Native Barcode Generator for Microsoft Access
Patent Pending
INDEX:
The Native Barcode Generator is a product intended for Access Developers that
wish to easily integrate barcode capability into their databases and
applications without any external dependencies. This product is implemented as a
single VBA Module with complete source code, which allows the developer much
flexibility in implementation and design, without any annoying add-in menus or
license file requirements. Once installed in a database, no other components or
fonts need to be installed to create barcodes; it is the complete barcode
generator that stays with the database, even when distributed. End users and
non-developers may wish to use
IDAutomation's Barcode ActiveX Controls instead of this product because
ActiveX Controls are easier to implement in Access.
Compatibility
and Requirements |
Application Compatibility |
Access 2000 to Access 2007 and above |
OS Compatibility |
Microsoft Windows 95 to Windows Vista
and above |
Symbology Compatibility |
Code 128, Code 39, Codabar, GS1-128, Interleaved 2 of 5,
MSI, Postnet, Planet, OneCode, PDF417 and DataMatrix ECC200. * |
Minimum System Requirements |
500 MHZ Processor, 128MB RAM, 5 MB
Available hard drive space |
Intended Implementer |
Access Developers;
End users and non-developers may wish to use
IDAutomation's Barcode
ActiveX Controls. |
* This package does not support UPCA, UPCE, EAN13 or EAN8 barcodes because of the
required OCR text characters that must appear below this barcode type. If these
barcode symbologies are required, the
UPC/EAN Barcode Font Advantage
is available as a separate purchase.
Installing the Native Barcode Generator is a fairly easy process. If problems
are encountered with this tutorial, IDAutomation recommends referring to the sample
database included in the package. The demo version of this product may only
be used within the sample database provided in the
download.
-
Extract the files from the Native Barcode Generator package.
- Open the database the barcode is needed for.
- Press ALT-F11 to open the Visual Basic Editor. If ALT-F11 does not
work, in Access 2000 or 2003 choose Tools - Macro - Visual Basic Editor. For
Access 2007, choose Database Tools - Visual Basic.
- From the Visual Basic Editor, choose File - Import File and import the
appropriate VBA module from the files extracted. To add support for
all linear barcode types, select the
IDAutomation_Native_Barcode_VBA.bas file. VBA
modules are not available for importing with the Demo Version; the demo
version may only be used with the sample database provided. If PDF417
or Data Matrix barcodes are needed, import the appropriate module from the 2D
folder. Once the files are imported, they become embedded in the database file.

- Choose File - Save and then close the Visual Basic Editor. All functions
of the Native Barcode Generator are now embedded in the database.
- Open the report in Design Mode. This is accomplished by right-clicking on
the report and choosing Design.
- Insert a text box in the details section of the form, and increase the height
and width so it will be able to contain the bar-code. The text box may be easily
added by dragging the field from the Field List. The label on the left side of
the text field may be removed because it will not be visible when the report
runs. Size the box so it is tall and wide enough to contain the barcode
symbol. The height of the barcode is changed by sizing the text box.

- Right-click on the text box and choose Properties. Change the Name of the
text box to txtIDAutomationBC1 and verify the
control source is the field that needs to be encoded in the barcode.

Optional: The Control Source may be changed to a formula that appends text to the data or combines multiple
fields,
for example: ="PREFIX" & [Field1] or =[Field1] & [Field2] or =[Field1] &
"," & [Field2]
- Save and run the report. Verify the data that needs to be encoded in the
barcode appears in the text box. If it does not, consult Access Help to
determine how to get the correct data in the text box. The result of the
Control Source in the text box is what will be encoded in the barcode. In some
cases, it may be necessary to specify the table and field in the control
source, for example: =([Table1.Field1])
- If it is desired to have a text interpretation appear below or above the
barcode symbol, copy the text box and paste it in a suitable location on the
form. Save and run the report. Verify the data that needs to be encoded appears in both text boxes.

- Re-open the report in Design Mode. Right-click on the detail section of
the report and choose Build Event and then choose Code Builder.

- The Visual Basic Editor will appear. Remove any text that appears in the
editor.
- The code builder may insert text automatically, which should be removed. Copy and paste the following green text into the editor
so it is the only text appearing:
Option Compare Database
Private Sub Detail_Print(Cancel As Integer, PrintCount As Integer)
result = IDAutomation_NatG_C128(txtIDAutomationBC1, Me)
End Sub
- If necessary,
change the function so that IDAutomation_NatG_C128 is the
name of the function used to create the
barcode and txtIDAutomationBC1 is the name of the text field that is to
be encoded as a barcode.
- To create the barcode with default options, skip this step. To modify
parameters of the barcode such as
the X dimension in MILS, place a comma after "Me"
to view available options. To gain greater control over the size of the
barcodes, or to create very small symbols, the DPI must be changed to 600 or
greater.

- Save and run the report to verify barcodes are being properly created. If a scanner is needed to verify barcodes, IDAutomation offers several
affordable, easy-to-use scanner
kits. If the barcode does not appear, check the security
settings, double check all steps of this process
and refer to Technical Support. To adjust the
width of the barcode symbol, change the MILS setting
accordingly. The height of the symbol in linear barcodes is determined by the
size of the associated text box.

Legal Notice: Technology used in this product is Patent Pending. Reports containing this object
may only be distributed outside the licensed organization with the purchase of a
Developer License to the Native Barcode Generator.
IDAutomation includes the capability in this product to create barcodes and
text for
GS1-128 (UCC/EAN128) symbols with the Apply Tilde
feature. The following describes the changes in the Code and the Control Source
selections of the Barcode Integration
Tutorial to implement GS1-128. The GS1-128 symbol is created from 17 digits
of numbers in the GS1DataField field.
- Change the ApplyTilde option in
Step 15 to "True". The result
line should be similar to the following:
result =
IDAutomation_NatG_C128(txtIDAutomationBC1, Me, 12, True)
- The Control Source selection in Step 8 may be changed
to a formula that encodes
GS1-128 barcodes,
for example: ="Ê" & [GS1DataField] & "~m17"
- The IDAutomation_C128HR function may be used as the control source for the
text interpretation in Step 10 to place the parenthesis
in the correct locations of the text. For example:
=IDAutomation_C128HR ("Ê" & [GS1DataField] & "~m17" )
IDAutomation includes the capability to create multiple bar-code symbols in
the same report. The following describes the changes in the Code and the Control
Source selections of the Barcode
Integration Tutorial to allow multiple symbols to be created:
- Add a text box for each barcode needed in the report, described in
Steps 7 through 10.
- Give each text box a unique name instead of the standard name recommended
in Step 8. For example, use
txtIDAutomationBC1 for the first barcode and
txtIDAutomationBC2 for the second.
- Add additional result lines for each unique text box name that is to
contain a barcode, described in Step 13. For example:
Private Sub Detail_Print(Cancel As Integer, PrintCount As Integer)
result = IDAutomation_NatG_C128(txtIDAutomationBC1, Me)
result = IDAutomation_NatG_C128(txtIDAutomationBC2, Me)
End Sub
The result line in Step 13 of the tutorial
may be changed to create various different barcode types, which are abbreviated
below. For example, to create
a Code 39 barcode, the result line on step 13 may look like:
result = IDAutomation_NatG_C39(txtIDAutomationBC1, Me)
.
The following functions are available:
Barcode Functions
(used in the result line of Step 13) |
IDAutomation_NatG_C128 (TextControlName,
ReportControlName,
Mils,
ApplyTilde,
DPI, Orientation) |
IDAutomation_NatG_C128A(TextControlName,
ReportControlName,
Mils,
DPI, Orientation) |
IDAutomation_NatG_C128B(TextControlName,
ReportControlName,
Mils,
DPI, Orientation) |
IDAutomation_NatG_C128C(TextControlName,
ReportControlName,
Mils,
DPI, Orientation) |
IDAutomation_NatG_C39(TextControlName,
ReportControlName,
Mils,
N_Dimension,
IncludeCheckDigit,
DPI, Orientation) |
IDAutomation_NatG_Codabar(TextControlName,
ReportControlName,
Mils,
N_Dimension,
StartChar, StopChar, DPI,
Orientation) |
IDAutomation_NatG_DataMatrix(TextControlName,
ReportControlName,
Mils,
ApplyTilde,
EncodingMode, PreferredFormat,
DPI, Orientation) * |
IDAutomation_NatG_I2of5(TextControlName,
ReportControlName,
Mils,
N_Dimension,
IncludeCheckDigit,
DPI, Orientation) |
IDAutomation_NatG_MSI(TextControlName,
ReportControlName,
Mils,
N_Dimension,
IncludeCheckDigit,
DPI, Orientation) |
IDAutomation_NatG_OneCode(TextControlName,
ReportControlName,
Mils, DPI,
Orientation) ** (aka: USPS IntelligentMail) |
IDAutomation_NatG_PDF417(TextControlName,
ReportControlName,
Mils,
EccLevel,
ColumnSpecify, RowSpecify,
Truncate, ForceBinary,
DPI, Orientation)
* |
IDAutomation_NatG_Postnet(TextControlName,
ReportControlName,
Mils,
IncludeCheckDigit,
DPI, Orientation) |
IDAutomation_NatG_Planet(TextControlName,
ReportControlName,
Mils,
IncludeCheckDigit,
DPI, Orientation) |
Text Functions
(used in the text interpretation control source of Step 10) |
IDAutomation_C128HR
(DataToEncode,
ApplyTilde) This function is used
for format text for GS1-128 barcode types. |
IDAutomation_SpliceText
(DataToEncode,
SpacingNumber, ApplyTilde)
This function is used separate text digits into even segments to ease readability. |
MODU10(DataToEncode)
This function generates a GS1 MOD10 check digit. |
* Available only in 2D versions.
** The OneCode function also supports USPS IntelligentMail. USPS
IntelligentMail and OneCode support require the installation of the IDAutomationNativeFontEncoder.dll file, which may be downloaded from
http://www.idautomation.com/fonts/tools/windows_dll/. The file is free to
use, provided You or Your organization has purchased a valid License for the
Native Barcode Generator for Access.
Description of the properties of the functions:
- MILS - The X dimension, which is measured in 1/1000 of an inch,
where 12 is
the default. This value changes the width of the barcode symbol.
- DPI - The dots per inch the graphic is generated for,
where 300 is the
default. When using a printer with lower or higher resolution, this value may be
changed to create a more accurate symbol. An accurate symbol can only be created
on a 203 DPI printer when this value is set to 203.
- DataToEncode - This is a string value that
represents the data being encoded.
- N_Dimension - Determines the width of
the wide bars, which is a multiple of the X dimension.
Valid values are 2 and 3. The default is 2.
- Orientation - Values of 0, 90 and 270
degrees are supported.
- ReportControlName - The name of the
report the barcode is to appear on. This should usually be set to "Me", which is
the current report.
- TextControlName - The name of the text
control as defined in Step 8.
- IncludeCheckDigit - A Boolean value
that determines whether a check digit should be automatically calculated and
included for the DataToEncode.
- EncodingMode - The
encoding mode for the Data Matrix symbology;
valid values are 0 for BASE256 (Default),
1 for C40, 2 for TEXT and 3 for ASCII.
- PreferredFormat - The
preferred format of the
generated DataMatrix barcode.
- ECCLevel - The Reed Solomon
error correction level
to be used in PDF417.
- Column and Row Specify - The
number of rows and columns
may be selected, allowing the symbol to be created in
various forms. The PDF417 symbol is limited to 30 columns and 90 rows.
Some scanners and decoders cannot dependably read symbols with over 20 columns.
- Truncate - By selecting this option, the right hand side of
the symbol is removed or "truncated". This option should be used primarily in a
clean environment, since it is more susceptible to damage.
- ForceBinary - Forces the PDF417 barcode to
be encoded in Binary mode.
- ApplyTilde - In Code 128 AUTO and UCC128,
if the ApplyTilde option is set to True, the tilde will be processed and allow
the following encoding options:
- ASCII characters: The format ~ddd may be used to specify the
ASCII code of the character to be encoded. For example, if entering the
following text in the Data field: 66~02977 it will actually encode
66GS77 where GS
is a delimiter ASCII 29 character. Other commonly used ASCII codes are ~009
for a tab and ~013 which is a return function. To encode other functions,
please refer to IDAutomation's
ASCII chart.
- Encode
GS1-128 (UCC/EAN-128): To encode alpha-numeric
UCC/EAN128, the character must be set to "AUTO" for automatic. Then, ASCII
202 or character Ê is entered as the FNC1 before each AI and the required
start C is included automatically. For example, the GS1 number of (8100)712345(21)12WH5678
should be entered as: ~2028100712345~2022112WH5678. In most cases,
the AI's will be properly represented in the human readable text. If the
parenthesis are not around the correct number for the AI, enter the following
extended ASCII character as the FNC1 for the correct number of digits in
the AI:
~212 = 2 digits ~213 = 3 digits
~214 = 4 digits
~215 = 5 digits
~216 = 6 digits ~ 217 = 7 digits
For example, to encode (1277)560128, 4 digits, enter ~2141277560128.
For more information, please refer to the
GS1-128 section of IDAutomation's Code 128 FAQ.
- Mod 10 Check digit: To create a Mod 10 check digit for
xx number of characters, add the following to the DataToEncode: ~mnn
(where nn is a 2 digit number representing the number of characters preceding
the tilde in which to base the Mod 10 calculation). The additional MOD 10
check digit is commonly used in GS1 (UCC/EAN) barcode types. For example, setting
the DataToEncode property to ~2024021234567890123456~m16 will cause a mod 10
check digit to be created based on all 16 characters before the tilde. The
human readable text and scanned data will display as (402)12345678901234560.
The final 0 is the mod 10 check digit and replaces ~m16.
- Encode FNC2: When necessary, the FNC2 character may be inserted into
the DataToEncode string by using ASCII 197. For example;
~1978012349091.
IDAutomation's
SC5USB Scanner may be programmed to hold the barcode starting with the
FNC2 in memory and only transmit it to the computer after scanning a barcode
containing the FNC1.
Common Problems and Solutions:
- Barcodes do not Appear in the Report:
A security setting may be the
cause.
Security may need to be changed to allow VBA macros to run.
- To enable macros to run in Access 2000 & 2003:
Choose Tools - Macro - Security.
Change the security level to Medium or Low.
Close the database and re-open it. Macros should now be enabled.
- To enable macros to run in Access 2007:
Open "Customize Quick Access Toolbar" menu to the right of the office
button.
Select "More Commands."
Choose the "Trust Center" menu button on sidebar.
Choose the "Trust Center Settings" button on main pane.
Choose the "Macro Settings" menu button on sidebar.
Select the "Enable all macros."
Choose "OK" to close Trust Center.
Choose "OK" to close Access Options.
Close the database and re-open it. Macros should now be enabled.
- Barcode is Truncated:
Size or move the text box object
as described in Step 7 above.
- Barcodes do not Scan with Default Settings:
Check to make sure that
barcode type is enabled in the scanner and that there is sufficient white space
surrounding the barcode. Additional solutions for this issue are provided in the
Barcode will not scan KB
article.
- Access Reports run Slow:
Encoding a large amount of data with PDF417 or Data Matrix may cause reports
to slow down because of the complex calculations that must be performed in VBA
code for the generation of these symbols. If this issue is observed, consider decreasing the amount of
data being encoded, or implement
IDAutomation's Barcode ActiveX Controls which are compiled in C++ for
improved calculation speed.
- Scanning Problems with Small Barcode Sizes:
Verify a printer of 300 DPI or greater
is being used. An X dimension of 12 MILS or greater should be used with low resolution
thermal 203 DPI printers. IDAutomation also offers many barcode fonts that
print well to low
resolution thermal printers. Additionally, verify the scanner being used is
able to read small barcodes.
- Additional problems and solutions are provided at IDAutomation's
barcode
font troubleshooting site and by searching resolved
public help desk
issues. Priority
phone, email and help desk support is provided up to 30 days after purchase.
Additional priority
phone, email and help desk support may be obtained if the
Priority Support and Upgrade
Subscription is active.
IDAutomation has many other products to offer for barcoding purposes including:
© Copyright 2006-2007 IDAutomation.com, Inc., All Rights
Reserved. Legal Notices.
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use IDAutomation's products to automate their businesses.
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