Setting up a barcode scanner

By the end of this article, a barcode scanner is scanning items directly into the register’s cart.

What kind of scanner works

Any USB barcode scanner that behaves as a keyboard wedge works with Novella POS. This is the common, inexpensive kind: to Windows, it looks exactly like someone typing very fast on a keyboard and then pressing Enter. There is no scanner-specific driver to install and nothing to configure inside the app.

Connect it

1. Plug the scanner into a USB port on the register machine. Windows recognizes it as a keyboard automatically.
2. On the register screen, click into the Scan barcode field at the top of the product panel.
3. Scan an item.

If the scanned barcode matches a product, that product adds itself to the cart and the field clears, ready for the next scan. If nothing matches, an error names the barcode that was not found, so you can add it to that product’s record if it is missing. See Adding your first products and categories.

Adding a barcode to a scanner without one on the box

Some items, like made-to-order drinks or bakery goods, are not meant to be scanned and can be added from the product grid instead. For anything that should scan but does not have a barcode on file yet, open Manage Products, click into a product’s Barcode field, and scan it there to fill it in.