More detail in README.md; better, but not great, handling of when the device goes away and the serial.read() call hangs

Author: chauser

.gitignore

@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ wheels/
 *.egg-info/
 .installed.cfg
 *.egg
+*.exe
+*.zip
 
 # PyInstaller
 #  Usually these files are written by a python script from a template

README.md

@@ -1,18 +1,19 @@
 # SerialToKbd
 
 SerialToKbd is a simple helper program that allows MagTek USB check/credit card
-readers 22523003 and 22533007 to be used with software that doesn't specifically support check readers.
+readers 22533003 and 22533007 to be used with software that doesn't specifically support check readers.
 It is intended as a replacement for the MicrSend program that MagTek used to provide but which no
 longer works with recent versions of Windows.
 
 You do NOT need this program if:
-* Your app supports the check reader directly (for example PowerChurch running locally)
-* You have a USB MiniMicr that does keyboard emulation (part number 22523009 and similar)
-* You have a keyboard "wedge" MiniMicr that plugs into the PS/2 keyboard port of your computer
+* Your app supports the check reader directly (for example PowerChurch versions 10, 11, and 11.5 running locally)
+* You have a USB MiniMicr that does keyboard emulation (part number 22523009 or 22523012 and similar)
+* You have a keyboard "wedge" MiniMicr (22520001) that plugs into the PS/2 keyboard port of your computer
 
 This program MAY help if you have non-keyboard-emulation USB MiniMicr or a MiniMicr that plugs into
 the serial port on your computer AND your app doesn't support the MiniMicr directly (for example
-PowerChurch online) (tested with 22533007 readers).
+PowerChurch Online and PowerChurch versions 8.5 and 9 running locally) (tested with 22533003 and 22533007
+readers and PowerChurch Online).
 
 Before using SerialToKbd you should install the MagTek drivers for your device.
 
@@ -28,7 +29,7 @@ The USB Mini Micr should be listed as such. A MiniMicr attached with a serial ca
 try launching SerialToKbd from a command prompt and passing the COM port name (e.g. COM1) as a parameter:
     SerialToKbd COM1
 
-You can test whether the MiniMicr, SerialToKbd, and other apps on your computer are working by
+You can test whether the MiniMicr and SerialToKbd are working by
 opening NotePad or WordPad and placing the cursor in it. Then scan a check: you should see the check
 information appear as characters in the document.
 
@@ -48,13 +49,25 @@ License: see 'License.txt'
 Source code for the program may be found at the project github page:
     http://github.com/chauser/SerialToKbd
 
-## Running and Building
+## Download
+Select the 'Releases' tab above and download the zip file for the latest release. Extract the contained files,
+then double-click 'SerialToKbd' to run the program. If you need to run from a command prompt in order to
+supply a 'COMn' parameter, open a command prompt, change directory to the folder where you extracted the files,
+and type
+    SerialToKbd COMn
+where 'n' is the number of the COM port you want to monitor.
 
-### Run directly from source:
+## Running from source and Building
+
+### Run directly from source (assumes you have python installed):
     python SerialToKbd.py
+or
+    python SerialToKbd.py COMn
 
-### Package as .exe
+### Package as .exe (assumes you have pyinstaller installed)
     pyinstaller -F SerialToKbd.py
 
 The created .exe is 'dist/SerialToKbd.exe'
+
+
 

SerialToKbd.py

@@ -168,12 +168,19 @@ def get_option_info(port):
            }
 
 import serial
-def start_capture(port):
+def capture(port):
+        global keepAlive
         serial_params = get_option_info(port)
         try:
             serial_port = serial.Serial(**serial_params)
-        except (serial.SerialException, OSError):
+        except serial.SerialException as SE:
             print ('Can\'t open serial port: %s' % port)
+            print ("Serial exception occurred.")
+            print (SE.strerror)
+            return
+        except OSError as OSE:
+            print ("OSError occurred")
+            print (OSE.strerror)
             return
 
         if not serial_port.isOpen():
@@ -186,35 +193,60 @@ def start_capture(port):
 
                 # Grab data from the serial port.
                 raw = serial_port.read(1)
+                keepAlive = True
                 if not raw:
                     continue
 
                 # Send the character view the keyboard emulator
                 kbd_emulator.send_string(chr(raw[0]))
         except KeyboardInterrupt:
             pass
+
+import time
+def keepAliveThread():
+    global keepAlive
+    keepAlive = True
+    while keepAlive:
+        keepAlive = False
+        time.sleep(5)
 
+    print("\n%s stopped responding. Was the device unplugged?" % device)
+    print("Close and restart this program when the device is again available")
+    # sys.stdin.readline()
+
+
 import serial.tools.list_ports as LP
 import sys
-device = None
-if len(sys.argv) > 1:
-    device = sys.argv[1]
-else:
-    print ("Looking for a Magtek reader")
-    ports = LP.comports()
-    for p in ports:
-        if p.manufacturer=='MagTek':
-           print("Found a MagTek reader with Vendor ID: 0x%x and Product ID: 0x%x on %s" %
-                 (p.vid, p.pid, p.device))
-           device=p.device
-if device:
-    print("Opening reader on %s" % device)
-    print("Type Ctrl-C or close this window to exit")
-    start_capture(device)
-else:
-    print("Did not find a supported reader; Use the device manager to identify the COM port")
-    print("and then enter the command")
-    print("    SerialToKbd COMn")
-    print("where n is the number of the COM port you identified in the device manager")
-    sys.stdin.readline()
+
+import threading
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    device = None
+    if len(sys.argv) > 1:
+        device = sys.argv[1]
+    else:
+        print ("Looking for a Magtek reader")
+        ports = LP.comports()
+        for p in ports:
+            if p.manufacturer=='MagTek':
+               print("Found a MagTek reader with Vendor ID: 0x%x and Product ID: 0x%x on %s" %
+                     (p.vid, p.pid, p.device))
+               device=p.device
+    try:
+        if device:
+            print("Opening reader on %s" % device)
+            print("Type Ctrl-C or close this window to exit")
+            # This whole multi-threaded design is ridiculous, but required,
+            # because when the device is unplugged, and even perhaps
+            # when the system sleeps or hibernates, the serial.read() function
+            # hangs, never timing out again.
+            threading.Thread(target=keepAliveThread,daemon=True).start()
+            capture(device)
+        else:
+            print("Did not find a supported reader; Use the device manager to identify the COM port")
+            print("and then enter the command")
+            print("    SerialToKbd COMn")
+            print("where n is the number of the COM port you identified in the device manager")
+            sys.stdin.readline()
+    except KeyboardInterrupt:
+        pass
 

makeRelease.bat

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+pyinstaller -F SerialToKbd.py
+copy /Y dist\SerialToKbd.exe .
+del /Q SerialToKbd.zip
+zip SerialToKbd.zip SerialToKeybd.py keyboardlayout.py LICENSE README.md SerialToKbd.exe
+powershell Compress-Archive -Path SerialToKbd.py,keyboardlayout.py,LICENSE,README.md,SerialToKbd.exe,makeRelease.bat -DestinationPath SerialToKbd.zip 
+