Usage Notes and Behavior

DataWedge 14.1

Overview

This section discusses use of DataWedge and its behavior in particular circumstances.

Usage Notes

Device Functionality

  1. When the device is suspended, it takes a few milliseconds to release all the resources. DataWedge releases the resources once it receives the Screen Off notification. Until this notification is received, DataWedge continues to function (e.g. scanning) for a short period of time despite the device being suspended.
  2. After a device reboot, DataWedge starts after receiving the LOCKED_BOOT_COMPLETED intent. Calling DataWedge intent APIs before the LOCKED_BOOT_COMPLETED intent may cause unexpected behavior since DataWedge is still not started yet. Calling DataWedge intent APIs soon after receiving the LOCKED_BOOT_COMPLETED intent may also cause unexpected behavior as DataWedge may still be in the initialization process. It is recommended to wait for a few seconds after receiving the LOCKED_BOOT_COMPLETED intent before calling any DataWedge intent APIs.
  3. Delay in scanning after a device reboot. DataWedge requires a brief period of time to initialize after device reboot due to waiting for a response to be received from the initialization of the scanning subsystem, causing scanning to be inactive from DataWedge during this time frame.
  4. When a device is low in memory, DataWedge may not function properly. In this situation, Zebra recommends to investigate the cause of the low memory and take appropriate actions. For example, if an application is found to be causing a memory leak, it should either be uninstalled or the memory leak should be fixed.
  5. When camera scanning is enabled, camera-related functions, such as flash, may not work during scanning.
  6. Performing the "Clear Storage" and "Clear Cache" functions from DataWedge's App Info may lead to unexpected behavior. Instead, Zebra recommends to use the "Restore" option in DataWedge Settings to reset DataWedge to factory default configuration.

Compatibility and Support

  1. On Android 10 and 11 devices, DataWedge is not supported with Android Work Profile. This applies to personally owned devices and mixed-use company-owned devices (formerly known as Corporate-Owned, Personally Enabled (COPE) devices) with Android Work Profile.
  2. DataWedge is not supported for Ephemeral users.
  3. In Android 13 and higher, when opening the recent apps screen after launching an app associated with a DataWedge profile, the DataWedge profile remains active while in the recent apps screen. This was not the case with older Android versions.
  4. For devices running Android 13 or later, DataWedge supports compatibility with Android Work Profiles. This applies to both personally owned devices and mixed-use company-owned devices, formerly known as Corporate-Owned, Personally Enabled (COPE) devices.

Apps

  1. When Data Capture Plus icon is displayed by DataWedge on top of another application, Android displays a silent notification in the notification area. Users can hide the Data Capture Plus icon by tapping on this notification and disabling the “Allow display over other apps” option. If a user decides to disable this option, even though Data Capture Plus is enabled in DataWedge, it does not display on the screen.
  2. If both DataWedge and DWDemo are launched, only the most recent app opened is visible in the recent apps screen in Android. For example, if DataWedge is launched first and then DWDemo is launched, only DWDemo is seen in the recent apps screen.

Keyboard and Display Settings

  1. A graphical keyboard is not displayed when DataWedge, also known as ZebraCommonIME, is selected as a keyboard or IME (Input Method Editor) from the Virtual Keyboard settings on the device. DataWedge (ZebraCommonIME) keyboard is only used by DataWedge to output keystroke data and should not be selected as the default IME, otherwise unexpected behavior can occur.
  2. If the font size or display size on a device is increased, some of the text in DataWedge may not display properly. For optimal user experience, Zebra recommends to configure the device with the default font and display size.

Logging

The following log message is displayed in Android logcat when the scanner status changes and when an intent is broadcasted to the Intent Action from DataWedge's Intent Output. This log message is intentional and does not affect any functionality.

    Sending non-protected broadcast com.symbol.datawedge.api.NOTIFICATION_ACTION from system <pid>:com.zebra.zvahelper/<id> pkg com.zebra.zvahelper
    Sending non-protected broadcast <Intent Output Action> from system <pid>:com.zebra.zvahelper/<id> pkg com.zebra.zvahelper

Multi-User Support

DataWedge supports the use of multiple Android user accounts on a single device, enabling separate user profiles to maintain data privacy.

Features and functionality:

  • If DataWedge is enabled, its functionality applies only for the active user - Each user has a separate DataWedge process running. DataWedge usage and functionality only applies for the active user.
  • Any DataWedge profile change only affects the single user - A DataWedge configuration or profile change by a user (through DataWedge UI or profile import) only applies to that specific user and does not affect any other users.
  • Camera scanning functions only for the primary (admin) user - Camera scanning is not available for secondary (non-primary) users.
  • Bluetooth scanner disconnects when switching between primary user and other users - This applies to profiles which have a Bluetooth scanner enabled. If the primary user is active, when switching to a different user with an active profile that also enables a Bluetooth scanner, the Bluetooth scanner disconnects and does not automatically re-connect to the device. The non-primary user needs to press the reset button on the Zebra Bluetooth scanner to reconnect, even if it shows that the Bluetooth scanner is connected to the device.
  • No external SD card access - If multiple Android user accounts exist, users cannot access the external SD card. This prevents the ability to export or import the Datawedge configuration database files from the SD card.
  • Limited folder access - Each user profile has its own folder structure that is not accessible from a different user. Therefore, a user cannot access the exported DataWedge configuration database of another user, preventing the ability to import/export configurations across users.
  • "DataWedge not ready" message after switching users following device reboot - When switching from a primary user to a secondary user for the first time after reboot, after attempting to open DataWedge or DWDemo the message "DataWedge not ready" may display. There could be a delay since DataWedge does not start until the BOOT_COMPLETED intent is received.
  • Multiple scanners - Use of multiple scanners with multiple Android user accounts may result to unexpected behavior.
  • Barcode scanning is not supported in multi-user mode on ET40/ET45, TC15, and TN28 devices.