Hey AppSheet Community! I'm fairly new and d...

[Azubuike_Akunne]

Hey AppSheet Community!

I’m fairly new and discovered this resource while navigating through Google Sheets.

I’ve been looking at these RFID vending machine fridges and would love to create my own piece by piece. Just at a glance would it be possible to create the technology needed to run the machine using AppSheet?

Essentially people would walk up to the machine insert their debt card and the machine would open. They would than take an item out of the machine and it would automatically debt their account.

Here’s an idea of what the machine would look like in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYm-SZJrTYw

[MultiTech]

@Azubuike_Akunne I love the idea!

The biggest hurdle here is that payment processing isn’t something that’s native to AppSheet;

if you want to build anything with a payment’s integration, you’ll have to use webhooks to push data out of your app to a payment portal API.

(Which then needs to be configured, setup, etc.)

Another hurdle I see is the workflow would be different.

Since you can’t process a payment directly through the app, you need a quick way for the device on the fridge to be unlocked.

Easiest way I can think of is to use a unique QR code for each purchase/item-removal that the user could scan at the fridge.

Once someone complete’s payment, the payment portal sends an API push back to AppSheet’s API

• telling AppSheet to validate the purchase.

This generates a unique QR for the user to scan at the fridge, along with sending a notification to the user that they’ve been approved.

All of that would happen on the USERS device (or on the backend).

Once the user get’s their notification ping that everything is approved, they go to the fridge - which has a companion app waiting for user input.

On the companion app (using the fridge’s device now) they select the “Scan to Unlock” option.

The QR reader opens on the fridge’s device, and the user opens the QR on their device and scans it.

The fridge’s app looks at the DB to see if there’s an authorized (and not yet used) QR code that matches what the user just scanned.

If so, it sends an output to whatever device is controlling the locking mech on the fridge to unlock, records that the user has used that QR, etc.

I’m not sure about that last part, sending the unlock command.

Not sure how you could accomplish that… maybe some “internet of things” connected lock… send a webhook to unlock.

But in general, it looks like it might be possible.

(^_^)

[Colin1]

I would be curious (I have no experience) to see what range of Financial Technology apps could integrate with Appsheet. For example, PayPal. However, I would like to know of what other payment gatways and options there are. I think there are a range of blockchain currencies and other smartphone based payment services around. However, I only have a very vague awareness, really just conceptual, that they exist or are in development.

[Aleksi_Alkio]

When you save the form with QR(s), you could generate an URL link with your app that would prefill the form for example in Stripe’s payment page. When the payment is done, you could then send the trigger to unlock the lock. This needs some scripting though.

[Azubuike_Akunne]

@MultiTech_Visions Thanks for the wealth of information. I don’t have a large IT background but the keywords you’ve used in your descriptions have sent me searching on how to create this.

If you can think of any tips I would love to hear about them as time goes on!

[Azubuike_Akunne]

@Aleksi_Alkio Thanks for tips. If you can think of anymore send em may way. Appreciate it!