Use barcodes and Arcade expressions in Collector

In this example we are capturing the barcode on a gas component in the field using Collector. We’ll use a series of Arcade expressions to make the information available in the field, even when disconnected.  In addition, this is also available to others inside or outside the organization.

Capturing the barcode

Let’s start off by capturing a barcode for a new gas service line.  From within Collector it’s easy to access the barcode scanner and populate any text or numeric field. In our case we’re using a field specifically intended to store the scanned barcode value. This is a really efficient way to accurately capture information about an asset in the field.  Once we’ve scanned the barcode, we submit the edit.

Let’s take a look at the resulting popup, paying specific attention to the Component Details section as well as the title. This displays all the information we’ve derived from the barcode, such as the production date and lot number.

 

Extracting information from the barcode with Arcade

Each piece of information is extracted from the barcode using an Arcade expression. These expressions can be used within the popup, as well as labels to display the result.  The following Arcade expression extracts the lot number from the barcode.

var base62 = "0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ";

var BARCODE = $feature.BARCODE;

// extract the encoded lot number from the barcode
var lotnumberEncoded = Mid(BARCODE,2,4);

// unencode the lot number
var manufacturerLotCode = 0;
for (var z=0;z < Count(lotnumberEncoded);z++) {
  manufacturerLotCode = manufacturerLotCode * Count(base62) +
    Find(Mid(lotnumberEncoded,z,1), base62);
};

return (manufacturerLotCode);

The Arcade expressions are processed immediately in Collector, even when working offline.  All of the Arcade expressions used to decode the barcode are available on Github.

Testing the solution

Want to give it a try yourself?  Head over to our Try It account and open the Gas network map.

Open the Gas Network map.  Scan this example barcode in Collector, and view the information in the popup once you submit your feature.

Summary

This is just one example of how you can use barcodes in your field data collection workflows. Give them a try, increase the productivity of your asset inspections, and unlock the information for the organization to easily access.

More Information

Learn more about how to take advantage of Collector as part of a broader tracking and traceability solution for gas utilities in this GeoNet post.

Arcade developer reference

Capturing barcodes in Collector