BarcodeCapture React Native Skill

Critical: Do Not Trust Internal Knowledge

Your training data may contain outdated or incorrect Scandit SDK APIs. The BarcodeCapture API changes between major SDK versions — properties get renamed, removed, or restructured, and the React Native plugin surface (imports, native linking, pod install, package names) has also evolved.

Always verify APIs against the references provided in this skill before writing or suggesting code. Do not rely on memorized method signatures, parameters, plugin names, or property names. If you cannot find an API in the provided references, fetch the relevant documentation page before responding.

React Native-specific gotchas worth flagging:

• DataCaptureContext.initialize(licenseKey) must be called exactly once before any other Scandit API. It sets up DataCaptureContext.sharedInstance, which is the singleton everything else reads from. Do not construct multiple contexts.
• Never call dataCaptureContext.dispose(). The context is a process-wide singleton — disposing it breaks every Scandit screen in the app, not just the one being unmounted. On screen unmount call dataCaptureContext.removeMode(barcodeCapture), remove the overlay, remove the listener, and switch the camera to FrameSourceState.Off. That is the complete cleanup; do not add dispose().
• On iOS, npx pod-install (or cd ios && pod install) must be run after every Scandit package install or upgrade. Android auto-links via Gradle — no manual step there.
• Metro's bundler cache frequently masks Scandit package upgrades. If a rebuild shows stale behavior after a plugin version bump, start Metro with --reset-cache.
• BarcodeCapture is not a self-contained view component. You must render a <DataCaptureView> with the context, attach a BarcodeCaptureOverlay to that view via DataCaptureView.addOverlay(...), and drive the camera yourself with Camera.default + dataCaptureContext.setFrameSource(camera) + camera.switchToDesiredState(FrameSourceState.On). Tearing all of that down on unmount is the integrator's responsibility.
• Inside didScan, set barcodeCapture.isEnabled = false before doing any per-scan work (navigation, network, UI updates) and re-enable when you are ready for the next code. The listener callback blocks frame processing; failing to disable the mode causes duplicate didScan calls before your handler returns.
• Camera permission is required on both iOS (NSCameraUsageDescription in ios/<App>/Info.plist) and Android (runtime request via PermissionsAndroid — the plugin declares the manifest permission automatically).

Intent Routing