Match String

Match String will attempt to match to the decoded data. (It will not attempt to match to the Formatted Output Data).

 

Note: Match String can only be used in Triggered, Start/Stop, and Custom modes. It cannot be used in Presentation or Continuous modes.

 

To open the Match String Editor, go to the Setup view and turn Match String ON as shown below.

 

Then click on the Mode link (shown as Standard in the example below) to open the Match String Editor.

 

 

In the Match String Editor, click on the Mode link under Match Options to select your Match String Mode – Standard, Wildcard, or Sequential.

 

 

Standard, Wildcard, and Sequential Modes

Standard mode allows you to match total or partial barcodes by defining strings in the Match String Database.

 

Wildcard mode allows you to create custom matches using wildcards and placeholders.

 

A wildcard is a single character that can act as 0 or more characters. A placeholder is a character that can substitute for exactly one character.

 

Sequential mode instructs the reader to read symbols or portions of symbols in a sequential order.

 

 

Standard Mode

 

Select Match All under Settings for Match String.

 

Under Match String Database, input the exact decoded data as it appears when you scan the barcode. Match All is working correctly if it successfully matches a barcode of the same length and character sequence that you input in the Match String Database.

 

Now select Partial Match under Settings for Match String. Choose a start position and length based on the barcode you’re scanning.

 

Partial Match works by using the Start and Length fields and attempting to match the exact portion of text defined in the Match String Database in that location.

 

For example, if the decoded symbol data is 1234567, Start=1, Length=2, and the input in the Match String Database is 12, the match would be successful because characters 12 are in the portion of the barcode data defined by the Start and Length fields.

 

Try achieving several of your own Partial Matches on several portions of your barcode data, changing the Start and Length fields each time.

 

In both Match All and Partial Match, you can output custom text upon a successful or unsuccessful match. These fields can be activated and edited by clicking on Match Replace and Mismatch Replace.

 

If you enter several inputs into the Match String Database, the application will attempt to match all of them. If one match is successful, then the other failures are ignored, and the match is considered successful.

 

 

Wildcard Mode

 

Wildcard mode gives you the ability to use wildcards and placeholders to search for matches. By default the Wildcard is * and the Placeholder is ?

 

You can use these wildcard and placeholder definitions when they input text into the Match String Database.

 

A wildcard represents zero or more characters of any type. For instance, *TEST* looks for the text "TEST" in barcode data with any amount of characters before or after it.

 

*TEST looks for the text "TEST" in barcode data with any number of characters before it, but "TEST" at the end.

 

TEST* looks for the text "TEST" at the beginning of the barcode data, with any number of characters after it.

 

If you had a barcode with data 1234567 and tried to match to the entire data string using 123*, you would have a successful match..

 

If you tried to match that same barcode data using *123, you would be unsuccessful because 123 appears at the beginning of the barcode, and this data string matches the code with 123 at the end of the barcode. It’s important to remember that the wildcard character * always stands for zero or more unknown characters.

 

Now try to match a portion of the barcode you’re scanning by using *YOURTEXT*. If the text "YOURTEXT" appears somewhere in the middle of the barcode, the match will be successful.

 

A placeholder represents one character of any type. For example, ???TEST tries to match a barcode that contains three characters of any type followed by the text "TEST". ???TE?T attempts to match a barcode that contains an unknown character where the 'S' previously appeared.

 

Placeholders and wildcards can also be used together in the Match String Database input fields. The concepts of both are still the same: a wildcard represents zero or more unknown characters, and a placeholder represents exactly one unknown character.

 

An example of a complex match using wildcards is shown below. Recall that wildcards and placeholders are * and ? by default, but they can be redefined.

 

 

The barcode data the example above was attempting to match was EN-1234_AreYouReadingThis en_US 1234.

 

The logic of this match is diagrammed below.

 

[ANY AMOUNT OF CHARACTERS][ARE][ANY AMOUNT OF CHARACTERS][THIS][ANY AMOUNT OF CHARACTERS][US][5 CHARACTERS]

 

* = Any amount of characters (EN-1234_ in this case)

 

Are

 

* = Any amount of characters (YouReading in this case)

 

This                 

 

* = Any amount of characters ( en_ in this case)

 

US

 

????? = 5 Characters ( 1234 in this case)

 

 

Sequential Mode

 

Sequential mode instructs the reader to read symbols or portions of symbols in a sequential order.

 

When Sequencing mode is set to increment: For every good read, the reader will increment the number it’s looking for by 1 (this can be adjusted in Advanced Settings > Match String > Matchcode Type > Sequence Step Interval), for the next symbol.

 

When Sequencing mode is set to decrement: For every good read, the reader will decrement the number it’s looking for by 1 (this can be adjusted in Advanced Settings > Match String > Matchcode Type > Sequence Step Interval), for the next symbol.

 

When Sequence on No Read is enabled, the reader will increment or decrement even when the reader is uable to decode a symbol.

 

When Sequence on Mismatch is enabled, the reader will increment or decrement even when the reader decodes a symbol, but doesn't match the current number it was looking for.

 

Note: If Matchcode Type is set to Sequential, the reader will behave as if Number of Symbols were set to 1, regardless of the user-defined configuration.

 

Match String Database

The Match String Database can hold up to 30 different strings.