Scanner-Driven Packing with Pack Commands for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Pack Commands let your shippers run the entire packing process by barcode scanner. A pack command is a barcode that triggers a specific action in Dynamic Ship’s Package Worksheet, such as opening a new box, packing an item, rating the shipment, or printing the label. Hence, a packer keeps both hands on the scanner instead of clicking through menus. It is built for high-volume shipping desks inside Business Central that need to pack fast and accurately without touching a mouse or keyboard.
At a Glance
- Drive the entire packing flow with the scanner, without a mouse or keyboard.
- Scan one barcode per action: open a box, pack an item, rate, label, and post.
- Chain several commands into a single barcode for one-scan steps.
- Print and laminate a cheat sheet of your most-used commands at every station.
Have a Question about Scanner-Driven Packing?
Key Capabilities
Barcoded action commands. Every Package Worksheet action has a matching barcode, from –NEW (open a package) and –PACKDETAIL (set dimensions and weight) to –GETLABEL (launch the Rate Worksheet), –POST (post the order), –PACKALL, –QUICKLABEL, –GETRETURN, –CUSTOMS, and –CLEAR. Each command also has a short abbreviation and a manual text equivalent for stations without a scanner.
Hands-on-scanner workflow. The Package Worksheet stays open all day with a single Scan Here field. The packer scans commands and items in sequence and never reaches for the keyboard, which is how the screen replaces a separate carrier shipping application kept open on the side.
Command chaining. Combine multiple commands into a single barcode —for example, –NEW–PACKDETAIL or –PACKALL–GETLABEL —so a frequent multi-step action becomes a single scan. Enable this by setting Chain Multiple Commands to Enabled in Dynamic Ship Setup.
Custom and reordered barcodes. Create, combine, and reorder commands to match how your desk actually packs, then build a short cheat sheet of the five or ten barcodes your team uses most.
Laminated cheat sheet per workstation. Print the Dynamic Ship Pack Commands report and laminate one for each packing station. Scanning –HELP in the Scan Here field pulls the barcoded report up on screen at any time.
How Pack Commands Work in Dynamic Ship
The packer works entirely from the Scan Here field on the Package Worksheet:
- Scan the order barcode to load it onto the worksheet.
- Scan –NEW (or a License Plate Template barcode) to open a package.
- Scan each item into the box and confirm quantity, lot, or serial as prompted.
- Scan –PACKDETAIL to set or confirm dimensions and weight.
- Scan –GETLABEL to rate the shipment and print the carrier label.
- Scan –POST to post and complete.
Where the same steps repeat shipment after shipment, chain them into one barcode so a routine pack collapses to a single scan. Pack Commands require the Free3of9 barcode font for printing the barcodes.
Why Dynamic Ship Pack Commands Stand Out
Speed on the packing line comes from removing hand movement, not just clicks. Because every action is a barcode and barcodes can be chained, a high-volume desk can pack, rate, label, and post without ever leaving the scanner. The packer’s hands stay on the box and the gun, which is where throughput on a busy dock actually comes from.
Pack Commands run inside the Package Worksheet in Business Central, not in a bolted-on shipping app. The –GETLABEL command opens the Rate Worksheet, which compares live rates across Dynamic Ship’s network of more than 400 parcel, LTL, and FTL carriers, so the same one-scan flow that packs the box also books the lowest qualifying rate. Orders, items, item tracking, packages, rates, and labels all live on a single Business Central screen, with nothing to reconcile against an outside system.
Who Uses Pack Commands
Packing-station operators and shipping clerks use Pack Commands as their primary daily tool: they scan a command to open a box, scan items in, scan to rate and label, and scan to post, repeating the cycle for every order on the dock. Warehouse supervisors set up the cheat sheets and chained barcodes for each station so the floor follows a consistent, fast sequence. High-volume domestic shipping desks benefit most, where shaving seconds off a repeated motion adds up across hundreds of packages a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pack Commands are barcodes that trigger Package Worksheet actions in Dynamic Ship for Business Central. Scanning a command runs the matching action: –NEW to open a package, –PACKDETAIL to set dimensions and weight, –GETLABEL to rate and label, and –POST to post the order. Each command has a short abbreviation and a manual text version, so a packer can run the full packing process by scanner without using a mouse or keyboard.
Yes. Dynamic Ship supports command chaining, which lets you place several commands in a single barcode, for example –NEW–PACKDETAIL or –PACKALL–GETLABEL. One scan then runs all of them in order. Enable it by setting Chain Multiple Commands to Enabled in Dynamic Ship Setup. Chaining is how a repeated multi-step action on your packing line collapses into a single scan, which is the main speed gain for high-volume desks.
You need a barcode scanner at the packing station, typically a simple USB scanner connected to the PC, and the free Free3of9 barcode font to print the command barcodes. We recommend printing the Dynamic Ship Pack Commands report and laminating one cheat sheet per workstation. Scanning –HELP in the Scan Here field brings the barcoded report up on screen when a packer needs a command that is not on the laminated sheet.
Yes. You can create, combine, and reorder Pack Commands to fit your team’s packing process, then build a short cheat sheet of the five or ten barcodes you use most often. Many desks pair custom commands with License Plate Template barcodes, which carry preset box dimensions, so a single scan both opens the correct box and sets its dimensions. This lets you tune the workflow to your products and your dock rather than following a fixed sequence.