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Barcode Detection API

developer.mozilla.org

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Re: Barcode Detection API

#51

Post by idealmedtech »

Gigachad wrote: post #26
idealmedtech wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Native code allows for performance gains that a script (even a performant one) may not be able to match. After all, this is fundamentally an image processing problem, one of the more computationally expensive things a browser has to do.

Isn't that the point of webassembly? Just seems like we are still moving in the wrong direction on trying to move the whole of NPM in to the browser web apis, rather than building a solid base you can build anything on.

I'm not a browser developer, but to wager a guess, it probably has something to do with the inertia of existing solutions being native, rather than in WebAssembly, which is still quite new as standards go.

Re: Barcode Detection API

#52

Post by pabs3 »

amelius wrote: post #12

I'm still looking for an open source python library that can decode Data-Matrix barcodes as seen on Digikey bags. Should I give up and switch to JavaScript+browser?

zxing-cpp has a Python wrapper that should work for that.

Re: Barcode Detection API

#53

Post by bhawks »

wyager wrote: post #48
dblohm7 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basically, yes. Browser vendors have had an agreement for some time now to only expose new APIs in secure contexts in order to encourage HTTPS adoption.

I'm not sure I feel great about gating feature A behind completely unrelated feature B just because manufacturers like feature B. Even if feature B is concretely pretty good (which is debatable for https as it exists now), this seems bad on principle.

The browser security model is trivially defeated without the usage of https. IT is not an orthogonal or unrelated feature.

Making all new API development available only when content is delivered via a mechanism that provides the foundation for the rest of web security is good engineering practice.

Re: Barcode Detection API

#54

Post by jaxn »

bob1029 wrote: post #23

This stuff has been a nightmare for us for a long time. We have to scan pdf417 barcodes from physical identification as part of our offering. Recently, we stumbled upon some cheap USB keyboard emulator 2d scanners that can pick these up very reliably. For our product/customers, this is a viable path. We have tested probably 30 different webcams by this point. The only 2 that are as reliable as the handheld CCD scanne…

We also scan pdf417 from ID cards. In our case, it was much easier to just use hardware 2d scanners. We are a b2b SaaS and they are scanning IDs all day, so a hardware solution makes sense.

The weird thing about pdf417 is that there is a lot of helpful info our there, up until a point. It's like everyone is collaborative and asking/answering questions up until the point they really figure it out, but those last few steps never much make it into open code.

A couple times a year I go searching to see if anyone has implemented solid pdf417 in WASM yet. It seems like a natural fit to me, and I am sure people have done it, but I have yet to see anything publicly available.

Re: Barcode Detection API

#55

Post by WesternWind »

Lev1a wrote: post #46
Bilal_io wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been scanning QR codes with my Android phone for a long time. I know at least two native cameras work, Pixel's and Samsung's since 2019. But I am sure legacy phones with older android versions don't support it natively.

> I know at least two native cameras work, Pixel's and Samsung's since 2019 My Motorola One can do that as well and IIRC the "moto g4" I had before that too.

I've had intermittent issues with my motorola's camera app. Sometimes it picks up qr codes at restaurants, sometimes it refuses, maybe because of lighting issues, though turning on the flash doesn't help. I ended up downloading BinaryEye from F-Droid and I just default to that now.

Re: Barcode Detection API

#56

Post by disillusioned »

bob1029 wrote: post #23

This stuff has been a nightmare for us for a long time. We have to scan pdf417 barcodes from physical identification as part of our offering. Recently, we stumbled upon some cheap USB keyboard emulator 2d scanners that can pick these up very reliably. For our product/customers, this is a viable path. We have tested probably 30 different webcams by this point. The only 2 that are as reliable as the handheld CCD scanne…

We ended up going with the purpose-built barcode sleds from Infinite Peripherals. The Linea Pro, I think. Extra battery, onboard illumination/laser guide, _really_ fast barcode engine in any orientation, and a few pretty simple SDK options. We ended up using "our custom webkit browser will fire a custom JS event on scan", which worked perfectly for our purposes.

Everything else is measurably slower: waiting for focus in a dim room, low framerate, weird other issues.

Re: Barcode Detection API

#57

Post by askonomm »

eertami wrote: post #22
PaulHoule wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At this point in time it's a pain point for me that Android devices don't usually have built-in QR reader software. I can tell iOS users to just "scan the code with the Camera" app but I have to tell Android users to find a QR scanner app on the app store. My experience with an actual bottom-of-the-line prepaid phone was that the first QR scanner app I downloaded from Google Play worked right the first time but I had…

Honest question: for what reasons do you ever need to scan a random QR code? I think I've used them to sign in to some apps (eg, WhatsApp) while logged in on a PC, and other than that exactly 0 times. The Google camera app does support QR codes FWIW, but I don't know if any other vendors except Google use it.

In Argentina, QR codes is how you pay with your phone in super markets, pubs/bars, restaurants, everywhere - its their "apple pay", using Mercado Pago [0] app/service. Also, all the paper menus from restaurants are replaced with QR codes thanks to the pandemic.

[0] https://www.mercadopago.com.ar/

Re: Barcode Detection API

#58

Post by jorl17 »

wyager wrote: post #48
dblohm7 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basically, yes. Browser vendors have had an agreement for some time now to only expose new APIs in secure contexts in order to encourage HTTPS adoption.

I'm not sure I feel great about gating feature A behind completely unrelated feature B just because manufacturers like feature B. Even if feature B is concretely pretty good (which is debatable for https as it exists now), this seems bad on principle.

I'm interested: why do you think it is debatable if HTTPS is "concretely pretty good" as it exists now?

Re: Barcode Detection API

#59

Post by SkyPuncher »

PaulHoule wrote: post #9
miohtama wrote: post #2

As the page does not discuss the motivation behind the API, does anyone know why this is ”native” API and not just a generic image processing script implemented with JavaScript / WebGL / etc.?

At this point in time it's a pain point for me that Android devices don't usually have built-in QR reader software. I can tell iOS users to just "scan the code with the Camera" app but I have to tell Android users to find a QR scanner app on the app store. My experience with an actual bottom-of-the-line prepaid phone was that the first QR scanner app I downloaded from Google Play worked right the first time but I had…

> At this point in time it's a pain point for me that Android devices don't usually have built-in QR reader software

It's hidden, but I believe it's built in the default camera app now.

I've learned that my last 3 phones have had it built in.

Re: Barcode Detection API

#60

Post by michaelt »

miohtama wrote: post #2

As the page does not discuss the motivation behind the API, does anyone know why this is ”native” API and not just a generic image processing script implemented with JavaScript / WebGL / etc.?

> does anyone know why this is ”native” API and not just a generic image processing script

Consider the following facts:

1. This was designed by Google

2. Google Play Services provides an API for detecting barcodes, faces and text https://developers.google.com/android/reference/com/google/a...

3. Chrome gets a shape detection API for detecting barcodes, faces and text https://web.dev/shape-detection/

Of course, it's a matter of perspective whether you want to see this as lovers of the free web helping webapps to feature parity with native apps; or Google churning out yet another low-effort standard that's easy for them and difficult for all their competitors.

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