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Barcodes

Introduction

Report Designer supports a range of barcode symbols that control the appearance of a barcode.

Typically, barcodes are one dimensional, displayed as a series of parallel bars of varying widths and spaces. But there are two dimensional barcodes that are displayed as patterns of squares, dots and hexagons.

For one dimensional barcodes, all of the information can be read by scanning the image in one direction (usually horizontally, from left to right) only. For two dimensional barcodes, the image must be scanned in its entirety.

Each barcode is designed for different uses, printers, displays and readers. There is a limit to the number of symbols some barcodes display; for example, UPCE only allows eight symbols. You need to take this length into account when creating an expression for the barcode.

You can

• Change the type of barcode type used (referred to as symbology).
• Change the appearance of the barcode, such as its colour.
• Control the size of the barcode.
• Display text with the barcode that represents the data.
• Lock the barcode into place on the report layout so it can't be accidentally moved. See Arrange report information.
• Make a barcode appear in the report only when a certain condition is met. See Conditional formatting.

Add a barcode

To add a barcode:

1. Select  Add Barcode from the toolbar, or choose Toolbox > Add Barcode.

2. Click your report where you want to add the barcode.

   The Expression Editor appears.

3. Enter an expression to select the information used to generate the barcode.

   To do this, drag and drop variables and functions from the right-hand panes into the left-hand pane.

4. To set the barcode format, from the Properties pane select Barcode Format and click the finder button .

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