Weighing Scale Integration with Oracle APEX

Download and Install NodeJS using the link below
Nodejs

1. Create a folder in your drive e.g c:\ScaleIntegration
2. Open your command line, navigate to step 1 and type command below

npm init


3. while still on the command line, type command below

npm i express

Download and Install Python using the link below
Python

If the Weighing Scale is connected on a network port you may use sample python script and save as getweight.py in in folder c:\ScaleIntegration

import socket, time
scalesocket = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
scalesocket.connect(('XXX.XXX.X.XX', XXXX))
#XXX.XXX.X.XX - I.P address XXXX - Port No

while True:
    time.sleep(0)
	#receive data from network port and limit to number of characters returned (20) in this example
    data = scalesocket.recv(20)
    #locate and print exact reading based on position in string
    print(repr(data)[10:-1])
    scalesocket.close()
    break

Create and save Windows Powershell script

create a powershell script called readscale.ps1 and save in folder c:\ScaleIntegration if you have decided to call a python script similar to STEP 2, use below script

<#PSScriptInfo
.VERSION 1.0
#>

c:\path_to_pythonhome\python.exe c:\ScaleIntegration\getweight.py

OR if you are capturing directly from a serial port and intend to call directly from powershell, you may use below sample script

<#PSScriptInfo
.VERSION 1.0
#>

$port= new-Object System.IO.Ports.SerialPort COM3,9600,None,8,one
$port.Open()
$port.ReadLine()

Create and save nodejs script

create a nodejs script called readscaleapp.js and save in folder c:\ScaleIntegration, Ensure the right parameter values are retrieved sent to the nodejs url e.g http://localhost:8099/?appsession=&APP_SESSION .&record=&P7_RECORD_ID . , use below script

/*Author: Kehinde Adeyemi*/
var http = require('http');
var url = require('url');


var spawn = require("child_process").spawn,child;
  console.log("Powershell initializing: ");
child = spawn("powershell.exe",["c:\\ScaleIntegration\\readscale.ps1"]);
child.stdout.on("data",function(data){
    console.log("Powershell Data: " + data);
});
child.stderr.on("data",function(data){
    console.log("An Error occurred, please check if scale is connected and/or port is open");
});
child.on("exit",function(){
    console.log("Powershell Script initialized...");
});
child.stdin.end();


http.createServer(function (req, res) {

  res.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': 'text/html'});
  /*Use the url module to turn the querystring into an object:*/
  var q = url.parse(req.url, true).query;
  var spawn = require("child_process").spawn,child;
  console.log("Powershell starting: ");
child = spawn("powershell.exe",["c:\\ScaleIntegration\\readscale.ps1"]);
child.stdout.on("data",function(data){
    console.log("Powershell Data in : " + data + q.appsession + " " + q.recordid);

  var txt =  data;
  res.write('' + txt + ' 


');
  res.write('Record Weight');
  res.end();
	
});
child.stderr.on("data",function(data){
    console.log("An Error occurred, please check if scale is connected and/or port is open");
	 var txt = "An Error occurred, please check if scale is connected and/or port is open";
  res.end(txt);
});

 
  child.on("exit",function(){
    console.log("Powershell Script finished");
});
child.stdin.end();
  
}).listen(8099);

Create a batch file

create a batch file to execute the nodejs script called readscaleapp.js and save as readscale.bat in folder c:\ScaleIntegration

cd  c:\ScaleIntegration
node readscaleapp.js

Create a scheduled task to launch the batch file and you may also create it as a windows service

On your APEX application

1. Create a page (I used page 7 in my scenario)
2. Create a Static Content Region
3. Add the following (copy only the iframe component and remove the spaces before the dots).
   

4. Create a button to reload page