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Barcodes

Barcodes found on real products, like the UPC on the back of a game box, can be used as tokens in Zaparoo. Product barcodes usually identify an item instead of storing a command, so you use mappings to assign ZapScript to each barcode value.

This means you can scan the barcode on a physical game case and have it launch that game.

Supported formats​

Zaparoo supports a wide range of barcode formats:

  • UPC-A and UPC-E
  • EAN-8 and EAN-13
  • Code 128, Code 39, Code 93
  • Codabar
  • ITF
  • Data Matrix
  • PDF-417

Scanning options​

There are two ways to scan barcodes with Zaparoo:

Phone camera using the Zaparoo App. You can scan a barcode while creating a mapping, or use the Zap screen as a camera reader if the Pro Launch on scan feature is enabled.

Hardware scanner using an RS-232 barcode scanner connected through a serial port or USB-to-serial adapter. Core receives whatever text the scanner sends, so supported formats depend on the scanner.

Setting up with the Zaparoo App​

The Zaparoo App can scan the barcode and save the mapping for you:

  1. Go to Create > Add a mapping.
  2. Tap Camera and point at the barcode.
  3. Check that the scanned value appears in Token ID.
  4. Enter ZapScript, or use the command palette to pick media.
  5. Tap Save mapping.

Setting up with mapping files​

You can also create mappings manually. Put a .toml file in Zaparoo Core's mappings folder and match the barcode as a token ID:

[[mappings.entry]]
token_key = 'id'
match_pattern = '045496590420'
zapscript = '**launch.search:Super Smash Bros'

Replace 045496590420 with the value scanned from your game case. See the mappings documentation for file locations, matching rules, and API-managed mappings.