Managing inventory without automation is a constant bottleneck. Teams search spreadsheets by hand, misidentify parts, and lose track of stock levels across locations. The bigger the operation, the more time gets eaten by lookups that should take seconds.
Airtable''s custom interface feature — built on the Blocks SDK — opens a way to solve this cleanly. You can deploy a QR code scanning interface directly inside Airtable, letting warehouse staff and field technicians scan parts, instantly pull up record details, and queue items for purchase orders without ever opening a spreadsheet view. This tutorial walks through exactly how that works.
Video Tutorial
What the QR Code Interface Does
The demo in the video is built around a straightforward Airtable inventory base. The base includes tables for parts, stock movements, purchase orders, PO line items, and vendors. Each part record has a SKU number and a corresponding QR code image — a simple code that encodes the SKU string rather than a URL.
When a team member opens the interface on a tablet and scans one of those QR codes, here is what happens:
- The extension reads the scanned value and searches the parts table for a matching SKU.
- It returns the matched record and displays the configured fields — in this example, quantity on hand and selling price.
- The team member can open the full record details, update information, attach a photo, or enter an order quantity and add the part to a purchase order.
The process takes a few seconds from scan to action. Because everything lives in Airtable, updates made from the tablet are immediately visible to anyone viewing the base on desktop, making the tablet-to-back-office data flow seamless.
The extension also handles the case where a scanned code does not match any existing record. Instead of returning an error, it offers the option to create a new inventory item on the spot — a useful feature when teams encounter previously untracked parts in the field.
It is worth noting that the interface works equally well with standard barcodes. If your inventory items already carry retail-style barcodes, the same extension can scan those and look up records based on whichever field stores the matching number.
How It Is Built
The extension is a custom Airtable block built using the Airtable Blocks SDK. Once the code is written and published to your builder hub, it becomes available to add inside the interface designer.
Inside the interface designer, you have two placement options:
- Full-page layout — The extension occupies the entire interface page, which works well when scanning is the primary task.
- Dashboard layout — You combine the extension with other interface elements such as lists, galleries, or charts. This is useful when you want scanning alongside a summary view or other controls on the same screen.
After adding the extension to a layout, you configure it through a settings panel. The key configuration choices are:
- Table — Which Airtable table the extension queries when a scan is made. You might point one instance at parts and another at warehouse locations, depending on what your team scans.
- Lookup field — The field whose value the scanned code is matched against. Typically this is a part number or SKU, but it could be a serial number, asset tag, or any other unique identifier stored in your table.
- Display fields — The two or more fields shown after a successful scan. In the demo these are quantity on hand and selling price, but you might choose location, supplier, last restocked date, or any combination that matters to your team.
- Click-into-record — An option to enable navigation from the scan result into a full record detail view. This can link to an existing layout in your interface, connecting the custom extension to the rest of your Airtable setup.
The size of the extension block on a dashboard can also be adjusted — small, medium, or larger — depending on how much screen space you want to dedicate to it versus other elements.
For a broader look at what Airtable custom interfaces can do, see the guide on building interfaces with Airtable Omni and the Airtable Omni overview.
Using It on iPad and Android in the Field
The mobile experience is where this interface earns its value. In the video, the demo is recorded directly from an iPad running the Airtable app. The interface prompts for camera permission on first use and then opens a continuous scanning view — either the front or rear camera.
Scanning is persistent. The camera stays active and reads codes as they appear in the frame. A team member walking a warehouse aisle can scan part after part in sequence without tapping a reset button between each one. Each scan surfaces the relevant record, the team member takes action if needed, and the session continues.
When a code is detected that matches a record, the interface shows the configured display fields immediately. The team member can then open the full record, make edits, attach photos taken on the device, enter a reorder quantity, and add the item to a purchase order — all within the same interface session.
When a scanned code does not match any record, the extension surfaces an add option. Pressing it creates a new record pre-populated with the scanned value, and the team member can fill in additional details through the record detail view.
The same workflow runs on Android tablets. Teams operating in manufacturing environments, on factory floors, or doing field service work have used this approach on Android devices with equally good results. The Airtable mobile app handles the interface rendering reliably on both platforms.
Any records created or updated from the tablet sync back to the base in real time. Desktop users can see those changes immediately — new inventory items, updated quantities, and new PO line items all appear without any manual hand-off. This connects directly to broader field workforce management workflows.
Business Use Cases
The core pattern — scan a code, match it to a record, take action — applies across a wide range of operational scenarios beyond the demo:
Inventory management and stock control Warehouse teams scan incoming or outgoing parts to update quantities, flag low-stock items, or verify shipment contents against purchase orders. The inventory tracking automation page has more detail on how Airtable fits into broader stock control workflows.
Warehouse picking and fulfillment Pickers scan items as they pull them from shelves, confirming each pick against an order. The interface can be configured to show pick quantity, bin location, and order reference fields — reducing picking errors without requiring a dedicated WMS.
Field service and maintenance Technicians on-site scan asset tags or serial number barcodes to pull up equipment records, log service notes, record parts used, and update maintenance status — all without calling back to the office or carrying paper forms.
Event check-in and badge scanning Event teams scan attendee QR codes printed on tickets or badges. The interface looks up the registration record, confirms attendance, and can trigger follow-up actions in Airtable automations — such as sending a welcome email or updating a headcount field.
Asset tracking and facilities management Facilities teams scan asset tags on equipment, furniture, or IT hardware to record inspections, log locations, and flag items for repair or disposal. Every scan creates an auditable history directly in the Airtable base.
When to Hire Help
Building a custom Airtable extension requires working with the Blocks SDK, which involves JavaScript development and familiarity with Airtable''s API model. If your team does not have that capacity in-house, or if you need the extension adapted to a specific base structure with custom logic, it makes sense to bring in expert help.
Our team at Business Automated designs and builds custom Airtable extensions tailored to your exact inventory structure, field configuration, and workflow. We can also connect the scanning interface to downstream automations — reorder triggers, PO creation workflows, supplier notifications — so that a scan does more than just look up a record. Visit our Airtable consultant page to learn how we work, or explore our Make automation agency services if you want to connect Airtable to external tools as part of the same project.
Next Steps
Once your QR scanning interface is live, consider building out the rest of your inventory and operations stack:
- What is Airtable Omni and how does it extend interfaces — understand the broader custom interface ecosystem before designing additional pages
- Inventory tracking automation with Airtable — connect your scan data to reorder automations, supplier workflows, and reporting
- Field workforce management solutions — extend the mobile scanning workflow into scheduling, job tracking, and field reporting
