Can I filter the Popups Columns so that I do not download all my Catalogs, Locations, etc. into my handheld computer?

Yes, you can setup your configuration to use filters on the Custom Popups Tab.  First, choose the Field from the Popup Columns on the right side of the Custom Popups Tab.  Next, select the Properties Button.  A Filter box will be displayed.

What you enter in the filter box will depend on the kind of filter you need.

• If you need a simple filter where the popup column should equal a single value.
  In this case, simply enter the value in the field. BarScan automatically uses the popup field as the left side of the filter expression.  For example, if the Popup Column is Catalog Code and you want only those catalogs that have Catalog Code ‘AV’, then enter only ‘AV’ (without quotes) into the filter box.  Internally BarScan create the expression ‘Catalog Code=”AV”’.  It puts the quotes around the value for you if it needs them.
• If you need to use a comparison operator other than the default ‘equal’ sign.
  In this case you need to enter a single tilde character (~) followed by the operator and then an expression.  An expression means that it has to be between quotes if it is a string.  If it is a number enter the number without quotes.  For example, if your popup column is Catalog Type and you want all catalogs except those that are of Catalog Type ‘MONITOR’,  you would enter the following in the filter box: ~<>”MONITOR”.  The tilde tells BarScan this is an expression with an operator.  The operator “<>” is a ‘Not Equal’ operator.  It tells BarScan how to compare it to the popup field.  The value tells it, in this case, what not to equal.  Note that the value has to be between quote marks since it is a character value.
• If you need to filter on a value but the field you want to filter on is not in the list of popup fields.
  In this case you must use the double tilde operator (~~) followed by the entire expression from beginning to end. For example, you must use this if your Catalog Number popup lists only fields Catalog Code, Catalog Number, Catalog Type and Catalog Description but you only want those catalogs that come from a particular manufacturer. The manufacturer is not one of the fields listed, yet you still want to filter on it.  To do this you will need to do the following.  Display the properties box in one of the popup fields.  In this case it doesn’t matter which one.  Enter the following:~~CA.MV_NAME=”HP”.The double tilde tells BarScan that this is a FULL EXPRESSION and to ignore the popup field.  The expression stands entirely on its own.  The ‘CA.MV_NAME’ is the name of the field you want to filter on.  In this case it is the Catalog Manufacturer field.  Please consult the field lists in the BarScan User Manual to get the actual database fields names, or you can go to the field itself on the screen, right click on it and select ‘Field Information’.  You will see the database field name there.  The comparison operator in this case is the ‘=’ sign.  The value it must match is manufacturer ‘HP’.  Again, note that since the value is a character string it must be between quote marks.
• If you need to filter on a more than one value such as two Catalog Categories so that you can download Catalogs from more than one Category, you can specify a connector such as OR , AND such as in the following example.
  

  OR logic sample: ~~CA.CAT_CODE=”EN” OR CA.CAT_CODE=”EP”

  AND logic sample: ~~CA.CAT_CODE<>”EN” AND CA.CAT_CODE<>”EP”

  The image below describes the OR sample.