preston broad - Barcode Transfer Tool

The Challenge

During my time in retail, I discovered that the standard process for transferring stock between branches was unnecessarily time-consuming. The procedure involved:

Clicking into an input field
Pressing forward slash
Scanning the barcode
Hitting enter
Entering the quantity
Moving to the next input

For large transfers, this repetitive process could take 15-20 minutes, with each item requiring multiple keystrokes and clicks. When you’re transferring 50+ items, those seconds add up quickly.

The Excel Solution

When I realized we could upload PDE files to initiate transfers, I began searching for a solution to quickly convert barcodes into the required format. The breakthrough came when I found a function provided by Kudos (our application development company):

=A3&REPT(" ",(14-(LEN(A3))))&C3&" "&B3

This formula works by:

Taking the barcode from column A
Adding exactly enough spaces to make it 14 characters long
Adding the branch code from column C
Adding a space and the quantity from column B

From Excel to Web App

For years, I used this method - scanning barcodes into Excel and using this function to convert them into the correct format. While this was already much faster than the standard process, it still wasn’t entirely user-friendly and required technical knowledge. Things could still go wrong if the formula was accidentally modified or if spaces were incorrectly added.

I had the idea for a simple web application a long time ago - something that would handle all the technical aspects behind the scenes and let staff focus solely on scanning items. I’m excited to finally share that I’ve created exactly that.

The Result

The web-based tool removes all the technical barriers:

No more Excel formulas
No manual formatting
No risk of incorrect spacing
Just scan and go

What previously took 15-20 minutes can now be done in under a minute. Just scan each item rapidly, and the tool handles everything else. A transfer of 50 items that would have taken 20 minutes in the old system can now be completed in about 30 seconds.

Making It Reliable

The tool includes several features to prevent errors and improve the user experience:

Daily transfer history tracking for easy reference
Ability to quickly undo accidental clearings
Automatic save of current work in case of browser crashes
Clear confirmation dialogs for important actions
Simple way to remove individual items if scanned incorrectly
Descriptive filenames that include source branch and timestamp

This project represents what I love about development - taking complex processes and making them simple and accessible for everyone to use, while ensuring the solution is robust and reliable.