Understand the different data that can be encoded in the barcode printed on labels
When printing labels, users can choose to encode the label title (first line) in the barcode. This leads to two different use cases of the barcode.
Default: barcode universal record identifier
By default, the data encoded in the barcode is the unique identifier of the record wrapped in a specific sequence of characters like this:
#GFCI#289:338#GFCI#
The data coming from the scanner is monitored by the application in real-time. When the application detects this sequence of characters, the application automatically retrieves the corresponding record.
Option: barcode label title
When selecting "barcode to label title", the data encoded in the barcode is the same data as the one printed in clear on the first line of the label.
#SAMP338
The application is no longer able to automatically retrieve the corresponding record. The record can be fetched using the search bar.
Use cases
The default option is preferred whenever it is useful to be able to retrieve data without going through the search bar. Examples include
- Supplies to keep track of inventory
- Storage boxes to quickly access their content.
The second option is preferred when the barcode scanner is used to copy information from the label into another software. A good example would be loading an instrument to rapidly input the content of a microtiter plate by scanning labels.
The two options are not necessarily exclusive of each other. It is possible to attach two different labels to a sample with two different barcodes. Position the labels to that the two barcodes can be scanned separately.