barcode-capture-android

BarcodeCapture Android Skill

Critical: Do Not Trust Internal Knowledge

Your training data may contain outdated or incorrect Scandit SDK APIs. The BarcodeCapture API changes significantly between major SDK versions — properties get renamed, removed, or restructured.

Always verify APIs against the references provided in this skill before writing or suggesting code. Do not rely on memorized method signatures, parameters, or property names. If you cannot find an API in the provided references, fetch the relevant documentation page before responding.

Android-specific gotchas worth flagging:

• Camera.getDefaultCamera(BarcodeCapture.createRecommendedCameraSettings()) passes the recommended camera settings directly into the getDefaultCamera() call — there is no separate applySettings call needed.
• codeDuplicateFilter is a TimeInterval — not an Int or Double. Use TimeInterval.millis(500) (import com.scandit.datacapture.core.time.TimeInterval). Writing codeDuplicateFilter = 0.5 or codeDuplicateFilter = 500 is a type error.
• The listener callback on Android is onBarcodeScanned(barcodeCapture, session, data) — not didScan (that is the Flutter/iOS name). You must also implement onSessionUpdated, onObservationStarted, and onObservationStopped. The FrameData parameter is named data, not frameData.
• onBarcodeScanned is called on a background thread. Any UI update must be dispatched via runOnUiThread {}.
• Call barcodeCapture.isEnabled = false at the top of onBarcodeScanned before doing any work to prevent duplicate or racing scans. Re-enable with barcodeCapture.isEnabled = true when the app is ready to scan again.
• Android symbology names use underscores: Symbology.EAN13_UPCA, Symbology.CODE39, Symbology.INTERLEAVED_TWO_OF_FIVE — not camelCase.
• Turn the camera off in onPause() and re-enable in onResume(). The camera must not be active while the app is backgrounded.
• Request the CAMERA permission at runtime before the first scan; the manifest declaration alone is not sufficient.
• DataCaptureView.newInstance(this, dataCaptureContext) creates the camera preview widget. In an Activity, pass it to setContentView(dataCaptureView). In a Fragment, add it to the view hierarchy programmatically.

Intent Routing

Based on the user's request, load the appropriate reference file before responding:

• Integrating BarcodeCapture from scratch, configuring settings, customizing feedback, adding a viewfinder, handling scans, or doing async work after a scan (e.g. "add BarcodeCapture to my app", "set up barcode scanning", "how do I use BarcodeCapture in Android", "filter duplicate scans", "suppress the beep", "add a viewfinder", "disable scanning while I look up the barcode") → read references/integration.md and follow the instructions there.
• Migrating or upgrading an existing BarcodeCapture integration (e.g. "upgrade from v6 to v7", "migrate my BarcodeCapture", "bump the Scandit SDK to v8", "what changed between SDK versions") → read references/migration.md and follow the instructions there.
• Replacing a third-party barcode scanner with BarcodeCapture (e.g. "replace my ZXing scanner with BarcodeCapture", "migrate from ML Kit barcode scanning to Scandit", "switch from [library] to BarcodeCapture") → read references/third-party-migration.md and follow the instructions there.

API Usage Policy

Only use APIs that are explicitly documented in the Scandit references below. Do not invent or guess method signatures, parameters, or property names. If unsure whether an API exists or how it is called — or if a compile error occurs — fetch the relevant reference page before responding. Do not tell the user to check the docs themselves. After answering, always include the relevant link so the user can explore further.

Never construct or guess documentation URLs. When you need a specific class or property's API page:

1. First check whether the page you already fetched contains a direct hyperlink to it — topic pages link directly to relevant API symbols. Always request links alongside content in your fetch prompt.
2. If no direct link was found, fetch the API index (see Full API reference in the table below), extract the actual link from it, and follow that.

URL structures can vary (e.g. api/ui/ subdirectory) and guessing will lead to 404s.

Licence key

Scanning needs a Scandit licence key. For this skill the licence product is native and the licence platform is android.

Work through these in order — never block the user on MCP:

1. The Scandit MCP server is connected — call ensure_scanner_setup with product native and platforms android, app_identifier (the app's bundle or application id; for web, its production domain, never localhost) and env_var SCANDIT_LICENSE_KEY. Do not run the command it returns. Then call get_license_key with the key's id, from that result or from list_license_keys; if list_license_keys shows the key is not a trial, ask the user before fetching it. Show at most a masked preview in chat; never print a full key.

2. It is not connected — tell the user once that they can connect the remote Scandit MCP server, https://ssl.scandit.com/mcp, in their MCP client, then continue from step 1. Do not edit MCP client configuration yourself.

   Authentication is browser-based, so it is not supported headless or in CI. The server provisions trial keys only; it never creates, revokes, or modifies production licences.

3. The user declines, or has no MCP client — they generate a key themselves at https://ssl.scandit.com (no account yet: https://ssl.scandit.com/dashboard/sign-up?p=test) and paste it in.

Then put the key into the code: write it into the licence-key call in place of the placeholder — the key get_license_key returned, or the one the user pastes or gives you — still showing only a masked preview in chat. Do not search the project, its files or the environment for a key.

References

Direct users to the right resource based on their question:

Topic	Resource
Get Started	Get Started · Sample
Advanced topics (custom feedback, viewfinders, location selection, scan intention, composite codes)	Advanced Configurations
Migration between major SDK versions	6 → 7 · 7 → 8
Full API reference	BarcodeCapture API