Gravity Perks QR Code

A QR code does not know whether that ticket was already used

You sell tickets with Gravity Forms and each buyer receives a code. Someone forwards the screenshot to a friend. Two people turn up at the door with the same image, and both codes scan without any trouble.

A QR code only stores text. What separates a valid ticket from a repeated one is what your process does after reading it.

GP QR Code handles the conversion well: it turns a field value into an image, and a scanned image back into a field value. You build the access control, the coupon or the stock count with forms and other perks. It is worth sketching that process before you generate the first code.

Generating and reading codes from GP QR Code fields

• The :qr modifier: turns a field value into a QR code in confirmations, notifications and anywhere that supports merge tags.
• The [gpqr] shortcode: combines several fields or fixed data into one code.
• Appearance: size and colors.
• Other barcodes: PDF417, UPC-A, EAN-13, CODE 128 and DATAMATRIX, among others, with the type modifier.
• Scanner in the form: a button on the Single Line Text field opens the device camera.
• Drag and drop: on a desktop computer you can drop an image containing the code.
• Other plugins: codes display in Gravity PDF, Entry Blocks, GravityView and Preview Submission.

Three complete processes and the pieces of each

Tickets and door control. The purchase form sends a QR code that leads to a check-in form, and Easy Passthrough loads the purchase details into it. At the entrance, staff read the code with any QR app on their phone.

Scannable coupons. A Unique ID field is output as a QR code in a notification. With the Gravity Forms Coupons add-on and the scanner enabled on the coupon field, the customer reads the code and applies the discount.

Restocking. A Unique ID field is mapped to a WooCommerce product SKU and output as a QR code. A restock form with Populate Anything reads that code and fills in the product details, so staff only enter the quantity.

It also reads codes from other systems and generates vCards.

Marking a code as used is up to you

GP QR Code's features do not include a record that marks a code as used. One combination to try is to give each ticket a GP Unique ID value, carry that value to the check-in form and use GP Limit Submissions to limit submissions by field value. The limit applies when the form is submitted, not when it opens. Test the combination on your site with two consecutive reads of the same code before using it at an event.

There are two other points worth reviewing:

• Scanner language: the third-party library behind it has no native translation, and changing its English text takes code.
• Field types: the scanner is enabled on Single Line Text fields. Other types need a filter.

A first code with GP QR Code, generated and read

You need Gravity Forms. There is no QR field or feed to configure: after you install and activate the perk, everything happens through merge tags and field settings.

To generate a code and then read it:

1. Open the form's notification settings and edit a notification or create another.
2. Insert a field's merge tag and add the :qr modifier.
3. Add a Single Line Text field and open its settings.
4. In the Perks section, check Enable QR Code Scanner.
5. Open the form preview and scan with the button that appears beside the field.

When the code should live outside the form

If your store needs codes on every product and order and does not rely on Gravity Forms, YITH WooCommerce Barcodes and QR Codes brings a page where scanning a product raises or lowers its quantity.

If you stay in Gravity Forms, the pieces of the processes above are GP Easy Passthrough, which passes data from one form to another, GP Populate Anything and the Coupons add-on.

Scanner, formats and forms: common questions

Can I scan into other fields?

Yes, through the gpqr_is_supported_field filter. There are published snippets for Paragraph and Email fields.

Does it read barcodes as well as QR codes?

It reads UPC codes, and other formats are enabled with the gpqr_scanner_config hook.

Why does the browser ask for camera permission every time?

It depends on the device and the app. In Safari on iPhone you can give a site permanent access.