How to Write Tab Delimited Barcode Data in the "UUT Information" Dialogue Box in TestStand

Issue Details

I am scanning a barcode, which is tab delimited, to use as the serial number in TestStand in the PreUUT sequence, in the UUT Information dialogue box where you are asked to "Enter UUT Serial Number". However, when I scan the code, only the first part of the data, which is before the first tab, is read into the dialogue box. Why does this happen and how can I resolve this issue?

Solution

This occurs since TestStand has already selected the serial number entry box i.e. it has keyboard focus. The scanner then reads the barcode and outputs the text as equivalent keyboard strokes, in other words there’s no real difference between a human at the keyboard typing and the barcode reader as far as the computer is concerned. Therefore, if a “tab” key press is sent, then the entry box on the dialog would lose focus. This prevents the rest of the code from being read into the box. 

The simplest way to resolve this is to write your own code in LabVIEW which can replace the UUT Information dialogue box. This lets you to use LabVIEW code to replace the tab's with commas in the input string allowing you to read the full barcode. An example of this can be seen in the attached LabVIEW code, and TestStand Sequence.