DataWedge Profiles
DataWedge functionality is based on Profiles, which contains information about how DataWedge should behave with one or more associated applications, and provides a means to allow different apps that might be acquiring the same data to manipulate the data differently. Through Profiles, DataWedge can be configured to process the same set of captured data according to the requirements of any number of individual applications. Alternatively, a single Profile can be created and associated with many applications, acquiring and processing data in exactly the same way. A single Profile can be associated with one or more activities or apps, but an activity or app can be associated only to a single Profile.
Each Profile contains options, also known as plugins, for determining how the data is acquired (input), processed for data formatting (if needed), and delivered to the app (output). Additionally, optional Profile specific configuration settings are categorized under Utilities, which can be associated with apps or controlled at runtime. Details can be found in the links below within the table.
Any number of Profiles can be created to suit all the needs of an enterprise. DataWedge includes several pre-configured Profiles to support general needs or for specific apps that are built into every device. Some of these are visible to the user and can be edited as needed. Others contain fixed parameters and are not visible or configurable. By default, Profile0 is provided to take into effect for foreground apps that have not been associated to any Profile. This ensures DataWedge is ready to capture data out of the box.
Visible Profiles:
- Profile0 - default Profile that automatically takes effect for any app that has not been associated with a DataWedge profile. Since Profile0 applies to all apps not associated to a DataWedge profile, it cannot be associated with any app or activity. Profile0 can be disabled to prevent scanning in apps that are not explicitly configured for scanning.
- Launcher - Profile used when the device is in the Android launcher or home screen.
Note: When initializing DataWedge or restoring it (resetting settings to factory default), all launcher applications (i.e., application activities declared with the category Intent.CATEGORY_HOME) that lack a profile association are automatically assigned to the Launcher profile. To prevent your launcher app from being associated with the Launcher profile, ensure it is associated to a different profile before the next reboot or DataWedge initialization. - DWDemo - contains settings for DWDemo, the DataWedge Demo app. When DWDemo comes to the foreground, data captured with DataWedge is sent via a StartActivity intent to the DWDemo application and displayed.
- User-defined - Profiles created by the user that are always visible, can be associated with one or more apps and can be edited as needed.
DataWedge Profile. When the associated app/activity is in the foreground, DataWedge loads the Profile and performs actions to acquire (input), format (process), if needed, and deliver (output) the data based on the Profile configuration. Data Capture Plus and Enterprise Keyboard Configuration are optional separate utilities that perform specific functions for the app/activity. Data Capture Plus enables areas of the screen to behave as a scan trigger. Enterprise Keyboard Configuration enables a custom generated keyboard layout to be displayed in the associated app/activity.
An introduction to DataWedge profiles
Main configurations for plugins:
| Plugin | Type | Main Configurations (not an exhaustive list) |
|---|---|---|
| Input | Barcode | ∙ Select scanner: camera, 1D or 2D imager, Bluetooth scanner, etc. ∙ Enable/disable hardware trigger ∙ Set the symbologies/decoders the scanner should recognize, e.g. EAN8, UPCA, Code128 ∙ Set the properties for each decoder, e.g. maximum length or check digits ∙ Configure the scanner hardware, e.g. aim type or trigger behavior ∙ Configure Bluetooth scanner behavior |
| Workflow | ∙ Free-Form OCR - recognizes text within a captured image and extracts the text in digital form. During image capture, the frame can be resized to enclose the target. ∙ Picklist + OCR - captures text (in a single alphanumeric word) or a barcode from an image ∙ OCR Wedge - allows for the automatic recognition and capture of text in specific use cases and its conversion into digital data for delivery to any application. The specific use cases are: ◦ License Plates ◦ Identification Documents - specific information can be extracted ◦ Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) ◦ Tire Identification Numbers (TIN) ◦ Shipping Container IDs ◦ Meter Readings ∙ Image Capture: ◦ Free-Form Image Capture - uses the built-in imager to capture an image with the option to decode the barcode(s), if present. ◦ Document Capture - uses the built-in imager or camera to preview the document, either highlighted or enclosed by a border, prior to capturing it. |
|
| Magnetic Stripe Reader (MSR) | ∙ Enable encryption ∙ Output data through intents ∙ Configure feedback |
|
| Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) | ∙ Enable/disable hardware trigger ∙ Configure reader settings, e.g. filter duplicate tags, set antenna transmit power, specify tag pattern |
|
| Serial | ∙ Set serial port configuration | |
| Voice | ∙ Use PTT button to trigger voice capture ∙ Configure voice commands ∙ Configure data type returned: alpha, numeric, any ∙ Offline speech recognition ∙ Validation window (validate captured data allowing to edit if needed) |
|
| Process | Basic Data Formatting (BDF) (Optional) |
∙ Add prefix ∙ Add suffix ∙ Send as hex ∙ Append TAB key ∙ Append ENTER key |
| Advanced Data Formatting (ADF) (Optional) |
∙ Create custom rule with specific criteria and actions to process acquired data | |
| Output | Intent | ∙ Set intent action ∙ Set intent category ∙ Set intent delivery |
| Keystroke | ∙ Send keystrokes as key events ∙ Send certain key events as a string ∙ Set key event delay |
|
| Internet Protocol | ∙ Set protocol: TCP or UDP ∙ Set IP address ∙ Set Port number |
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| Utilities (Options) | Data Capture Plus (DCP) | ∙ Set location of button to trigger scanning: left side, right side, either side ∙ Set mode to launch DCP: button only, full-screen only, button interchangeable to full screen |
| Enterprise Keyboard Configuration | ∙ Select custom generated layout |