: 3022
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2005 01:45 PM
Re: UPC lookup
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2022 06:27 PM

Marc,

When using a barcode reader, if you scan the printed code on a package, it returns the UPC ( Universal Product Code ) for that item. Those are stored in massive online databases. You can query a database and it will return a great deal of detail on that item, ie. the manufacturer, description, physical details, retail price, and more. Often it also provides a list of stores where you can obtain the product.

My clients use and sell parts. They all have UPC codes on them which is just a series of letters and numbers. I was thinking of adding the ability to lookup that code in a universal database. Many companies do offer an API to do this ( or web based query that returns a JSON response ). I was looking to see if anyone knew of a provider that does a better job of this than others.

I have a number of 3rd party interfaces built into my application. This would be another option that they could subscribe to for daily lookups. So far, the companies I see want the app developer to carry the subscription fee. I'd prefer that it be a client option.

Tim

Tim Stone
http://www.MasterLinkSoftware.com
http://www.autoshopwriter.com
timstone@masterlinksoftware.com
Using: FWH 23.10 with Harbour 3.2.0 / Microsoft Visual Studio Community 2022-24 32/64 bit

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