The output data from a bar code scanner is just a simple text string
(either character or numeric data depending on what is encoded in the
bar code).
How you get the data into your VB6 application depends on what type of
bar code scanner you have.
Normally when you store bar code data into a database, you would
define the field as a string field.

Most bar code readers are available with one of two output options.
The first option is called "Keyboard Wedge" output where you unplug
your keyboard, plug the bar code reader into the keyboard port on your
PC and then plug your keyboard into the bar code reader. This
arrangement makes the bar code reader appear as it it were simply a
second keyboard. Your original keyboard continues to work as normal
however when you read a bar code, the data encoded in the bar code
appears to any application running on your PC as if it were typed in.

The other possible output option is to get a bar code reader with an
RS232 or "Serial" interface. With these types of bar code readers, you
connect the reader to an available serial port on the back of your PC.
You would then need to either use the MSComm ActiveX control that
comes with VB6 to input the data or use a program called a "Software
Wedge" to take the data from the bar code reader and feed it to the
application where you want the data to go. The disadvantage to this
approach is that it is a little more complex however you gain much
more control over how and where your data ends up when you read a bar
code. With a Software Wedge, you can control exactly where the data
goes in the target application and you can also perform all sorts of
modifications on the data before it is sent to the application.

TAL Tehchnologies sells a product called WinWedge which is a Software
Wedge for Windows. 
Visit: http://www.taltech.com/products/winwedge.html 
for more information about WinWedge. 

TAL also sells a very high quality line of bar code laser scanners at
very reasonable prices. All their scanners are available with either
the keyboard wedge output or RS232 output. For scanners see:
http://www.taltech.com/products/bc_reader.html

This web site is also an extremely good place to obtain information
about bar coding in general be sure to look in the Resources section
of the site for a bar code tutorial.

For printing bar codes from Access, you would be best off using a bar
code ActiveX control like the one fromTAL Technologies at the
following URL:
http://www.taltech.com/products/activex_barcodes.html
If you need to print bar codes, I would recommend that you download
the demo of the TAL Bar Code ActiveX control from the above URL and
take a look at the sample Access database that is provide with the
demo.

You can also use bar code fonts to do the job and many are available
for free on the web however you will definitely want to test your bar
codes by printing them to the particular printer that you will be
using and then scanning them with the bar  code scanner that you
purchase. Fonts are notorius for producing very poor quality bar codes
that are difficult to read. They also offer very little flexibility in
size. Three things that you should always do when using bar code fonts
are to test, test, and  test again.



On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 17:39:53 -0500, "Tom" 
wrote:

>Using VB6, I want to read barcode data into an Access 2000 DB.  What do you 
>get when you read a barcode? Text or numbers.  How do you define the field 
>were the data would be stored?
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Tom D. 
>
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