Implement a Quick Barcode Scanner with Next.js

Next.js is a popular JavaScript framework that is used for building modern web applications. One useful feature that can be implemented in a Next.js application is a barcode scanner. In this tutorial, we will walk you through how to quickly implement a barcode scanner in a Next.js application using the QuaggaJS library.

Step 1: Set up a Next.js project

If you haven’t already set up a Next.js project, you can do so by running the following commands in your terminal:

npx create-next-app barcode-scanner
cd barcode-scanner

This will create a new Next.js project called barcode-scanner and navigate you into the project directory.

Step 2: Install QuaggaJS

QuaggaJS is a JavaScript library that enables barcode scanning in the browser. To install QuaggaJS, run the following command in your terminal:

npm install quagga

Step 3: Create a component for the barcode scanner

In your Next.js project, create a new component called BarcodeScanner.js in the components directory. This component will contain the code for the barcode scanner. Here is an example implementation of the BarcodeScanner.js component:

import { useEffect } from 'react';
import Quagga from 'quagga';

const BarcodeScanner = ({ onDetected }) => {
  useEffect(() => {
    Quagga.init({
      inputStream: {
        name: "Live",
        type: "LiveStream",
        target: document.querySelector('#barcode-scanner'),
        constraints: {
          width: 480,
          height: 320,
          facingMode: "environment"
        },
      },
      decoder: {
        readers: ["ean_reader"]
      }
    }, (err) => {
      if (err) {
        console.error(err);
        return;
      }
      Quagga.start();

      Quagga.onDetected((result) => {
        onDetected(result.codeResult.code);
        Quagga.stop();
      });
    });

    return () => {
      Quagga.stop();
    };
  }, []);

  return <div id="barcode-scanner"></div>;
};

export default BarcodeScanner;

This BarcodeScanner component initializes the QuaggaJS barcode scanner, sets up the camera stream, and listens for barcode detection events. When a barcode is detected, the onDetected function is called with the barcode data.

Step 4: Use the barcode scanner component in your Next.js application

Next, you can use the BarcodeScanner component in your Next.js application by importing it into a page component. For example, you can create a new page called Index.js in the pages directory and add the following code to use the BarcodeScanner component:

import { useState } from 'react';
import BarcodeScanner from '../components/BarcodeScanner';

const Index = () => {
  const [barcode, setBarcode] = useState(null);

  const handleDetected = (data) => {
    setBarcode(data);
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Barcode Scanner</h1>
      <BarcodeScanner onDetected={handleDetected}/>
      {barcode && <p>Barcode: {barcode}</p>}
    </div>
  );
};

export default Index;

In this example, when a barcode is detected, the barcode data is stored in the barcode state and displayed on the page.

Step 5: Test the barcode scanner

To test the barcode scanner in your Next.js application, run the following command in your terminal to start the development server:

npm run dev

Then, open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000 to see the barcode scanner in action. Point your camera at a barcode, and the scanner should detect and display the barcode data on the page.

In conclusion, implementing a barcode scanner in a Next.js application is quite simple with the QuaggaJS library. By following this tutorial, you can quickly set up a barcode scanner in your Next.js project and start capturing barcode data with ease.