Integrate barcode generation

[snipe]

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[snipe]

@sigwo (and anyone else) - can you explain your use cases here? Do you need printable sheets of barcodes, individual barcodes, etc? I don't have this need, so I'd like to understand how you'd use them so we can plan for this smartly. (Our parent company provides us with a big fat stack of pre-printed asset tags, which we dole out accordingly.)

[tobint]

I think the main thing here is that you need to be able to link an asset number to this system. So if you have asset tags already, you'd need to link it to your item in the system. If you don't have asset tags already, simply being able to print one off here would be nice.

[snipe]

@tobint oh definitely - barcodes would be connected to assets same as everything else is. I mean more like "how would you use this in your day to day"? Would you be printing one-offs? Would you be printing sheets and sheets of stickers to dole out? Just trying to understand that perspective. The actual coding part of this is easy :)

[sigwo]

@snipe The biggest thing I need is to quickly issue assets to units that are using my facility. I have 800 laptops, 170 switches, 25 routers, 5 firewalls that are used in military planning/execution exercises, but in different "package configurations". So, to really get the flow of what happens, this could be a lengthy post. Also I realize I have a highly specialized case (I think).

A unit requests support from my IT shop for 40 laptops, 2 switches, and a router. My Desktop Team images the laptops, so they grab 40 laptops and scan them. I need the barcode/QR code to give me:

Laptops:
Computer Name
MAC Address
Make
Model
Asset Tag

Switch:
Make
Model
Serial Number
Management IP

Router:
Make
Model
Serial Number
Management IP
Interface Card(s)

When finished, I want to click a button to export the Model, Make, Asset Tags/Serial Numbers, and quantities to a special form (DD 2062) to hand receipt the assets to a particular person/unit. The person signs the hand receipt, effectively becoming responsible for the assets. (I understand this part would be a custom module, and would not be expected from a release). My Desktop team started to do this in Excel/VBA.

We do this multiple times a week and the paperwork aspect is tiresome (even though I don't have to do it). It will make me feel better about the location/accountability for the > $9 million dollars of "stuff" I have to be 100% accountable for.

For each asset scanned, those fields may vary depending on what CATEGORY the equipment falls into.

[sigwo]

Sorry, forgot to add. The codes would be one-off's, printed once and affixed to the asset. Only if the barcode became unserviceable would we replace it. The special DD2062 forms would be printed each time we issue the equipment.

[snipe]

@sigwo - thank you! That helps a lot!

[buzzedword]

Has this been resolved by v0.3.0?

[snipe]

Sort of - right now we're just supporting QR codes, not full bar codes.

[thomsonza]

@snipe - It would be great if you could select multiple assets and generate a sheet of asset labels for printing out (QR Code and Asset Label in text). At the moment, once we purchase a set of new PC's, we get a list of asset numbers. We then take these asset numbers and assign them to a PC (using the service tag or serial number). For us it is important that the asset number corresponds with the service tag or serial number. Each computer that leaves the IT department gets labeled with the asset number. It would be great if there was an Asset Number as well as the QR code as this will allow us to pick up the phone and ask someone to read out the asset number rather than have to be at the physical computer as many of our computers are distributed to remote offices.

Hope this makes sense?

[jpmurray]

Would it be possible (sorry if this should be a request on it's own) to link a Barcode/QR Code to a checkin/checkout of an asset? We're looking for a solution to manage this quickly (read: scanning an item who is available and choose the person: checked in; scanning an item already checked in: check out).

[bailantilles]

I know this conversation has gone somewhat stale, but I'll add my use case. We don't really like Avery labels all that much because they don't really hold up to wear and tear of daily use like on laptops, nor do we pay for preprinted rolls of barcode labels either. We do however print one off laminated tape labels (even when adding in multiple machines at a time) with a Dymo label printer (450 Duo). Dymo does provide an SDK for integrating the printer into applications.