Selling Weighed Articles at the POS¶

Weighed articles, such as fruit, vegetables, cheese or nuts, are sold in DiKAS by their weight and the price per kilogram. The weight can be read from an existing commercial scale and entered manually at the POS. If the business works with a label scale, the POS scans the scale's label instead (see Label scale: scale PLU and scanning the label). In both cases no technical connection between scale and POS is needed.

Setting up the article¶

Open Admin → Articles and select the article, for example "Tomatoes".
Switch the admin area to Expert using the Normal/Expert toggle at the top — in Normal mode the section is not visible.
On the General tab, enter the selling price per kilogram in the Sale price (EUR) field, for example €3.99.
In the "Deposit & scale" section, enable the option "Sold by weight (kg instead of pieces)".
The "Scale PLU" and "Unit" fields then appear below. Under "Unit", choose what the sale price refers to: kg (default), g or l. When the option is ticked, DiKAS automatically changes a previous unit "Stk" (pieces) to kg. Below the scale PLU, DiKAS shows the price per unit as a check, for example "€3.99/kg".
The Scale PLU is only needed for a label scale; if you type the weight in at the POS, leave it empty. Details are in the section Label scale.
Save the article.

If an older weighed article still has the unit "pieces", DiKAS automatically calculates with kg. At the POS, on the receipt and on the invoice the article appears with its unit and the price per unit.

Entering the weight and taking payment¶

Tapping a weighed article does not book it straight away but opens the weighing keypad. The weight is typed in grams — without a decimal separator, just as the scale shows it. The keypad labels are in German.

Weigh the goods on the commercial scale.
Tap the weighed article in DiKAS. The weighing keypad opens.
Type the weight in grams, for example 1370 for 1.370 kg, and tap „Buchen“ (book) — or press the Enter key.
Take payment as usual.

At the top, the keypad shows the weight in large figures in kg and in small figures in grams. Below, it calculates the amount straight away, for example „1,370 kg × 3,99 €/kg = 5,47 €“ — so weight, price per kilo and line amount can be checked before booking.

Key	Effect
100 g, 250 g, 500 g, 1 kg	Takes over this quantity with one tap
Digits 0–9 and 00	Type in grams (digits 7-8-9 at the top, as on every keypad of the POS)
Backspace key (⌫)	Deletes the last digit
„Löschen“ (clear)	Sets the input to 0
„Abbrechen“ (cancel)	Closes the keypad, nothing is booked (also with the Escape key)
„Buchen“ (book)	Books the line with the weight shown

Example: For 1.370 kg of tomatoes at €3.99 per kg, DiKAS automatically calculates €5.47.

Unit g or l: With unit g, the input is the quantity in grams directly. With unit l, millilitres are typed (750 = 0.750 l); the quick keys then read 100 ml to 1 l.
Articles with mandatory options: After the weight, the options dialog opens as usual.
Entering or scanning the PLU no. or barcode of a weighed article also opens the weighing keypad. A label from the label scale, on the other hand, carries the weight itself and is booked directly (see below).

Re-weighing¶

In the receipt list, tap the quantity of a weighed line. The weighing keypad opens with the previous weight; the first digit you type replaces it. „Buchen“ replaces the quantity of the line, „Abbrechen“ leaves it unchanged.

Alternative: the „Anzahl“ tab with decimal key

If you prefer to enter the weight in kilograms with a decimal separator, tap the article name of the line in the receipt list and open the „Anzahl“ (quantity) tab. For weighed articles the keypad there has a decimal key (for example 1,37 for 1.37 kg, up to three decimal places).

At the table and at the disco bar¶

The weighing keypad also applies in table service and at the disco counter: tapping a weighed article opens it before anything is booked. At the table you re-weigh via the "+" of the line, at the counter by tapping the quantity of the line. The counter's quantity preselection does not apply to weighed articles.

Label scale: scale PLU and scanning the label¶

A label scale weighs the goods and prints a label with a barcode (EAN-13). The POS only scans this label — no cable to the scale, no driver and no particular brand is needed, and scanning also works without an internet connection.

What the scale PLU is¶

The scale PLU is the number under which the label scale keeps the article and which it prints into the label. The POS uses this number to find the article when scanning.

It is independent of the article's PLU no. and Barcode.
It may be assigned only once in the business. If it is already set on another article, DiKAS refuses to save and reports „Die Waagen-PLU … ist bereits vergeben.“ (the scale PLU … is already assigned).
If the field is left empty, the article is not sold via a label scale; the weight can still be entered by hand.

When "Sold by weight (kg instead of pieces)" is ticked and the Scale PLU field is still empty, DiKAS suggests the article's PLU no. as scale PLU, provided it consists of digits only. The suggestion can be changed — enter exactly the number under which the scale keeps the article.

The four numbers of an article¶

Number	Purpose	Where to set it
PLU no.	Short number for calling up the article quickly at the POS	General tab
Barcode	Manufacturer's EAN for scanning at the POS	General tab → Deposit & scale (Expert)
Beverage-system PLU	Number of the article in a connected draught system	General tab (Expert, only with a draught system set up)
Scale PLU	Number of the article in the label scale, printed in the scale label	General tab → Deposit & scale (Expert, after "Sold by weight")

Do not put the scale PLU into the PLU no.

The POS looks up a scale label only via the scale PLU. If the scale's number is only in the PLU no. or the barcode, the POS does not find the article when scanning.

Setting the label layout¶

How the scale builds its label is set once for the business under Admin → Settings → Hardware → Scales & labels (visible only in Expert mode). The page itself is in German:

Setting	Meaning	Default
Waagen-Etiketten erkennen (recognise scale labels)	Switches reading of scale labels on. When off, every scan behaves like a normal barcode.	Nein (No)
In-Store-Präfixe (in-store prefixes)	The first two digits of the label, separated by commas. The prefixes 20 to 29 are reserved for in-store codes; they do not collide with manufacturer EANs.	21, 22
Stellen der PLU (PLU digits)	How many digits the scale PLU takes up directly after the prefix (1 to 9)	5
Bedeutung des Werts (meaning of the value)	Whether the scale prints the Gewicht (weight) or the Preis (price) into the following digits	Gewicht
Nachkommastellen des Werts (decimal places of the value)	Weight in grams = 3 (`01370` means 1.370 kg), price in cents = 2 (`00547` means 5.47)	3

When Bedeutung des Werts is switched, the page adjusts the decimal places accordingly. The last digit of the label is always the check digit.

Example with the defaults: the label 2100123013708 means prefix 21, scale PLU 123, weight 1.370 kg and check digit 8.

Checking a label

In the „Etikett prüfen“ (check label) area of the same page, a real label from the scale can be scanned or typed in. DiKAS then shows the scale PLU read, the article found, the weight and the amount — using exactly the rule the POS uses. The „Beispiel“ (example) button creates a matching sample label. Below, the page lists all weighed articles with a scale PLU and a sample label.

Scanning the label at the POS¶

Weigh the goods on the label scale and have the label printed.
Scan the label in Direct sale with the barcode scanner. Alternatively, the 13 digits can be typed into the search field.
DiKAS books the article with the weight from the label as the quantity. Each label becomes its own line.
Take payment as usual.

The price always comes from the article in DiKAS, never from the label. DiKAS books weight × the article's sale price. If the scale prints a price instead of the weight (Bedeutung des Werts: Preis), DiKAS converts that amount back into a weight using the article's price per kilo. This way a price change in DiKAS applies immediately, even if the scale has not been updated yet.

Keep the kilo prices at scale and POS identical

If the kilo price in the scale differs from the sale price in DiKAS, the amount on the label does not match the amount at the POS. The price at the POS is what counts. Therefore also update price changes in the scale; the „Etikett prüfen“ tool points out a difference.

Messages when scanning¶

The POS shows these messages in German:

Message	Cause and remedy
„Waagen-PLU … ist keinem Artikel zugeordnet. …“ (scale PLU … is not assigned to any article)	No article has this scale PLU. Enter it in the Scale PLU field of the matching article.
„… ist im Artikelstamm deaktiviert und kann nicht verkauft werden.“ (… is deactivated in the article master and cannot be sold)	The article with this scale PLU is set to inactive. Reactivate it if it is to be sold.
„Waagen-Etikett unlesbar (Prüfziffer falsch) — bitte erneut scannen.“ (scale label unreadable, wrong check digit — please scan again)	Prefix and length match, the check digit does not: the label was misread or is damaged. Scan again or check the digits.
„Aus dem Etikett lässt sich für … keine Menge ableiten …“ (no quantity can be derived from the label for …)	The article's sale price or the weight on the label is 0. Enter a price per kilo.

After any of these messages nothing is booked and the search field is cleared.

Legal aspects of selling by weight¶

DiKAS does not replace a scale approved for use in trade: the weight is read from the scale and entered in DiKAS; no technical scale connection is used.
Enter only the net weight of the goods, without bags, trays or other packaging.
Before taking payment, check that weight, price per kilo and total price are correct.

Which requirements apply to the scale and to price marking depends on the regulations of the country in which you sell. For questions about your own scale, contact the responsible weights and measures authority or a qualified adviser.