Set up bar code masks

Set up bar code mask characters

Bar code masks are used to create bar codes and to quickly identify bar codes that are scanned into the point of sale (POS). Masks are comprised of characters which act as placeholders that indicate the format for the bar codes that will be created.

To configure a bar code mask, you need to set up bar code mask characters. Go to Retail and commerce > Inventory management > Barcodes and labels > Mask characters. Click New to create bar code mask characters. Mask characters can be created to indicate the following bar code data.

Field	Description
Product	Placeholder for product ID.
Any number	Used to specify a number that will be hard coded in bar codes.
Check digit	Indicates that the bar code format in a bar code mask uses a check digit to confirm the validity of a bar code.
Size digit	Indicates size in a bar code created for a product variant which includes size.
Color digit	Indicates color in a bar code created for a product variant which includes color.
Style digit	Indicates style in a bar code created for a product variant which includes a style.
EAN license code	Placeholder for EAN license issued for EAN license codes.
Price	Indicates price for price embedded bar codes.
Quantity	Indicates quantity in quantity/random weight embedded bar codes.
Employee	Indicates bar code segment for employee ID number used for bar code POS login.
Customer	Indicates customer ID segment.
Data entry	Not yet implemented.
Discount code	Indicates discount code for a bar code that’s used to add a discount to a point of sale transaction
Gift card	Indicates a gift card number when issuing or paying by gift card.
Loyalty card	Adds a loyalty customer to the transaction, and can be used when paying by loyalty.

Define bar code masks

After bar code mask characters are specified for the necessary bar code masks, go to Retail and commerce > Inventory management > Barcodes and labels > Barcode mask setup. On this page, you can define bar code masks that use the previously specified characters. These bar code masks will be used when generating bar codes and will also help to identify bar codes scanned at the POS.

1. Click New to create a new bar code mask.
2. Enter values in the Mask ID and Description fields, and then select a bar code mask type in the Type field.
3. In the General section, select a value in the Bar code standard field, and then specify the bar code prefix, if one is required.
4. In the Bar code mask segment section, add bar code segments that will be used in the bar code to be created.

As an example, to create a bar code mask with mask ID ‘Product’, you’d do the following:

1. Create a new bar code mask and select type ‘Product’.
2. Select a bar code standard, for example, ‘Code 39’.
3. Provide a prefix to be used to easily identify the bar code. For example, ‘22’.
4. Add a mask segment. The ‘Product’ mask segment will be selected.
5. Provide a length for the product segment, for example, ‘10’. The length should match the length of a product ID commonly used in the store. The mask will be displayed as a preview in the General section under Mask.

Assign bar code masks to bar codes

Bar codes masks must be assigned to bar codes before they can be used.

Continuing with the previous example, to assign the bar code mask to a bar code, do the following:

1. Go to Organization administration > Setup > Bar codes. Click New to create a new bar code.
2. Enter values in the Barcode setup and Setup fields.
3. In the General section, in the Bar code type field, select ‘Code 39’. In the Mask ID field, select the ‘Product’ mask previously created.
4. Under Size, enter ‘12’.
5. Click Save.

The bar code mask can now be used to create bar codes for products.

The above steps are examples of how to create bar code masks for products, but they also illustrate how to create bar code masks for any of the other supported bar code types. Bar code masks, types, and lengths should be adjusted for use in your specific environment.