Accessory Application for Pendragon Forms

Scanning Devices Inc.
Sensors, Instruments and Controls
Auto-Identification Systems and Integration

111 Terrace Hall Avenue
Burlington, Massachusetts (USA) 01803
1-781-272-5135
FAX: 1-781-272-4856
US Eastern Time GMT - 5:00
Email us: mail@scanningdevices.com

Accessory Application for MagStripe Readers on Pendragon Forms

Scanning Devices offers an accessory application PDMagStripe.prc for use with 2500U Series MagStripe Readers and Pendragon Forms. The Accessory Application must be installed in the Palm that is running the Pendragon application. Your Pendragon Application can call the accessory application to read a magnetic stripe card and return the resulting data. The application requires a Scanning Devices Series 2500U magstripe reader.

Reading MagStripe Cards with Pendragon Forms is Easy

Here's how:

Within Pendragon forms, create a field type that can start a Pendragon Script. For example, make a button type field with label "Read" and create a script associated with that button. The script below runs whenever the button is tapped by the application user.

CLICK: RESULT = "A,10,A" CALL "SD51" $1 = RESULT

Script Description

CLICK: designates the action which starts the script. This script runs when the button is clicked.
The RESULT variable contains parameters which tell the reader how to read the card and what data to return,
The CALL starts the Scanning Devices accessory application. SD51 is the idenfier for the accessory application. The application reads the card as the user passes it through the card guide and returns the data in the RESULT variable.
The last statement displays the data in the first field on the form. Your application may differ in what it does with the data read from the card and returned from the call in the RESULT variable.

Specifications Tell the Magstripe Reader What to Read

The specifications are made up of up to 5 comma separated text characters:
1. What to read - "A" or "F"
"A" reads all fields on the card and returns all data found. Data is returned by track: Track 1 data followed by a SPACE followed by track 2 data followed by a SPACE followed by track 3 data (if any).
"F" reads the specified track and field data only. This lets you select data from the card.
Default action is "A" if no specification is passed to the reader.

2. Timeout in seconds - If no data is read in this time, the reader returns an error code.
Default is 10 seconds.

3. Card Data Format - this specifies how the three tracks on the card are magnetically encoded. A = Alphanumeric, N=Numberic only.

"A" = A - N - N (ANSI Standard Format, bank cards)
"B" = A - A - N (Very rare, but possible)
"C" = A - N - A (Most common three-track format, drivers licenses, ID cards)
"D" = A - A - A (Trade Show badges)

4. Track number ("F" function only), default is 1

5. Field number withing track ("F" function only), default is 1.

Specification Examples:

RESULT = "" no specifications, default is A,10,A RESULT = "A,2,C" read all data from A-N-A cards, read fast with a 2 second timeout RESULT = "F,10,A,1,2" read the second field on track 1 with 10 second timeout. RESULT = "F,10,A" no track and field specified, track 1 field 1 assumed. RESULT = "A,10,A,1, 2" reads all data, track and field specifiers are ignored.

The PDMagStripe.prc accessory application is available without charge. It may be distributed by email. It requires Pendragon Forms and a Scanning Devices 2500U Series MagStripe Reader. Contact Scanning Devices to obtain a copy.

MagStripe Order Form

111 Terrace Hall Avenue
Burlington, Massachusetts (USA) 01803
1-781-272-5135
FAX: 1-781-272-4856
Email us: mail@scanningdevices.com

Scanning Devices Inc.

Home Page | Application Stories | Product Information | News | Trade Shows