Code stickers for non-UPC books

[Fred Slota]

Have I mentioned I'm a new Zappy Zap user?

 

Is there a function for printing a bar code sticker (for a bag) for comics without UPCs?  How does one do it?  What form of sticker should it be printed on?

 

And, because I'm curious, what magic number/code does it generate to print?

[Steven L. Dasinger]

Use Report->Price Labels
In the list of check-boxes, there is 'Include barcodes'

This will include a CB generated barcode on the label.

Not sure of the exact composition.  Here is what the scanner sees on the one I just generated:

B4600003D

The number is the unique issue id (even if you have mulitple issue for the same number, each will be unique).
I think the first letter can be 'A' for Books, 'B' for Comic Books, 'C' for Magazines and 'D' for Newspapers.
Not sure what the last letter represents.

PS My barcode scanner read the generated barcode with no problem.

[Fred Slota]

Does it use the item's UPC if it exists, and the Unique Issue ID if it doesn't, or does it use the Unique Issue ID all the time?

 

Am I correctly remembering that the Unique Issue ID is specific to my database?  Obviously, if I create a new issue (that has no UPC), it's going to have a locally assigned number that no one else would know of... but if I create one first locally, and it matches with an official one later created by CB, would it get an official globally recognized ID?

 

And, possibly more disturbing, if I'm working with multiple databases, am I guaranteed all barcodes will work across multiple databases, or are some printed barcodes going to be tied to a particular database?

[Steven L. Dasinger]

CB generates the UPC for each issue and doesn't use the UPC any issue may have.

Correct. IDs are only relevant to a single database. However, if you make a copy (or use a backup) of a database, then the Ids will be the same (at the time of the copy or backup).

The various Unique Ids in a database are generated by that database and are not populated through the update process.

It depends. If you add/delete issues to different databases, then you can't be sure the same Ids will be assigned to the same issues.

But if you only add/delete issues to a single database then make copy/backups, then the ids would be the same across all databases.

Theoretically, if you start with identical databases, and added Issues in the same order to them, then they should generate the same Id for the issues in each database.

I would need to know more about how you work with you databases to be more specific.

[Fred Slota]

So, if one were to maintain 2 databases that started from the same base, one where you enter all of your new and different issues, and one where you only perform weekly updates, all issues from the base would have matching IDs and matching CB barcodes, but all issues added in each would have incompatible, overlapping IDs and CB barcodes.

 

If one were to maintain separate databases of personal issues and for sale issues, CB barcodes are inoperable between the two.

 

Giving it some thought, that's how it would have to be.  The barcode would have to be a QRCode to incorporate the Title, issue #, Variant, Printing and Grade, you can still make multiple items with identical stats but with meaningful differences in, say, Purchase Price or Item Description. 

 

 

[Steven L. Dasinger]

If the same updates were applied to two different databases, they 'could' have the same Ids as they should be applied in the same order in both updates. But it is not guaranteed.

Barcode or QRCode in your database wouldn't make a difference. Both would uniquely identify an issue in a single database or could have problems over multiple databases.

The only way to get a 'common' unique code for an issue regardless of which database would be for HC to add a new column and store this unique identifier in the master database which would then Update everyone's databases with the same unique number.  Even then, due to human error, there could be problems with that method.

The only real way to use barcodes with multiple databases is to print the barcode labels from both databases.

[Fred Slota]

Or have a custom text field that could be used to generate as a personal printable and searchable UPC field that could be synchronized between multiple personal databases.  

 

Also, on the basis of this conversation, guess there would be no point in making a suggestion for a new official field for if the UPC is no the front cover or not, to support selecting printing barcode labels only for books without front-facing UPCs.