BarcodeAutoSwitch

WPF application (.NET 8, x64) that listens on one or more barcode scanners connected via COM port and automatically routes each barcode to the correct application window.

• Newspaper barcodes (ISSN prefix 977, types M/B) → Adriatica Press (embedded Chromium browser, sends Alt+T + barcode code)
• All other barcodes → NegozioFacile (external process, types barcode via keyboard emulation)
• Control barcodes → toggle auto-switch on/off, or test a device

Multiple devices can be active simultaneously; barcodes from any device feed the same pipeline.

Requirements

OS	Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
Runtime	.NET 8 Desktop Runtime x64 (or use self-contained publish)
Hardware	Barcode scanner connected via COM port (serial or USB-to-serial adapter)

Run locally

dotnet run --project BarcodeAutoSwitch/BarcodeAutoSwitch.csproj -r win-x64

Build / Publish

# Debug build
dotnet build BarcodeAutoSwitch/BarcodeAutoSwitch.csproj -r win-x64

# Release — self-contained (no .NET required on target machine)
dotnet publish BarcodeAutoSwitch/BarcodeAutoSwitch.csproj -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained true

Output in BarcodeAutoSwitch/bin/Release/net8.0-windows/win-x64/publish/.

Configuration

appsettings.json is committed with production defaults. For local development overrides create BarcodeAutoSwitch/appsettings.local.json (gitignored):

{
  "Application": {
    "NegozioFacileProcessName": "notepad"
  }
}

Key settings:

Key	Description
AdriaticaPress.VenditaUrl	URL of the Adriatica Press sales page
AdriaticaPress.LoginUrl	URL used to detect the login page
Application.NegozioFacileProcessName	Process name of NegozioFacile (.exe without extension)

User settings (persisted per-user)

Configured devices are saved in %LOCALAPPDATA%\BarcodeAutoSwitch\usersettings.json. The file is created automatically when you add the first device via Gestisci dispositivi.

Example:

{
  "ConfiguredDevices": [
    {
      "DeviceId": "COM3",
      "Type": "SerialPort",
      "HardwareId": "USB\\VID_067B&PID_2303",
      "DisplayName": "COM3  (USB\\VID_067B&PID_2303)",
      "HasIdentifierPrefix": true
    }
  ]
}

Per-device fields:

Field	Description
HardwareId	VID/PID for USB-to-serial adapters — the app re-finds the correct COM port automatically even if its number changes between reboots
HasIdentifierPrefix	true if this scanner prepends a single-char type identifier before each barcode (see Scanner protocol). false if the scanner sends the raw barcode value only; the type is then inferred from the content. Default: true.

You can add entries manually for testing; the file is gitignored.

Scanner protocol (COM port)

The scanner must be configured to send data terminated by \r\n (CR+LF).

With identifier prefix (HasIdentifierPrefix: true)

The scanner prepends a single-character type identifier before each barcode:

Prefix	Barcode type
A	EAN-8
B	EAN-13
M	ISSN 13+5
N	Interleaved 2 of 5

Example: scanner sends B9771234567890 → identifier B, code 9771234567890.

Without identifier prefix (HasIdentifierPrefix: false)

The scanner sends the raw barcode value only (no leading character). The barcode type is inferred from length and content:

Pattern	Inferred type
8 digits	EAN-8
13 digits starting with 977	ISSN 13+5
13 digits (other)	EAN-13
18 digits starting with 977	ISSN 13+5 with add-on
14 digits	Interleaved 2 of 5

Tests

dotnet test tests/BarcodeAutoSwitch.UnitTests   -r win-x64
dotnet test tests/BarcodeAutoSwitch.IntegrationTests -r win-x64

Debug log

Click Mostra debug in the status bar to open a live log window.

Project structure

BarcodeAutoSwitch/
├── Core/
│   ├── Interfaces/      # IBarcodeInputService, IBarcodeParser, …
│   ├── Models/          # BarcodeReading, SavedDevice, BarcodeDeviceInfo, PortTestResult, …
│   └── Services/        # BarcodeParser, BarcodeRouter, routing strategies
├── Infrastructure/      # SerialPortService, ComPortEnumerator,
│                        # AppSettings, AppLogger, KeyboardSender, WindowSwitcher
├── UI/
│   ├── Behaviours/      # WPF attached behaviours
│   ├── Converters/      # Value converters
│   ├── Commands/        # RelayCommand, RelayCommand<T>
│   └── ViewModels/      # MainViewModel, AddDeviceViewModel, DeviceManagementViewModel
└── Windows/             # MainWindow, DeviceManagementWindow,
                         # AddDeviceWindow, DebugLogWindow
tests/
├── BarcodeAutoSwitch.UnitTests/        # xUnit + Moq + FluentAssertions
└── BarcodeAutoSwitch.IntegrationTests/