Barcode Types

What is it and what is it for?

Many barcodes don't just hold the item's identifier: manufacturers and distributors often pack the lot, manufacturing or expiration date, quantity, or even a product's variable weight into the same barcode. Without a definition of how that code is structured, AdmCloud would only see a long, meaningless string of numbers.

This screen lets you build that reading "template" once and reuse it on every item that shares the same barcode format (for example, every product from a vendor using the GS1-128 standard). Then, from the item's card, you assign the matching Barcode Type and AdmCloud is ready to interpret that code whenever it's scanned.

How to use it

1. Open the list and choose how you want to create the type, from the New button:
   • By Identifier: the barcode uses fixed symbols or prefixes that mark where each piece of data starts (for example "(01)" for the item, "(10)" for the lot). This is the approach used by standards like GS1-128.
   • By Character Count: the barcode uses no symbols, only fixed positions (for example, "the first 8 characters are the SKU and the next 4 are the quantity").
   • GS1-128 Template: automatically creates a preconfigured type with the standard GS1-128 structure (barcode, lot, manufacturing date, expiration date, serial numbers and quantity), which you can adjust afterward if needed.
2. Enter the Name of the type (for example "GS1-128" or "Vendor X Internal Code"). It must be unique.
3. Build the field detail. For every piece of data you want to extract from the barcode (Code/SKU, Barcode, Vendor Reference, Quantity, Lot, Expiration Date, Manufacturing Date, Serial Number, Attribute Option 1 and 2, or Wildcard to ignore a section), add a row with:
   • The Identifier that marks where that data starts (if the type is "By Identifier"), or the Character Count it occupies (if the type is "By Character Count").
   • The Field of the item that data maps to.
   • The Number of Decimals, when the extracted data is numeric (such as the quantity).
4. Save the type and assign it to the relevant items from their card, in the Barcode Type field.
5. Add notes if you want to document where that format comes from or which vendor/items it applies to.

Key fields

Validations when saving

• Name is required and unique. It cannot repeat another existing type's name.
• At least one field must be indicated in the detail; a type with no fields wouldn't make sense.
• The detail must include at least one of: Code (SKU), Barcode or Vendor Reference, since without one of them AdmCloud couldn't identify the item.
• Identifier and Character Count cannot be mixed within the same type; every detail row must follow the same approach.
• The same Identifier cannot be repeated across two detail rows.
• The same Field cannot be indicated more than once on Character Count-based types.
• Character Count cannot be negative.
• Each detail row must have either Identifier or Character Count, not both, and the chosen Field must be one of the supported fields.

Deleting a barcode type

A Barcode Type cannot be deleted if any item has it assigned. If you try to delete it, AdmCloud shows you the SKU of some of the items using it, so you can assign them a different type (or clear it) before deleting it.

Availability, permissions and conditions

• This feature requires the Advanced Inventory module, available as an add-on module of the Enterprise edition.
• Besides the module, the feature must be enabled for your company by AdmCloud. If you have the Enterprise plan with Advanced Inventory and don't see it available, contact AdmCloud support to have it turned on.
• Access is controlled with the "Barcode Types" permission of the user group, with separate levels for browsing, adding, editing and deleting.
• Barcode types are shared across all of the company's subsidiaries; they are not filtered by subsidiary.

Tips and common mistakes