TSD: a barcode data-collection terminal and its exchange server

2How to read this document

Every statement is tagged with how EKOS obtained it. Most statements also carry a binary · token locator: an ECMA-335 metadata token such as TSDClient.exe · 0x0600004B. That token names the exact method in the exact build (binary SHA-256 is recorded on every fact). Any claim can be re-checked with ekos_binary_explain or ekos query object.

The application's user interface is in Russian. Every on-screen string quoted here is an English translation of a constant compiled into the binaries; the Russian originals can be read with ekos_binary_explain. File names containing the Russian word for “copy” are shown translated.

3What is in the release folder

EKOS detects formats by magic bytes and the PE CLI header, never by file extension. Of the 14 PE files, 13 are managed .NET assemblies and one (MCSSLib.dll, ARM Thumb, Windows CE) is native code. EKOS records the native file as a File and reads nothing from it. compiled

The CLR column is the metadata version string: v2.0.50727 is .NET Compact Framework 2.0, and v1.1.4322 is the device vendor's older SDK build. "Used by" counts real DependsOn edges resolved onto binaries in this same folder. compiled graph

The Calib namespace, the OBR*/BT*/Sys* API names, and a test-print string naming "CASIO IT-600 or DT-X11" (in BTPrintClass) together suggest the handheld hardware is a Casio industrial terminal. reading

4Architecture

Two executables and a set of device SDK wrappers. The only channel between desktop and handheld is file copy over ActiveSync, through OpenNETCF.Desktop.Communication.RAPI. compiled

5The exchange cycle, end to end

A working day for one terminal, reconstructed from the call graph. Steps 1–3 and 6–7 run on the desktop, steps 4–5 on the handheld.

1. Import reference data TSDServer.exe · 0x0600000D, 0x06000024

   The operator presses “Import product file” or “Import document file”. The handlers call DataLoaderClass.AutoLoadProduct / AutoLoadDoc, which start the import on a background thread (LoadFile, 0x060002C5). A second import cannot start while one is running: “Load in progress!”. compiled

2. Parse and store TSDServer.exe · 0x060002CA

   BeginImport clears the target tables (CleanProducts/CleanDocs) and reads the file as windows-1251. It dispatches each line to a fixed-width or delimited parser depending on the ImportFileTypeIsFixed setting (AddFixedStringProducts, AddDelimetedStringDocs, …). Finally it commits through the table adapters' Update. Lines with a bad barcode are skipped with “Invalid barcode - line skipped”. Other errors either abort or continue, depending on BreakOnError. compiled

3. Upload to the terminal TSDServer.exe · 0x06000011

   The upload handler (“Upload to terminal”) first calls GetDBDate and compares the catalogue date with today. If the catalogue is old, it warns: “Warning: the catalogue … is dated {0}! Are you sure you want to load old data?”. It then connects over RAPI, deletes any existing database files on the device, and streams each file with BeginCopyFileToDevice behind a cancellable progress dialog. When the device connects, ActiveSync_Active also syncs the terminal clock (RAPI.SetDeviceTime). compiled

4. Terminal start-up TSDClient.exe · 0x06000464

   Program.Main loads Settings.xml next to the executable. If the file is missing, it creates a settings row with built-in defaults: printer 00:03:7a:32:4c:55, COM 9, storage path \Storage Card\tsdfamilia, StorageMemorySize 15000. The main form then shows the numbered menu and starts the scanner (ActionsClass.BeginScan). compiled observed

5. Scanning see §7–§10

   Staff pick a workflow and scan. Each accepted scan updates the in-memory ScannedBarcodes table. BeginScan 0x06000167 subscribes to that table's RowChanged/ColumnChanged events. Their handlers call WriteDbTxt 0x0600016A, which appends the row to scannedbarcodes.txt as a |-separated line and to register.txt, then flushes. A crash or battery loss therefore does not lose a scan. compiled

6. Download results TSDServer.exe · 0x06000025

   “Download from terminal” copies the scanned-data files back with RAPI.CopyFileFromDevice. It reports every file that failed to copy. compiled

7. Publish results TSDServer.exe · 0x060002D5, 0x06000026

   UploadResults writes scannedbarcodes.txt (7 fields, {0}|…|{6}) and register.txt ({0},{1,11:D}, {2,7:D}) into LocalFilePath. It copies each one to RemoteFilePath as {name}_{yyyyMMddhhmmss}.txt. If EraseTerminalDB is set, DeleteOldDB then deletes the scanned files on the terminal. compiled

6Desktop exchange server (TSDServer.exe)

A Windows Forms tray application (notifyIcon1, “TSD Server”) with a status log (richTextBox1). It has two modes, chosen in Program.Main 0x060002B5. compiled

7Handheld application (TSDClient.exe)

A .NET Compact Framework 2.0 Windows Forms application driven entirely from the keypad. Menus are numbered and hot keys are announced on screen, for example “Enter – Yes, FN+CLR – No” and “F4 - Results”. compiled

The labels are the button captions, translated from Russian compiled. MenuEvents 0x0600013C constructs exactly the forms in the right-hand column compiled. The one-to-one pairing of key and form is inferred from caption order and each form's own title strings, for example TtnForm's title is “Truck receiving”. reading

8Business workflows

Each workflow below is described from its form's handlers and the verbatim prompts and messages compiled into them. compiled

9The action engine

A scan's outcome is not hard-coded per screen. ActionsClass.InvokeAction(ActionCode, ProductsTblRow, DocsTblRow) 0x0600018D dispatches through an ActOnProduct delegate to one handler per action code. The document row carries per-document behaviour in LabelCode, MusicCode, VibroCode and Priority. So the back office, by preparing the document file, decides what the terminal does when an item is scanned. compiled reading

Enum members come from ekos_neighborhood on the ActionCode type. Labels are the string constants of ActionCodeDescription 0x02000007, in declaration order. They pair up closely: Returns/RETURN, Reprice/REPRICING, Remove/TRANSFER, QuickHelp/QUICK HELP. EKOS does not read enum constant values, so the exact numeric mapping is not asserted.

10Anatomy of one scan

The path from trigger press to journal line, following resolved Calls edges. compiled

1. Reader thread waits ScanClass.InitScan 0x060001FF · start 0x06000200

   InitScan configures the reader through OBReadLibNet: symbologies, scan key, buffer type, notification, buzzer and vibrator. It then calls OBROpen and starts a thread. The thread blocks on SysWaitForEvent("OBRScanningEvent", 2000), reads the text, and raises Scanned. Supported symbologies include Code39, NW-7, UPC/EAN, ITF, Code93, Code128, MSI, IATA and EAN-13/GTIN.

2. Screen receives it ViewProductForm.Scanned 0x06000049

   The active form's handler (OnScanned / Scanned) looks up the product (SearchBarcode, GetProductRowByNavCode) and the document (GetDataByDocIdAndType, FindByDocIdAndDocType).

3. Rules are applied ViewProductForm.DoAction 0x0600004B

   DoAction (complexity 38, 33 branches) decides between the outcomes whose messages it carries: “Item already received: {0} of {1}”, “Receive {0} more pcs”, “Item is not in this box!”, “DEFECTIVE”, “Stock-taking mode”, “Delivery-note mode”. It then calls ActionsClass.InvokeAction.

4. Scan is recorded ActionsClass.AddScannedRow 0x060001A4

   AddScannedRow finds or creates the row keyed by (Barcode, DocType, DocId) and calls AcceptChanges. The table's change events fire WriteDbTxt 0x0600016A, which appends an 8-field line ({0}|…|{7}, UTF-8) to the journal and a line to register.txt. Opening and closing documents, boxes and trucks write their own marker lines directly (OpenInv, CloseInv, CloseDoc, CloseCarAction, CreateNewReturnBox, CloseReturnBoxAction, IncomeBoxAction).

5. Feedback Action_OnActionCompleted 0x06000053

   The ActionCompleted event updates planned vs. actual counts on screen. It plays the document's sound, and when a box is complete it shows “Box on note … fully received!”.

Blast radius: ekos_impact on AddScannedRow, following Calls in reverse, finds 29 methods that write scan records through it: 14 direct callers, and the deepest 4 hops away (the query bound was 5, so this is the complete set). Among them are DoAction, navCodeTB_KeyDown, OpenInv/CloseInv, every *ActionProc, CheckStatus, OnIncomeScanned and CreateNewReturnBox. Any change to the scan-record key or format has to be checked against all of them. graph (raw result)

11Data model

Typed ADO.NET DataSets, recovered from their generated row accessors (get_X/IsXNull) and schema strings. compiled

12Storage engine and file formats

FamilTsdDB is an in-house embedded database compiled into both executables. It stores each DataTable as a set of files, and the typed TableAdapters (BaseTableAdapter: Open/Fill/Update/Close) sit on top of it. compiled

Field order is read from the getter call order. UploadResults exports Barcode, DocId, DocType, FactQuantity, ScannedDate, TerminalId, Priority. The terminal's WriteDbTxt journals Barcode, DocId, DocType, FactQuantity, ScannedDate, TerminalId, Priority, PlanQuanity. Both observed samples fit. compiled observed reading The journal's first line uses the document's own barcode as both Barcode and DocId, which is the open-document marker OpenInv writes. Its 660… prefix matches the "660" constant in InventarForm, so stock-taking count sheets most likely use a 660 barcode range. reading OpenScanned 0x06000163 rebuilds the in-memory table from the journal whenever a workflow is opened from the menu or an open document or box is looked up; its numeric constants 10 and 124 are '\n' and '|'. compiled

13Device integration

14Configuration reference

Handheld: Settings.xml (SettingsDataSet.TypedSettings)

Setting names and defaults are compiled into TypedSettingsDataTable and Program.Main compiled. "Read by" is the set of direct callers of each getter, from ekos_impact over resolved Calls edges graph. Values come from the observed Settings.xml excerpt observed. "—" means the excerpt EKOS stored was truncated before that element.

Desktop: TSDServer.Properties.Settings

LocalFilePath · RemoteFilePath · TSDDBPAth · EraseTerminalDB · ImportProductsEnabled · ImportDocsEnabled · ImportFileTypeIsFixed · FieldsLength · FieldDelimeter · DateSeparator · ShortDatePattern · NumberDecimalSeparator · BaseDate · BreakOnError · SettingsEnabled · SmtpClient · AddressFrom · UserNameFrom · AddressToList

15Release-folder file reference

16Hotspots, risks and anomalies

EKOS's own Risk objects are all concentration risks on framework assemblies: mscorlib (12 dependents), System.Windows.Forms (8), System, System.Drawing (6), System.Data (5), System.Xml (4). For a .NET Compact Framework 2.0 application, they mostly say that the platform itself is the migration risk. graph

18Reproduce and query this analysis

1. Compile the folder

   git clone --filter=blob:none --sparse https://github.com/alexeyban/tsd.git
   cd tsd && git sparse-checkout set SmartDeviceProject3/SmartDeviceProject2/SmartDeviceProject2/bin/Release
   ekos init
   ekos build && ekos recover && ekos resolve --force && ekos compile && ekos commit
   # recover: 12 binaries, 888 types, 8327 methods, 7134 fields, 174 I/O boundaries
   #          10956 call edges resolved
   # resolve --force: one known false conflict (the "System" assembly vs. a field named "system")

2. Generate EKOS's deterministic documentation

   ekos docs generate --layout curated               # README / Architecture / API + 9,283 entity pages
   ekos docs generate --layout solution-architect    # risk report, onboarding guide, findings memo

   A copy of the top-level generated reports is kept in examples/tsd/generated/.

3. Ask EKOS through MCP

   ekos mcp serve --workspace .
   # ekos_ekl             FIND Object WHERE kind CONTAINS 'BinaryType' AND name = 'TSDServer.ViewProductForm'
   # ekos_binary_explain  {id}  → members, complexity, constants, call targets, I/O, provenance
   # ekos_impact          {id, direction: "dependents", kinds: ["Calls"]}
   # ekos_dependents      {id of BluetoothLibNet}  → TSDClient ×2

   The ekos_binary_explain output behind this document is kept for 22 key types in examples/tsd/binary-explain/.