Using Barcodes for naming people in photos?

[leeb]

bit of an odd one, but thats what makes this place tick!

I need to name people within photographs (think school classes, and whole year groups) At present this is done using the old fashioned polaroid and naming one by one approach. Needs to change.

What i need to do, is use the information from an excel spreadsheet, and link this to a barcode that i can hand to them with their details and then collect from the person as they come down from the photograph in order. Then process this information to convert the data back to names to print under the photo.

I am hunting google, and have been for a while, but google doesnt understand all of the above.

Does anyone do this? and if co would you be so kind as to explain how, or anyone recommend any programme i could utilise, maybe change a bit to fit the above.

Many Thanks

Lee

[Frik]

There'll be loads of little programs for generating barcodes on somewhere like download.com.

Just put "barcode" into the search bar.

[hawkaye]

hello, I used to work with barcodes a few years back, code39 was the ones we used, (pretty standard barcodes). I found this site which might lead you on the right path?

[nick_bbb]

Barcodes are available as a font so it's easy

[Simpo Two]

Call me a pragmatist but the idea of:

'Name?'
'Bloggs'

...seems pretty unbeatable to me. My diary, constructed of paper, in which I write with a pencil, has never crashed or had flat batteries in 20 years, unlike my PDA-equipped friends!

[leeb]

Simpo Two said:

Call me a pragmatist but the idea of:

'Name?'
'Bloggs'

...seems pretty unbeatable to me. My diary, constructed of paper, in which I write with a pencil, has never crashed or had flat batteries in 20 years, unlike my PDA-equipped friends!

Agreed, but on a tight time scale, and getting through 15 - 20 groups in a morning, some of which up to 60 people, its not as easy as that. We have tried various ways, and been advised that the easiest way around it is via a barcode system, i have just never used them or created/read them so its totally new.

[leeb]

hawkaye said:

hello, I used to work with barcodes a few years back, code39 was the ones we used, (pretty standard barcodes). I found this site which might lead you on the right path?

that read as hlfsfaf lkajshduiyr jkasdffu asjnkavn.

think i need to have a look when im not so tired to try and get my head around it, im sure its plain and simple, will read it again tomorrow.
thanks mate

[Simpo Two]

leeb said:

We have tried various ways, and been advised that the easiest way around it is via a barcode system

Ah, got it! This cuts out the data input stage:

Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 19th February 22:29

[DIW35]

Could you not assign each photo position within the group a number, cross referenced to your spreadsheet?

[leeb]

DIW35 said:

Could you not assign each photo position within the group a number, cross referenced to your spreadsheet?

That may be possible, we tried doing a simple drag and drop where the teacher dragged the name into the position when we were putting the group up, caused all sorts of confusion on their part, so we couldnt go forward with that idea.

They can send us an excel spreadsheet which has 3 fields, forename, surname and form. What i need to do is convert the first 2 columns (forename and surname) into a barcode format i can hand to the person when they arrive. it then doesnt matter where they stand in the group and i collect the barcode slips one at a time in the order they come down. Bleeping them in after the job to re-convert the data into the forname and surname in order. Does this make any sence? apologies if not.

What i dont understand is the way to convert the data first into the 'CODE 39' barcode, and then if i need a special programme to decode it after and transfer it into possibly a word document in order.

please forgive my current lack of understanding, all help is very much appreciated.

[leeb]

hawkaye said:

hello, I used to work with barcodes a few years back, code39 was the ones we used, (pretty standard barcodes). I found this site which might lead you on the right path?

i may be getting somewhere with this (using excel by the way), i have downloaded and installed the barcode as a font. i can type info in and it looks close. what i need to do is type in a 'formula' i presume, for it to copy the info from cells A1 and B1 for example, into the barcode field. i tried with the asterix's but the only way i can get the right info below is to type it. which defeats the object. We are getting somewhere, but i am clearly making some silly mistake somewhere.

thanks again

[pauljc]

leeb said:

They can send us an excel spreadsheet which has 3 fields, forename, surname and form. What i need to do is convert the first 2 columns (forename and surname) into a barcode format i can hand to the person when they arrive. it then doesnt matter where they stand in the group and i collect the barcode slips one at a time in the order they come down. Bleeping them in after the job to re-convert the data into the forname and surname in order. Does this make any sence? apologies if not.

Maybe I'm not getting this but as I see it they give you the names etc and you convert them into barcode format which you hand out when they arrive then collect this as they leave their position in the group photo and convert the bar code info back into their name. Why not just give them a print out of their name etc (and maybe a reference number) which you later collect and forget the barcode stage altogether?

Edited by pauljc on Wednesday 20th February 08:31

[leeb]

pauljc said:

leeb said:

They can send us an excel spreadsheet which has 3 fields, forename, surname and form. What i need to do is convert the first 2 columns (forename and surname) into a barcode format i can hand to the person when they arrive. it then doesnt matter where they stand in the group and i collect the barcode slips one at a time in the order they come down. Bleeping them in after the job to re-convert the data into the forname and surname in order. Does this make any sence? apologies if not.

Maybe I'm not getting this but as I see it they give you the names etc and you convert them into barcode format which you hand out when they arrive then collect this as they leave their position in the group photo and convert the bar code info back into their name. Why not just give them a print out of their name etc (and maybe a reference number) which you later collect and forget the barcode stage altogether?

Edited by pauljc on Wednesday 20th February 08:31

As you see it, is what we are trying to achieve, yes.

This is an option, only possible problem i can see is that it is then a case of either dragging each name from excel into a word document to print the names or re-typing them into the document to print under the picture. The main thinking behind the barcode, was that after the initial set up is sorted and worked out, then its just a case of 'bleeping' the information in, saving and printing and it will all be in the order they were in the group. meaning a much quicker and more efficient process the other end. But i am wide open to suggestions such as this mate, i appreciate all the input and ideas i can get.

i have worked out the formula for what i need to type in to get the barcode to read as the name, when i drag and copy the fromula down the page, it copies the text and barcode from the original field into all the others, its only when you click it that it confirms it is looking for the right cells, just hasnt transfered the text or barcode until you press enter in that cell.

[DIW35]

The only flaw in your plan is that, kids being kids, they're bouns to swap barcodes with each other before handing them back in.

[leeb]

Very True, thats what i would have done haha

[leeb]

sorry to drag this one up again guys, i am getting somewhere, but have another slight issue.

i have worked out how to create the barcodes, also printing, scanning and creating the space between first and surnames, all cracked!

only thing i can work out, is every time i scan a code, it automatically jumps down a line or a cell in excel. i really want it to go across one, to continue scanning in a row and not a column.

any clues?

[nelly111s]

There's a setting in Excel somewhere (I'm on a Mac at present and can't check) that alters the return key from "down" to "across". Try that.

Nelly

[stigmundfreud]

I dont get it, how does handing them a barcode instead of a name tag help at all? Whoever advised you this has probably a vested intrest in a product to sell you/supply support for - or is the kind of person that has star trek on back catalog Betamax which are now being encoded onto HDDVD

Its a disaster waiting to happen.

[leeb]

stigmundfreud said:

I dont get it, how does handing them a barcode instead of a name tag help at all? Whoever advised you this has probably a vested intrest in a product to sell you/supply support for - or is the kind of person that has star trek on back catalog Betamax which are now being encoded onto HDDVD

Its a disaster waiting to happen.

sorry for the delay, just noticed your post.

It makes it easier when we are putting the information back into the computer to print the names under the photo. using a barcode, if done how we hope means we just bleep the barcodes in order, automatically filling in the first and surname and then onto the next. This eliminates the need for someone to sit and type the names after the event. Using the name slips would work, but would mean a typist having to transfer the information in.

Found out how to move the fields across in excel rather than down, but it makes the final list look wrong as every name has to fit in the field and starts at a certain point on each line. I need to ideally do it in word and just populate it as if it were typed until the end of that line.

cheers