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Add QR code reader functionality in basic apps or as a separate app

asked 2013-12-26 02:04:33 +0300

Nux gravatar image

updated 2014-07-22 15:38:37 +0300

jiit gravatar image

QR (and/or barcode) reader is a must on a phone (at least for me). I use it daily to open links from my PC on my other devices. Would be nice to have this kind of application from Jolla in the base package of applications.

If it would be a separate application minimal functionality would be:

  1. Use camera to point to code.
  2. Recognize the code.
  3. Give user ability to copy text read from the code to clipboard.
  4. Optionally - if the text looks like an URL (strarts with https?://) there should be an option to open it in the default browser.

Ideas for integration (suggested in comments):

  1. Add third mode to the camera (current are photos and films, and new one would be for - codes). After reading the code simply open some dialog with buttons and recognized text.
  2. Integrate with the browser - in all inputs of type "url" (or just the address input) - add a button to open the reader (and insert value directly to the input after reading the code).

But integration is a separate thing, original idea/question was about a separate application. Maybe if there would be some component in the system that could be used as a reader then integrating it to various apps would be easy.

BTW there is a Zxing library which has implementation in C++ and can be used for the recognition of codes.

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Comments

1

native plz

AL13N ( 2013-12-26 02:08:45 +0300 )edit
7

I would like to have pulley menu option for QR in camera app, since camera is what you use for it anyway.

huuhaa ( 2013-12-26 03:54:13 +0300 )edit
4

And/Or in the browser (or even as a button in the keyboard in all URL inputs) to scan for QR codes that in many cases have an URL in them.

Nux ( 2013-12-26 04:22:57 +0300 )edit

Would be helpful to also make the QR reader available for Android runtime as e.g. I'd need this for authentication of secure contacts in Threema (www.threema.com)

Manankanchu ( 2013-12-26 16:19:48 +0300 )edit
15

think that this question will nicely extend discussion here. MartinK brainstorms possible solution in his question which might be a key for integrating Qr-reader into UI.

Excerpt:

It would be basically just a normal Camera element with QR code detector, that would fire a signal once a QR code was detected, returning the detected payload. Like this, all Silica using apps could seamlessly integrate QR code functionality, enabling many useful uses (transferring notes, links, POIs, game achievements, contacts, WiFi passwords, visit cards, etc.) without extra effort for the application developers

Cool! Please, put pressure on this Silica issue! Vote, vote and vote ;-)

LaruX ( 2013-12-26 23:59:40 +0300 )edit

5 Answers

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11

answered 2014-07-22 16:20:52 +0300

ApB gravatar image

Just in case you missed it a QR scanner app was added to the store.

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Comments

1

You mean CodeReader? Nice UI, but it's still missing auto-detection of code types and scanning needs some work - takes a few tries before successful scan.

Nux ( 2014-07-23 21:42:32 +0300 )edit

Yes. I know it has rough edges. But its a start. Ask the developer for additional features (auto detection).

ApB ( 2014-07-23 23:56:47 +0300 )edit

I tried CodeReader with one barcode and perhaps 4 QR codes and had no complaints. Detection was instant.

asgeirr ( 2014-08-24 21:20:31 +0300 )edit
2

@asgeirr

Yes the updates made it a lot better than the initial release. It's really nice now. Huge props to the dev that adds stuff to the app and listens to his users instead of letting it rot.

ApB ( 2014-08-24 21:58:05 +0300 )edit
8

answered 2014-01-08 14:11:33 +0300

chemist gravatar image

updated 2014-01-10 15:02:27 +0300

Add a third function to camera app Picture/Video/Scanner Add section for QRcodes to tracker/gallery (MIME) to read codes from pictures.

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3

answered 2013-12-28 14:07:12 +0300

stezz gravatar image

I tried to interpret the need better there. Don't know what would it take to implement though at the moment.

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It don't have to be in the Camera - it can be a separate application like it was on MeeGo (it was just suggested to integrate it with Camera application, but there would have to be a separate button to go into reader mode anyway). I'll add some more info to the question

Nux ( 2013-12-28 20:54:03 +0300 )edit

BTW. It's fine by me if you would like to separate integration and app idea/request.

Nux ( 2013-12-28 21:35:07 +0300 )edit
3

Well.. It depends. Some users might benefit of integration like this:

  • see qr-code in somewhere
  • take a photo with photo app) [this kind of user doesn't understand that they should take photo by using different app]
  • qr magic happens.
LaruX ( 2013-12-28 23:09:10 +0300 )edit

@LaruX - that would mean that you would want to scan images from gallery, not the camera... Would be a cool idea for integration, too.

Nux ( 2013-12-29 00:13:52 +0300 )edit
1

I would appreciate the possibility of creating Qr codes from text containing multiple lines. After printing these, I would then use a camera to read them at a later date.

Tkaartama ( 2013-12-29 12:53:02 +0300 )edit
3

answered 2014-04-22 15:57:30 +0300

00prometheus gravatar image

updated 2014-04-22 16:14:10 +0300

There is now an application in OpenRepos called QRScany, which does exactly what the original Question wants. However, the dicussion has clearly diverged to be about ways of tight integeration for a Qr-scan app. Perhaps the original poster would consider modifying the Question to reflect what we are talking about now, alternatively close this Question as Answered and start a new one devoted to tight integration?

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2

As long as this app makes it in harbour there is no need to have this functionality built in the OS.

ApB ( 2014-04-22 16:09:55 +0300 )edit
1

@ApB what about "clean" design, "clean" launcher - why have 500apps if each is just a tiny feature or another IM protocol or a *DAV hook?! This is the most annoying with iphone and android - each service, each task has its own app and even stuff google and apple try to build in are so bad that you are still forced to use some third-party thing. Reading QR codes has become so common for adding contacts and open websites that it is actually more important than having MMS (at least in CE)

chemist ( 2014-04-22 17:09:56 +0300 )edit

I see your point and i agree to some degree. Ie i am not a fan of having 500000000 IM apps. It's just that i don't find it so important as an OS feature. As long as the app makes it easy to add a website or add a contact (or any other feature) i don't see how different it would be to open a QR app instead of the camera. I think of it a bit differently. QR app -> scan QR codes. Camera -> Video & Pics.

ApB ( 2014-04-22 17:26:27 +0300 )edit

@00prometheus: I wouldn't consider this answered until that app is in Jolla store or built-in. OpenRepos is still a third party repo, and could void your guarantee (in theory). And personally I would rather see a new question about tight integration, since this question has a lot of votes, and I don't think all those voters agree with your statement of tight integration.

@chemist: imo discrete apps are ok, as long as you can make the hooks for default actions, so that using them would be like they were built-in.

Mohjive ( 2014-04-22 17:30:56 +0300 )edit

@Mohjive: OK, so the original poster might leave the Question open until QRScany has gone through Jolla Store certification, but for those that voted for this Question in the hopes of getting a native QR-code scanner, I still think it worth noting that there is now an app that fulfills the original question :-)

00prometheus ( 2014-04-22 18:45:39 +0300 )edit
1

answered 2014-01-10 16:09:24 +0300

chemist gravatar image

Add QR function to normal viewfinder as trigger button, the picture does get saved when set to be saved in settings else discarded but a contextmenu pops up what to do with its info (vcf URL etc)

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Asked: 2013-12-26 02:04:33 +0300

Seen: 4,736 times

Last updated: Jul 22 '14