Every object in PartsBox — a part, a lot, a storage location, an order, a project, a build — gets a unique short code called an ID Anything™ code. It is 26 characters, readable by a person, and printable as a QR code. Scan it with a phone and you land on that exact object in PartsBox. This is what makes a physical shelf and a database record point at each other.
Print labels for any of those objects on a Zebra label printer, or any printer that speaks ZPL. A templating system gives you full control of the layout: write the ZPL, mark the fields you want filled, and map each one to PartsBox data. Keep several templates per object type for different label sizes; in a company they are shared across the team. A label carries the QR code and a human-readable name, so a bin, a reel, or a finished device is identified at a glance and by a scanner.
Scanning speeds up receiving and stock work. PartsBox reads the barcodes distributors actually use: 2D DataMatrix and PDF417 codes from DigiKey, Würth, and others; QR codes from LCSC and TME; and 1D codes that carry a manufacturer part number. Scan a known part to add, remove, or move its stock. Scan an unknown one to create it from the matched online part. Quantity is pre-filled when the barcode carries it.
Use a dedicated USB scanner for high-volume work, or your computer camera for the occasional scan. For the day-to-day workflow — label a bin, then scan to find, receive, or count stock — see Label and Scan Your Inventory.
ID Anything™, label printing, and barcode scanning are in every plan, including the free Maker plan. In-browser camera scanning starts on the Essentials plan.