If you frequently order many products from the same supplier(s), it can sometimes be convenient to use a bar code reader to create your purchase orders. In Service Suite you have the option of importing purchase order lines from a bar code reader.

You can do this by taking your bar code reader and walk around your warehouse or store and scan the products you wish to order. Then you create a new purchase order in Service Suite for your supplier and import the order lines scanned with your bar code reader.

Before this can be done we need to define a format that specifies how your bar code reader is capable of exporting the order lines.

 Defining a format for importing order lines.

When we wish to be able to import purchase order lines, we must start by defining a format for this. From the "Main menu" we select the menu: "Settings" followed by the menu: "Barcode reader". Service Suite will now look like this:

Here we click the link: "Change format" besides the label "Order lines", which will launch this dialog:

In this dialog we press the button: "Create new format", which launches this dialog:

In order to make this example a bit more interesting we have chosen a bar code reader that does not export the file in an ordinary comma-separated format. Because of this we have selected that the file type is a "User-defined format", which is why the dialog will look like this when the button: "Next >" is pressed:

Here you can define the user-defined format for importing the purchase order lines. In this case we specify that the fields are separated by the character: ",", and that text strings are not encapsulated by " which is why we clear this field. When we have defined our format we press the button: "Finish", and our new format can be selected from the list:

In this dialog we press the button: "OK" and we are ready to import the purchase order lines.

 Import of purchase order lines.

In order to be able to import the purchase order lines, you must first create a new purchase order for your supplier. From the "Main menu" you select the menu: "Purchases" followed by the menu: "New purchase order".

Here we select the supplier that we wish to create the purchase order to and press the button: "Create order". Now we can enter the information's in the order header:

When this has been done we press the tab: "Order lines", which takes us to the order lines of the purchase order:

Here we press the button: "Import lines", which launches this dialog:

In this dialog we select the file that was exported from our bar code reader, as well as the format we have just created and press the button: "Finish".

Now we wait for our order lines to be imported, and when this is done we press the button: "OK".

The order lines have now been imported. If you need to it is naturally possible to modify the imported lines.