The scan loop

The scan loop

The Scan page is where most of your day happens. Open it, point your phone camera at a barcode, or scan with a handheld reader, and TrackDME finds the matching unit and acts on it. The prompt reads "Point the camera at a barcode, or scan with a handheld reader."

Pick a scan mode

At the top of the Scan page is a mode picker with three choices. Your choice persists per browser, so once you set it, it stays put until you change it.

• Normal ("Show actions after each scan"). You scan a unit and see its card plus context actions, so you decide what to do next. Good for mixed work.
• Check In ("Auto-checks in anything that's out, just scan and go"). Best for receiving a pile of returns fast.
• Check Out ("Jumps straight to the checkout form after each scan"). Best for sending units out to a customer.

How a scan plays out

1. Choose your mode.
2. Scan a barcode with your camera or handheld reader.
3. TrackDME reacts based on the mode and the unit's current status.

In Normal mode, you get the unit card and context actions. In Check In mode, an out or in-transit unit checks in automatically and you hear a success chime with "Checked in: {name}" (it adds "awaiting reprocessing" when reprocessing is on). In Check Out mode, an in-warehouse unit jumps straight to the checkout form.

Sounds tell you what happened

Listen for the audio cue so you can keep scanning without watching the screen.

• Success chime: the scan worked.
• Alert buzz: something is off, like scanning a unit that is in the wrong state (for example "This unit is already in the warehouse") or a barcode TrackDME does not recognize.

Unknown barcodes

If you scan a label that is not in the system yet, you will see "No Unit found with barcode X" plus an Add this Unit shortcut. That jumps you to the new unit form with the barcode already filled in, so you can register it on the spot and keep going.

Use a handheld scanner

A Bluetooth handheld reader pairs with your phone, tablet, or laptop and types the barcode into the focused field, which makes the scan loop much faster than the camera. See recommended equipment for a model that works well.

Want the details for each direction? See Check equipment out and Check equipment in. To understand the underlying idea, read about barcode scanning.

Next steps

• Check equipment out
• Check equipment in