Barcode scanning

Scanning is the primary sell path at the register. The barcode box under the tile grid accepts any keyboard-wedge scanner - one that types the code and sends Enter - as well as typed entries, and it is engineered so an error can never break a run of back-to-back scans.

Where scans come from

Bitta Retail POS resolves a scanned code in a fixed order:

1. Business Central Item References of type Bar Code - the authoritative scan source. These are the same Item Reference records you maintain for the rest of Business Central.
2. Weighted and price-embedded barcodes - parsed through Barcode Setup, with the embedded item code resolved through Item References.
3. Legacy POS Item Barcode - the older per-POS-item barcode field, kept as a fallback for existing customers.
4. POS Item No. - typing the item number itself also works.

Because Item References are the source of truth, one item can carry many barcodes, and each reference can carry a Variant Code and a Unit of Measure. A scan of a variant GTIN registered with an alternate unit of measure adds a line for exactly that item, variant, and unit, with the selling price converted through the item's Qty. per Unit of Measure. See Barcode setup for maintaining references and formats, and Item variants for the variant side.

What a scan does

1. Scan, or type the code and press Enter. The box clears and keeps focus.
2. A matching item is added to the cart as one unit (or the quantity embedded in a weighted barcode).
3. Scanning an already-carted item merges into that line's quantity. Merging is keyed on the item plus variant pair, so a scan of the medium blue shirt never merges into the large red one.
4. The selection is revalidated server-side - assortment, saleability, blocked state, variant, unit of measure, and reference identity - before the line is added.

Normal scans price through the standard engine, including Business Central price lists and eligible automatic discounts. A price-embedded barcode is intentionally different: its embedded price is applied as an explicit, frozen barcode-price override.

Weighted and price-embedded barcodes

Prefix-coded barcode formats - defined on POS Barcode Setups - can carry an item code plus a quantity (weight) and/or a price inside the scan, the way a deli or produce scale prints them. The register parses the format, resolves the item through its Item Reference, and adds the line immediately with the embedded quantity or price. No scale connection is needed.

Scanning an identity-only barcode for a sold-by-weight item is different: it opens the weight-capture surface so the weight can be read from a connected scale or entered manually where policy allows. See the Scale and weighed items lab.

When a scan does not resolve

• Unknown barcode: an inline red alert appears next to the scan box ("No POS item matches barcode..."), never a dialog. The alert clears on your next keystroke, on the next successful add, or after 8 seconds - and the scan box is refocused, so the next scan still lands and works.
• Duplicate references: if more than one active Item Reference matches the same code, the scan is rejected instead of picking one arbitrarily. Fix the duplicate in Barcode setup.
• Expired references: a reference outside its valid dates is ignored.

Focus behavior

The register's design rule is that the next scan always lands in the scan box:

• Every action button refocuses the scan box immediately after firing, and again when the server answers.
• Modal overlays (tender screen, variant chooser, quantity keypad) blur the scan box while open, so a scan gun firing mid-dialog cannot change the cart underneath. Escape closes the overlay and restores focus.
• Price check mode is the exception: the card keeps scan focus so you can check item after item without touching the screen.