[Info-vax] how to display bar code label on a session from a "text"

[Doug Phillips]

On Aug 20, 11:25 am, ed_lin <ed_sushien_... at yahoo.com> wrote:
>  We are running Alpha vms 7.3-2, our factory floor use KEA! 340 on
> windows environment to run vms based application,  our floor
> supervisors would like us to generate barcode label on the screen so
> technician can use bar code gun  to scan the label

Scan the label (data) into what? A batch reader/terminal? Another
application on another system? The same system? The PC that's running
the emulator or another computer on that network?

This does seems like an idea that a "supervisor" would come up. Those
supervisor's have loads of systems design and programming experience,
do they?  They want to translate a "string" into a bar code, display
it on a screen and then translate the bar code back into a string?
Ever hear of Rube Goldberg?

Maybe someone with some idea of how IT systems work should solve their
problem, which is:

> to reduce input
> error,

rather than let the users design solutions. If I followed every
"design" presented to me by someone whose job is *not* software design
I'd probably be a lot richer, but those companies, and I, might be out
of business.

>  they prefer 2D labeling scheme, but I would be happy if we can
> even produce code 128 or code 39 on the screen, does any one know how
> to translate a 'given' text string to bar code label on the vt
> emulated screen?   Your help will be highly appreciated.

The data needed to generate a bar code (however it's presented) is
someplace in at least one of the systems. How will you know which bar
code to display? Is the challenge to get the data from one system to
another? Can you think of other ways to do that? Have you checked all
of the tools you have? Since KEA!(VT) is no longer available or
supported, have you considered moving to its successor or another
emulator, most of which have loads of nifty tools for moving data
between two disparate systems? Maybe KEA! does, too, I don't know.

If you're going to need to modify and write some code anyway, why not
start with a good design?

Sorry, I don't mean to sound harsh, but I've been there all to often.