# How to integrate Handheld Scanners in Perspective Ignition **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Tags:** ignition80, ignition81, perspective, scripting\ **Created:** [April 4, 2023, 4:33pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-integrate-handheld-scanners-in-perspective-ignition/72034 "2023-04-04T16:33:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![arunshrivasan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19b73/32.png) [@arunshrivasan](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/arunshrivasan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 4:33pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-integrate-handheld-scanners-in-perspective-ignition/72034/1 "2023-04-04T16:33:56Z")
Hi I want to intergrate a Handheld scanner in Ignition Perspective V8.1.25. I know that we can use the camera option from Ignition mobile by using the Barcode feature in events. But I want to use a handheld barcode scanner. I someone worked on it, can you guys help me out? ---
**Author:** ![dkhayes117](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/dkhayes117/32/68344_2.png) [@dkhayes117](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/dkhayes117)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-integrate-handheld-scanners-in-perspective-ignition/72034/2 "2023-04-04T16:42:50Z")
We use CipherLabs RS35 handheld barcode scanners which comes with pre-loaded software to manage the built-in barcode scanning engine. Using that, you setup the scanner to output the scan as key events and use the Perspective barcode scanner input component using either a regex or prefix/suffix combination to capture scans. ---
**Author:** ![arunshrivasan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19b73/32.png) [@arunshrivasan](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/arunshrivasan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 5:22pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-integrate-handheld-scanners-in-perspective-ignition/72034/3 "2023-04-04T17:22:51Z")
Thanks for the info! can you send me an example or screenshots if possible. ---
**Author:** ![dkhayes117](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/dkhayes117/32/68344_2.png) [@dkhayes117](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/dkhayes117)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-integrate-handheld-scanners-in-perspective-ignition/72034/4 "2023-04-04T17:33:24Z")
On the RS35, the app is called `ReaderConfig` (which is specific to the RS35, not any handheld) where you select a Configuration, multiple configs can be saved, but I just use the `Default` profile it comes with. Select the `Default` profile then select `Scanner Preferences` then `Data Output` then set the default mode to `KeyEvent`. Inside this configuration you can add prefix and suffix characters, enable/disable barcode types, etc. On the Ignition side, you just place a barcode scanner input component on the view. From there you either set the prefix and suffix props, or the regular expression field to match a certain pattern. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/a/3/a3e30154ca9041f25538538984c6bca0fef4e628.png) ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/a/2/a2e33c625e41589b123bdc5858880230ef85f236.png) ---
**Author:** ![dick.willis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@dick.willis](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/dick.willis)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 4:08pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-integrate-handheld-scanners-in-perspective-ignition/72034/5 "2023-12-15T16:08:55Z")
We want to configure this for the simplest, out-of-the-box handheld scanner config ... which we think is no-prefix, with CRLF as the suffix. We have tried #7013, as the strings in the "suffix" property, but no luck. Note: if we reconfigure the scanner to have special prefix and suffixes ... it works fine. But we don't want to reconfigure the scanner, in general. Based on other posts in the forum, we even tried to put the string Enter in the regex field (leaving the others blank) ... no luck ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 4:30pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-integrate-handheld-scanners-in-perspective-ignition/72034/6 "2023-12-15T16:30:24Z")
This post is tagged Perspective. Any scanners that aren't integrated with a mobile device's barcode scanning functionality have to operate as keyboard wedges. You **must** have a reliable way to distinguish keystrokes from scans, and prefix/suffix codes are the only reliable way to do this, for the general case. When/if Perspective Mobile and/or Workstation gain the ability to manage local serial devices (or serial emulating devices), such a side channel could be used instead of keyboard wedge mode. It is technological possible, just not simple, so it hasn't been implemented. (Consider creating/bumping a feature request.) In the meantime, you will need to configure your scanners. Full stop. ---
**Author:** ![dick.willis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@dick.willis](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/dick.willis)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-integrate-handheld-scanners-in-perspective-ignition/72034/7 "2023-12-15T19:32:41Z")
Thanks for the clarification. I do get your point that, without prefixes and suffixes, it's impossible to split out the scanner-generated traffic from the true-keyboard-generated traffic. We had hoped that there was some way to have a suffix be non-printable ASCII characters (like CR and LF). Apparently not. I've seen other posts propose using ! and @ ... those seem like reasonably rare characters to encounter in our 1D barcodes. We'll do that. Note: In this particular case, we DO expect the ONLY keyboard activity to be scanners-configured-as-keyboard-wedges - everything else is mouse-clicks. ---
**Author:** ![calimero100582](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/calimero100582/32/18630_2.png) [@calimero100582](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/calimero100582)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 3:16pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-integrate-handheld-scanners-in-perspective-ignition/72034/8 "2023-12-18T15:16:55Z")
Here what we did. In our case, we scan a specific format, being 6 digits ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/f/b/fbbcf2f8876ec2d8521e9a7a5c125e0221c5337b.png) ---
**Author:** ![Rats](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/rats/32/68478_2.png) [@Rats](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Rats)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 4:18pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-integrate-handheld-scanners-in-perspective-ignition/72034/9 "2023-12-22T16:18:58Z")
Right now, we are using the perspective mobile app to scan barcodes with an android phone's camera. It has been working great for tracking packages around the facility and sending out delivery notifications to people in the plant. They want to swap out the phone with one that has an integrated barcode scanner in the phone like dkhayes117 is using. I understand I will not be able to use the perspective integrated barcode scanner input after making the switch, but is it possible to stay on the perspective mobile app and integrate these phone's barcode scanner into the perspective mobile app? ---
**Author:** ![dkhayes117](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/dkhayes117/32/68344_2.png) [@dkhayes117](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/dkhayes117)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 4:23pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-integrate-handheld-scanners-in-perspective-ignition/72034/10 "2023-12-22T16:23:29Z")
Yes, you should be able to use the barcode scanner input component for key events along with the app's barcode function that leverages its camera.