Symbol DS 3408, Product Reference Manual

Page: 249 / 406

Chapter 15 Advanced Data Formatting
Introduction
Advanced Data Formatting (ADF) is a means of customizing data before transmission to the host device. Scan
data can be edited to suit particular requirements.
ADF can be implemented through scanning a related series of bar codes, which begin on page 15-6 , or by
installing the 123Scan utility (see Chapter 12, 123 Scan ) which allows the digital scanner to be setup and
programmed with Advanced Data Formatting (ADF) Rules.
Avoid using ADF formatting with bar codes containing more than 60 characters. To add a prefix or suffix value for
such bar codes, use Add Prefix/Suffix setting. Using ADF with longer bar codes transmits the bar code in segments
of length 252 or less (depending on the host selected), and applies the rule to each segment.
Rules: Criteria Linked to Actions
In ADF, data is customized through rules . These rules perform detailed actions when the data meets certain
criteria. One rule may consist of single or multiple criteria applied to single or multiple actions.
For instance, a data formatting rule could be the following:
Criteria: When scan data is Code 39, length 12,
and data at the start position is the string “129”
,
Actions: pad all sends with zeros to length 8,
send all data up to X
,
send a space.
If a Code 39 bar code of 1299X1559828 is scanned, the following is transmitted: 00001299<space>. If a Code 39
bar code of 1299X15598 is scanned, this rule is ignored because the length criteria has not been met.
The rule specifies the editing conditions and requirements before data transmission occurs.
NOTE If using the Wand interface with the digital scanner, in order to use ADF rules to format data, first enable
Convert All Bar Codes to Code 39 on page 10-7 .