Understand scanning QR code and bar code to enter input in form fields
- Applicable to following fields: single line, multi line, email, URL, number, percent, currency, and decimal.
- Scanning a QR code and bar code is available only when your users access your form from a phone or tablet or as a progressive web app(PWA).
In addition to typing an input in any of the above given field's input area, you can enable your users with the following modes of input when they access your form from a phone or tablet:
- Scanning a QR (Quick Response) code
- Scanning a bar code
QR code and bar code are machine-readable codes that are typically used for storing data. Thus if your users have generated a QR code or bar code containing the input they want to enter in any one of the above given fields, they can simply scan it. The QR/bar code can be generated by the end-user themselves or it can be a code obtained from any public resource.
Refer to this page to learn how to enable scanning barcodes.
Experience on mobile devices
When you enable the scanning of a QR code or bar code for a field, below is what your users experience on their phone or tablet:
- The Scan icon is displayed on the right extreme of the field's input area.
- When a user taps on this icon, the code scanner is launched.
- Once a code is scanned, the corresponding input is set in that field's input area.
Customizations
With respect to scanning a QR code or barcode, you can:
- Launch the scanner even before your user views your form, so that the user first scans a code to enter input in the concerned field
- Disable manual input of data in the field. In other words, to enter an input in the concerned field, your user will have to scan a bar code or QR code.
- Control which camera (primary and/or secondary) on their device can your user use to scan the code
- Enable your user to upload a code that is stored in their device's photo gallery. For this, your user must:
- Tap the Scan icon. This will launch their device’s code-scanner.
- Tap Image, displayed at the bottom of their screen. This will open their device’s photo gallery.
- Select the required image (of a bar code or QR code) from the gallery. This will take them to the preview screen. Here they can either tap Cancel or Choose.
- Tap Choose to let the selected bar code or QR code be scanned. The scanned data will appear in that field’s input area.
- Enable your user to preview the input (generated on scanning a code), and control the preview duration - either close the preview automatically after a few seconds, or close the preview only when the user decides to.
- Enable form submission immediately after your user scans a code.
Supported barcode and QR code formats
Zoho Creator native mobile app supports scanning barcodes of the following formats:
- AZTEC (Only in iOS)
- CODE_39
- CODE_93
- CODE_128
- CODE39MOD43 (Only in iOS)
- CODABAR (Only in Android)
- DATA MATRIX
- EAN_8
- EAN_13
- ITF_14
- INTERLEAVED 2 of 5 (Only in iOS)
- PDF_417
- QR CODE
- UPC_A (Only in Android)
- UPC_E
- RSS_14 (Only in Android)
- RSS_EXPANDED (Only in Android)
