PDF417 Font & Encoder User Manual

1. Run the .exe file in the package and follow the steps to install the product.
2. Import the VBA module into the Access database.
3. Open an Access report in design mode.
4. Add a text field to the report where the barcode will be positioned. Size the field appropriately so that it is large enough to display the barcode. Change the field's font point size to 8.
5. Right-click the text field and enter the function call as a formula in the control source property. For example:
   

   =IDAutomation_PDF417([Test Data.data])

   The following formula combines 2 fields into a single symbol and inserts a tab function between them:
   

   =IDAutomation_PDF417([Test Data.TextData] & Chr(9) & [Test Data.NumberData])

6. Save the report and run it. A special data string should appear in the text field, and this is the data that will create a correct barcode when combined with the PDF417 Font.
7. Open the report in design mode and select the appropriate IDAutomation PDF417 font for the text field.
8. Save the report and run it; a correct PDF417 barcode symbol should be displayed in the text field.

How to Embed a Graphic PDF417 Encoder in Access

The Native Barcode Generator for Access is an object that lives in the Access report itself, thus eliminating the need to install fonts or components such as ActiveX Controls or plug-ins. This product is unavailable as part of the PDF417 font and encoder packages and must be purchased separately.

Microsoft Word Mail-Merge Implementation

PDF417 barcodes may be created in a Word mail merge if Excel is used as the data source on Windows with the following procedure:

1. Run the .exe file in the package and follow the steps to complete the installation.
2. Import the VBA module into the Excel spreadsheet that will be used as the data source.
3. Place a title in each column of the spreadsheet on Row 1 that will contain the data, and then import the data into the Excel spreadsheet.
4. Select a blank column on Row 1, to the right of the last populated column in the spreadsheet, and title it Barcode.
5. Add a formula on Row 2 of the Barcode column that calls the function as a formula.
   For example, the following formula adds columns A and B to the barcode:
   

   =IDAutomation_PDF417(A2&B2)

   The following formula adds only column A to the barcode, with some optional parameters:
   

   =IDAutomation_PDF417(A2,3,2,0,0,0)

   The following formula adds columns A, B, and C to the barcode and separates them with a comma delimiter:
   

   =IDAutomation_PDF417(A2&","&B2&","&C2)

6. Highlight the cell with the formula in it and choose Edit - Copy.
7. Select the entire range of cells to paste this formula into the Barcode column and choose Edit - Paste.
8. Follow the procedures in MS Word to add this spreadsheet as the data source for the mail merge.
9. Add the mail merge field of Barcode to place the barcode in the document.
10. Highlight the «Barcode» merge field and select the IDAutomationPDF417 font.
11. After the mail merge is performed, the barcodes should appear in the merged documents.
12. A working example is provided in the Word Mail-Merge.doc file included in the Windows install package.

Crystal Reports Integration

IDAutomation provides two different Crystal Reports font encoder formulas within this package:

• The Native Font Formula is the recommended font encoder that is embedded in a report. When distributing a report with this implementation, no other components are required except the 2D font. The slower speed of generation may not be an issue when encoding less than 100 characters. The native formula is only provided in the licensed version.
• The UFL Font Formula accesses the Crystal UFL for the font encoder function. Created in C#, it is faster than the native formula. However, when distributing the report, the Windows installation executable file must also be installed to activate the UFL. Use the native formula if possible.

While not part of this package, IDAutomation provides two other Crystal Reports implementations:

• When using Crystal 9 or greater, the Native Barcode Generator for Crystal Reports generates barcodes without any additional fonts.
• When using Crystal Reports 11, Crystal Reports Enterprise 4, or later versions, barcode images may be streamed from a server with any of IDAutomation's Streaming Products.

FileMaker Pro Plug-in

NOTE: The 2017 release of this product introduces a new FileMaker Font Encoder Object that is cross-platform compatible and easier to use than the Plugin. The provided Plugin does not support FileMaker 64-bit on the Mac and will not work with FileMaker Go in iOS. IDAutomation suggests using the font encoder object instead.

IDAutomation's 2D Barcode Font may be easily integrated into FileMaker using dynamic calculated fields without the use of scripts with this FileMaker Plug-in. Encode up to 800 characters into a barcode, which is ideal for creating barcodes on badges, especially when concatenating multiple fields into a single barcode.

View step-by-step instructions about installing, registering, and using the plug-in.

Native JavaScript Font Encoder

The Native JavaScript Font Encoder is a complete font encoder in a single JavaScript file; no other components need to be installed to create barcodes. This product is only provided in the purchased version of the Font and Encoder Suite. Following are the steps for using the Native JavaScript Font Encoder in HTML:

1. Open the HTML document or application where the barcode will be integrated.
2. Add the following line at the top of the file just before the </head> line to load the appropriate JavaScript file:
   

   <script language="JavaScript" src="IDAutomation_PDF417.js"></script>

3. Add the barcode font as a class to be called in the document for the barcode to appear just before the </head> line:

   <style type="text/css">
   .barcodefont1 {
   font-family: "IDAutomation2D", "IDAutomation2D N5", "IDAutomation2D XLS", "IDAutomationPDF417n3", "IDAutomationPDF417n5", "IDAutomation2D S";
   font-size: 200%; 
   }
   </style>

4. Add a script where the barcode is to appear in the HTML document or text object, which is the file name without the ".js":
   

   <span class="barcodefont1">
   <script type="text/javascript">
   document.write(IDAutomation_PDF417("www.IDAutomation.com"))
   </script>
   </span>

5. Modify DataToEncode with what is to be encoded in the barcode. This may be accomplished with a variable in JavaScript or a dynamically generated webpage.

/** Default values **/// Change these lines to set a new default value for parameters in the .js file

var IDAutomation_PDF417_default = {
'ApplyTilde': false, //When false does not processes tilde commands
'ForceBinary': false, //Forces binary encoding mode
'EccLevel': 0, //Error correction level 1-8; 0=automatic 
'ColumnSpecify': 0,
'RowSpecify': 0,
'Truncate': false,
'XYRatio': 3,
'HTML': 1 //1=use 
 for carriage returns | 0=use CR LF for carriage returns
}

Using the .NET DLL in .NET Applications

Implementing PDF417 barcodes in .NET applications may be accomplished with the .NET DLL font encoder or the .NET Forms Control graphic encoders. Information about printing from the .NET Forms Control without using the font is provided in the .NET Forms Control User Manual.

Using the Java Class PDF417 Font Encoder

This section describes using the font encoder process to generate PDF417 barcodes using Java. Implementation of PDF417 in Java as a graphic encoder is described in the Java User Manual.

import java.io.*;
//import IDautomationPDFE.*; //Java 1.4 version
import com.idautomation.fontencoder.pdf417.*; //Java 11 version
class PDFTest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String dataToEncode = "This is a test of the IDAutomation.com PDF417 Java
Encoder.";
        PDF417Encoder pdfe = new PDF417Encoder();
        System.out.println(pdfe.fontEncode(dataToEncode));
    }
}

Dim Output as String
Dim PDF417FontEncoder As PDF417Lib.PDF
Set PDF417FontEncoder = New PDF
PDF417FontEncoder.FontEncode DataToEncode, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, Output

#include <string>
#include <iostream>
#include "PDF417FontEncoder.h"
 
int main ()
{
     PDF417FontEncoder PDF;
     long ECL = 3;
     PDF.setApplyTilde(true);
     PDF.setErrorCorrectionLevel(ECL);
     PDF.PDF417Mode = PDF417FontEncoder::PDF417Modes::Binary;
     PDF.setDataToEncode("IDAutomation.com");
     printf(PDF.FontEncode().c_str());
}

MacroPDF417 Methods and Properties

Many of the encoders in this package support MacroPDF, which allows additional data to be encoded by dividing the data into multiple barcode symbols.

Java and .NET fontEncodeMacroPDF Method

String fontEncodeMacroPDF(String DataToEncode, int inEccLevel, int inColumnSpecify, int inRowSpecify, boolean inTruncate, int inMode, int inMacroSegIndex, int inMacroFileId, boolean inMacroLastIndex)

COM DLL and ActiveX Control FontEncodeMacroPDF Method

FontEncodeMacroPDF(BSTR DataToEncode, int inEccLevel, int inColumnSpecify, int inRowSpecify, int inTruncate, int inMode, int inTilde, int inMacroSegIndex, int inMacroFileId, int MacroLastIndex, BSTR *ReturnVal);

Support

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the font just be applied to the data to create a PDF417 symbol?

Implementing the PDF417 font requires the use of both the fonts and the encoders. To generate an accurate PDF417 barcode from a font, the data you wish to turn into a barcode must first be encoded into a text string that will create a readable PDF417 barcode once the appropriate font is applied to it. The purpose of the encoder is to convert the data to be encoded into proper bar and space patterns formatted to the PDF417 barcode font.

Using an encoder is necessary due to the complexity of the symbology and the required Reed Solomon error correction. Attempts to manually encode this data would be extremely complicated, and the font encoders are available to make this procedure much faster, easier, and error-free.

What are the benefits of printing PDF417 as a font?

PDF417 fonts are more flexible than other components such as an ActiveX control or .NET Forms Control because the fonts can be combined with these ActiveX, .NET, Java, and other encoders depending on which will work best in a given environment.

Can extended characters such as © ® ë ö be encoded and scanned?

Yes, it is possible to scan and encode extended characters in a PDF417 barcode, provided the following steps are taken:

1. Encode the data using BASE256. This option encodes ASCII 1 to 255 of the ASCII character set. When encoding over 1024 characters of data, ASCII 127-160 must also be encoded in the format ~ddd, with ApplyTilde set to true.
2. Scan the PDF417 barcode via the serial interface option (data bits have to be 8N) on the scanner. Normally, keyboard wedge and USB scanners do not support extended characters above ASCII 128, and can only scan characters that are on the keyboard. Contact the scanner vendor for more information on how to enable extended character recognition, as some of the scanner's internal settings might need to be modified.

Popular Forum Post Resolutions:

• PDF417 Encoding Multiple Fields in Crystal Reports
• Data to Encode Limit for PDF417
• How do PDF417 Columns work?
• Encode PDF417 Barcodes using VBA in Excel
• PDF417 Error Correction and X/Y Dimension
• Access has Stopped Working Error when using the ActiveX Control
• White Lines Appear in a Stacked Barcode Symbol
• Mail Merge Barcodes Look Incorrect
• Additional support may be provided by reviewing resolved forum threads or contacting technical support.

Common Problems and Solutions:

Line Spacing Issues: Too Much Space Between Lines

Some implementations of PostScript fonts can cause a small space to appear between rows in the PDF417 symbol. The only way to resolve this issue is to confirm that the print application is not adding additional line feeds. Or, in the case of PCL fonts, change the vertical motion index as indicated below. This space will not cause problems with scanners and the barcode will still be readable.

When using 12 or 14-point PCL fonts, an adjustment to the vertical motion index is not usually necessary. However, if other sizes are used, an adjustment may be needed to close the gap between rows. To set the vertical motion index, issue the command before printing with the PDF417 font. The code for the Vertical Motion Index Command is escape "<Ec>" + "&" + lowercase L "l" + Number Index + Capital "C". Use the chart below to find the command for the specific font point size. The number may be adjusted as necessary for the printer.

In the example above, the <Ec> represents the escape character for the software. In DOS Edit, Ec is represented by holding down the CTRL key and pressing the letter P, release both keys, and then press the ESC key.

X-Axis Issues or Left Margin Alignment Issues

This issue may exist if there is an attempt to move the barcode to the right on the X-axis using a programming language, such as Visual Basic. When using the printer.currentX specification to set the X-axis, only the first line of the barcode would print in the new position and the remaining lines would print at zero, all the way to the left. This is because the printer.currentX specification is reset every time a return is performed. A return must be performed to print the font on the new line.

The best solution to this problem would be to find a command that could move the left margin so that returns will move the insertion point to the correct position. Since Visual Basic does not have a command such as this, a small piece of code must be written to set the currentX for each line.

1. Declare and initialize a variable with the desired X position. Example:

   my_x = printer.currentX

2. Replace the Printer.Print OutputString command with something similar to the following:

   For i = 1 To Len(Output)
       out1 = out1 & Mid(Output, i, 1)
       If Mid(Output, i, 1) = Chr(10) Then
           out1 = Replace(out1, Chr(10), "")
           out1 = Replace(out1, Chr(13), "")
           Printer.CurrentX = my_x
           Printer.Print out1
           out1 = ""
       End If
   Next i

PDF417 Font Specifications

Related Information

• Font installation procedures
• Support for all graphic encoders is provided in the manual for that product.
• Additional support may be provided by reviewing resolved forum threads or contacting technical support.