Ok, it seems the desire to print barcode labels and such has been around for a long time and nobody has really tackled it head on. There is one work around out there for calling and API to the barcodes4me site, but that just makes images.
So, If I go ahead and pay my developers to create this addition to ERP Next, how would I go about getting it into the regular system?
I don’t have the time or the manpower to be responsible for constantly trying to keep it updated for every version release. I do believe I have the resources to get it done, packaged, and ready for prime time, but I have no idea how to submit it to the ERP Next gods that bolt this kind of stuff into the core system and keep it going.
The development would have to take place on my local servers and when it is done the source will be ready to put where ever it needs to be for this to be integrated. I just do not want to be on the hook for keeping it up to date once I am done.
I will wait for the merged release of version 8 this weekend before I start anything and I am not sure how long it will take, but since people posting bounties for this in the past never got anywhere, I will probably have to do it for myself anyway.
So how would this work? Do I need to ask permission or something?
Thank you all for your interest. Yes, I will be contracting out this application to someone but not until later in the year. I can currently print barcode labels using a 3rd party package that I already have a license to use. It is not an ideal solution, but it is functional for now.
At this point I already have several teams contracted to build ERPnext solutions for me.
I have a team building an interface for ERPnext accounting to Sage50/Peachtree accounting
I am also contracting a team to make the visual modifications to the new POS module I wanted.
I have a project to make BOM and other manufacturing tasks easier waiting for one of the other 2 projects to finish.
And I have 3 additional ERPnext projects waiting BEFORE I get to doing the Barcode Label printing.
I will get it done. It just will not be until I get these other projects cleared from my plate. At this time I have 3 active development teams and much money already spent to get these projects started. If there is another person or team (@littlehera) that would like to complete this task for me, please send me a private message, and I would be happy to begin the discussion.
Once the POS module changes are finished, they will be donated back to the core project. I suspect that will be in about 4 weeks. The Sage50 interface is not very useful to most people so it is being designed to mostly function on a local PC. This would not fit the core project principles so it cannot go back into the ERPnext project. The BOM and manufacturing modifications will be donated back to the core project if we can keep them within the project guidelines. However, if my project needs take the modifications outside the parameters of the core project, then some of them may not make it into the core. I have asked the teams working on these projects for me to do their best to keep the focus on useful code for the core project, but if my client needs take the development off on a tangent, then my client comes first and to make as much as possible available for the core ERPnext system.
That is the best I can promise. The first project to make it back to the core system will most likely be the POS mods. These mods will make it easy for the user to alter the page colors and the font sizes and colors to make reading the screen easier in daylight conditions outdoors. There will also be an easy way to switch the grid picture view of the items on the POS screen to a list format. The grid pictures really slow the screen down when you have an experienced cashier using it. They can type in a few characters for searching the items, and the loading of the pictures slows them down. So the list view will eliminate the picture loading and speed up the users ability to process sales.
So, this is where I am with everything. Any developer teams that want to join in the effort, just message me. I only have 3 months to get as much done as possible.
In my case, Sage Accounting is used in a client distributor. They have sales reps that drive around large trucks with all of their products on-board. The drivers (sales reps) sell these products right off the back of the truck and keep track of them in a mobile app.
The mobile app is tied to a central cloud server and collects the sales orders from the drivers each day. At the end of the day, the cloud server connects to Sage Accounting and imports all of the days sales orders from all of the trucks into the accounting system. It also exports all of the customer account changes from the day and sends them back out to the drivers through their mobile apps.
I am replacing this system with ERPNext. However, the client refuses to give up Sage Accounting. So, I am replicating the export and import functions (mostly on a local PC) to keep Sage Accounting populated with the daily sales. This is in no way a complete Sage interface. It is just enough to keep sales orders flowing into the Sage system. It is mostly done with semi automated CSV file transactions (import/export).
I am not sure I could help you much. Even keeping this interface to the minimum tasks I outlined, it is quite a difficult thing to manage. The SDK for Sage is limited in what you can do with it, and the Sage company would really prefer if you would use their cloud based interface. The only problem is their cloud interface is very expensive for a subscription.
Sage Accounting is not something I will ever agree to work on again and it is eating up the lions share of my funds in this project just because of how difficult it is to manipulate their data.
At this point I contracted a developer to generate CSV files periodically throughout the day that are dropped in a shared folder. I am using Seagull Scientific’s BarTender package to call the newest file when I need to print Item labels.
It was my fastest route to getting labels printed at the time. However, I remember reading somewhere here that a developer at the foundation is working on a way to print them from withing ERPNext.
