AIDC Toolkit v1.0 in production!

[KDean-Dolphin]

What started two years ago as a simple hobby project to fill a gap in supply chain tools has grown significantly, as I added “one more thing…” time and again to deliver what I’m pleased to announce (finally!) as version 1.0 of the AIDC Toolkit:

• For business users, extensions to Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets with comprehensive support for AIDC Toolkit functions (see screenshots below).
  • Get the Microsoft Excel add-in from Microsoft Marketplace.
  • Get the Google Sheets add-on from Google Workspace Marketplace.
• For developers, open-source libraries as NPM packages, with full source code available on GitHub.

Features

• Numeric transformation with lightweight encryption to obfuscate sequences (serial numbers, GS1 identifiers, and more).
• Validation and creation of numeric, hexadecimal, alphabetic, and alphanumeric strings.
• Validation and creation of GS1 character set strings.
• GS1 check digit and check character pair support.
• Validation and creation of all GS1 identifiers (GTIN, GLN, SSCC, …).
• Parsing and creation of variable measure Restricted Circulation Numbers.
• Integration with GS1 services (Verified by GS1 and Barcode/EPC Interoperability).

Use Cases

• Pseudo-random serial number generation for anti-counterfeiting purposes.
• GS1 identifier validation and generation for trade items, locations, shipping containers, and more.
• GS1 identifier generation in compliance with European Commission UDI-DI regulations.
• Verified by GS1 link generation to discover basic trade item or location information, as well as the company responsible for the identifier.
• Parsing of GS1 identifiers for use in other identification formats, notably EPC URN, that require separation of the components within the identifier.

Libraries

AIDC Toolkit functionality is split into two main libraries. The utility library provides classes to manipulate integers and strings, independently of any AIDC problem domain. The GS1 library builds on the utility library to provide functionality related to the GS1 identification system. A demo showcasing the functions is available to try everything out.

Application Extensions

• Get the Microsoft Excel add-in from Microsoft Marketplace.
  • You can also download a sample workbook that demonstrates most of the functions (though the add-in must be installed).
• Get the Google Sheets add-on from Google Workspace Marketplace.
  • You can also view a sample spreadsheet that demonstrates most of the functions (without having to install the add-on).

Coming Soon

Work has already started on the next iterations:

• GS1 element string generation and parsing.
• GS1 Digital Link generation and parsing.
• EPC generation and parsing.
• A really, truly, honestly big feature for the Microsoft Excel add-in and Google Sheets add-on.

Want more out of the library? Email me, contact me on LinkedIn, or join these discussions!

Screenshots

Microsoft Excel

Google Sheets