This product is for Legacy customers who use Points of Service. Barcode Sync does NOT work with TouchPoints.
The barcode sync feature grants you the ability to take attendance using a compatible barcode scanner. This is done through the creation of barcodes which may be printed onto activity sheets or identification cards (ID cards). These barcode reports can be printed onto stickers or labels and affixed to existing ID cards. Barcodes can be created for an individual or a group of Participants. They can also be printed to track attendance for each activity.
Managing ETOBarcode Sync Settings
Once you have Attendance Outcomes ready to populate with data, and groups containing Participants (if you want to enter attendance for groups), you are now ready to manage ETOBarcode Sync.
The link to manage ETOBarcode Sync is found on the top of the Manage Demographics page found below Site Administration on the Navigation Bar.
There are four linked options related to managing barcodes on the top of the Manage ETOBarcode Sync Settings page. The same functions are available through the ETOBarcode Reports feature on the Navigation Bar, below the Reports component. The separate link was created so that Users other than Site Administrators can access the necessary functions.
The Site Administrator is the only User who can determine which demographics they would like to show on the Print ID Cards Report, below the participant’s barcode. This is done on the Manage ETOBarcode Sync page.
The following features are described in the recommended order for working with the ETOBarcode Sync on a computer that will be used for both printing of barcodes and scanning barcodes for attendance. If you are not printing and scanning barcodes on a particular computer, you can skip the steps that are not applicable for your purposes.
1) Download ETOBarcode Sync Fonts
Users that will be printing barcode reports will need to download the barcode fonts before they will be able to view the barcodes on the reports. If you run the Print ID Cards or Print Activity Sheets reports and do not see barcodes, then the fonts are not installed on that computer. Computers that are utilizing the ETOBarcode Sync utility, but are not printing the barcode reports do not need the fonts installed.
After clicking the link "Download ETOBarcode Sync Fonts," you will be asked to Open or Save the file. Choose Open. A box will appear. Double click INSTALL to install the fonts. There will be a pop-up asking you to Run or Cancel. Click Run. Check to agree and click Next. Click OK to Create Shortcut(s) on Desktop.
2) Print ID Cards
ID cards may be printed individually for one selected Participant at a time, for all Participants within a group created with the Manage Groups feature, or for all of the Participants enrolled in a Program. If you run the reports and do not see barcodes, follow the instructions outlined above in 1) Downloading ETOBarcode Sync Fonts.
3) Print Activity Sheets
Printing Activity Sheets require that both an Outcome and Group are selected, but only the Activity Code is necessary for entering attendance. (Utilizing the Group Code when entering attendance is only necessary if you want to capture who is absent in addition to who is present.) Select the Outcome and click Submit, click directly on the Group. The top barcode is the Activity, designated by the letter A. The next is the Group, designated by the letter G. The remaining barcodes are Participants, designated by the letter P. Skip the group barcode if you only want to track who was in attendance.
4) Download ETOBarcode Sync
Computers that will be used for scanning or manually entering attendance will need to download the ETOBarcode Sync. This component will need to be downloaded one time for each computer that will be used to scan or manually enter attendance. If you run into questions or issues while downloading the component, or any aspects of the ETOBarcode functionality, please feel free to contact customer support.
You may receive a message bar at the top of the screen during the download process. Click the message and select "Download File." This can be avoided by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on the Download ETOBarcode Sync button.
You will need to enter your Validation Code that was sent to your email address. The code is 32 characters long, not including spaces. It is easiest to copy and paste the validation code. Once downloaded, an icon will appear on your desktop, as well as in your Start menu:
You must be connected to the internet to log into ETOBarcode Sync. However, it is not necessary to be logged into ETO software (but being logged in is not problematic). Enter the same username, password, and Site that you use to access ETO software.
Setting up your scanner
Supported scanners include:
· ADESSO Contact CCD Barcode Scanner Model NuScan 1000U
· Fusion MS3780
· Honeywell 3800g
· Metrologic MS7120
· Metrologic MS9540
· Metrologic Voyager 9520 MK9520-32A38
· Symbol LS 2208
Once you are logged in, you will be informed if no scanner is configured. To set up a new scanner, go to the Scanner menu and select Options:
Once in the Options screen:
Select your Scanner Type – If your scanner is not listed, select Custom. If you select custom you will need to enter the details about the scanner (Bits per second, Data bits, Parity, Stop bits, Flow Control). If you do not know the type of scanner that you have, you can use the pictures as a reference and the details about the scanner will be populated for you.
Select your Scan Mode – Continuous, Batch Mode (for computers that are not continuously connected to the internet while attendance is being entered), or Front Desk (for multiple check-ins).
Select Default Contact Method – This box is populated from the Manage Feeder Tables page found below Site Administration on the Navigation Bar. This is the Participant Contact Location Method feeder table.
Select the Port for your scanner – This is the port that your scanner is plugged into
To play music (from a .WAV file) based on an alert (for example a birthday), click Select Alert Sound and link to a .WAV file saved on your computer. A demographic date field must be selected and if the check-in date matches the date recorded in ETO, the selected song will play
Using the scanner to take attendance:
Once the scanner options have been set up, attendance can be taken. Scan a barcode from one of the reports. If nothing happens, check that the scanner is plugged in and that the correct port is selected on the options menu. ETO Barcode Sync cannot be minimized while the User is scanning in Participants for attendance with a USB scanner. The USB scanner simulates a keyboard's input and will put the barcode into whatever window has focus at the time (word, email, Internet Explorer, etc.). This means that ETO Barcode Sync must be in focus to receive barcode data.
Only serial port (COM port) scanners will work when ETO Barcode Sync is not in focus. If you are not sure which type of scanner you have, it is best practice to default to leaving the focus on ETO Barcode Sync.
Before scanning a Participant you will need to scan the activity, or enter the code manually. The Program will be automatically populated based on the activity.
If the barcode associated with a Participant is not available, search for the Participant by the first or last name, as it appears in ETO. The alpha-numeric ID associated with the barcode can also be manually typed.
Attendance Options:
Yes/No attendance, meaning you want to track who is absent, as well as who is present, scan the group barcode, or enter the code manually. If a group barcode is scanned, the members automatically populate the Participant list on the right side of the screen. The attended column for each Participant will be set to No. When you scan a Participant, the attended value will be changed to yes. When you are finished with a particular group and have Submitted Group Effort, click Clear Group.
Yes attendance, meaning you only want to track who is present, with continuous scan mode: data populates ETO real time, exactly the same way it does when recording attendance manually
Yes attendance, meaning you only want to track who is present, with batch scan mode: you will need to click Sync to send the data to ETO
NOTE: For all types/modes of attendance, when you are finished with a particular Activity click End Activity to clear the Activity. If using batch mode make sure you sync first.
When data is submitted to ETO software, the account you used to log into the ETO Barcode Sync will be associated with the attendance. The contact method selected in the Options dialog is also populated automatically.
Attendance Report Options:
ETO: Participant
Participant ETO Crystal (page through the report to view the grid )
Standard Reports -- Attendance Reports section (includes 6 reports)
The Attendance Daily Report (Site)(Date Range)-(days with no records show as blank) is the most popular)
This data can also be queried through the Participant Attendance focus area selected on Step 2 of the Query Wizard. This example shows the attendance rate (average sessions attended) for each Participant across all Attendance Outcomes within the selected Dates of Contact.
Attendance Outcomes
The first step to tracking attendance in ETO software is to develop an Attendance Outcome with the Outcome Wizard, which is found below Outcomes on the Navigation Bar. Select YES/NO or ATTENDANCE ONLY on Step 2, and select Yes to verify this is an attendance outcome on Step 3. You may create as many attendance outcomes as you would like, and the scanner will allow you to differentiate between them when entering attendance.
You may have attendance outcomes that exist in your software. If you are unsure, go the Manage Outcomes page found below Outcomes on the Navigation Bar. Scroll over any outcome designated as Yes/No below the Type column header. If the outcome was created to track attendance, a hover message will appear that reads attendance. Also, Attendance Outcomes are typically named as such (Track _____ attendance), which is very helpful.
Manage Groups
Users do not need to set up groups to utilize Barcode Sync, but it is an option for activities that are attended regularly by the same group of Participants. This is particularly useful for events where there is an expectation that specific Participants will attend, in the case of a GED class, for example. Groups are created with the Manage Groups feature found on the Navigation Bar below the Participants component.
Known Issue(s):
When using Barcode Sync, you are unable to search for dismissed Participants.