QR code to open a file

[Etcho]

Hi,

I'm designing event badges.

I want to create either a barcode or QR code which, when scanned by an iPad camera, simply opens a spreadsheet.

Or I need help with what Im looking for....

I have an event with 100 children. I want to be able to scan a child's badge with an iPad and for the iPad to display that child's information.

I cannot use online systems (which all the paid solutions seem to be) due to data protection so I'm hoping I can create a QR code which automatically opens a basic spreadsheet - keeping everything offline.

Any pointers greatly appreciated, thanks

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

A QR code can be any text. Most are either a URL or vCard contact info.

I think this can be done, but the "database" would have to be on the iPad itself. This is pretty far outside InDesign usage etc. and you don't even have to use ID to create the QR code (there are many, many apps and service sites that have somewhat newer and more capable QR generators).

I can't think of a way to open, say, a spreadsheet and go to a particular page or entry. I think the command line stuff stops with a specified file, which would mean you'd need a file for each child/participant.

The alternative would be web pages called up from local file/s on the device. I don't have any really good solutions; maybe someone else has a notion that can be squeezed into this forum.

I'd bet there's a whole app that does this, for meetings and trade shows, but it may involve cost beyond your budget and needs, and would probably rely on a web server.

Thought: look into the science fiction convention arena. They often have exactly this kind of check-in feature and (being cheap) may have shareable software to do it.

[Etcho]

Hi, thank you for your time and help. Yes, there are packages of soft and hardware that can be hired for events but, as you say, beyond our needs - thay are aimed at large conventions etc with thousands of visitors. 

There seem to be various pieces of software for a relatively low budget but they require the children's data to be stored in an online database which we want to steer clear of for security reasons.

We'll keep hunting but would still love to hear from anyone else with pointers.

Thanks

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

It should not be difficult to craft your own solution. One that comes to mind is a local wiki, such as DokuWiki, running on a local device, with a page for each child, and the QR codes calling up the requested page.

The simple wikis use straightforward markup code that should be easy to generate in bulk, perhaps using some kind of data merge or GREP to, say, put a page start and basic content formatting on a list of the children's information.

Even simpler, for a quicker if somewhat hack-y solution, would be a single local web page, with the QR codes linked to anchors. It would be much easier to translate a simple list of the children into a formatted HTML page.

The cost here would be some time to develop it.

Is this a one-shot event or part of a series? Would a solution along these lines pay off in long-term value? I'd be interested in seeing what can be done; drop me a PM here if there's time and scope to explore this.

[Etcho]

Thanks - that sounds interesting - does sound like I need to hunt out a developer friend as it sounds a bit beyond me! I'll investigate.

It's an annual event - 1 week holiday club in the summer. We've been struggling with a paper system for too long!! Thanks

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Can't you just encode child's info into the QR code ? Or you don't want this info to be scanable by others ?

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

That's a very workable option. The only gotchas would be that it can't encode too much information (and would be subject to the granularity/size restriction), and would be an unformatted block of text on most readers, but it may be the simplest and straightforward solution.

@Etcho, how much information do you need for each child? A few hundred characters should be quite do-able without problems. (The limit is around 2900 characters, but over about 1000 the grid gets very fine and can have readability problems unless it's printed fairly large.)

And, as Robert notes, would having the information scannable by anyone be a security or privacy problem?

[Etcho]

Thanks for your response...I didn't know that much info could be stored in a QR.

It can't have the ability to be ready by anyone though due to data protection...i.e. the QR will go on the kid's badge and will be used to scan them into/out of the building. It'll also need to bring up Name, Surname, allergies, medical info and emergency contact number so can't have another person scan their badge with the phone for example and see all the info.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

I think ability for 3rd party to scan allergies info and emergency contact number would be a life saver... Kind of a bracelet with medical info. 

Maybe you are trying too hard to protect info that isn't really so personal / confidential? 

How about two sided badge? Simple identity info on the front - just plain text 😉 and more info on the back? Even more than one QR code side-by-side? 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Maybe someone should focus on the security of the site - rather than what is on the badge? 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

OP already addressed the need for a local-only resource, to preserve privacy. As some of this gets into both child safety and HIPAA, I wouldn't want to be responsible for high security web contents and communications.