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Handheld Touch Register

The handheld touch register is a mobile-friendly version of the register that runs in the web browser on a phone or tablet. It's built for ringing up carts out on the sales floor or in the yard: scan or search items, set quantities, attach a customer, then save the cart. Saved carts land on the main register's Held Sales list, where a cashier pulls them up and takes payment.

How the handheld register differs from the main register

The handheld touch register builds carts — it does not tender payment. Key differences from the standard Register screen:

  • No tendering. There are no cash/check/credit buttons. When the cart is ready, you save it, and the sale is completed at the main register from the Held Sales page.
  • Touch-first layout. Three tabs run along the bottom of the screen: Cart, Customers, and Scan. Popups handle quantity, price, and cart notes.
  • Camera scanning. The Scan tab uses the device's camera as a barcode scanner — no scanning hardware needed.
  • Keeps working if Wi-Fi drops. The cart is stored on the device, and items can still be rung offline in a limited way (see "Using the handheld register offline" below).

Open the handheld register on a phone or tablet (Mobile QR Code)

The easiest way to launch the handheld touch register on a device is the QR code generated by the main register:

  1. At the main register, make sure an employee is logged in (the register is unlocked). If it isn't, the QR code option shows the message REGISTER LOCKED.
  2. Click the small dropdown arrow next to the register name in the top-left corner of the Register screen.
  3. Choose Mobile QR Code.
  4. A QR Code window appears. Scan it with the phone or tablet's camera and open the link.
  5. The handheld register opens on the device, already connected to your store — no separate login is needed on the device.

The QR Code window also includes a Recommended Device link if you're shopping for hardware to dedicate to this.

When the handheld register first opens, the browser may ask for permission to use the device's location. Allowing it lets VMX record where each cart was rung; declining it doesn't prevent ringing items.

Ring up items on the handheld register (Cart tab)

The Cart tab is the main screen of the handheld touch register.

  1. Tap the Find items... search box and start typing an item name or number. Matching items appear below the box with their on-hand quantity and price.
  2. Tap the item you want. An Add Item popup opens with a Quantity: field.
  3. Enter the quantity and tap Add (or press Enter). Tap Cancel to back out. Entering something that isn't a number shows "Invalid quantity".
  4. The item appears at the top of the cart list, and the cart header updates with the total quantity in the cart, the running total, and an estimated tax amount (shown when tax applies).

Other ways to ring items on the Cart tab:

  • Type an item number or barcode into the search box and press Enter. The item rings immediately with quantity 1, and the device beeps. If nothing matches, an error beep sounds with the message "Invalid item # 1234" (showing whatever you typed).
  • Scan with a connected scanner. A Bluetooth or USB barcode scanner that types into the search box works the same as typing the number and pressing Enter.

Notes on cart lines:

  • Items set to the Price Required price rule also prompt with an Add Item popup asking for the Price: before the item is added (pre-filled with the item's unit price). A non-number shows "Invalid price".
  • Each scan normally adds its own cart line, even when you ring the same item twice. Merging repeat rings of the same item into a single line can be enabled per-client by VMX — contact help@vmxllc.com.
  • Items that have been archived in inventory show a red Archived badge on the line.
  • Scanning a unit-of-measure barcode (for example, a flat barcode) rings the full base quantity for that unit, and the line shows the quantity in that unit.

Scan barcodes with the camera (Scan tab)

The Scan tab turns the device's camera into a barcode scanner for the handheld touch register:

  1. Tap Scan in the bottom tab bar.
  2. The first time, the browser asks permission to use the camera — allow it.
  3. Point the camera at the barcode. UPC-A, Code 39, and Code 128 barcodes are supported.
  4. On a successful read the device beeps, the item is rung, and the screen returns to the Cart tab.

If an item can't be found for the scanned code, an error beep sounds with the message "Invalid item # 1234" (showing the scanned code).

Change the quantity of a cart line or remove it

To edit a line already in the handheld register's cart:

  1. On the Cart tab, tap the cart line.
  2. An Item popup opens with the line's current Quantity (if the item was scanned with a unit-of-measure barcode, the unit name is shown next to the Quantity label and the number is in that unit).
  3. Enter a new quantity and tap OK to update the line, tap Remove to delete the line from the cart, or tap Cancel to leave it unchanged.

Attach a customer to the cart (Customers tab)

To put a customer on the handheld register's cart before saving it:

  1. Tap Customers in the bottom tab bar.
  2. Type in the Find customers... search box. Matching customers appear below.
  3. Tap the customer. Their account number, name, and company display on the screen, and the customer is attached to the cart.
  4. To take the customer off the cart, tap Remove.

The attached customer carries through to the held sale, so the cashier at the main register sees the right account when the cart is pulled up.

Save the cart so it can be tendered at the main register

When the cart is complete, save it — this is how the handheld touch register hands the sale to the main register:

  1. Tap the checkmark button in the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. A Save? popup opens with a Note: field. Type a short note that will identify the cart (for example the customer's first name or "wagon of shrubs"), then tap Save. Tap Cancel to keep working instead.
  3. The cart is saved as a held sale and the handheld screen clears, ready for the next cart.

At the main register, the cart appears on the Held Sales page — the note you entered shows in the Description column. Load it there like any other held sale, then tender payment as usual.

If saving fails:

  • "Failed saving cart. Be sure you are connected to WiFi and try again." — the device couldn't reach the server. Reconnect to Wi-Fi and tap the checkmark again; the cart is still on the device.
  • "Error saving cart!" — the server rejected the save. Try again, and contact help@vmxllc.com if it persists.

Stash a cart on the device (side panel)

Stashing sets a cart aside on the handheld device only — unlike saving, a stashed cart is not sent to the main register and won't appear on the Held Sales page. Use it when a shopper wants to keep browsing and you need the handheld free for someone else.

  1. Tap the menu button (three bars) in the top-left corner to open the side panel.
  2. Tap Stash. A Stash? popup opens with a Note: field — enter a label and tap Stash.
  3. The cart is cleared and the stashed cart appears in the side panel's Stashed list.
  4. To bring a stashed cart back, open the side panel and tap its entry in the Stashed list. The current cart must be empty first — otherwise the message "Clear your cart before loading a stashed one." appears.

The side panel also has a Clear button that empties the current cart (after a "CLEAR THE CART?" confirmation).

Using the handheld register offline

The handheld touch register tolerates Wi-Fi dead spots in the yard:

  • The cart lives on the device. Items already rung stay in the cart even if the browser is closed or the device sleeps; the cart is still there when the page reopens.
  • Known items can still be rung. The handheld pre-loads the item numbers, descriptions, and barcodes of your in-stock items when it starts. While offline, ringing one of those items by number or barcode still adds the line — marked with a yellow (Offline) tag — but with a price of $0.00.
  • Unknown entries are kept too. A number the handheld doesn't recognize rings as "UNKNOWN ITEM 1234" (showing what was entered) at $0.00, with the whole line highlighted in yellow, so the line isn't lost.
  • Review offline lines at the register. Because offline lines carry a $0.00 price, the cashier should check prices on any lines marked (Offline) after loading the cart at the main register.
  • Item search and saving need a connection. Searching by name and saving the cart both require Wi-Fi; saving while offline shows "Failed saving cart. Be sure you are connected to WiFi and try again." — the cart stays on the device until you can save.

Customer-facing display

The customer display is a separate full-screen page meant for a second screen that faces the customer at the checkout counter. As the cashier rings items on the standard register, the display updates live with each item's ITEM #, description, and price, along with the item's photo when one is on file, over your store's logo and background colors.

This feature is enabled and set up per-client by VMX — each display is tied to a specific register, and the branding (logo, background) is configured for your store. If you'd like a customer-facing display at your registers, contact help@vmxllc.com.