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QR Code Widget

The QR Code widget prints or displays a scannable QR code on a form — on a View form or on a Sticker label. It encodes a value from the record it's placed on. By default it encodes the Protrak instance ID and tracking ID; an admin can instead point it at any Text attribute on the type — so the same QR widget can carry an internal identifier, a partner's reference, a serial number, or a link.

What you can do​

  • Encode a customer's, courier's, or supplier's own reference so their systems read the label directly
  • Encode a serial or asset tag that already exists on the physical item
  • Encode a link that opens on any phone camera — no Protrak app or login needed
  • Print QR labels for record types that don't use tracking codes
  • Give one record different labels for different purposes — internal vs. outbound
  • Keep printed QRs simple and reliable on small stickers and thermal printers

How to configure​

  1. Open Design Studio → Forms and select (or create) the form.
  2. Add or select the QR Code widget on the canvas.
  3. In the settings panel, set Encode from attribute.
  4. Choose a Text attribute of the type, or leave it as the default to encode the Protrak instance code.
  5. Save. Use Preview to check how the QR renders at the chosen sticker size.

Behaviour​

  • Only Text attributes are available for selection.
  • The setting applies wherever the form renders — instance view, sticker preview, and Print Sticker output.
  • If the chosen attribute is empty on a record, no QR is rendered for that record.
  • The default (Protrak instance code) is the value the Protrak mobile app recognizes when scanning. A custom value is intended for external scanners, partner systems, or phone cameras.
  • The setting is stored with the form and travels with schema export and import.

What actually gets encoded​

The QR code always encodes whatever text is in the chosen attribute — but what a scanner does with that text depends on its shape:

Default: a JSON object with the record's identity​

Left unconfigured, the attribute holds a small JSON object Protrak generates automatically:

{ "Id": "...", "TrackingId": "...", "InstanceTypeName": "...", "Created": "...", "CreatedBy": "...", "Version": "1.0" }

When the Protrak mobile app scans this:

  • If TrackingId is present, Protrak fetches the record straight by tracking ID.
  • If it isn't, Protrak falls back to fetching by Id + InstanceTypeName — both are needed there, since an ID alone doesn't say which type's screen to open.

A plain string — must be a valid tracking ID​

Point the attribute at plain text instead of JSON, and the mobile app still recognizes it if that text is a valid tracking ID — of any instance, of any type, related or not. There's no restriction to "this record" or "this type"; any tracking ID that actually exists resolves.

Anything else — outside the Protrak app, by design​

A serial number, a partner reference, a URL — none of these are tracking IDs, so the Protrak app won't recognize them. That's expected, not a bug: this is how you go beyond Protrak. Any regular phone camera or barcode scanner reads the value normally — a link opens, a partner system reads its own reference format. The Protrak app just isn't the audience for that scan.

Troubleshooting​

SymptomLikely cause
QR code renders blankThe configured attribute has no value on this record.
Attribute isn't in the dropdownOnly Text attributes are selectable — convert or add one if your value is stored as another type.
Protrak mobile app doesn't recognize the codeThe encoded value is neither the default identity object nor a valid tracking ID — expected for links, serial numbers, and partner references. Scan it with a regular phone camera instead.
Changing the setting didn't affect already-printed stickersPrinted stickers are static — reprint after changing the setting to pick up the new value.

Next Steps​