orca-lookup-dotnet

This open source project is a an example of how to scan barcodes using a smartphone and present data from your system using C# and the ASP.NET Core framework.

How it works:

A user scans a barcode using their smartphone
Orca Scan sends a HTTP GET request to your endpoint with ?barcode=value
Your system queries a database or internal API for a barcode match
Your system returns the data in JSON format with keys matching column names
The Orca Scan mobile app presents that data to the user

If the mobile user has update permission and saves the data, it will saved to your Orca sheet.

Install

First ensure you have .NET Core 3.1 installed.

# should return 3.1.402 or similar
dotnet --version

Then execute the following:

# download this example code
git clone https://github.com/orca-scan/orca-lookup-dotnet.git

# go into the new directory
cd orca-lookup-dotnet

# install dependencies
dotnet restore

Run

# start the project
dotnet run

Visit http://localhost:5000?barcode=4S3BMHB68B3286050 to see the following:

{
    "VIN": "4S3BMHB68B3286050",
    "Make": "SUBARU",
    "Model": "Legacy",
    "Manufacturer Name": "FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES U.S.A",
    "Vehicle Type": "PASSENGER CAR",
    "Year": 1992
}

How this example works

This project is broken into two parts a controller to handle the incoming request:

[HttpGet]
public JsonResult Get()
{
    // get the incoming barcode sent from Orca Scan (scanned by a user)
    string barcode = HttpContext.Request.Query["barcode"].ToString();

    // TODO: query a database or API to retrieve some data

    // hydrate model (property names must match column names when serialised)
    var result = new OrcaLookupModel(){
        Vin = barcode,
        Make = "SUBARU",
        Model = "Legacy",
        ManufacturerName = "FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES U.S.A",
        VehicleType = "PASSENGER CAR",
        Year = 1992
    };

    // return data to Orca as a JSON object
    return new JsonResult(result);
}

And a model used to return data to Orca Scan in a structure that matches your sheet:

// IMPORTANT: JSON property names must match Orca sheet column names when serialised
public class OrcaLookupModel {

    [JsonPropertyName("VIN")]
    public string Vin { get; set; }

    [JsonPropertyName("Make")]
    public string Make { get; set; }

    [JsonPropertyName("Model")]
    public string Model { get; set; }

    [JsonPropertyName("Manufacturer Name")]
    public string ManufacturerName { get; set; }

    [JsonPropertyName("Vehicle Type")]
    public string VehicleType { get; set; }

    [JsonPropertyName("Year")]
    public int Year { get; set; }
}

Troubleshooting

If you run into any issues not listed here, please open a ticket and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

The current .NET SDK does not support targeting .NET Core 3.1 This example uses .NET Core 3.1, upgrade and try again.

orca-scan/orca-lookup-dotnet

orca-lookup-dotnet

Install

Run

How this example works

Troubleshooting

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