orca-lookup-node

This open source project is a an example of how to scan barcodes using a smartphone and present data from your system using Express and Node.js.

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 Node.js installed.

# should return 11 or higher
node -v

Then execute the following:

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

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

# install dependencies
npm install

Run

# start the project
npm start

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

One of the great things about node/express is that you can setup and respond to an incoming HTTP request in just a few lines of code. This example below accepts a HTTP GET request with barcode as a query string parameter and returns some data:

app.get('/', function (req, res) {

    // get the incoming barcode sent from Orca Scan (scanned by a user)
    var barcode = req.query.barcode;

    // TODO: query a database or API to retrieve some data based on barcode value

    // create an object to return (property names must match column names)
    var dataToReturn = {
        Vin: barcode,
        Make: 'SUBARU',
        Model: 'Legacy',
        'Manufacturer Name': 'FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES U.S.A',
        'Vehicle Type': 'PASSENGER CAR',
        Year: 1992
    };

    // return data to Orca as a JSON object
    res.json(dataToReturn);
});

Please note: JSON keys must match Orca column names, otherwise your data will not appear in the app

Troubleshooting

If you run into any issues please open a ticket and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Examples in other langauges

History

For change-log, check releases.

orca-scan/orca-lookup-node