ZX POS [Support Thread]

[TheGrimReaper]

ZC157-ZX POS
I guess this is the right forum............kinda hard to tell.
I have some items priced by attribute. When entering the product I used a barcode in the barcode field. The issue is, 1 barcode for multiple priced options. When scanning the barcode at checkout, it omits all the prices becasue there isn't a barcode for each particular option. At first, I thought this should be a function of Zen Cart - to add a barcode field to the option values to distinguish between the different options available for a single product.

For example: Product=Lemon - with barcode
options are: 2 gig, 4 gig, 8 gig....etc No Barcodes

So, when you scan the barcode at checkout you only bring up Lemon with no price and you have to go into Lemon thru the storefront, select the option, return to the POS, delete the $0.00 Lemon-and keeping the re-added priced Lemon. Thoughts? Ideas? Work-arounds?

Still up in the air about where this post belongs, since the POS is (so far) the only place we scan barcodes for sales, I think it might belong here.............???

[balihr]

The version here in Plugins doesn't work with the built-in attributes system. If you need to use ZX POS with attributes, you need to install Stock by Attributes plugin (there's a reference zip file included with ZX POS) and then apply the required modifications as per the ZX POS docs. This will allow you to enter a unique barcode per item which will then be usable by ZX POS.

[TheGrimReaper]

The version here in Plugins doesn't work with the built-in attributes system. If you need to use ZX POS with attributes, you need to install Stock by Attributes plugin (there's a reference zip file included with ZX POS) and then apply the required modifications as per the ZX POS docs. This will allow you to enter a unique barcode per item which will then be usable by ZX POS.

Yes sir. I remembered that shortly after the post and have been studying the aforementioned plugin and the issues with 1.5.7. I didn't realize you had the references in the pos docs though. They are helpful. Now if there's still somebody in the SBA forum maybe we'll find out if it will work. Thanks balihr

[TheGrimReaper]

The version here in Plugins doesn't work with the built-in attributes system. If you need to use ZX POS with attributes, you need to install Stock by Attributes plugin (there's a reference zip file included with ZX POS) and then apply the required modifications as per the ZX POS docs. This will allow you to enter a unique barcode per item which will then be usable by ZX POS.

balihr, when you say "...which will then be usable by ZX POS", what should I expect? Now I'm trying to pinpoint a problem and not too sure of where to post. Should I expect the Custom Id to act as the Barcode section of the Product entry screen - that is to ask that when I'm using the POS and I scan a barcode it displays the product in the POS for acting on from there? I'm chasing an issue with it not displaying in the POS screen but it IS being added to the storefront cart, but still with a zero cost.

If I come up with a better understanding of what to expect from the ZX POS and the barcode scanner I could better determine who to point my problem at.

[balihr]

balihr, when you say "...which will then be usable by ZX POS", what should I expect? Now I'm trying to pinpoint a problem and not too sure of where to post. Should I expect the Custom Id to act as the Barcode section of the Product entry screen - that is to ask that when I'm using the POS and I scan a barcode it displays the product in the POS for acting on from there? I'm chasing an issue with it not displaying in the POS screen but it IS being added to the storefront cart, but still with a zero cost.

If I come up with a better understanding of what to expect from the ZX POS and the barcode scanner I could better determine who to point my problem at.

OK, so... Barcodes are in no way part of Zen Cart - it only supports model number. When you installed ZX POS, you got a *new* field that allows you to associate a barcode number with a product.
Next, attributes in Zen Cart don't support quantity control nor having individual model numbers. This means that if you have a tshirt and set attributes to red and blue, you can NOT set different stock levels with the built-in attributes, nor can you set an individual model number. This is where SBA steps in.
Once you install SBA, it will allow you to set stock levels for each attribute and it will allow to use Custom ID (basically, model number per attribute). Again, it does not support barcodes because barcodes were never part of Zen Cart. There are some modifications that need to be applied to the SBA plugin for *it* to be able to accept barcodes, and then those barcodes will be used by ZX POS.
The ZX POS plugin comes with a full version of SBA which you can use to install SBA on your site, and then copy/merge the modified SBA files. The only reason I attached a copy of the SBA plugin is because it's updated quite frequently so the required modifications might become hard to implement.

Now, a simple step-by-step:
1. install ZX POS (you already have it)
2. install SBA found in ZX POS zip file
3. copy the files from "SBA support/files/" to your site
4. copy/paste the contents of the sql-SBA.txt in your admin->Tools->Install SQL Patches

Now when you go to your SBA page in admin, you'll have a barcode field next to Custom ID, which you will be using to add a barcode for your products, and this data will be used by ZX POS frontend.

I hope this makes sense.

[TheGrimReaper]

OK, so... Barcodes are in no way part of Zen Cart - it only supports model number. When you installed ZX POS, you got a *new* field that allows you to associate a barcode number with a product.
Next, attributes in Zen Cart don't support quantity control nor having individual model numbers. This means that if you have a tshirt and set attributes to red and blue, you can NOT set different stock levels with the built-in attributes, nor can you set an individual model number. This is where SBA steps in.
Once you install SBA, it will allow you to set stock levels for each attribute and it will allow to use Custom ID (basically, model number per attribute). Again, it does not support barcodes because barcodes were never part of Zen Cart. There are some modifications that need to be applied to the SBA plugin for *it* to be able to accept barcodes, and then those barcodes will be used by ZX POS.
The ZX POS plugin comes with a full version of SBA which you can use to install SBA on your site, and then copy/merge the modified SBA files. The only reason I attached a copy of the SBA plugin is because it's updated quite frequently so the required modifications might become hard to implement.

Now, a simple step-by-step:
1. install ZX POS (you already have it)
2. install SBA found in ZX POS zip file
3. copy the files from "SBA support/files/" to your site
4. copy/paste the contents of the sql-SBA.txt in your admin->Tools->Install SQL Patches

Now when you go to your SBA page in admin, you'll have a barcode field next to Custom ID, which you will be using to add a barcode for your products, and this data will be used by ZX POS frontend.

I hope this makes sense.

Perfect sense. I don't know what I was doing wrong...I tried sba a few times with only partial success, but for some reason repeating those same steps over again it started working right....ahhhhh the wonder of the electron.

Just one confused point-There's a Barcode box on every product creation page in ZC 157b and responsive classic, has been since I started with ZC recently, and actually putting a barcode it there for a single product works flawlessly thru-out the cart functions, gave me the impression there's support for it in ZC 157 or the template. I thought it came with the package, but........Anyway, your statement about barcodes are no way a part of ZC confuses me as to where it came from then. It's quite useful on those single variant prods.

[balihr]

Perfect sense. I don't know what I was doing wrong...I tried sba a few times with only partial success, but for some reason repeating those same steps over again it started working right....ahhhhh the wonder of the electron.

Practice makes perfect.

Just one confused point-There's a Barcode box on every product creation page in ZC 157b and responsive classic, has been since I started with ZC recently, and actually putting a barcode it there for a single product works flawlessly thru-out the cart functions, gave me the impression there's support for it in ZC 157 or the template. I thought it came with the package, but........Anyway, your statement about barcodes are no way a part of ZC confuses me as to where it came from then. It's quite useful on those single variant prods.

Nope, Zen Cart doesn't come with barcodes out of the box. It only has "Products Model", but no barcode field. That field is part of ZX POS only, I haven't seen that field used in any other plugins. The products_barcode field is added during installation of ZX POS and you get a new input field in the admin that allows you to add a barcode and it normally sits right under the model number field in the admin product page...

[TheGrimReaper]

Practice makes perfect.


Nope, Zen Cart doesn't come with barcodes out of the box. It only has "Products Model", but no barcode field. That field is part of ZX POS only, I haven't seen that field used in any other plugins. The products_barcode field is added during installation of ZX POS and you get a new input field in the admin that allows you to add a barcode and it normally sits right under the model number field in the admin product page...

Shows how fast I put in the POS........I never realized it came with the POS, but now I remember reading something about ZX POS allows scaning products - 1+1=2 I guess, just gotta put em together......Thank you.