Barcodes, QR codes, and the scanners that read them are ubiquitous today. They can be found everywhere, from coordinating enterprise-level logistics to checking out customers in shops to pulling up a menu when someone sits down at a restaurant.
There’s a good reason they’ve become so common — a barcode is a powerful yet simple tool for converting something physical (marked with a barcode) into a piece of digital data. That data can then be processed, communicated, stored, and analyzed easily. You could do this by manually inputting data, but it would be a much longer process.
If you’re building software with Glide, incorporating a barcode scanner gives you the ability to record and track physical objects within your app. This allows you to track inventory or supplies, record sales, or even keep track of equipment or devices for your team.
A school could use barcode scanning technology to build an app to check out projection and sound equipment. A wholesale distributor could create an efficient inventory management system that tracks everything in and out of their warehouses. An IT team could build a device management system for their office that would let them track.
Whatever you’re building, you can add barcode scanning ability to a new or existing app with just a few easy steps.
NOTE: The Scanner component and Scan Barcode or QR Code action are replacing Glide’s legacy scanner that you might have known as Scan Linear Barcode or Barcode Scanning with Airtable.
How barcode scanning works in Glide
Adding a Barcode and QR code scanning function to your app enables users to scan codes with their phone camera. The scanned values are recorded in your data source, where you can use them as records or to trigger other actions.
Getting barcode scanning working in your Glide app is a simple process that doesn’t require any licensing or manual setup. Both techniques support the most common barcode types, including linear barcodes and 2D barcode symbologies (more commonly known as QR codes).
It’s important to note that Barcode and QR code scanning is only available for users on our Business or Enterprise plans.
There are two ways you can add barcode scanning to your Glide app — by adding a scanning component or incorporating scanning as an action:
Adding a Scanner component is best if you need to scan many barcodes in succession since it keeps the user’s camera on and ready to scan.
Incorporating the Scan Barcode or QR Code action into your app turns the user's camera on only when the action is triggered, usually with a button.
Let’s look at both techniques for adding a scanner to your app.
Add a Scanner component to your app
Check out the Scanner page in Glide Docs for more detailed information.
If you do not already have a column where you will store the data from barcodes or QR codes, open the Data Editor and create the column where you will store the scanned barcodes.
In the Layout Editor, select the tab you want to edit.
Click on the plus symbol in the Components panel.
Select the Scanner component.
Drag the component where you want it to appear in your app.
Under Data, select the column where you want to store the data from barcodes or QR codes.
In the Column field, choose the column you created to store the scanned barcodes.
Under Scanning Options, you can configure an action to trigger on each scan. This will use additional updates depending on which action you choose.
Add the Scan Barcode or QR Code action to your app
Check out the Scan Barcode or QR Code page in Glide Docs for more detailed information.
In the Layout Editor
If you haven’t yet made a column in your data to store the scanned barcode values, make that column in the data editor. We recommend using a text column, or a URL column if you’re scanning URL values.
Click on the plus (+) sign in the Components panel and select the Component you want to trigger the action.
In the General tab on the right side of the Layout Editor, navigate to the Actions section and search for the Scan Barcode or QR Code action.
Select the icon and descriptive text to use in your app.
Select which column you want to save the scanned values to.
In the Action Editor
If you haven’t yet made a column in your data to store the scanned barcode values, make that column in the data editor. We recommend using a text column, or a URL column if you’re scanning URL values.
Select the + New Action button. If you have existing actions, click on the plus (+) sign in the left panel.
To add new actions to an existing flow, hover just underneath an existing action and click the plus button.
Select the data source for your action.
Search for Scan barcode or QR Code.
Select which column you want to save the scanned values to.
Barcode-scanning apps fit right into your workflow
These barcode-scanning features enable you to build sophisticated and useful tech for your business, all without having to write complex code or invest in any specialized hardware or software.
Your users stay light on their feet, scanning codes right from a tablet or smartphone. The end result is that your business data works harder for you, with less effort required from you.
