QR Code dynamic generated report

In my last post I wrote about a different use for QR Codes. I proposed to generate a PDF report dynamically using a web application that grabs the data from a database and make it available to download on a cell phone through the use of a QR Code.

The idea is to trigger a web application routine by pointing our cell phone camera to the QR Code.

 

Following my last article I will now show a working example of the concept.

 

The image you see above is a QR Code that can be read by any cell phone. There´s nothing new on it.

The news is that when your cell phone reads this image, it will take you to a link that has a functionality. This link will run a program that queries a database, grabs some data, put it on a chart, saves everything into a PDF document and then sends it back to you.

But the concept can go far beyond that. QR Code dynamic generated report is just the beggining. You can perfectly make the program to do an insert in a database table, and then create two QR Codes, one representing and answer "yes" and the other representing the answer "no". Then you have the possibility to make a poll in a newspaper, for example, where the readers could participate by pointing their cellphone devices to one of the choices.

Ok, you might say that people could just log into a web site and click on some radio buttons and it would be equivalent. But see how much hassle was taken off the process: you wouldn´t have to open your cell phone browser. You wouldn´t have to type a web site address. There would be no need to log into the system also, neither you would have to click on the option of your choice.

It is far more natural and quick to scan a QR Code printed on the newspaper and by then getting your vote computed.

We could do elections with this. It is a totally new world, ready to be explored.

In my next post I will show you how it is done, in Coldfusion 8.

See you!