.NET Windows Forms Control Manual & Tutorial

• Installation and Compatibility
• Windows Forms Barcode Control Tutorial
  • Registering and Changing Control Properties:
  • Registering the Control in Microsoft® Visual Basic .NET and C# .NET
  • Registering the Control in Borland C# Builder and Delphi.NET
  • Printing from the Control
    
  • Using the DLL in Microsoft Reporting Services
    
• Adjusting Properties and Methods
  • Primary Methods
  • Image Processing Properties and Methods
    • Symbology-Specific Properties:
    • PDF417 and MacroPDF
    • Aztec
    • Data Matrix
    • QRCode
    • MaxiCode
    • GS1 DataBar (RSS), Composite & MicroPDF417
    • MICR
    • Linear Symbology-Specific Notes
      • GS1-128 (UCC-128)
      • UPC and EAN
      • USPS Intelligent Mail and PostNet
• Property Page Forms
• Technical Issues & Support
• Related Information
• Barcode Scanners
• Product Update: QR Code version 2022 and greater in this product includes new built-in support for UTF8 Encoding, TLV and Base64, Swiss QR-Bill, Center Override, and GS1 QR Code. Data Matrix 2022 and greater includes a faster and more efficient auto-encoding algorithm and supports GS1 and UTF8.

Buy License Support Download Demo Release Log

Installation and Compatibility

Application Compatibility

IDAutomation's Windows .NET Barcode Forms Controls are compatible with Microsoft C#, VB .NET, Borland Delphi for Microsoft .NET, C# Builder, Visual Studio, and the .NET Framework. They are used to create MICR and barcode images that may be saved to a file or sent to a printer on a local PC. This product is not designed to be used with compact framework applications or web applications; for these purposes, the Barcode DLL for .NET Compact Framework or the ASP.NET Barcode Web Component for web applications should be used. The RFID control provided in the linear package is compatible with the .NET Framework 2.0 or greater. QR Code and Data Matrix require .NET Framework 4.

Installation:

1. Download and unzip the package into a directory on the development computer.
2. Copy the DLL that is to be used to the project directory. Do not copy the components to the bin directory; upon compiling the project, the DLL in the project folder will be copied to the appropriate bin folder with the associated EXE file automatically.
3. The application must be able to access the control after it is installed from a local drive for security purposes. Examples are provided below that should help with the various methods of using and printing the images.

Registering the Control in Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft C# .NET:

1. Open the solution or project and display the form that the barcode will be added to. Select View - Toolbox to display the Toolbox. Right-click on the Toolbox and select Choose Items; in older versions select Customize Toolbox. Select the .NET Framework Components folder. Choose Browse and select the IDAutomation Linear Barcode Control.
   
   
   
   More recent versions of Visual Studio suggest dragging the DLL into the toolbox.
   
   
   
   
2. After the control appears in the Toolbox, add it to the form.
   
   
   
   
3. This can also be done by selecting Project - Add Reference, if adding to the form is not desired. This can be accomplished in newer versions of Visual Explorer by opening the Solutions Explorer, right-clicking on References, and Adding Reference.
   
   

Registering the Control in a Borland Delphi for .NET or C# Builder:

1. Open the project. Choose Component - Installed .NET Components from the menu. The Installed .NET Components dialog will appear.
2. Ensure that the Installed .NET Components tab is selected and then click on the Select an Assembly button.
3. Navigate to the location where the IDAutomation.com Forms Control was installed.
4. Click Open and select the control.
5. Click OK on the Installed .NET Components dialog.
6. The barcode control will be in the General section of the Tools Palette.

.NET Forms Control Tutorial & Source Code Examples

Once installed, several different methods may be used to size, print,  and create barcode images.

Sizing the Control:

The control cannot be sized by dragging the object because barcodes must meet specific requirements, such as a precise X dimension (narrow bar width) and barcode height specified in the properties of the control. To increase the barcode width, increase the XDimension property. To increase the height, increase the BarHeight property.

Printing from the Control:

• To print the barcode or copy it to an image control, please look at the examples provided in the ZIP file or view the sample code below.
• PaintOnGraphics is the recommended method that creates the barcode based on the resolution of the selected printer.
• Before printing, System.Drawing.Printing needs to be imported as in the following VB.NET example:
  
  

Example of Printing a Barcode from Visual Basic .NET:

Dim barcode1 As New IDAutomation.Windows.Forms.LinearBarCode.Barcode
 
Private Sub cmdPrint_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles cmdPrint.Click
    Dim pd As New System.Windows.Forms.PrintDialog()
    pd.PrinterSettings = New System.Drawing.Printing.PrinterSettings()
    If DialogResult.OK = pd.ShowDialog(Me) Then 'Show print dialog box
        Dim prndoc As System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument = New System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument()
        prndoc.PrinterSettings.PrinterName = pd.PrinterSettings.PrinterName

        prndoc.DocumentName = "Printing the IDAutomation.com Barcode"
        AddHandler prndoc.PrintPage, New System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventHandler(AddressOf PrintDocumentOnPrintPage)
        prndoc.Print()
    End If
End Sub
 
Private Sub PrintDocumentOnPrintPage(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal ppea As PrintPageEventArgs)
    Dim grfx As System.Drawing.Graphics = ppea.Graphics
    grfx.PageUnit = GraphicsUnit.Millimeter
    grfx.PageScale = 1.0F
    grfx.DrawString(Me.Text, Me.Font, Brushes.Black, 0, 0)
    grfx.DrawString("IDAutomation.com Example", New Font("Arial", 10), New SolidBrush(Color.Black), 20, 90)
    Barcode1.PaintOnGraphics(grfx, 0, 200)  '
End Sub

If PaintOnGraphics does not exist in the DLL being utilized, the following four lines should be used in place of PaintOnGraphics:

Visual Basic .NET:

Barcode1.ResolutionPrinterToUse = PrinterName 
Dim myImage As System.Drawing.Imaging.Metafile
myImage = Barcode1.Picture
grfx.DrawImage(myImage, 0, 20)

Example of Printing a Barcode from C#.NET:

private void button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
    System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument prndoc = new System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument();
    prndoc.DocumentName = "Printing a Barcode";
    prndoc.PrintPage += new System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventHandler(this.PrintDocumentOnPrintPage);
    prndoc.Print();
}
 
private void PrintDocumentOnPrintPage(object sender, System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventArgs ppea)
{
    Graphics grfx = ppea.Graphics;
    grfx.DrawString(this.Text, this.Font, Brushes.Black, 0, 0);
    barcode1.PaintOnGraphics(grfx, 0, 200);   //
    return;
}

If PaintOnGraphics does not exist in the DLL being utilized, the following four lines should be used in place of PaintOnGraphics:

C# .NET:

Barcode1.ResolutionPrinterToUse = PrinterName;
System.Drawing.Imaging.Metafile myImage;
myImage = barcode1.Picture;
grfx.DrawImage(myImage, 0, 40);

Example of sending a Metafile to a PictureBox in VB .NET:

Dim barcode1 As New IDAutomation.Windows.Forms.LinearBarCode.Barcode

Private Sub cmdDisplayMetafile_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles cmdDisplayMetafile.Click
    Dim myImage As System.Drawing.Imaging.Metafile
    myImage = barcode1.Picture
    Dim grfx As System.Drawing.Graphics = PictureBox1.CreateGraphics()
    grfx.DrawImage(myImage, 0, 0)
    grfx.Dispose()
    myImage = Nothing
    grfx = Nothing

End Sub

Example of Printing a Barcode from Borland's C# Builder:

private void button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
    //This is the event handler to print the image of this barcode on the printer 

    //Create the document object that we are sending to the printer
    System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument prndoc = new System.Drawing.Printing.PrintDocument(); 

    //Give the document a title. This is what displays in the Printers Control Panel item
    prndoc.DocumentName = "Printing a Barcode";

    //Add an event handler to handle any additional processing that may need to occur, such as positioning of text
    prndoc.PrintPage += new System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventHandler(this.PrintBMPOnPrintPage); 

    //Initiate the printing of the page. PrintDocumentOnPrintPage will be handled next prndoc.Print();
} 

private void PrintBMPOnPrintPage(object sender, System.Drawing.Printing.PrintPageEventArgs ppea)
{
    //This will send the bitmap to the printer.
    System.Drawing.Graphics grfx = ppea.Graphics; //Create a Graphics Object
    System.Drawing.Image MyImage; //Create the image object
    MyImage = barcode1.BMPPicture; //Set the image object 

    //Draw everything on the Graphics object and then dispose of it
    grfx.DrawString("Printing barcode using the bitmap image", this.Font, Brushes.Black, 0, 0);
    grfx.DrawImage(MyImage, 2, 40);
    grfx.Dispose();
    MyImage = null;

}

Example of Dynamically Placing the Barcode Control on a Form in VB.NET:

The following is an example of how the barcode can be created on the form with code. The code in the printing example above may be used to print the image instead of sending it to a PictureBox.

Dim NewBarcode As IDAutomation.Windows.Forms.LinearBarCode.Barcode = New Barcode()
NewBarcode.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(148, 64)
NewBarcode.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(176, 7)
NewBarcode.Name = "NewBarcode"
Me.Controls.AddRange(New System.Windows.Forms.Control() {NewBarcode})
NewBarcode.DataToEncode = "999928829"
PictureBox1.Image = NewBarcode.Picture

Example of Creating a Barcode on the Form using Borland's C# Builder.

//Create the new barcode object
IDAutomation.Windows.Forms.LinearBarCode.Barcode NewBarcode = new IDAutomation.Windows.Forms.LinearBarCode.Barcode();
NewBarcode.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(1, 1); 

//Set the location to the top left corner
NewBarcode.Name = "NewBarcode";

//Give the barcode a name
this.Controls.AddRange(new System.Windows.Forms.Control[] { NewBarcode });
 
//add the barcode to the controls collection
NewBarcode.DataToEncode = "123ABC78"; 

//Update the Data
NewBarcode.RefreshImage();//Since there is not a paint event, update the images

Example of creating an image without installing it on a form using DLL or in a VB.NET Web Service App

The code in the printing example above may be used to print the image instead of sending it to a PictureBox.

Dim NewBarcode As IDAutomation.Windows.Forms.LinearBarCode.Barcode = New Barcode()

NewBarcode.DataToEncode = "999928829"
PictureBox1.Image = NewBarcode.Picture

Example of Creating JPEG, TIFF, GIF, BMP, PNG, or other Graphic Files in VB.NET:

Since IDAutomation's control uses the .NET framework to perform image conversion, a barcode image in any format can be created that .NET supports in System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.

Barcode1.Resolution = Barcode.Resolutions.Custom
Barcode1.ResolutionCustomDPI = 300
Barcode1.XDimensionCM = 0.03
Barcode1.SaveImageAs("SavedBarcode300DPI.Jpeg", System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Jpeg)
Barcode1.Resolution = Barcode.Resolutions.Printer

Example of Copying Barcodes to the Clipboard in VB.NET:

Dim NewBarcode As IDAutomation.Windows.Forms.LinearBarCode.Barcode = New IDAutomation.Windows.Forms.LinearBarCode.Barcode
   
Dim datobj As New System.Windows.Forms.DataObject()
Dim MyBitmap As New System.Drawing.Bitmap(NewBarcode.BMPPicture)
datobj.SetData(System.Windows.Forms.DataFormats.Bitmap, MyBitmap)
System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard.SetDataObject(datobj)

MyBitmap = Nothing
datobj = Nothing

Properties and Methods

IDAutomation recommends using default values for all properties unless requirements dictate otherwise. This section explains the main configuration properties and methods of the linear control.

PDF417 Properties:

Data Matrix Symbology:

MaxiCode Symbology:

Aztec Symbology:

QR-Code Symbology:

GS1 DataBar Symbology:

MICR Symbology:

* When used with low-resolution devices such as the display screen, changes in the WhiteBarIncrease property value may not be visible in the control itself. However, the change will usually only be visible when printed, if a printer with 300 dpi or greater is used.

Property Page Forms

The Linear .NET Windows Forms Barcode Control includes a property page form that may be used to specify the properties of the component at run-time. The following VB code snippet creates a Property Dialog page for the control. This code snippet assumes that a barcode control named Barcode1 has already been created in the .NET project. The property page for the linear barcode DLL is integrated within the component itself.

'Create the property page object. The constructor takes a barcode object and a Boolean
'value determining whether to display the property tabs for captions
 
'Show the property box with units in inches, use cm for metric measurements
 
Dim p As New IDAutomation.Windows.Forms.LinearBarCode.Barcode
(True)p.ShowPropertiesDialogBox(IDAutomation.Windows.Forms.
LinearBarCode.PropertyPage.supportedUnits.inch)
p.Dispose() 'clean up the object

Using Property Page Tabs Individually:

The property pages for the barcode control may be referenced and used individually in an application. It is not necessary to work in the confines of the property page tabs themselves. Each tab has an accessor function that allows it to be added to any tab control in the application. The following code snippet is an example of adding the tabs controlling the top caption and the color of the barcode to a tab control in an application. This example assumes that there is already a barcode component named Barcode1, a tab control named tabControl1, and references to the associated PropertyDialog and NumberBox DLLs in the application:

tabControl1.TabPages.Add(p.get_ColorTabPage());
tabControl1.TabPages.Add(p.get_TopCaptionTabPage());
p=null;

Technical Support:

Free product support may be obtained by reviewing the knowledgebase articles that are documented below and by searching the resolved public forum threads. Priority phone, e-mail, and forum support is provided up to 30 days after purchase. Additional priority phone, e-mail,  and forum support may be obtained if a Priority Support and Upgrade Subscription is active.

NOTE: Microsoft dropped ActiveX support from the Windows Store edition of Internet Explorer 10 in Windows 8. In 2015, Microsoft released Microsoft Edge, the replacement for Internet Explorer with no support for ActiveX, this event marked the end of Microsoft's support for ActiveX and COM.

Common Problems and Solutions:

• An extra character is added to the end of the barcode:
  The extra character that is added to the end of a barcode is called the check digit or check character. For symbologies that do not require a check digit such as Code 39 and Codabar, the check character may be disabled by setting the AddCheckDigit property to false. If the check digit is to be encoded in the barcode, but not displayed, set the AddCheckDigitToText to false.
   
• PaintOnGraphics method does not exist:
  The PaintOnGraphics method exists in most components updated in 2006 or later. If PaintOnGraphics does not exist in the DLL being utilized, the following four lines should be used in place of PaintOnGraphics:
  
  Visual Basic .NET:

  Barcode1.ResolutionPrinterToUse = PrinterName
  Dim myImage As System.Drawing.Imaging.Metafile
  myImage = Barcode1.Picture
  grfx.DrawImage(myImage, 0, 20)

  C# .NET:

  Barcode1.ResolutionPrinterToUse = PrinterName;
  System.Drawing.Imaging.Metafile myImage;
  myImage = barcode1.Picture;
  grfx.DrawImage(myImage, 0, 40);

• When troubleshooting MICR print issues, please refer to IDAutomation's support incident about MICR.

Documented Solutions:

• Barcode prints but will not scan (or scan correctly)
• Why is an extra character added to the end of a Code 39 or Codabar barcode?
• Form is blank after creating project.
• Barcode larger from a production machine than developer machine.
• Saving the barcode image with Picture. Save creates a completely black image
• Cannot adjust X dimension accurately when printing with low-resolution printers
• How to achieve a precise X dimension in the printed barcode
• Troubleshooting MICR print issues with the MICR control
• Does the Maxicode barcode component support UPS Compression?
• Barcode image is too large after it is created
• Are the .NET controls thread-safe?
• Using the controls on different versions of the .NET Framework
• Reporting Services Error on Deployment of Report Containing .NET Forms Controls

Popular Forum Post Resolutions:

• Save Multiple Images using the SaveImageAs Method
• Message Details: Request for the permission of type 'System.Security.Permissions.UIPermission'
• Create Barcodes in SSRS 2014
• Add Multi-line Barcode Captions

Related Information:

The following product and information links relate to this product and may be of interest:

• ActiveX Wiki
• Enable or disable ActiveX settings in Office files
  
• Barcoding for Beginners Guide and Tutorial
• Barcode Scanners including easy-to-use Hand-Held USB Barcode Scanners