Using Koha 3.00 on Lenny. Problem: When adding records, the barcode does not automatically present the next sequential number. Can anyone help? Carmel Young Catholic University of Malawi.
Hi Carmel, Check that it isn't really doing it - it's a bit confusing. You expect the number to come up when you add in the item details, but it doesn't do it until after you've submitted the form the first time. Cheers Rachel Carmel Young wrote:
Using Koha 3.00 on Lenny.
Problem: When adding records, the barcode does not automatically present the next sequential number. Can anyone help?
Carmel Young Catholic University of Malawi. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________________________________________ Koha mailing list Koha@lists.katipo.co.nz http://lists.katipo.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/koha
-- ----------------------------- Rachel Hamilton-Williams General Manager Katipo Communications Ltd Phone: +64-4-934 1285 Mobile: 021 389 128 E-mail: rachel@katipo.co.nz Web: www.katipo.co.nz
We're having the same problem and our autoBarcode is set to ON. I've created items and saved them and no barcode appears. Oliver D. Bernuetz, BA Adv, MLIS Information Specialist/Librarian | Specialiste de l'information/Bibliothècaire Canada/Manitoba Business Service Centre | Centre de services aux entreprises du Canada - Manitoba Western Economic Diversification | Diversification de l'économie de l'Ouest Canada P.O. Box 2609 | C.P. 2609 250-240 Graham Avenue | 240, avenue Graham, bureau 250 Winnipeg, MB R3C 4B3 Telephone | Téléphone 204-983-6182 Facsimile I Téléimprimeur 204-983-3852 Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada Government of Manitoba | Gouvernement du Manitoba _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ From: koha-bounces@lists.katipo.co.nz [mailto:koha-bounces@lists.katipo.co.nz] On Behalf Of Rachel Hamilton-Williams Sent: May 25, 2009 5:03 PM To: Carmel Young; koha Subject: Re: [Koha] automatic barcode numbers Hi Carmel, Check that it isn't really doing it - it's a bit confusing. You expect the number to come up when you add in the item details, but it doesn't do it until after you've submitted the form the first time. Cheers Rachel Carmel Young wrote: Using Koha 3.00 on Lenny. Problem: When adding records, the barcode does not automatically present the next sequential number. Can anyone help? Carmel Young Catholic University of Malawi. ________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Koha mailing list Koha@lists.katipo.co.nz http://lists.katipo.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/koha -- ----------------------------- Rachel Hamilton-Williams General Manager Katipo Communications Ltd Phone: +64-4-934 1285 Mobile: 021 389 128 E-mail: rachel@katipo.co.nz Web: www.katipo.co.nz
Hi Oliver, I confess I've never thought to try just saving the item and expecting the barcode to show up. I'm finding that it appears when you shift focus (click in or tab through the barcode box) while entering the item details. But, That doesn't really answer the question does it? I also remember it not quite playing ball and getting stuck at a particular number, but it's been a little while since I did enough cataloging to have it happen, so I've forgotten the precise details. I do remember it getting quite irate at the supposed unique number it had just picked not being unique. I haven't upgraded to the new stable version yet, and maybe it's fixed there. In previous threads on this topic it's been revealed that there are problems, particularly with the nifty looking branchYYMMNNN form and that fixing this code is fairly low priority. The fixes offered have been 1) just don't use it, 2) sponsor one of the developers to fix it, 3) buy some premade barcodes and scan them in at the time of cataloguing. I've been using the branchYYMMNNN one (which is apparently the worst of the lot), and because I only get to do a little bit at once, I'm able to remember what the last obok was (and hence the last barcode) and fix the subsequent ones. Which is annoying but not that time consuming. I also found that it became unconfused when the month changed (for a while). Mayphaps this helps a bit. (although probably not) ramon/custard On 26/05/2009, at 9:41 PM, Oliver Bernuetz wrote:
We're having the same problem and our autoBarcode is set to ON. I've created items and saved them and no barcode appears.
Oliver D. Bernuetz, BA Adv, MLIS Information Specialist/Librarian | Specialiste de l'information/ Bibliothècaire
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ From: koha-bounces@lists.katipo.co.nz [mailto:koha-bounces@lists.katipo.co.nz ] On Behalf Of Rachel Hamilton-Williams Sent: May 25, 2009 5:03 PM To: Carmel Young; koha Subject: Re: [Koha] automatic barcode numbers
Hi Carmel,
Check that it isn't really doing it - it's a bit confusing.
You expect the number to come up when you add in the item details, but it doesn't do it until after you've submitted the form the first time.
Cheers Rachel
Carmel Young wrote: Using Koha 3.00 on Lenny.
Problem: When adding records, the barcode does not automatically present the next sequential number. Can anyone help?
Carmel Young Catholic University of Malawi.
Ramon -- Correct, it is not possible to mix and match barcode types and expect everything to work. This problem cannot be "fixed", because the proposed use is the broken part. To understand what I mean, think of the logical dimensions of the problem. The autopopulation question is "what is the next value?" So we have to ask "what is the current MAX value?". But what if the MAX value is not a valid barcode according to the current format? Then Koha can't answer correctly. Each barcode format has a defined namespace of valid values, so you might think "we'll only look for the max of currently valid values". But those namespaces collide. For example, a system (like Plano ISD) can use numerical branch codes. So branchYYMMNNN might look like 1050905001. That would also be a valid incremental barcode. And anyway, running a regexp on say 200,000 items (or more) just to figure out what the next barcode value should be is a fundamentally dumb way to design a system, performance-wise. That's why the bottom line, for me anyway, is not to use anything but incremental. Then when we ask for MAX(barcode) we just get the top value from the mysql index of that column's values. In short, the intent of a barcode is to be a *machine identifier*. The barcode label when printed can now include arbitrary text for human consumption including the branch code, branch name, date acquired, etc. so there is no longer any reason to put that stuff into the barcode itself. -- Joe Atzberger LibLime - Open Source Library Solutions On Wed, May 27, 2009 at 7:05 PM, Ramon Andinach <custard@westnet.com.au>wrote:
Hi Oliver,
I confess I've never thought to try just saving the item and expecting the barcode to show up. I'm finding that it appears when you shift focus (click in or tab through the barcode box) while entering the item details.
But,
That doesn't really answer the question does it? I also remember it not quite playing ball and getting stuck at a particular number, but it's been a little while since I did enough cataloging to have it happen, so I've forgotten the precise details. I do remember it getting quite irate at the supposed unique number it had just picked not being unique.
I haven't upgraded to the new stable version yet, and maybe it's fixed there. In previous threads on this topic it's been revealed that there are problems, particularly with the nifty looking branchYYMMNNN form and that fixing this code is fairly low priority. The fixes offered have been 1) just don't use it, 2) sponsor one of the developers to fix it, 3) buy some premade barcodes and scan them in at the time of cataloguing.
I've been using the branchYYMMNNN one (which is apparently the worst of the lot), and because I only get to do a little bit at once, I'm able to remember what the last obok was (and hence the last barcode) and fix the subsequent ones. Which is annoying but not that time consuming. I also found that it became unconfused when the month changed (for a while).
Mayphaps this helps a bit. (although probably not)
ramon/custard
On 26/05/2009, at 9:41 PM, Oliver Bernuetz wrote:
We're having the same problem and our autoBarcode is set to ON. I've created items and saved them and no barcode appears.
Oliver D. Bernuetz, BA Adv, MLIS Information Specialist/Librarian | Specialiste de l'information/ Bibliothècaire
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From: koha-bounces@lists.katipo.co.nz [mailto: koha-bounces@lists.katipo.co.nz ] On Behalf Of Rachel Hamilton-Williams Sent: May 25, 2009 5:03 PM To: Carmel Young; koha Subject: Re: [Koha] automatic barcode numbers
Hi Carmel,
Check that it isn't really doing it - it's a bit confusing.
You expect the number to come up when you add in the item details, but it doesn't do it until after you've submitted the form the first time.
Cheers Rachel
Carmel Young wrote: Using Koha 3.00 on Lenny.
Problem: When adding records, the barcode does not automatically present the next sequential number. Can anyone help?
Carmel Young Catholic University of Malawi.
_______________________________________________ Koha mailing list Koha@lists.katipo.co.nz http://lists.katipo.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/koha
Hi Joe, Thanks for the reply. I understand the idea of machine identifier but, as you can probably tell from my choice of the given options for auto-barcodes, I tend to prefer things that mean something. This is especially true for number based codes. BranchYYMMNNNN is an option (or at least was in 3.0.0 stable), so I took it. If it isn't - then why is it there? I agree that getting Koha to go through the entire catalogue and look for the max value is dumb. When Koha got stuck for a couple of weeks and forgot how to increment, I wrote down the last barcode number that was added and then incremented that each time. Surely something like that would be much less intensive, than having to go rummaging through the whole database each time. ie. for incrmented numbers (which mine is), you don't need to ask "what's the current MAX value?" You just need to ask (and have Koha remember) "what was the last value, for the branch I'm dealing with?" I don't code well, but I'd imagine that this would take maybe a row or two attached to each branch you were looking after. -ramon (assuming that people like sequential numbers, and that the rest of you don't mind non-codeing folk making suggestions) On 28/05/2009, at 8:58 AM, Joe Atzberger wrote:
Ramon --
Correct, it is not possible to mix and match barcode types and expect everything to work. This problem cannot be "fixed", because the proposed use is the broken part. To understand what I mean, think of the logical dimensions of the problem. The autopopulation question is "what is the next value?" So we have to ask "what is the current MAX value?". But what if the MAX value is not a valid barcode according to the current format? Then Koha can't answer correctly.
Each barcode format has a defined namespace of valid values, so you might think "we'll only look for the max of currently valid values". But those namespaces collide. For example, a system (like Plano ISD) can use numerical branch codes. So branchYYMMNNN might look like 1050905001. That would also be a valid incremental barcode. And anyway, running a regexp on say 200,000 items (or more) just to figure out what the next barcode value should be is a fundamentally dumb way to design a system, performance-wise.
That's why the bottom line, for me anyway, is not to use anything but incremental. Then when we ask for MAX(barcode) we just get the top value from the mysql index of that column's values.
In short, the intent of a barcode is to be a machine identifier. The barcode label when printed can now include arbitrary text for human consumption including the branch code, branch name, date acquired, etc. so there is no longer any reason to put that stuff into the barcode itself.
-- Joe Atzberger LibLime - Open Source Library Solutions
On Wed, May 27, 2009 at 7:05 PM, Ramon Andinach <custard@westnet.com.au
wrote: Hi Oliver,
I confess I've never thought to try just saving the item and expecting the barcode to show up. I'm finding that it appears when you shift focus (click in or tab through the barcode box) while entering the item details.
But,
That doesn't really answer the question does it? I also remember it not quite playing ball and getting stuck at a particular number, but it's been a little while since I did enough cataloging to have it happen, so I've forgotten the precise details. I do remember it getting quite irate at the supposed unique number it had just picked not being unique.
I haven't upgraded to the new stable version yet, and maybe it's fixed there. In previous threads on this topic it's been revealed that there are problems, particularly with the nifty looking branchYYMMNNN form and that fixing this code is fairly low priority. The fixes offered have been 1) just don't use it, 2) sponsor one of the developers to fix it, 3) buy some premade barcodes and scan them in at the time of cataloguing.
I've been using the branchYYMMNNN one (which is apparently the worst of the lot), and because I only get to do a little bit at once, I'm able to remember what the last obok was (and hence the last barcode) and fix the subsequent ones. Which is annoying but not that time consuming. I also found that it became unconfused when the month changed (for a while).
Mayphaps this helps a bit. (although probably not)
ramon/custard
On 26/05/2009, at 9:41 PM, Oliver Bernuetz wrote:
We're having the same problem and our autoBarcode is set to ON. I've created items and saved them and no barcode appears.
Oliver D. Bernuetz, BA Adv, MLIS Information Specialist/Librarian | Specialiste de l'information/ Bibliothècaire
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From: koha-bounces@lists.katipo.co.nz [mailto:koha-bounces@lists.katipo.co.nz ] On Behalf Of Rachel Hamilton-Williams Sent: May 25, 2009 5:03 PM To: Carmel Young; koha Subject: Re: [Koha] automatic barcode numbers
Hi Carmel,
Check that it isn't really doing it - it's a bit confusing.
You expect the number to come up when you add in the item details, but it doesn't do it until after you've submitted the form the first time.
Cheers Rachel
Carmel Young wrote: Using Koha 3.00 on Lenny.
Problem: When adding records, the barcode does not automatically present the next sequential number. Can anyone help?
Carmel Young Catholic University of Malawi.
_______________________________________________ Koha mailing list Koha@lists.katipo.co.nz http://lists.katipo.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/koha
participants (5)
-
Carmel Young -
Joe Atzberger -
Oliver Bernuetz -
Rachel Hamilton-Williams -
Ramon Andinach