I don't know if this is the right place to post this but I need to ask the question.

I'm looking for Telnet server running on the Windows platform that has it's own language that can interface with a SQL database. Basically, I want to have a barcode gun run a telnet client that can access the Telnet server on the Windows machine. The Telnet Server would allow a login and then present a menu of options, i.e. Inventory Scanning, etc. By scanning barcodes the gun would be able to create SQL records through the telnet program. Is this possible?

Do I need a some sort of Telnet ActiveX component on the Windows server that is running in another "visual" program. Like, having a Visual Foxpro form with the Telnet Server ActiveX component running that can allow multiple sessions from clients and correctly generate primary keys and create records by accepting information for the telnet client.

I know this is a lot of "ifs" but any insight into this project would greatly help me. Thanks.

Just put a Telnet host on a workstation, and install the SQL tools. You can then telnet to the workstation and run OSQL to get a character mode interface to the SQL server, and voila!

-PatP

Can the character mode interface be programmed with menus and field prompts?

Sorry, but I'm confused. What point would menus serve in a Telnet interface? The bar code gun would work better (lots less work for the human involved) if it just emitted a scan code if you want to use it that way.

-PatP

The application I have seen was the barcode gun would only have to have a telnet client to access the server. The Windows server would be running a telnet server probably integrated into some sort of program that could not only access the SQL server but also display menus and field prompts to the telnet client. So you could technically use any barcode gun as along as it could run a telnet client. Somebody on their local PC could run a nice GUI (like a Visual Foxpro frontend) while the barcode gun would run the telnet client and create records through a series of menus and prompts.

I'm looking to reproduce this technique. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry, I'm no help. I kind of have a mental model of what you are asking, but I'm not at all sure that what I envision is anything like what you envision, and even if it was, what I see is horribly inefficient. Maybe someone else can help, because I really don't think I understand what you want.

-PatP

The end result is I want to develop a Visual Foxpro application that is using a SQL backend and I want a barcode gun to be able to scan inventory barcodes directly into the SQL database. On the Visual Foxpro end, I would write reports and other programs to view and manipulate the data.

Since a barcode gun wouldn't be able to run the Visual Foxpro program especially with forms and graphics, I have seen the ability to scan information into a SQL database via a telnet server. I believe the telnet server was written in Visual Basic and had the capability of writing menus and prompts that could be displayed on the barcode gun.

I hope this explains a little more clearly what I'm trying to do. It's an interesting project and any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.