473,324 Members | 2,254 Online
Bytes | Software Development & Data Engineering Community
Post Job

Home Posts Topics Members FAQ

Join Bytes to post your question to a community of 473,324 software developers and data experts.

Converting one barcode to another barcode

Hi,

I need to read the old barcode, compare it in a database where I've stored the old and the new barcodes, export the new barcode and print it. Is is possible?
Oct 9 '08 #1
4 1509
Stewart Ross
2,545 Expert Mod 2GB
Hi, and Welcome to Bytes!

Short answer is that yes it is possible to do what you say, but since you leave out more than you tell us we can't guide you other than in generalities.

Firstly, if by 'read in' you mean scan the current barcode manually, then in general any barcode reader can do this. What is input to the database by the reader is the value of the barcode.

I assume you have a lookup table already built which provides the new barcode value given the old.

Not sure what you mean when you say you need to 'export' the barcode. If it is as a graphic this is not straightforward - it is possible, but there are no in-built facilities in Access to create the graphic.

Similarly, printing barcodes is possible but not straightforward. You can use a bar-code font - but then every PC using your application would need to have the font installed. Applications which print barcodes as graphics are available (which will also export the barcode in a graphics format such as WMF), but as these are commercial applications you would need to pay for one.

There are several different types of barcode. You don't say what type you are referring to, so there is little more I can add to this general reply at this stage.

-Stewart
Oct 13 '08 #2
youmike
69
To amplify what Stewart says, you need to remember that a printed bar-code is simply a way of representing an underlying character string (usually a number) with extra characters (checksum digits) to permit verification when read added by the bar-code printing process.

As Stewart says, a bar-code reader connected to a PC and use in an Access application returns the underlying number only - it interprets the bar-code by applying a defined translate routine built into the scanner firmware. Windows interprets such a scanner as a keyboard device.

To print a bar code, the commercial font packages do the opposite: they take the number and apply a routine to add the checksum digit, then convert the number into a graphic conforming to international standards. As Stewart says, you could design your own software to translate a number into a bar-code, but I'd say it's just not worth the effort. An internet search will find dozens of bar-code fonts and the prices are not necessarily astronomic. I'd suggest that you get a set for which you have to pay. There may well be free fonts, but use them with caution, testing before you go live.
Oct 14 '08 #3
Stewart Ross
2,545 Expert Mod 2GB
Youmike is spot-on with his reply. I use a free 3-of-9 barcode font which meets my needs (relating in this case to producing student survey forms which are barcoded with the student ID, as per the mailmerged Word example shown in the screenshot).

In investigating some of the 3-of-9 fonts available some of them were of variable readability; I did a lot of testing before settling on the one I use, which I found readable at a wide variety of print sizes.

3-of-9 barcodes are common, but the other types of barcode are not generally found in free fonts. I should have added, as youmike pointed out, that pay-for bar code generators are not necessarily expensive - and some are available as ActiveX control add-ons which can be used like any other control from Access and other apps.

-Stewart
Attached Images
File Type: jpg ScreenHunter_77.jpg (12.6 KB, 145 views)
Oct 14 '08 #4
youmike
69
Having looked at Stewart's example, I'd just add one thought about choice of font. Apart from specifying the width and spacing of the bars, the 3 of 9 spec also prescribes where the human readable numbers should fall in the image and the size of start and end characters which have to be included in the string. Look at any packet in your grocery cupboard and you'll see what I mean. When choosing your font, check that it complies. Best way to do this is to try sample print-outs on a couple of scanners.
Oct 15 '08 #5

Sign in to post your reply or Sign up for a free account.

Similar topics

6
by: Murray Elliot | last post by:
Just wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to solve a particular problem. A client wants to print barcode labels from their (web/php based application). The barcode labels are very small, so I'm...
3
by: Tom Turner | last post by:
Here's the background on my situation. The question follows --- We have 600 units of mail going from our business to various Post Offices every morning. Every unit is accompanied by a paper...
4
by: Clark Stevens | last post by:
I have a program that I'm converting from VB6 to VB.NET. It reads in a text file containing barcode numbers and their corresponding descriptions. Then the user enters the barcode number and the...
5
by: neilphan | last post by:
Hi all, I have an application that uses input from a barcode reader via a USB port. My application works fine only if the application HAS FOCUS. If the user opens up another application (not...
2
by: jayender.vs | last post by:
how to generate Barcode ? any Algorithm, codes i have read barcode reader .. but yet to come across the barcode genarator ... waiting for ur response, thanks, Jayender
4
by: madunix | last post by:
I am in the process to create an online form using PHP with DB Oracle or MySQL, this form which consist of 2x parts personal data and finance data, and it will be filled by the users, once the...
0
by: BobDude | last post by:
Howdy. I'm trying to read a barcode using a IE scanner. The code is read into a textbox. I use the textchanged event to trigger code behind so the barcode numbers are transferred into a...
2
by: nmrpa91290 | last post by:
Hi, I am in the design phase of building a database that will track the productivity of my warehouse. I am thinking of using a barcode scanner to assist me with this. Employees will hopefully...
7
by: jim | last post by:
I need to have 2 simple barcode reader applications finished by midnight tonight. I have never written any barcode reader software and need any help that you may be able to offer. I do not know...
0
by: DolphinDB | last post by:
Tired of spending countless mintues downsampling your data? Look no further! In this article, you’ll learn how to efficiently downsample 6.48 billion high-frequency records to 61 million...
0
by: ryjfgjl | last post by:
ExcelToDatabase: batch import excel into database automatically...
1
isladogs
by: isladogs | last post by:
The next Access Europe meeting will be on Wednesday 6 Mar 2024 starting at 18:00 UK time (6PM UTC) and finishing at about 19:15 (7.15PM). In this month's session, we are pleased to welcome back...
0
by: Vimpel783 | last post by:
Hello! Guys, I found this code on the Internet, but I need to modify it a little. It works well, the problem is this: Data is sent from only one cell, in this case B5, but it is necessary that data...
0
by: ArrayDB | last post by:
The error message I've encountered is; ERROR:root:Error generating model response: exception: access violation writing 0x0000000000005140, which seems to be indicative of an access violation...
1
by: PapaRatzi | last post by:
Hello, I am teaching myself MS Access forms design and Visual Basic. I've created a table to capture a list of Top 30 singles and forms to capture new entries. The final step is a form (unbound)...
1
by: CloudSolutions | last post by:
Introduction: For many beginners and individual users, requiring a credit card and email registration may pose a barrier when starting to use cloud servers. However, some cloud server providers now...
1
by: Defcon1945 | last post by:
I'm trying to learn Python using Pycharm but import shutil doesn't work
0
by: Faith0G | last post by:
I am starting a new it consulting business and it's been a while since I setup a new website. Is wordpress still the best web based software for hosting a 5 page website? The webpages will be...

By using Bytes.com and it's services, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

To disable or enable advertisements and analytics tracking please visit the manage ads & tracking page.