A barcode is used to represent data in a visual, machine readable form. In Bold Reports Designer, the barcode report item is used to generate a barcode from a numerical value or character data. The generated barcode can then be embedded into RDL reports for things like tracking business orders, sales transactions, and unique identification numbers for employees.
In this blog, we are going to discuss two general types of barcode and how to use them in our Bold Reports Designer. First, you can drag and drop the barcode report item from the item panel into the design surface.
One-Dimensional Barcode
1D barcodes are also called linear barcodes or symbolics because they are represented as a series of parallel black lines and white spaces with varying widths. Linear barcodes are read in a horizontal direction only. They are used to store small amounts of information such as product codes, sizes, and colors.
First, let’s add the 1D barcode into the design surface from the item panel. Select Code39 as the Symbology Type and enter the input value to be encoded under the Text property as shown in the following image.
Here, I am going to assign an expression value using the expression builder. You can also assign an expression value by clicking the square icon next to the Text Property.
For example, I have assigned an expression value for the Product Number from my data set. You can assign whatever values you can derive from your data set.
In the report preview, the barcode generated from the expression value is shown as in the following image.
Supported 1D Barcodes
The supported 1D barcode symbologies are shown in the following image. To change a barcode type in the report, select the barcode report item and choose another symbology type in the Properties panel under Basic Settings.
QR Barcode
On the other hand, we have QR barcodes, also known as two-dimensional barcodes. The data is encoded in both horizontal and vertical directions, so it is read in two dimensions. A large amount of information can be communicated with a 2D barcode.
First, let’s drag and drop the QR Barcode report item into the design surface from the item panel. The next step is to add the value for the report item under the Basic Settings in the Properties panel. Enter the value to be given to the QR barcode and then click on the report item in the design surface to see the barcode generated.
For this demo, I have used the Bold Reports website URL as the value of the QR barcode. You can see the generated barcode in the following image.
Conclusion
I hope this blog provided a clear explanation of how to add a barcode report item to your reports using our Bold Reports Designer. To explore further, check out our sample reports and Bold Reports documentation.
If you have any questions, please post them in the comments section below. You can also contact us by submitting questions through our contact page, or if you already have an account, you can log in to submit them. Bold Reports now comes with a 15-day free trial with no credit card information required. We welcome you to start a free trial and experience Bold Reports for yourself. Give it a try and let us know what you think!
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