UPC Allergy Checker

A Python application that scans UPC barcodes, retrieves product information, and flags any allergens based on the user's sensitivity profile. Can be used with a variety of standard UPC scanners, e.g., the Tera Barcode Scanner at https://tera-digital.com/products/2d-barcode-scanner-hw0002.

Features

• Graphical User Interface (GUI): User-friendly interface for scanning and checking products.
• Command Line Interface (CLI): Check products directly from the terminal.
• Continuous Scanning: Scan multiple UPC codes in succession without pop-up interruptions.
• Allergen Detection: Automatically checks for allergens and displays results.
• Product Lookup: Fetches product details and ingredients from the Open Food Facts API.
• Results Display: Displays all results in the GUI's result area or outputs to the terminal for review.
• Results Saved to Database: All scanned data is stored in an SQLite3 database (~/upc_allergy_checker.db by default).

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/jmg421/upc_allergy_checker.git
   cd upc_allergy_checker

2. Create a Virtual Environment

   It's recommended to use a virtual environment to manage dependencies.

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows, use `venv\Scripts\activate`

3. Install Dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

   Alternatively, install the package with pip:

   pip install .

Usage

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Run the GUI application using:

python -m upc_allergy_checker

Alternatively, if installed via pip, you can run:

allergy_checker

Scanning UPC Codes:

• Ensure your cursor is focused on the "Scan UPC" entry field.
• Use a barcode scanner to scan the UPC code, or manually enter it.
• The application will automatically process the UPC code, display the results, and be ready for the next scan without any additional input.

Command Line Interface (CLI)

The UPC Allergy Checker also includes a command line interface (CLI) that allows you to check products directly from the terminal.

Run the CLI application using:

python -m upc_allergy_checker.cli [options] [upc_codes ...]

Alternatively, if installed via pip, you can run:

allergy_checker_cli [options] [upc_codes ...]

Options

$ python -m upc_allergy_checker.cli -h

usage: cli.py [-h] [-f FILE] [-o OUTPUT] [-v] [upc_codes ...]

UPC Allergy Checker - Command Line Interface

positional arguments:
  upc_codes            List of UPC codes or "UPC,Product Name" pairs to check

options:
  -h, --help           show this help message and exit
  -f FILE, --file FILE
                       File containing "UPC,Product Name" pairs, one per line
  -o OUTPUT, --output OUTPUT
                       Output file to write the results
  -v, --verbose        Enable verbose output

Examples

Check a Single UPC Code:

python -m upc_allergy_checker.cli 012345678905

Check Multiple UPC Codes:

python -m upc_allergy_checker.cli 012345678905 012345678906 012345678907

Check UPC Codes from a File:

Create a text file upc_list.txt with one UPC code per line or "UPC,Product Name" pairs:

012345678905,Product A
012345678906,Product B
012345678907

Run the CLI with the file:

python -m upc_allergy_checker.cli -f upc_list.txt

Save Output to a File:

python -m upc_allergy_checker.cli 012345678905 -o results.txt

Enable Verbose Output:

python -m upc_allergy_checker.cli 012345678905 -v

Configuration

The list of allergens can be modified in the config.py file within the upc_allergy_checker package.

# config.py

# Open Food Facts API base URL
API_BASE_URL = "https://world.openfoodfacts.org/api/v0/product/{}.json"

# List of allergens the user is sensitive to
ALLERGENS = [
    "garlic",
    "peanut",
    "pecan",
    "walnut",
    "sesame",
    "cashew",
    "almond",
    "hazelnut",
    "pistachio",
    "soybean",
    "soy",   # Common alternative
    "soya",  # Common alternative
]

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with the GUI not displaying or tkinter not working:

• Ensure that you are running the script with the correct Python interpreter.

  • Run which python (Unix) or where python (Windows) to check the path.
  • Use python -c "import sys; print(sys.executable)" to see which Python is being used.

• Verify that tkinter is installed for your Python installation.

  • On Ubuntu/Debian, you may need to install it using:

    sudo apt-get install python3-tk

• If you're using a virtual environment, ensure that tkinter is installed in the global Python environment since it's part of the standard library.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.