User Manual for Barcode Software Component, Library and SDK

Current version is v1.0.10, released 2019-01-14.

Barcode concepts

A barcode is an image with alternating black and white bars of varying width especially designed to be easily read by a computer.

Main Parts of a barcode

A barcode consists of the following main parts.

B) The barcode consisting of alternating black and white bars of varying width.

A and C) Quiet zones on each side of the barcode, to help barcode readers see the edges of the barcode.

D) Text underneath the barcode is present in some types of barcodes. The primary role of the text is when barcode readers are unable to read the barcode. Then a person can read off and enter the text manually.

Internal parts of the barcode itself

Internally, a barcode has these common parts.

E and J) These are the start symbol and the stop symbol. Different barcode types have different start and stop symbols. Not all barcodes have them, but they are quite common.

G) Middle marker. Some barcodes have a special symbol that marks the middle of the barcode.

F and H) The main payload of the barcode. These bars encode the main data, which in this example is “306561111111”.

I) This is the checksum digit. It is computed based on the main payload. It is used to increase the probability that the read of the entire barcode was correct.

Functions in the package

The following list of functions are available in the library.

As each function is available in many different programming languages, the signatures are given in a generic way:

<return type> <function name>( <Parameter 1 type> <Parameter 1 name> ...)

Code 128

GenerateBarcodeCode128

Signature:

RGBABitmapImage GenerateBarcodeCode128(char [] chars, double height)

Parameters:

chars – An array of Code 128 supported characters: All 127 ASCII characters, equivalent to the first 127 UTF-8 characters.
height – Heights of the barcode in pixels.

Returns:

RGBABitmapImage of the Code 128 barcode, with the smallest bar of the barcode being 2 pixels. The barcode will be as short as possible by utilizing the internal A, B and C-encodings of Code 128, e.g. the C-encoding allows packing two decimal digits into one barcode-symbol.

GenerateBarcodeCode128AllParams

Signature:

boolean GenerateBarcodeCode128AllParams(char [] chars, double height, double moduleWidth, RGBABitmapImage image, StringReference errorMessages)

Parameters:

chars – An array of Code 128 supported characters: All 127 ASCII characters, equivalent to the first 127 UTF-8 characters.
height – Heights of the barcode in pixels.
moduleWidth – Width of the narrowest bar (the module) in pixels.
image – RGBABitmapImage of the Code 128 barcode, with the smallest bar of the barcode being 2 pixels. The barcode will be as short as possible by utilizing the internal A, B and C-encodings of Code 128, e.g. the C-encoding allows packing two decimal digits into one barcode-symbol.
errorMessages – If the method returns false, an error message is given in errorMessages.string.

Returns:

boolean – true if the barcode was successfully generated, and if not, false. The reason for why the generation failed is given in errorMessages.string.

Code128Encode

Signature:

double [] Code128Encode(char [] cs)

Parameters:

cs – An array of Code 128 supported characters.

Returns:

The list of Code 128 codes, including the start code, checksum and stop code.

CalculateCode128Checksum

Signature:

double CalculateCode128Checksum(double [] codes)

Parameters:

codes – An array of Code 128 supported characters, not including the checksum or stop code.

Returns:

The Code 128 checksum.

Code 39

GenerateBarcodeCode39

Signature:

RGBABitmapImage GenerateBarcodeCode39(char [] chars, double height)

Parameters:

chars – An array of supported characters: 0-9, A-Z, -, ., space, $, /, +, %.
height – Heights of the barcode in pixels.

Returns:

RGBABitmapImage of Code 39 barcode, with the smallest bar of the barcode being 2 pixels.

GenerateBarcodeCode39WithChecksumOption

Signature:

RGBABitmapImage GenerateBarcodeCode39WithChecksumOption(char [] chars, double height, boolean includeChecksum)

Parameters:

Same as GenerateBarcodeCode39.
includeChecksum – Set to true to include a checksum. Barcode readers must be configured to support this option.

Returns:

Same as GenerateBarcodeCode39.

EAN-13

GenerateBarcodeEAN13

Signature:

RGBABitmapImage GenerateBarcodeEAN13(char [] code, double widthInMm, double heightInMm, double pixelsPerMm)

Parameters:

code – An array of 12 digits: 0-9.
widthInMm – The width of the barcode: Valid widths are 29.832-74.58 mm corresponding to zoom-levels 80% – 200%. 100% is 37.29mm.
heightInMm – Height of the barcode in mm, should be minimum 19. The text-part is 3.08mm at 100% (i.e. with widthInMm = 37.29mm) and scales with width.
pixelsPerMm – Pixels per mm. To convert from DPI use e.g. DPIToDotsPerMm(300d) for 300 DPI. A DPI of 300-600 is recommended. A dpi below 200 might be difficult to read for barcode scanners.

Returns:

RGBABitmapImage of the EAN-13 barcode. Use ConvertToPNGWithOptions to convert to PNG.

EAN-8

GenerateBarcodeEAN8

Signature:

RGBABitmapImage GenerateBarcodeEAN8(char [] code, double widthInMm, double heightInMm, double pixelsPerMm)

Parameters:

code – An array of 7 digits: 0-9.
widthInMm – The width of the barcode: Valid widths are 19.272-48.18 mm corresponding to zoom-levels 80% – 200%. 100% is 24.09mm.
heightInMm – Height of the barcode in mm, should be minimum 12.5. The text-part is 3.08mm at 100% (i.e. with widthInMm = 24.09mm) and scales with width.
pixelsPerMm – Pixels per mm. To convert from DPI use e.g. DPIToDotsPerMm(300d) for 300 DPI. A DPI of 300-600 is recommended. A dpi below 200 might be difficult to read for barcode scanners.

Returns:

RGBABitmapImage of the EAN-8 barcode. Use ConvertToPNGWithOptions to convert to PNG.

UPC-A

GenerateBarcodeUPCA

Signature:

RGBABitmapImage GenerateBarcodeUPCA(char [] code, double widthInMm, double heightInMm, double pixelsPerMm)

Parameters:

code – An array of 11 digits: 0-9.
widthInMm – The width of the barcode: Valid widths are 19.272-48.18 mm corresponding to zoom-levels 80% – 200%. 100% is 32.67mm.
heightInMm – Height of the barcode in mm, should be minimum 12.5. The text-part is 3.08mm at 100% (i.e. with widthInMm = 32.67mm) and scales with width.
pixelsPerMm – Pixels per mm. To convert from DPI use e.g. DPIToDotsPerMm(300d) for 300 DPI. A DPI of 300-600 is recommended. A dpi below 200 might be difficult to read for barcode scanners.

Returns:

RGBABitmapImage of UPC-A barcode. Use ConvertToPNGWithOptions to convert to PNG.

UPC-E

GenerateBarcodeUPCE

Signature:

RGBABitmapImage GenerateBarcodeUPCE(char [] e, double widthInMm, double heightInMm, double pixelsPerMm

Parameters:

e – An array of 7 digits: 0-9.
widthInMm – The width of the barcode: Valid widths are 17.424-43.56 mm corresponding to zoom-levels 80% – 200%. 100% is 19.27mm.
heightInMm – Height of the barcode in mm, should be minimum 23mm. The text-part is 3.08mm at 100% (i.e. with widthInMm = 19.27mm) and scales with width.
pixelsPerMm – Pixels per mm. To convert from DPI use e.g. DPIToDotsPerMm(300d) for 300 DPI. A DPI of 300-600 is recommended. A dpi below 200 might be difficult to read for barcode scanners.

Returns:

RGBABitmapImage of UPC-E barcode. Use ConvertToPNGWithOptions to convert to PNG.

UPCAToUPCE

Signature:

char [] UPCAToUPCE(char [] a)

Parameters:

a – An UPC-A code without checksum.

Returns:

char [] – The UPC-E version of the barcode.

UPCEToUPCA

Signature:

char [] UPCEToUPCA(char [] e)

Parameters:

e – An UPC-E code without checksum.

Returns:

char [] – The UPC-A version of the barcode.

Standard 2 out of 5

GenerateBarcodeStandard2of5

Signature:

RGBABitmapImage GenerateBarcodeStandard2of5(char [] chars, double height)

Parameters:

chars – An array of supported characters: 0-9.
height – The height of the barcode in pixels.

Returns:

RGBABitmapImage of Standard 2 out of 5 barcode, with the narrowest bar of the barcode being 2 pixels.

GenerateBarcodeStandard2of5WithChecksumOption

Signature:

RGBABitmapImage GenerateBarcodeStandard2of5WithChecksumOption(char [] chars, double height, boolean withChecksum)

Parameters:

chars – An array of supported characters: 0-9.
height – The height of the barcode in pixels.
withChecksum – Generates and adds an EAN-13 checksum digit.

Returns:

RGBABitmapImage of Standard 2 out of 5 barcode, with the narrowest bar of the barcode being 2 pixels.

Interleaved 2 out of 5

GenerateBarcodeInterleaved2of5

Signature:

RGBABitmapImage GenerateBarcodeInterleaved2of5(char [] chars, double height)

Parameters:

chars – An array of supported characters: 0-9.
height – The height of the barcode in pixels.

Returns:

RGBABitmapImage of Interleaved 2 out of 5 barcode, with the narrowest bar of the barcode being 2 pixels.

GenerateBarcodeInterleaved2of5WithChecksumOption

Signature:

RGBABitmapImage GenerateBarcodeInterleaved2of5WithChecksumOption(char [] chars, double height, boolean withChecksum)

Parameters:

chars – An array of supported characters: 0-9.
height – The height of the barcode in pixels.
withChecksum – Generates and adds an EAN-13 checksum digit.

Returns:

RGBABitmapImage of Interleaved 2 out of 5 barcode, with the narrowest bar of the barcode being 2 pixels.

Writing PNG

ConvertToPNGGrayscale

Signature:

double [] ConvertToPNGGrayscale(RGBABitmapImage image)

Parameters:

image – An image.

Returns:

A list of byte values of the PNG image.

ConvertToPNGWithOptions

Signature:

double [] ConvertToPNGWithOptions(RGBABitmapImage image, double colorType, boolean setPhys, double pixelsPerMeter)

Parameters:

image – An image.
colorType – 6 for RGBA and 0 for grayscale.
setPhys – Set to true to include pixels per meter in image file.
pixelsPerMeter – Pixels per meter. For example, use DPIToDotsPerMm(300)*1000 to convert 300 DPI to pixels per meter.

Returns:

A list of byte values of the PNG image.

Scaling

BilinaerScaleUp

Signature:

RGBABitmapImage BilinaerScaleUp(RGBABitmapImage src, double newWidth, double newHeight)

Parameters:

src – An image.
newWidth – The new width of the image.
newHeight – The new height of the image.

Returns:

RGBABitmapImage of the scaled image. Note that using this scaling method multiple times on the same image is not recommended.

Getting Started

Generating a barcode with the Barcode Software Component, Library and SDK is easy:

Java

Alternative 1: Source Code
- Download the source code.
- Copy the source code to your source code directory.
Alternative 2: Jar file
- Download the JAR file
- Include the JAR file as a library in your Java build
Use the following function to convert the barcode to a Java BufferedImage class: ImageConversions.convertRGBABitmapImageToJavaBufferedImage.

The following example will write the Code 128 barcode image to the PNG file java-Code128.png.

import java.io.*;
import static Barcodes.*;

public class BarcodeWriter {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
        RGBABitmapImage image = GenerateBarcodeCode128("abcdefgh".toCharArray(), 50d);
        double [] pngdata = ConvertToPNGGrayscale(image);
        byte [] bytes = ArrayConversions.doubleArrayToByteArray(data);
        try(FileOutputStream fos = new FileOutputStream("java-Code128.png")) {
            fos.write(bytes);
        }
        DeleteImage(image);
    }
}

C/C++/Objective C

Alternative 1: Source Code – Separate Files
- Download the source code with separate files.
- Copy the source code to your source code directory.
- Include all the .h files
- Add all the .c files
Alternative 2: Source Code – Bundle
- Download the source code with the bundle.
- Compile the bundle as a static or dynamic library.
- Include the source file or library in your build.
The RGBABitmapImage structure contains the image. It should be easy to convert this structure to any other bitmap image format. See the documentation of RGBABitmapImage for more information.
Popular image libraries include libpng for PNG and libjpeg for JPEG.

The following example will write a Code 128 barcode to the file Code128-123456.png.

#include <stdio.h>

#include "Barcodes-bundle.c"

int main(){
	size_t length;

    RGBABitmapImage *image = GenerateBarcodeCode128(strparam("123456"), 50);
	double *pngdata = ConvertToPNGGrayscale(&length, image);
	writeToFile(pngdata, length, "Code128-123456.png");
	free(pngdata);
    DeleteImage(image);

	return 0;
}

JavaScript

Alternative 1: Source Code – Separate Files
- Download the source code with separate files.
Alternative 2: Source Code – Bundle
- Download the source code with the bundle.
Copy the source code to your source code directory.
The RGBABitmapImage structure contains the image. It should be easy to convert this structure to any other bitmap image format. See the documentation of RGBABitmapImage for more information.

Here is an example for Node that will write a Code 128 barcode to js-Code128.png:

var fs = require('fs');
eval(fs.readFileSync('Barcodes-bundle.js')+'');
eval(fs.readFileSync('supportLib.js')+'');

var image = GenerateBarcodeCode128("abcdefgh", 50);
var pngdata = ConvertToPNGGrayscale(image);
writeToFile(pngdata, "js-Code128.png");
DeleteImage(image);

PHP

Alternative 1: Source Code – Separate Files
- Download the source code with separate files.
Alternative 2: Source Code – Bundle
- Download the source code with the bundle.
Copy the source code to your source code directory.
The RGBABitmapImage structure contains the image. It should be easy to convert this structure to any other bitmap image format. See the documentation of RGBABitmapImage for more information.

Here is an example. The variable bytes contains the bytes of the PNG image of the barcode:

<?php

include("Barcodes-bundle.php");

$image = GenerateBarcodeCode128($literal = str_split("abcdefgh"), 50);
$pngdata = ConvertToPNGGrayscale($image);
$bytes = pack('C*', ...$pngdata);

$fp = fopen('php-Code128.png', 'wb');
fwrite($fp, $bytes);
fclose($fp);

DeleteImage($image);

Python

Alternative 1: Source Code – Separate Files
- Download the source code with separate files.
Alternative 2: Source Code – Bundle
- Download the source code with the bundle.
Copy the source code to your source code directory.
The RGBABitmapImage structure contains the image. It should be easy to convert this structure to any other bitmap image format. See the documentation of RGBABitmapImage for more information.

Here is an example:

import struct

execfile("Barcodes-bundle.py")

image = GenerateBarcodeCode128("abcdefgh", 50)
pngdata = ConvertToPNGGrayscale(image)
bytes = ''.join(struct.pack("B", x) for x in pngdata)

f = open('py-Code128.png', 'wb')
f.write(bytes)
f.close()

Ruby

Alternative 1: Source Code – Separate Files
- Download the source code with separate files.
Alternative 2: Source Code – Bundle
- Download the source code with the bundle.
Copy the source code to your source code directory.
The RGBABitmapImage structure contains the image. It should be easy to convert this structure to any other bitmap image format. See the documentation of RGBABitmapImage for more information.

Here is an example. The array data contains the bytes of the PNG image of the barcode:

load 'Barcodes-bundle.rb'

image = GenerateBarcodeCode128("abcdefgh".split(""), 50)
pngdata = ConvertToPNG(image)
data = pngdata.pack('C*')
outfile = File.new("ruby-Code128.png", "wb")
outfile.puts(data)
outfile.close

C#

Alternative 1: Source Code – Separate Files
- Download the source code with separate files.
Alternative 2: Source Code – Bundle
- Download the source code with the bundle.
Copy the source code to your source code directory.
The RGBABitmapImage structure contains the image. It should be easy to convert this structure to any other bitmap image format. See the documentation of RGBABitmapImage for more information.

Here is an example. The array bytes contains the bytes of the PNG image of the barcode:

using System;
using System.IO;
using static Barcodes;

class BarcodeWriter {
	public static void Main(){
		RGBABitmapImage image = GenerateBarcodeCode128("abcdefgh".ToCharArray(), 50);
		double [] pngdata = ConvertToPNGGrayscale(image);
		byte [] bytes = SupportLib.doubleArrayToByteArray(pngdata);
		File.WriteAllBytes("cs-Code128.png", bytes);
		DeleteImage(image);
	}
}

Visual Basic .NET

Alternative 1: Source Code – Separate Files
- Download the source code with separate files.
Alternative 2: Source Code – Bundle
- Download the source code with the bundle.
Copy the source code to your source code directory.
The RGBABitmapImage structure contains the image. It should be easy to convert this structure to any other bitmap image format. See the documentation of RGBABitmapImage for more information.

Here is an example:

Module BarcodeWriter
	Sub Main(args As String())
		Dim image as RGBABitmapImage = Barcodes.GenerateBarcodeCode128("abcdefgh".ToCharArray(), 50)
		Dim pngdata as Double() = ConvertToPNGGrayscale(image)
		Dim bytes as byte() = SupportLib.doubleArrayToByteArray(pngdata)
		System.IO.File.WriteAllBytes("vb-Code128.png", bytes)
		Barcodes.DeleteImage(image)
	End Sub
End Module

Swift

Alternative 1: Source Code – Separate Files
- Download the source code with separate files.
Alternative 2: Source Code – Bundle
- Download the source code with the bundle.
Copy the source code to your source code directory.
The RGBABitmapImage structure contains the image. It should be easy to convert this structure to any other bitmap image format. See the documentation of RGBABitmapImage for more information.

Here is an example:

var image : RGBABitmapImage = GenerateBarcodeCode128(&characterArray("abcdefgh").ca, 50).ref
var pngdata : [Double] = ConvertToPNGGrayscale(&image)
var bytes : [UInt8] = doubleArrayToByteArray(pngdata)
writeBytesToFile(bytes, "swift-Code128.png");

RGBABitmapImage structure

The images are returned in the RGBABitmapImage structure. It contains rows and columns of pixels, each with a red, green, blue and alpha channel.

RGBABitmapImage contains one element x, the columns of pixels.

Each column is a RGBABitmap structure which contains one element, y the rows of pixels.

Each row is an RGBA structure which contains four values from 0-1. For red, green and blue, 1 is full, 0 is none. The alpha value is 0 for transparent and 1 for opaque.

Notes on Each Programming Language

The library works exactly the same for all programming languages. This includes even minor updates. There is no risk of deviation. We have an advanced proprietary technology that allows us to ensure this.

Java

The Java version is delivered as source code and as a Java Archive (JAR). It requires Java 1.5+. Contact us if you require support for Java 1.0-1.4.

C/C++/Objective C

This version of the library uses only features of C for which C++ and Objective C is backwards compatible. Therefore, you can use the same library for C, C++ and Objective C.

The code is delivered as separate source code files or as a single source code file. Both are easily built to a static or dynamic library.

The requirements are C 89+, C++98+ and Objective C 1. Contact us if you require support for earlier versions.

JavaScript

The JavaScript version of the library is JavaScript 5+. This works in most browsers, NodeJS and the Java Scripting Engine (Nashorn).

The code is delivered as separate source code files or as a single source code file.

The requirements are JavaScript 5+ (ECMAScript 5). Contact us if you require support for earlier versions.

PHP

The PHP version of the library is PHP 5+. This works both for the Apache PHP module and with the PHP client.

The code is delivered as separate source code files or as a single source code file.

The requirements are PHP 5+. Contact us if you require support for earlier versions.