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Question and Answer

Connor McDonald

Thanks for the question, Victor.

Asked: June 25, 2018 - 1:26 pm UTC

Last updated: June 27, 2018 - 7:59 am UTC

Version: 18.1

Viewed 1000+ times

You Asked

We are currently migrating a client from a Forms environment towards an APEX application. The client is used to using scales, the result of which is inserted into a Forms application: The user enters the cursor into the target cell in the Forms environment. Clicks on it. The computer sends a command to the scales. Scales consequently respond by sending a 10 character string of data back to the computer, which lands into the cell.
Underneath this is a Java Bean, recognised as scale.Scale, and a number of Forms PL/SQL procedures.

We now want to transfer this functionality to APEX. I have been involved - Jahrens ago - in an environment where bar code scanners were involved. In that case the trigger on the scanner was literally pulled, after which the value was inserted into the APEX item. Easy as that. Now we (or the client, rather) want the same functionality in APEX.
We have literally hooked up the scales to the computer. The computer detects the scales' presence. How do we configure this?
As I am typing I honestly realise that this is only partly an APEX based question, but should somebody have any experience in the matter, then please let us know.

and Connor said...

Hi, I think the best place to ask this would be on the Apex forum, where there will be more specific expertise.

https://community.oracle.com/community/database/developer-tools/application_express

My (unverified) thoughts would be that since Apex readily interacts with Javascript, then something in Javscript to probe/monitor the serial port would perhaps a workable solution.

I found a couple of references along those lines

https://github.com/billhsu/jUART

https://github.com/node-serialport/node-serialport

Hope this helps - publishing this for others to offer input.

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