PTS Comms Client Installation

PTS allows for tracking a prescriptions progress through the dispensing process using barcodes and scanners. Barcode scanners are connected to pharmacy PCs either directly or via a base station, and software installed on the PC (known as PTS Comms Client) interprets the barcode data and forwards it to the PTS server software for processing.

How do I know if PTS Comms is already installed and running?

When it's running PTS Comms is visible as a barcode icon in the Windows notification area. It is frequently hidden, and will have to be exposed using the "^" button.

This is not the silly question that it may seem. PTS Comms runs in the background and is automatically minimised to the taskbar notification area of your desktop. This is a deliberate design decision as the application rarely needs to be interacted with, however, it can sometimes lead to confusion around whether the application is running or not, especially as Windows will automatically hide the icon to reduce clutter.

The notification area is the space near the system clock where you can access running applications. If the icon is being hidden you can expose it by clicking on the "^" button. If you do not see the barcode icon here, the application is not running. Either reboot the PC or start the application manually by double clicking the desktop icon. If neither of these options work, double check that the application has actually been installed.

The icon looking like this indicates an error that needs to be dealt with.

To bring up the main PTS Comms window, right click the icon and choose Show Status Screen.

Downloading PTS Comms Client

The comms client software needs to be installed on any and all PCs that will be hosting a barcode scanner or base station.

Updating from a previous version

You should uninstall any previous versions of the PTS Comms Software from the PC before downloading and installing your update. This goes for major and minor updates equally.

Download Links

The version number appears at the bottom of this popup. In this example it's 5.0.2.5.

You will need to download the correct version of the PTS Comms Client for your PTS installation.

In PTS 5 you can find the version of PTS you have installed on the main login screen, or by clicking the "TMS Insight (Data Capture) Ltd" link at the top of any page to access the system information screen. In PTS 4, the version number is listed in the footer of the home page.

Find your version number in the list below to download the correct PTS Comms Client installer. x86 versions are available on request.

PTS Version Number	Download Link (x64)
4.5.3 - 4.6.9	PTS4Comms.zip
5.0.0.34	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EQqBCafVCORBqgRSndLx9E0BN5up9_MVnx67GNFB36XvNA?e=nBi7cV
5.0.0.35	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EeOL0SN1CVlPlxvit0PJgn0BthTgYBE_72iy81Ay-ziTdg?e=FPTYRd
5.0.0.37	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EWTY9So37eJCiLmwSNklcbIBdO8l0QthtcC5pILT_9Ld6w?e=M797PV
5.0.0.38	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EdYMI_zbCfVDgusBLFLofYgBqkBo_g8VzksWHkCYohsZ3Q?e=VvSOJ1
5.0.0.39	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EdfZwhiCR1NIoJCLaSpMVn4Bf_DxuUB-e8qm552ozqIa3g?e=CehH0U
5.0.0.40	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EXp1A9LRtMtNoFeiglzkyVYBSuJ2uwSU66fWojlR0p6-bQ?e=6wpMRG
5.0.0.41	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EYapmTpgS7VKl16kCuEjoAoBD1sma32L-4boZ3q49ioswg?e=0GTCrC
5.0.0.42	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/Eev29rsihe5OpflmpcrHdCYByQLEY0k5LQJHIzO-ls4Xzg?e=4RSBv2
5.0.0.44	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EU0mCR-lJQ1Fo7tgzk_H_zMBBDSS8ojzXCNDjMiHBiWhqQ?e=tsJ9F7
5.0.0.45	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EU0mCR-lJQ1Fo7tgzk_H_zMBBDSS8ojzXCNDjMiHBiWhqQ?e=tsJ9F7
5.0.0.47	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EZwejG2NunNNj2YdN1en0oIBAYrgrDJ1MIc5VgTptvtCLw?e=HVpKKp
5.0.0.48	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/Ec8EXLvaGqxMuWQJ0Ivlq5AB2hFqVXjRck7BOQBK7Sc5lQ?e=MX4tpO
5.0.0.49	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/ESzLqKT-fTNCqLwOUNPIDegBtWLCaUgSeQ7-5Ma262Bdvg?e=eWq4kP
5.0.0.50	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EUbiyYIcrTpHm4eC-T9qCbkB1q7AWz0ZZGQ9_etlgA4c3Q?e=Jw4Y0j
5.0.0.51	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EV9Ij5h9PFBAkLhJbX85n20B8EX8080Bw5UOCYVNNWkNbg?e=jiRxG9
5.0.0.52	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/ERywkDgFTKlNgh7KDW2RPN4BmO3pQkSKPioX6Bv805Ckuw?e=luIidh
5.0.0.53	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EamROZMjbitCh1N5LhURfpEBNnue3bxcrhR7VL2YNcZTdQ?e=pgrZc9
5.0.0.54	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EZgAVVUbWHZMiT5RX8pLNwMBH7kRkZO6xBr57rWbez6yaQ?e=doTIDw
5.0.0.55	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EehcNYBrzrpMkgd_dP5pIL8BRGJaRFkDIuLTnPpUq-qqnw?e=vIHb47
5.0.0.56	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/ETHMfkWejLxPghsq8-co7ZoBm6PofPBZJKsO5ywC4HpV9A?e=ldOdKa
5.0.0.57	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/Ed9mW28v355NiM1DFhZCUUcBo3M50pha8ABZ6Vvb1D-xGg?e=rxUahM
5.0.0.58	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EXIiDEPhn7pEqosE_qj2pZQBAtX5mbNnKAvyGEiQc-mOcQ?e=OKdQFb
5.0.0.59	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EYd5pOE1ZQdIgEhhPxoGACYBQLnbZRNsvhNRFqZl9SW88w?e=TJ1vGI
5.0.1.3	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/ES0BrrgReL1GmGLsFdhZ93IBhzWDjVibY5TdGzExsNEwJA?e=63bMYU
5.0.2.1	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EZP8yhZr2gpImb93SmPChFwBFDmBImqfzRI2TjLFsPkAEA?e=mHueW7
5.0.2.2	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/Ec1LEJYrpVZPhOJofg0rFgIBVrootMDjUuhNaj4UM7gy6g?e=OAhGbA
5.0.2.3	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EbbxZ2sQLLlNr6CPsgQsT8ABMyC5dn3--7tTun43WLLcpw?e=4NM5t1
5.0.2.4	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/Ed5lgfPUJ8ZLh2Sp4MdDa24BBHxQ2YI5vq4iXIjyARcp-w?e=DkcmhP
5.0.2.5	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/ETzeeZdzgvhAvNlXpKvF4k8BDOWahdI9Hw9lld3fwB7b0Q?e=0TnWqM
5.0.2.6	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/Eb2te7jIK7hPsL18U_u8nFYByKVbPtz24VBDRY_FDEmNyA?e=CYRfmk
5.0.3.0	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/ERl9S9rkULtKvRhgkry_OFUBLpH_33VNk7Om4vQccQTOwA?e=PSnBOQ
5.0.3.1	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EYKbUTy95HZGgXp1-VmiPlMBptgpc76tbZ54k9hY76MyTw?e=jPcuVJ
5.0.3.3	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/EcZHKfQJw9hLgE5TTymZ3DMB2eBtmGwtvxcKwxJOXzYqOg?e=yiQ0bg
5.0.3.4	https://tmsinsight.sharepoint.com/:u:/s/PTS/ES19d2vztzdEtdym6G3cNSkBlJegoD-D7_pS4tj-MGtnXA?e=rZ0oFM

Note on version numbers

The PTS Comms Client software itself follows its own independent version numbering scheme and as such the application will self-report a version number that has no obvious relationship to the main PTS application version number. Use the table as your guide for choosing the correct Comms installer.

Installing the PTS Comms Client

Pertinent settings during comms client installation.

There are some settings that require your attention during installation. Skipping these steps will result in the comms software being unable to connect to the scanning service and you will have to start again.

Manual .msi installation

Installation will require admin access on the PC. Double click the .msi file to begin. You will shortly be prompted to review three settings:

• PTS Server Details
  Enter the URL to your PTS application here. This is the same familiar URL used to access your main application in your web browser, and takes the format of http://ServerName/PTSWeb/.
  This setting is absolutely mandatory - the application won't connect if you skip this step or enter the URL incorrectly.
• Username and Password
  PTS offers a means to use a barcode scan as a shortcut to certain system facilities, such as opening the booking in screen. If you intend to use these you'll need to ensure a valid username and password is provided with which it can log in to PTS. If the default username & password no longer work, you can change them for working credentials here. This can be completely ignored if you have no intention of using barcode shortcuts.
• Non-PTS Barcodes
  The software can attempt to detect when a non-PTS code is scanned and forward it on to another open application, such as your dispensing software. This reduces the need for multiple dedicated barcode scanners. This option is enabled by default but can be turned off here if you have any problems.

Silent .msi installation

The installer can be run silently by passing the value of parameters in the command string: e.g.:

msiexec /i "PTSCommsSetup64.msi" /qn PTSURL=http://MYPTSSERVER/PTSWEB/ PTSSENDKEYS=True WEBUSERID=BOOKIN WEBPASSWORD=Track1ng

If you need to install drivers in addition to the Datalogic and Zebra Drivers which are installed by default, then the command line can be modified to add the Newland &/or Voyager drivers (remove NewlandDrivers or VoyagerDrivers from the command line if not required):

msiexec /i "PTSCommsSetup64.msi" /qn PTSURL=http://MYPTSSERVER/PTSWEB/ PTSSENDKEYS=True WEBUSERID=BOOKIN WEBPASSWORD=Track1ng ADDLOCAL="MainExecutables,DatalogicDrivers,NewlandDrivers,VoyagerDrivers"

Typical vs. Complete

On the next page you'll be asked to specify typical, complete or custom setup type. Typical installs Datalogic and Zebra barcode scanner drivers, complete also installs Voyager drivers.

Configuring barcode scanners for use with PTS

Barcode scanners are almost never in the correct mode for use with PTS out-of-the-box. If PTS Comms is installed and running but cannot find your barcode scanner, see the Barcode Scanner Configuration page for instructions on how to configure your scanner.