Automating barcode scanner tests with Capybara

A lot of barcode scanners are basic human interface devices — essentially behaving like a keyboard and not requiring any special drivers. Essentially, they just type on a keyboard very quickly. They’ll support lots of different styles of codes — from the 1D barcodes you see on a lot of products in shops to 2D barcodes (more commonly known as QR codes) which are able to hold much more data and that you might have found yourself scanning a lot more of in the past few years.