<solved> QtSerialPort: Open multiple ports

[kfp]

Hi all. Hope you are able to help me with this.
I'm fairly new to both C++ and the qt framework so I apologize if the question is a bit vague.

I have made a simple desktop serial port application using Qt Creator 3.5.0 (opensource) under windows 7.
The program works using one serial port but I need to read data from two barcode scanners, connected to two different serial ports, and compare the received data to a string.

I don't know if it is of any importance, but the barcode only passes one of the scanners, so the scanners will never transmit any data at the same time.

I have pasted my code below:

mainwindow.h

#ifndef MAINWINDOW_H
#define MAINWINDOW_H
 
#include <QMainWindow>
#include <QtSerialPort/QSerialPort>
#include <QMessageBox>
 
namespace Ui {
class MainWindow;
}
 
class MainWindow : public QMainWindow
{
    Q_OBJECT
 
public:
    explicit MainWindow(QWidget *parent = 0);
    ~MainWindow();
 
 
private slots:
    void readData();
    void openSerial(const int comNr);
    void closeSerial(const int comNr);
 
private:
    Ui::MainWindow *ui;
    QSerialPort *serial;
};
 
#endif // MAINWINDOW_H

#ifndef MAINWINDOW_H
#define MAINWINDOW_H

#include <QMainWindow>
#include <QtSerialPort/QSerialPort>
#include <QMessageBox>

namespace Ui {
class MainWindow;
}

class MainWindow : public QMainWindow
{
    Q_OBJECT

public:
    explicit MainWindow(QWidget *parent = 0);
    ~MainWindow();


private slots:
    void readData();
    void openSerial(const int comNr);
    void closeSerial(const int comNr);

private:
    Ui::MainWindow *ui;
    QSerialPort *serial;
};

#endif // MAINWINDOW_H

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mainwindow.c

#include "mainwindow.h"
#include "ui_mainwindow.h"
 
#define nrBytes 8
 
MainWindow::MainWindow(QWidget *parent) :
    QMainWindow(parent),
    ui(new Ui::MainWindow)
{
    ui->setupUi(this);
    serial = new QSerialPort(this);
 
    openSerial(3);
 
    connect(serial, SIGNAL(readyRead()), this, SLOT(readData()));
}
 
MainWindow::~MainWindow()
{
    delete ui;
}
 
 
void MainWindow::readData()
{
    if (serial->bytesAvailable() >= nrBytes)
    {
        QByteArray data = serial->readAll();
        QString rxString = QString(data);
        ui->serialTxt->setText(rxString);
        if (rxString == "test")
        {
            //Do stuff
        }
    }
}
 
void MainWindow::openSerial(const int comNr)
{
    serial->setPortName(QString("COM%1").arg(comNr));
    serial->setBaudRate(QSerialPort::Baud9600);
    serial->setDataBits(QSerialPort::Data8);
    serial->setParity(QSerialPort::NoParity);
    serial->setStopBits(QSerialPort::OneStop);
    serial->setFlowControl(QSerialPort::NoFlowControl);
    if (serial->open(QIODevice::ReadWrite))
    {
        ui->serialTxt->append("Connected");
    }
    else
    {
        QMessageBox::critical(this, tr("Error"), serial->errorString());
    }
}

#include "mainwindow.h"
#include "ui_mainwindow.h"

#define nrBytes 8

MainWindow::MainWindow(QWidget *parent) :
    QMainWindow(parent),
    ui(new Ui::MainWindow)
{
    ui->setupUi(this);
    serial = new QSerialPort(this);

    openSerial(3);

    connect(serial, SIGNAL(readyRead()), this, SLOT(readData()));
}

MainWindow::~MainWindow()
{
    delete ui;
}


void MainWindow::readData()
{
    if (serial->bytesAvailable() >= nrBytes)
    {
        QByteArray data = serial->readAll();
        QString rxString = QString(data);
        ui->serialTxt->setText(rxString);
        if (rxString == "test")
        {
            //Do stuff
        }
    }
}

void MainWindow::openSerial(const int comNr)
{
    serial->setPortName(QString("COM%1").arg(comNr));
    serial->setBaudRate(QSerialPort::Baud9600);
    serial->setDataBits(QSerialPort::Data8);
    serial->setParity(QSerialPort::NoParity);
    serial->setStopBits(QSerialPort::OneStop);
    serial->setFlowControl(QSerialPort::NoFlowControl);
    if (serial->open(QIODevice::ReadWrite))
    {
        ui->serialTxt->append("Connected");
    }
    else
    {
        QMessageBox::critical(this, tr("Error"), serial->errorString());
    }
}

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I'm aware my questions are plagued my my lacking c++ knowledge, but here we go:

How do I make single function, openSerial(), that both constructs and opens a new serial port? Do i pass a QSerialPort by reference to openSerial(). Or is it possible to create the function, so calling Eg. openSerial(3) would create: QSerialPort *serial3 and open COM3?
- And if so how do i make eg. serial3 visible to my other functions?

Thanks in advance

Kind regards
Kfp