Scanners support in windows 8 store app

Question

Hello,

I am building a photo organizer app which needs to acquire images from scanner. I am not able to find a clear answer from microsoft that what is the recommended way to support scanners. So far, I know that scanner is not supported through WIA as it is in desktop mode. So I have following questions:

1. Should we reply only on device manufacturer applications to acquire images? or there will be some other way for an app to support scanners?

2. How will a device manufacturer support scanner when metro environment does not support it? Is it open to device manufacturers only?

3. Even with a device app, is it possible to support USB scanner? or it will just support through wireless or LAN? Is it possible for a normal application to support scanner through wireless/LAN?

Thanks for your help in advance.

Answer 1

Someone please reply on this.

Answer 2

John,

Scanners are not supported in Windows 8 Store apps, including device apps.

lisa

Answer 3

Thanks Lisa.

Since, scanners acquisition is important for our application, just a few more questions so as to decide the feature set for initial version and respond to customer queries.

If we don't provide scanner support a customer would most likely ask if we will never support it or can support it in next version.

Therefore please let us know if this is a temporary blockage or a long term strategy to stick with?

Also, Is there some reasoning why scanners are not supported?

Answer 4

John,

Thanks for your question. At this time, I can't disclose anything about our future releases.  Scanners are only supported on Desktop applications for Windows 8, just like in Windows 7 and earlier.

lisa

Answer 5

I should clarify that for network attached scanners (LAN/WLAN), it is possible for a device manufacturer to write a Windows Store Device app to communicate with the scanner using networking APIs. 

Answer 6

Windows store apps can communicate directly only with network attached scanners (LAN/WLAN), similar to how device manufacturers do it in some of their Windows Store Device apps.  This is only the case if the scanner is Web Services enabled and communicates using WS-SCAN http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff547963(v=vs.85).aspx

Answer 7

John,

Thanks for your question. At this time, I can't disclose anything about our future releases.  Scanners are only supported on Desktop applications for Windows 8, just like in Windows 7 and earlier.

lisa

Hello Lisa

Is it supported in Windows 8.1 with Visual Studio 2013 or Visual Studio 2012 (Update 3) or not? Please let me know as we are in the middle of development stage and our scope of project supports scanner.

Regards

Arafat

Answer 8

Scanners are supported in Windows 8.1 with Visual Studio 2013 Preview. Here's a //Build/ 2013 video introducing the Windows.Devices.Scanners APIs. WIA compatible scanners are supported from USB.

http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Build/2013/3-025

lisa