Identifiers and scanning
An identifier is a physical marker bound to a Thread so the physical item and its digital record can be matched to each other. DICE supports five identifier types:
| Type | What it is |
|---|---|
| DUST tag | A DUST Identity tag read optically by a DUST scanner |
| QR code | Any QR symbol |
| Barcode | Linear barcodes |
| Data matrix | 2D data matrix symbols |
| NFC | NFC tags, read by their hex ID |
All scan workflows start from the Scan page in the navigation, or from a Thread’s identifier list.
The three scan operations
Section titled “The three scan operations”- Bind attaches a scanned identifier to a Thread (“Scan an identifier to bind it to this Thread”). Once bound, the identifier appears in the Thread’s identifier list.
- Verify confirms a specific identifier already bound to a Thread: you pick the identifier on the Thread, scan the physical item, and DICE reports whether it matches (“Identifier matches expected value”) or fails.
- Identify goes the other direction: scan any identifier and DICE finds the Thread(s) it is bound to (“Find Threads by scanning their identifiers”). Use Identify when you have an item in hand and want to know what it is; use Verify when you already know which Thread it should be and want proof.
If a scanned identifier is bound to more than one Thread, a Multiple Matches Found dialog lists every match — filterable by Thread name, description, or organization — so you can open the right one.
Scanner modes
Section titled “Scanner modes”A segmented switcher at the top of the scanner selects the input method:
- DUST — the DUST camera scanner. Point the reticle at the tag and press Scan (or tap spacebar).
- Camera — the device camera reads QR codes, barcodes, and data matrix symbols.
- Manual — Manual Entry: “Paste, type, or use a HID/Bluetooth scanner.” Choose the identifier type (QR Code, Barcode, Data Matrix, NFC), enter the value, and press Enter to submit. Standalone timestamp prefixes and suffixes are removed automatically, so wedge-scanner input works as-is.
DUST indexing modes
Section titled “DUST indexing modes”When binding a DUST tag you choose an Indexing Mode:
- Identifiable (“Verify + Identify”) — the DUST can be verified against its Thread and also matched from any Identify scan.
- Verify-only (“Cannot be identified”) — the DUST can only be verified against the Thread it was bound to; Identify scans will not return it.
The scanner shows a help popover (“About DUST indexing modes”) explaining this in place: only Identifiable DUST can be matched from an Identify scan, while both indexing modes can be verified.
Scan scope for Identify
Section titled “Scan scope for Identify”The Identify screen includes a Scan scope panel: “Pick which teams to match against when identifying a thread.” By default the scope covers every team available to you — your own Teams and Teams connected to yours — and the panel shows a summary like “Searching in all N teams”. You can narrow it to the Current Team, all Teams in my org, or any custom set; your selection is remembered per Team. Identify results can therefore span organizations, which is called out in the match dialog (“N matches found … across N organizations”).
When an Identify scan does not find a match, the message tells you why and what to do next:
- Scan not clear enough — the capture was rejected for focus or quality; hold steady and scan again.
- No match found — every team in your scan scope was searched and nothing matched. The identifier may be unbound, or belong to a team outside your scan scope; use Adjust scan scope to review where you are searching.
- Search incomplete — some teams could not be searched, so the result is not a definitive “not found”; use Try again.
- Connection problem — the scan never reached DICE; check your connection and try again.
Camera permissions
Section titled “Camera permissions”The Camera and DUST modes need browser camera access. If the browser blocks it, the scanner shows Browser blocked camera access with recovery steps:
- Click the camera/lock icon in the browser’s address bar and choose Allow for camera.
- Or open browser Settings → Privacy → Site settings → Camera and allow this page.
- Reload the page after granting access.
The Camera settings popover (“Choose which camera to use for scanning.”) lets you pick a specific device when more than one camera is available.
Reticle and scanner settings
Section titled “Reticle and scanner settings”The DUST scanner overlays a reticle to help you center the tag. Open Scanner Settings to adjust it:
- Device — select which connected DUST scanner to use (Refresh connected devices rescans).
- Show Reticle — toggle the overlay.
- Reticle Color and Reticle Style — styles are Default, Thick, Crosshairs, Duplex, and None.
- Blend Reticle — blends the reticle into the camera image.
- Fullscreen — expands the scanner view.
If the DUST scanner isn’t detected you’ll see Scanner not connected with troubleshooting tips (reseat the USB cable, try a different port, avoid unpowered hubs).
Binding workflow details
Section titled “Binding workflow details”When binding, a context card shows the Thread you’re binding to, its Existing Identifiers, and a Tag Description field (e.g. “Front label”) so you can note where the identifier sits on the item. Two conveniences:
- Camera/manual binds show a Confirm step (“Review the scanned value before binding to this Thread”) with the Detected Value before anything is written.
- Stay after bind — a toggle on the bind screen that keeps the current item selected after a successful bind (“Keep the current item selected.”), useful when adding several identifiers to one Thread.
Verifying and unbinding from a Thread
Section titled “Verifying and unbinding from a Thread”On a Thread’s identifier list, open an identifier to see its details and verification state (Verified / Not Verified). From there:
- Verify starts a scan against that specific identifier. A failed DUST verify reports: “This DUST doesn’t match the selected tag.”
- Unbind removes the identifier from the Thread after a confirmation (Unbind Identifier? — “This will remove the identifier from this Thread. This action cannot be undone.”).
Every bind, verify, identify, and unbind is recorded in the Thread’s history — see Activity and transaction history.
Voiding and archiving an identifier
Section titled “Voiding and archiving an identifier”Over an item’s life it can carry several identifiers — dust gets destroyed, re-applied, or the marked material is cut away. Void and Archive both mark an identifier without removing it, and they do opposite things to what you see.
| What it means | How it looks | |
|---|---|---|
| Void | This identifier is no longer the live marking for the item | Stays in the identifier list, in red, marked Voided |
| Archive | Hide this identifier from the default view | Moves into a collapsed Archived identifiers section |
Both are set from an identifier’s detail dialog, and both are reversible — Remove void and Restore put an identifier back. They are independent: an identifier can be voided, archived, or both.
Voiding is a label and nothing more:
- The identifier stays bound to the Thread with its full history intact.
- It can still be identified, verified, and unbound exactly as before.
- Nothing about the underlying DUST record changes.
- If a voided identifier turns up in an Identify result, DICE flags it — “This identifier was marked voided. Check whether it should still be in use.” — but never blocks the scan.
Voiding and un-voiding are recorded in the Thread’s history, and a void travels with the identifier when a Thread moves through a shipment.
Scanning with DUST Go
Section titled “Scanning with DUST Go”The mobile counterpart to the browser scanner lives at Scan → Dust Go. DUST Go binds, verifies, and identifies “directly from the mobile hardware scanner” and reads “DUST, QR, barcode, Data Matrix, and NFC in one flow” — press the on-screen prompt to trigger the next scan. If DUST isn’t enabled for your organization, DUST Go can still read the non-DUST identifier types.
What the scanner shows you
Section titled “What the scanner shows you”Recent DUST Go builds show the scan’s context in the viewfinder and answer each scan there, so a run of scans needs no trips back to DICE:
- What the next scan is for — the Thread being worked, the identifier being verified, and for a batch, the queue with the current position marked.
- The result of each scan — bound, verified, no match, not found, or a connection problem, shown over the viewfinder as soon as DICE answers. The same outcome still appears in DICE when you return to it.
- Name an identifier while you hold it — on a bind, the suggested identifier name is editable in the scanner. What you type there is used for that bind, in place of the description entered in DICE.
- Move around a batch queue — pick another Thread from the queue in the scanner. Stepping forward off a Thread you haven’t finished marks it skipped: it stays in the queue and still counts as outstanding, so the batch is not complete until you come back to it.
Older DUST Go builds are unaffected — they scan exactly as before.
Batch scanning
Section titled “Batch scanning”Batch Scan processes many Threads in one sitting — either binding an identifier to each Thread in a queue, or verifying a whole queue of Threads. Reach it from the Scan page, or select multiple Threads in a folder and choose Batch Scan from the selection bar.
- Add Threads — build the queue by picking Threads from a folder (Browse folders) or by scanning to identify them (Scan to add). The queue persists while you switch between the two.
- Scan to bind or Scan to verify — for bind, “each scan binds the next Thread in the queue”; for verify, “each scan verifies the active Thread”.
- Track progress — the queue shows live status per Thread, a ready count (“N ready / M queued”), and a completion state (“All Threads bound” / “All verifiable Threads verified”).
Batch behavior worth knowing:
- Verify needs identifiers. Queued Threads with no identifiers are kept in the queue but skipped until an identifier is added (“N Threads need identifiers”).
- Overall Verify Mode — Any Match accepts any matching identifier on the Thread; All Tags requires each candidate identifier to be verified. A per-Thread Thread Verify Mode override is available under Show advanced.
- Failures stay in the queue. A failed scan marks the Thread and you can simply scan it again; Reset States (under Queue actions) clears all statuses to rerun the batch, and Clear Queue empties it.
- Skipped Threads stay in the queue too. A Thread you stepped past in the DUST Go scanner without finishing is marked skipped and remains outstanding — the batch is not complete until it is done or removed.
- Stay after bind works here too, and each bind can carry a New Tag Description (e.g. “Inside logo”).
Batch scanning also has a DUST Go variant (Batch Scan from within DUST Go) that adds identified Threads straight into the batch queue.