7 ms·

Show HN: Scan QR codes to check in guests registered via Google Forms

115 points by komlan 3y ago

Hi HN! I made a no-code platform for creating physical data collection apps, using QR codes [1]. It does not yet have a self-service config UI though, which limits adoption. That's why I recently released a Google Forms™ add-on for QR code check-in, based on the platform. This focused use-case makes it easy to provide a fully self-service config UI. How it works: 1. Create your Google Form as you normally would [2] 2. Activate the add-on if you hadn't already [3] 3. Craft a confirmation email to be sent to each form responder Upon each form submission, the add-on will send a PDF with a unique QR code (a V4 UUID) to the responder. Have guests present this code at the event, and record check-ins in bulk using the included QR scanner. See here [4] for more information, or try the Google Sheets™ version [5] (which doesn't send email). [1] https://admin.trak.codes/ https://admin.trak.codes/ [2] https://forms.google.com/ https://forms.google.com/ [3] https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/qr_code_ticket_for_attendance/9398047938 https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/qr_code_ticket_... [4] https://blog.darkaa.com/qr-code-pass-per-response-google-forms-addon/ https://blog.darkaa.com/qr-code-pass-per-response-google-for... [5] https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/qr_code_pass_for_attendance/1028329904752 https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/qr_code_pass_fo...

rahimnathwani 3y ago
I love the README/Overview on the linked page. It's really clear what this is for, why it's better than other solutions etc.
- komlan 3y ago
  Thanks! I stole this structure from Obviously Awesome [1] by April Dunford, highly recommended. I just noticed the main submission link goes to the Google Sheets add-on, instead of the Google Forms add-on [2]. Oh well. [1] https://www.aprildunford.com/books https://www.aprildunford.com/books [2] https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/qr_code_pass_for_attendance/1028329904752 https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/qr_code_pass_fo...
alaskamiller 3y ago
What's cool also is that this is from the West African tech scene.
- komlan 3y ago
  Busted! Curious what gave it away, my username?
  - davidjfelix 3y ago
    4th link to blog has a link to homepage. Homepage lists country in the footer.
    - komlan 3y ago
      Ah indeed ;)
      - dylan604 3y ago
        that's pretty good that someone went past your original link and looked at more of what you were doing. looks like the effort pays off!
        komlan 3y ago
        Indeed; I didn't expect this level of interest, to be honest. The HN demographics didn't seem to match my target market.
  - etewiah 3y ago
    Awesome! You should be proud of this. I grew up next door in Ghana and I am delighted that someone from Togo is doing this. Well done.
    - komlan 3y ago
      Thanks tchalé ;) Btw, my parents never managed to decide if they were Togolese or Ghanaian
afandian 3y ago
Just a reminder to anyone using Google forms that you may exclude non-Google customers. My child’s school uses them and it often the forms ask for a login. Google doesn’t necessarily respect your choice to make a form public.
- komlan 3y ago
  Indeed. This happens when the form is configured to collect "verified" emails. A form can use a custom field (doesn't require login), user input managed by Google Forms (named "Email", doesn't require login), or the google email of the user ("verified" email, requires login). This add-on supports every one of these options.
  - afandian 3y ago
    Thanks, that’s good to know.
- unmole 3y ago
  > exclude non-Google customers. There are literally dozens of them! /s
  - afandian 3y ago
    When you’re running taxpayer funded public services for millions of people that adds up.
mlhpdx 3y ago
I like this for the “sum is greater than the parts” aesthetic, which keeps the door open to so many applications.
- komlan 3y ago
  Thank you! The main platform is currently used by national post offices (physical mail tracking), health organizations (biological samples), banks (fixed assets tracking), manufacturing plants (parts inventory tracking), etc. QR codes make it easy to avoid data-entry errors in quite a large set of use cases with physical objects.
EduardoBautista 3y ago
The overview is one of the best descriptions I have ever seen for what an app does and why I should use it. Well done.
- komlan 3y ago
  Thank you! I stole [1] this structure from "Obviously awesome" by April Dunford. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38786113 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38786113
samstave 3y ago
This is WONDERFUL. EDIT: nto "But for use for" -- I meant "But in ADDITION" -- But - for tool/item/inventory management in a garage. Get a cheap label printer [0], create a form of your tools/inventory with a matched set (code on tool, code on location of tool home) - Tool home has a QR code that leads to a tab in the sheet with all the tools that live in that location, container. Put airtags on the high-value tools, with links in the sheet to those. but scan a code on a tool - and it tells you tool details, including owner, home, whatever data properties you like. If you like barcodes/QR codes and GIMP - You will love BarTender (seagull Software [1]) It allows you to make ANY type of barcode you want, QR code, badge, etc etc. Its AMAZING [Free*] software. (You only pay a cheapo $500 lic if you have a high volume printer for printing thousands of product labels fast - eles; its a super powerful free program with an utterly amazing and knowledgable supprt staf f (no affiliation) Here is a test I did making "Card Carrying Conspiracy Theorist" badges based on a comment from someone saying they were one. THe QRs go to the /r/ profile - as does the bar code. The image can be set as a template then do a merge for pics and employee data from a sheet.... https://imgur.com/a/eyAxpcb https://imgur.com/a/eyAxpcb (I like Guilloche designs (the swirly woven bits you see on money)) and so I used that motif - but the QR code placement and calc is automatic via Bartender. I made a bunch of labels for a cannabis company - and I tied the QRs through a tinyURL which did all the geocoding of the QR scanning so that we could send product to a particular place, and then track where and how many people scanned the QR (the QR went directly to the lab test reports for the makup of the cannibis, CBD, etc... So, then you could measure which market the CBD or THC were drawing most interest - and see how sales were vs scanning. anyway - QR codes get a bad wrap. They are lame for menues - but a goot idea is to scan a QR code, then just have a folder of scanned links for purusal later - as opposed to launching safari when I clearly dont ue safari. :) [0] https://www.amazon.com/qr-code-printer/s?k=qr+code+printer&page=5 https://www.amazon.com/qr-code-printer/s?k=qr+code+printer&p... [1] https://portal.seagullscientific.com/downloads/bartender https://portal.seagullscientific.com/downloads/bartender --- >>>scan a QR code, then just have a folder of scanned links for purusal later These get submitted to a personal GPT and it develops a learning module for you on your home portal which then gives you the run-down of all it has learned from that location QR or Context QR or Porduct QR. But without a sticker - it will use either: 1. handheld laser engraver of the QR 2. an AI derived location based on meta data 3. an AI location based on image analysis (forgive me if I am snowballing too much on HN, but I truly believe we are at an inflection point with a velocity that is being masked from us - SAs and his Ilk are not giving the fold the truth.)
onetimeuse92304 3y ago
The issue is, at least for me, I consider all QR codes as unsafe. Unfortunately, you don't know where the QR code leads you before you scan it and then it is already too late. So you can't do the equivalent of inspecting the link before you click it. Recently we were in a restaurant which required scanning a QR code to get served (for some reason asian restaurants like doing this). The codes were labels attached to the menu. I told the waitress "I can't scan the codes because I don't know who put the QR codes there". She told "the codes lead to their website". I told her "I don't know that, it takes a moment to print a label that looks exactly the same to my eye". She told me "it would then not point to their website". I respond if she knows what MITM attack is. She responded "if you can't afford a phone we should leave and go somewhere else". The funniest is those QR codes left at random in public. I imagine scanning these is like finding a random pendrive and putting it in your computer.
- beachy 3y ago
  > Unfortunately, you don't know where the QR code leads you before you scan it and then it is already too late What are you so scared of? It isn't the 90s where by tricking someone into following a dodgy link their windows machine was instantly pwned.
  - simon_acca 3y ago
    Remote code execution vulns are still routinely discovered, for example: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-41993 https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-4199...
    - ianbutler 3y ago
      Trust me when I say randos aren’t dropping modern 0days on restaurant menus. Not when a novel attack can fetch millions through brokers.
      - simon_acca 3y ago
        Not only do I agree with you, but I don’t think anyone would be able to tell an attack was imminent if they were to see the URL anyway. I was just providing facts to the comment above that didn’t seem to think RCE are a thing anymore.
zoezoey 3y ago
This is awesome!
dylan604 3y ago
Hopefully, the Googster doesn't pull the rug out from under your feet and decide to deprecate whatever product(s) you are using of theirs. It is always something to keep in mind with using anything from G as a central part of your offerings.
- komlan 3y ago
  Spot on. Fortunately, the underlying platform itself is independent of Google. The Forms and Sheets add-ons are just customer acquisition channels, just like our Zapier integration [1]. These mostly use our API, and very little of our UI (mostly the scanner). [1] https://zapier.com/apps/trak-qr-automation/integrations https://zapier.com/apps/trak-qr-automation/integrations
onetokeoverthe 3y ago
[dead]
allynalford 3y ago
I like this
- komlan 3y ago
  Thanks, please don't hesitate to get in touch when you do try it!
digitcatphd 3y ago
Kudos for the simplicity and efficacy of your solution
- komlan 3y ago
  Thanks, please get in touch when you do try it!
T3RMINATED 3y ago
[dead]

115 points by komlan 3y ago

rahimnathwani 3y ago

I love the README/Overview on the linked page. It's really clear what this is for, why it's better than other solutions etc.

komlan 3y ago
Thanks! I stole this structure from Obviously Awesome [1] by April Dunford, highly recommended. I just noticed the main submission link goes to the Google Sheets add-on, instead of the Google Forms add-on [2]. Oh well. [1] https://www.aprildunford.com/books https://www.aprildunford.com/books [2] https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/qr_code_pass_for_attendance/1028329904752 https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/qr_code_pass_fo...

alaskamiller 3y ago

What's cool also is that this is from the West African tech scene.

komlan 3y ago
Busted! Curious what gave it away, my username?
- davidjfelix 3y ago
  4th link to blog has a link to homepage. Homepage lists country in the footer.
  - komlan 3y ago
    Ah indeed ;)
    - dylan604 3y ago
      that's pretty good that someone went past your original link and looked at more of what you were doing. looks like the effort pays off!
      - komlan 3y ago
        Indeed; I didn't expect this level of interest, to be honest. The HN demographics didn't seem to match my target market.
- etewiah 3y ago
  Awesome! You should be proud of this. I grew up next door in Ghana and I am delighted that someone from Togo is doing this. Well done.
  - komlan 3y ago
    Thanks tchalé ;) Btw, my parents never managed to decide if they were Togolese or Ghanaian

afandian 3y ago

Just a reminder to anyone using Google forms that you may exclude non-Google customers. My child’s school uses them and it often the forms ask for a login. Google doesn’t necessarily respect your choice to make a form public.

komlan 3y ago
Indeed. This happens when the form is configured to collect "verified" emails. A form can use a custom field (doesn't require login), user input managed by Google Forms (named "Email", doesn't require login), or the google email of the user ("verified" email, requires login). This add-on supports every one of these options.
- afandian 3y ago
  Thanks, that’s good to know.
unmole 3y ago
> exclude non-Google customers. There are literally dozens of them! /s
- afandian 3y ago
  When you’re running taxpayer funded public services for millions of people that adds up.

mlhpdx 3y ago

I like this for the “sum is greater than the parts” aesthetic, which keeps the door open to so many applications.

komlan 3y ago
Thank you! The main platform is currently used by national post offices (physical mail tracking), health organizations (biological samples), banks (fixed assets tracking), manufacturing plants (parts inventory tracking), etc. QR codes make it easy to avoid data-entry errors in quite a large set of use cases with physical objects.

EduardoBautista 3y ago

The overview is one of the best descriptions I have ever seen for what an app does and why I should use it. Well done.

komlan 3y ago
Thank you! I stole [1] this structure from "Obviously awesome" by April Dunford. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38786113 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38786113

samstave 3y ago

This is WONDERFUL. EDIT: nto "But for use for" -- I meant "But in ADDITION" -- But - for tool/item/inventory management in a garage. Get a cheap label printer [0], create a form of your tools/inventory with a matched set (code on tool, code on location of tool home) - Tool home has a QR code that leads to a tab in the sheet with all the tools that live in that location, container. Put airtags on the high-value tools, with links in the sheet to those. but scan a code on a tool - and it tells you tool details, including owner, home, whatever data properties you like. If you like barcodes/QR codes and GIMP - You will love BarTender (seagull Software [1]) It allows you to make ANY type of barcode you want, QR code, badge, etc etc. Its AMAZING [Free*] software. (You only pay a cheapo $500 lic if you have a high volume printer for printing thousands of product labels fast - eles; its a super powerful free program with an utterly amazing and knowledgable supprt staf f (no affiliation) Here is a test I did making "Card Carrying Conspiracy Theorist" badges based on a comment from someone saying they were one. THe QRs go to the /r/ profile - as does the bar code. The image can be set as a template then do a merge for pics and employee data from a sheet.... https://imgur.com/a/eyAxpcb https://imgur.com/a/eyAxpcb (I like Guilloche designs (the swirly woven bits you see on money)) and so I used that motif - but the QR code placement and calc is automatic via Bartender. I made a bunch of labels for a cannabis company - and I tied the QRs through a tinyURL which did all the geocoding of the QR scanning so that we could send product to a particular place, and then track where and how many people scanned the QR (the QR went directly to the lab test reports for the makup of the cannibis, CBD, etc... So, then you could measure which market the CBD or THC were drawing most interest - and see how sales were vs scanning. anyway - QR codes get a bad wrap. They are lame for menues - but a goot idea is to scan a QR code, then just have a folder of scanned links for purusal later - as opposed to launching safari when I clearly dont ue safari. :) [0] https://www.amazon.com/qr-code-printer/s?k=qr+code+printer&page=5 https://www.amazon.com/qr-code-printer/s?k=qr+code+printer&p... [1] https://portal.seagullscientific.com/downloads/bartender https://portal.seagullscientific.com/downloads/bartender --- >>>scan a QR code, then just have a folder of scanned links for purusal later These get submitted to a personal GPT and it develops a learning module for you on your home portal which then gives you the run-down of all it has learned from that location QR or Context QR or Porduct QR. But without a sticker - it will use either: 1. handheld laser engraver of the QR 2. an AI derived location based on meta data 3. an AI location based on image analysis (forgive me if I am snowballing too much on HN, but I truly believe we are at an inflection point with a velocity that is being masked from us - SAs and his Ilk are not giving the fold the truth.)

onetimeuse92304 3y ago

The issue is, at least for me, I consider all QR codes as unsafe. Unfortunately, you don't know where the QR code leads you before you scan it and then it is already too late. So you can't do the equivalent of inspecting the link before you click it. Recently we were in a restaurant which required scanning a QR code to get served (for some reason asian restaurants like doing this). The codes were labels attached to the menu. I told the waitress "I can't scan the codes because I don't know who put the QR codes there". She told "the codes lead to their website". I told her "I don't know that, it takes a moment to print a label that looks exactly the same to my eye". She told me "it would then not point to their website". I respond if she knows what MITM attack is. She responded "if you can't afford a phone we should leave and go somewhere else". The funniest is those QR codes left at random in public. I imagine scanning these is like finding a random pendrive and putting it in your computer.

beachy 3y ago
> Unfortunately, you don't know where the QR code leads you before you scan it and then it is already too late What are you so scared of? It isn't the 90s where by tricking someone into following a dodgy link their windows machine was instantly pwned.
- simon_acca 3y ago
  Remote code execution vulns are still routinely discovered, for example: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-41993 https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-4199...
  - ianbutler 3y ago
    Trust me when I say randos aren’t dropping modern 0days on restaurant menus. Not when a novel attack can fetch millions through brokers.
    - simon_acca 3y ago
      Not only do I agree with you, but I don’t think anyone would be able to tell an attack was imminent if they were to see the URL anyway. I was just providing facts to the comment above that didn’t seem to think RCE are a thing anymore.

zoezoey 3y ago

This is awesome!

dylan604 3y ago

Hopefully, the Googster doesn't pull the rug out from under your feet and decide to deprecate whatever product(s) you are using of theirs. It is always something to keep in mind with using anything from G as a central part of your offerings.

komlan 3y ago
Spot on. Fortunately, the underlying platform itself is independent of Google. The Forms and Sheets add-ons are just customer acquisition channels, just like our Zapier integration [1]. These mostly use our API, and very little of our UI (mostly the scanner). [1] https://zapier.com/apps/trak-qr-automation/integrations https://zapier.com/apps/trak-qr-automation/integrations

onetokeoverthe 3y ago

[dead]

allynalford 3y ago

I like this

komlan 3y ago
Thanks, please don't hesitate to get in touch when you do try it!

digitcatphd 3y ago

Kudos for the simplicity and efficacy of your solution

komlan 3y ago
Thanks, please get in touch when you do try it!

T3RMINATED 3y ago

[dead]