AssetScan

Manual Config setup for AssetScan

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 19:09:59 +0000

When you first launch AssetScan, if you are not using an MDM to send the config down (recommended) then you have the option to tap on the settings icon and toggle "Enable Manual Config". Simply select the number of items (with or without barcodes) that you want to display, give each a name and a value, and toggle whether you want to display a barcode. Tap "Save Config" and you're done!

AppConfig for AssetScan using Jamf Pro

admin — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 16:23:22 +0000

A basic Mobile App Config for AssetScan is as simple as adding the following XML code to your MDM:



     server_url

     $JPS_URL
     numfields

     1
     name1
     Serial
     val1
     $SERIALNUMBER
     bar1
     Yes

This is enough to enable the most basic config and behaves the same as AssetScan Lite. That is, it shows a barcode of the serial number of the device.

Let's break this down.

We have pairs of keys and strings. The first pair is the URL of our MDM. Jamf Pro allows us to send this with $JPS_URL as seen here. You MUST provide a value for this in order for the app to pick up the remainder of the config. (Note: if your MDM does not supply an easy way to provide this you can enter it manually.)

     server_url

     $JPS_URL

The next thing you need to specify is the number of fields you want displayed in your app.

     numfields
     1

Next, you need to define the name or 'label' for your first field.

     name1
     Serial

In the above example the first field is called 'Serial'.
Then you set the value you want displayed in that field.

     val1
     $SERIALNUMBER

Here you are saying you want $SERIALNUMBER shown. OK, that looks a bit odd. It's all upper case and there is a dollar sign at the beginning. That's because you are using a Payload Variable for your MDM (more on this below).
In short, you are saying "Use the serial number for the device". (If you wanted it to say "Serial Number" explicitly you would just enter that without the $, but I can't imagine a scenario where this would be useful.)

Lastly, you are saying we want that value displayed as a barcode.

     bar1
     Yes

For this bit, you just need to remember that if you want the barcode to show for a field, you need to include this in your payload.

All of this is wrapped up in the following odd bit:

     <\dict>

Don't worry too much about this; just make sure your config has and <\dict> as the first and last elements respectively or it won't work.

You can add up to 5 fields in the app by using keys for 'name1' through 'name5' and 'val1' through 'val5' (and assuming we want barcodes, 'bar1' through bar5'). You need to make sure that you also adjust the value for numfields to match (e.g. if you want 3 items to display, you need to set numfields to '3' and provide name1, name2, name3, as well as val1, val2 and val3 and bar1, bar2 and bar3).

You can use plain text for your field names and values, or you can use environment variables allowed by your MDM.

In the case of Jamf Pro you can currently use the following:

$MANAGEMENTID

$DEVICENAME

$ASSET_TAG

$SITENAME

$SITEID

$SERIALNUMBER

$UDID

$USERNAME

$FULLNAME or $REALNAME

$EMAIL

$PHONE

$ROOM

$POSITION

$DEPARTMENTNAME

$DEPARTMENTID

$BUILDINGNAME

$BUILDINGID

$MACADDRESS

$JSSID

$PROFILEJSSID
$EXTENSIONATTRIBUTE_#

Extension Attribute ID Number Note: The ID number is found in the extension attribute URL. In the example URL below, "id=2" indicates the extension attribute ID number: https://JAMF_PRO_URL.jamfcloud.com/mobileDeviceExtensionAttributes.html?id=2&o=r

(For more information, see Mobile Device Extension Attributes in the Jamf Pro admin guide.)

Check to see the latest list of environment variables in the Mobile Device Configuration Profiles section of the Jamf Pro Admin Guide

A more complex config may look like this:
server_url $JPS_URL

     numfields
     4
     name1
     Serial
     val1
     $SERIALNUMBER
     bar1
     Yes
     name2
     Asset Tag
     val2
     $ASSET_TAG
     name3
     Owners Name
     val3
     $REALNAME
     name4
     UserID
     val4
     $USERNAME
     bar4
     Yes


And the result should look like this:

Lastly, you have an optional configuration item.

     alwaysqr
     true

Here you are saying you always want to use a QR Code instead of a barcode (the app will automatically generate a QR Code if the value is more than 15 characters, or if it has any special text that can't be displayed as a barcode, such as the pound sign '£'.)

FAQ

admin — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 16:00:25 +0000

Q. Why do some items show as a barcode and some as a QRCode?

A. There are 3 occasions when your code(s) may show as QR Codes:

Items over 15 characters can be tricky to scan, so if the data is 16 characters or more the app automatically generates a QR Code instead of a barcode

Some characters can't be encoded in a barcode, so if your field contains (e.g.) a £, then the app automatically displays a QR Code.

In your MDM's App Config you may have overridden the default behaviour (to display barcodes) to instead display QR Codes only (please see the article on configuring your App Config data.)

Q. Why can't I 'Enable Manual Config' in settings?

A. If your organisation's MDM is pushing out AssetScan with an App Config, then this overrides any local configuration and you cannot enable a manual config.

Q. How do I get AssetScan Lite?

A. AssetScan Lite is only available to educational organisations. If you wish to have access to AssetScan Lite, please send your Apple School Manager (ASM) Organisation ID to us via the Contact Us page and we will send you instructions on adding this to your Apps & Books (formally VPP) for distribution.

Q. Why can't AssetScan just show the serial number automatically without an App Config or entering it manually?

A. Before 2011 you could access the serial number as an App Coder. However, this meant that with access to several apps you could check on a devices usage, and even tie the owner of a device to the piece of hardware they were using. Apple and Google were summoned to the Senate for a hearing on mobile device privacy and the landscape was forever changed. More info

Simple AppConfig for AssetScan Lite using Jamf Pro

admin — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 15:23:35 +0000

The Mobile App Config for AssetScan Lite is as simple as adding the following XML code to your MDM.



     serialNum
     $SERIALNUMBER

For Jamf Pro this can be added to your Mobile Device Apps entry in the App Configuration section as shown below.