Allow for barcode-scanning

[orenyk]

This issue is to add barcode scanning functionality to Reservations specifically, not strictly for the addition of extra, potentially arbitrary, fields to the EquipmentItem model.

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Last Update (2015-02?)

We should include barcode scanning functionality for EquipmentItems and the ability to select equipment during checkout / checkin using barcode scanners. This would also be helpful for #518 and general application setup (e.g. create new EquipmentItems of a given EquipmentModel by scanning in a series of barcodes).

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Original Post - 2014-03-28

As requested by Assad Layne at the Law School:

Hey Casey thanks for your help before. I love the system but was wondering if there was anyway to add an additional field when I create an Item. We have numbered Barcode labels for all the loaners which don’t correspond to the Machine serial numbers so I’d like to keep the serial number field and the description but add a third field for the barcode number. Is this possible?

This should be pretty straightforward; add a migration and update the backend.

[mnquintana]

I agree, this shouldn't be too hard. I'm thinking this should also be admin configurable - the ability to add more fields to equipment items.

[shippy]

@mnquintana Do you mean "admin should be able to toggle display of an optional barcode field" or "admins should be able to add custom fields to custom objects at will"? The former is trivial; the latter doesn't appear so.

[mnquintana]

I was thinking the latter - I'm not sure if barcode is universal enough to be even an optional baked-in field, but I could be wrong.

[orenyk]

Could we do a hash of optional fields? e.g. @equipment_item.custom_params['barcode']=123456

[shippy]

@orenyk Just to be clear - do you propose to serialize a hash in a custom_params db column for every EquipmentItem record?

[orenyk]

Yea, I'm not sure it's the most elegant or efficient solution but I think it would work.

[squidgetx]

Seems a bit janky tbh. Couldn't we just add an extra 'notes' style field?

Also, why can't the law school use their barcode numbers as the EO name and then put the serial # in the serial# field like the art school does?

[orenyk]

It's definitely janky :-P. A 'notes' style field might work too, but once we're adding a field I think we should think about generalizing this, if possible. There's definitely a balance between simplicity and generality; I'm not sure what the best solution is here.

I know that Art was using their EMs a little inappropriately, such that different EOs could be similar but different types of equipment, so the same could be true at Law and therefore they need the name to actually distinguish between EOs. I think we should leave 'name' for user-readable descriptive names, since that's how some clients are using it, and extend our current model to store additional information.

[squidgetx]

According to this page you can't serialize a hash in an activerecord db column.

I just don't see how you could ever need more than 3 fields for EOs. You've got a human readable name (which will almost always be codified in some way anyway, like Red Kit, or STC Loaner 12), a barcode for your own system use, and manufacturer information (serial #, etc that could go into a notes field)