Customising your barcode scanner fields

Columns added to your sheet via the web directly mirror the fields in the mobile app, allowing you to modify hundreds of devices remotely from any web browser. No coding needed.


Field types

Field types (click to zoom)
Field types (click to zoom)

You often want to capture additional data when a barcode is scanned (this could be a photos, GPS location or quantity scanned). To do this, simply add additional fields using the Orca Scan web or mobile app.

You can choose from the following field types:

Field type Description
Modified date Displays the date in which the data was last modified
Modified by Displays the email address of the user to last update the row
Created date Displays the date in which the data was initially captured
Created by Displays the email address of the user that created the row
GPS location Inserts the device latitude and longitude values when tapping the GPS icon.
Number (auto-increase) Has the same attributes as the Number field and automatically increases the quantity by +1 for every scan.
True/false boolean Displays as a YES / NO button and inserts a value of TRUE or FALSE in the final dataset.
Email Has a normal text entry but will only accept the entry of an email format.
Text field Can contain text and numbers of any form. It also includes a barcode icon to open the camera and scan a barcode into the field.
Drop-down list Lets you define a preset list of options that users can choose one option from.
Date (automatic) Inserts or updates the date value automatically on scan.
GPS location (automatic) Inserts or updates the device latitude and longitude values automatically on scan.
Date Inserts a date value when tapping the calendar icon. You can configure the timezone format for each sheet.
Number Has plus and minus buttons to increase/decrease the quantity. Shows the deltas in yellow next to the quantity for ease of calculation.
Number (auto-decrease) Has the same attributes as the Number field and automatically decreases the quantity by -1 for every scan.
Date Time (automatic) Inserts or updates the date and time value automatically on scan.
Date Time Inserts a date & time value when tapping the calendar icon.
Time Inserts a time stamp when tapping the field.

Field settings

Each field also has additional settings that alter how they behave inside the mobile app. The options are:

Setting Description
Searchable in mobile list Allows users to search by this value in the mobile list.
Auto focus Upon scan, the app will go to this field and open the keyboard to prepare for entry. It allows you to control the flow of entries.
Auto select value Will mark an existing value with the cursor to quickly delete or overwrite.
Required Users must provide a value to save and continue.
Empty on scan Does not populate previously entered values, making it easy to enter new values. This is useful when tracking entries with the audit trails.
Show in mobile list Will display these values in the main list of items. Often, people will use descriptions rather than the actual barcode numbers.
Hidden Hides the entire field from mobile users.
Read only The field is greyed out and mobile users are unable to edit the value.

Hidden fields

The Hidden setting hides the field from mobile users. It’s useful when dealing with sensitive data or removing fields users don’t need to see.

For instance, many users hide the Barcode field as it is rarely important for the end-user to see it.


Read-only fields

The Read-only setting greys out the value in a field and keeps users from changing the values. This is useful when populating data only for informational purposes, like prices or descriptions.

Field with Read-only setting active
Field with Read-only setting active

Show in mobile list

You can set which fields you would like to be displayed in the mobile list:

Example of barcode and quantity in mobile list
Example of barcode and quantity in mobile list

Required fields

Setting a field to required forces the user to enter a value before they can save and continue.

Important: the setting only applies when fields are empty. If users are scanning the same items repeatedly, consider enabling the Empty on scan setting to force the user to enter a new value on each scan.

Error message for required fields
Error message for required fields

Empty fields

The Empty on scan setting ensures that the data in the Cloud sheet never populate for the mobile user.

It’s useful when a new entry is required by users that scan the same barcode. It’s often used with the Audit trail that logs all the entries in individual rows.


Next steps


Questions about configuring the fields?

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