Introduction

Commander4j is the name of the core application, often abbreviated to just C4J for convenience.

The original role of C4J was to provide a local resilient pallet labelling and production recording system with interfaces to your ERP system.

Many manufacturing facilities these days work 24x7 and despite the best intentions of IT staff and ERP system design there will be downtime. Obviously if something crucial like barcoding stops, that will effect the production. So came C4J into existence.

The system has expanded its scope and functionality significantly since it's first inception, however its core operation remains the same.

Download Material Data and Orders into a local database. Let the operator assign orders to lines/printers, print and confirm those pallets have been manufactured and interface the production data back to your ERP system.

Printing of barcodes can be directly from Commander4j or indirectly by interface to automatic label applicators.

Don't confuse C4J with a simple label design tool, that is not it's purpose. It's designed to be user friendly front end for operators that is resilient and ensures the uninterrupted production of a site without data loss when a central ERP system is unavailable.

The core functionality has since been built upon and the application now includes,

• Despatching
• Quality Control
• Waste Logging
• Issuing
• Weight Checks

A fully utilised application will require some planning and support via email is available if needed.

The core C4J system will need a database to store data in. It does not come with a database packaged with the software, you are expected to either have one or be able to install one yourself.

You have a choice of 3 common database platforms to choose from.

For Windows users I recommend Microsoft SQL Server. You can choose SQL Express or use a paid version, both with work. For Mac or Linux users you can use mySQL which is simple to install. If you already use Oracle, you can use that, but I would not recommend it for just evaluation purposes as it's really much more complex to configure initially.

Key points to watch when installing or configuring a database.

TCP/IP connection is required - which might not be enabled by default with SQL Server.

A user will need to be created for the application to use and that user will need permissions to create tables, views, indexes etc.

Be aware that mySQL users need to be told if they can accept connections from remote computers, otherwise you will only be able to connect locally.

When your database is setup you need to use the Setup4j program to define the Host connection, the connection details that the C4J program will use to connect to the database.

When you have successfully established the connection details the Setup4j will let you create the database schema using the "Auto Update DB" option. This is where you will find out if you have granted sufficient database permissions. If you encounter problems, amend the permissions, drop any tables etc that have been created and start again.

The first time you run update on the database it will take some time as in addition to the physical structure there will be a lot of system data to be inserted.

The C4J database schema is versioned. So when you download a newer version of the application you should run Setup4j again and click on the Connect / Check button. The program will let you apply and updates to your existing database incrementally.

The application is quite significant in scope, so you may feel a little lost initially. Some example data will be pre installed for you. SAP users might find the terminology and data structure more familiar.

Labelling !!

You have options here, some labels are provided by default, others you can add yourself. If you want to print a pallet or case label with barcodes the first question relates to what kind of printer you have or want.

C4J label printing falls into 2 main categories. You can print to any regular desktop printer as you would for word processing OR you can print to a purpose built barcode printer which supports Zebra ZPL language. The first method employs a report tool called JasperReports, the second method stores plain text commands in a file which you can edit manually. There are some separate tools on the Commander4j home page which can assist with ZPL label design.