How to integrate photo field into record creation process

Hi my name is Jerry. I am not at all new to Airtable but my experience is not particularly broad. I built our Airtable base 8 or 9 years ago and haven’t done any development work on it since. I am not a programmer.

My problem:

I am creating a package receiving solution for our freight forwarding business. We receive packages, log information regarding that package and place it in the racks for future handling. I am looking for a way to easily add a photo to the package record during the receiving process.

The process:

A new record is created by scanning a preprinted, barcoded label which is then applied to the package. The scan gun is then used to scan other information from the package such as shipper and tracking number. The customer name is selected from a linked field followed by entry dimensions, weight and comments. Then the box is opened and a general description of contents is scanned into a field from a prepared list on the wall. While we have the box opened we would like to use a camera mounted overhead to snap a photo to be “automatically” entered into a field in that record. The entire record creation consists of scans and minimum keyboard entry by warehouse personnel with little or no computer skills.

Any thoughts would be muchly appreciated

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Hello Jerry,

Nice to meet you!

Unfortunately, I don’t know of any easy way to do this and we may need to build out a custom solution. But, this is a problem that I find interesting!

A few questions so I understand this process:
1. Before the shipper and tracking number is scanned, does the worker that is scanning the box have to manually select the fields that the numbers go into in Airtable? Or, is that somehow automatically determined?
2. Are the workers using phones to access Airtable? Or, laptops?
3. What devices can the camera send images to? Does it send images to a central computer? Can it also send images to the device that the worker is using?
4. How many packages are being processed at the same time?

Sorry about all the questions. I just want to make sure I have enough information to help you.

Also, just a random thought: I would look into tethering software which is how photographers get their camera photos instantly onto their computers.

Looking forward to hearing from you, Jerry!

Thank you for your prompt reply and thoughful questions.

A ‘tab’ character is added to the scan string in the keyboard buffer so as long as the last entry was from the scan gun then the cursor will advance to the next field, otherwise the worker must select the field (for e.g. dimensions). We will be using touch-screens. A lot has happened with Airtable since I initially built our bases so I am familiarizing myself with automation and new capabilities in forms, looking for opportunities to simplify and/or automate elements of the data entry process.

We will be equipping the receiving station with a desktop if possible, for serviceability. Depending on the warehouse we select, it might be necessary to use laptops or tablets for mobility reasons. We will be supplying the worker with an Android phone. We may be using it for other functions so we might consider it in this role if it promises enough benefits. The problem with phones is that workers often have large hands and usually wear heavy gloves. This raises input accuracy concerns on small keypads, and when checking in a package only averages 100-120 sec, taking gloves on and off multiple times adds relatively significant time to the process.

We would prefer that images go to the same device as used for record creation and the rest of the process, I think, but don’t really care as long as the the photo automatically ends up in the record.

Design specs are for 100 packages per day per receiving station, with the ability to add more stations.

I will definitely look into tethering software. Thank you for the heads-up.

Thanks for all the context, Jerry!

I have some ideas. I’m not sure if they will be of any use to you however.

Here’s my stab at the “simplest” solution:

Setup: Have two windows open on the laptop. One window is the tethering software and the second window is Airtable.

The flow for taking the picture would be:
1. Click a button in the tethering software to take a picture.

2. Drag-and-drop the picture from the tethering software to the correct Airtable cell.

This solution definitely needs some testing as I have never used tethering software.

If you want to go even more automated and take a custom approach, it might go something like this:
1. Click a button to take a picture.

2. Have that picture end up in a local folder that will sync up to the cloud.

3. When a file is uploaded to the cloud folder, trigger an automation to upload the picture to the latest record that that station created.

With this approach, you can use a cloud storage solution like Google Drive or Dropbox and an automation platform like Make.com or n8n.

But there will be at least two potential challenges that I think others in the community (who have more automation experience) can answer:

Will the local to cloud sync and automation trigger be fast enough? Will it be uploaded before the worker moves on to the next package?
How will automation know which station the image is coming from? Can the automation listen to multiple folders at once (then, the folder will have an assigned station ? Or, would a separate automation need to be setup for each station?

I think this provides a good foundation on how I think about the problem.

I hope someone else chimes in and offers their perspective as well.

Best of luck, Jerry!

WOW, thank you. It leaves a lot of work to be done but it is exactly what I was looking for -- fresh ideas and and new thinking. Split screen is a great idea. Let’s hope tethering software is actually what we think/hope it is. And, if drag and drop is an option it avoids all of the synchronization issues. Optionally, if the tethering software can be annotated with the receiving number then photos can be placed in the proper records with post processing. I really hope this ‘tethering software’ is the ticket.

I look forward to more input, but you have given me a direction to pursue. Thanks again.

Does anybody out there have experience with this tethering software? Would love a leg up on my research

Hm, on a Mac, if you click on the attachment field you get a ‘Webcam’ option (both in the table view and in a form):

Would it be feasible to buy webcams and mount them so they’re facing straight down? The workflow would then be:

Click ‘Attachments’, then ‘Webcam’
Position the package below the webcam while referring to the screen
Take the picture, hit ‘Upload’

Maybe the barcode scanner could hit the right combination of ‘tab’s and ‘enter’s to automatically open the webcam too

Hey @jerry_thomas,

Just FYI, when I need some additional power from forms (or even a better UI) I usually use Fillout (more on Airtable native forms vs. Fillout forms here).

As mentioned by Adam above, getting a webcam seems def a simpler setup!

Please keep us posted, as this sounds like a fun project :D

Mike, Consultant @ Automatic Nation

Hm, on a Mac, if you click on the attachment field you get a ‘Webcam’ option (both in the table view and in a form):

Would it be feasible to buy webcams and mount them so they’re facing straight down? The workflow would then be:

Click ‘Attachments’, then ‘Webcam’
Position the package below the webcam while referring to the screen
Take the picture, hit ‘Upload’

Maybe the barcode scanner could hit the right combination of ‘tab’s and ‘enter’s to automatically open the webcam too

Adam, that is brilliant. Yes it would be feasible. I think it might work well for the parcel check-in station. What’s better, it allows me to use the Android to snap photos of larger pallets and equipment. The only problem I’m having with my tests is the speed. I need to spend some time trying to sort out why it takes so long in my tests with an Android phone. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Mike, Fillout seems to be just the ticket. (I have always used FormAssembly -- powerful but no direct integration with Airtable.) Next step for me is to investigate web-cam or camera input into Fillout forms. It may answer my speed question, in my reply to Adam.

thank you