ActiveX Barcode Control & DLL User Manual & Tutorial

Index:

• Order License
• ActiveX Barcode Control Installation for:
  • Microsoft® Word
  • Access
  • Excel
  • FrontPage and HTML
  • InfoPath
  • Visual Basic
  • Visual C++
  • Visual FoxPro
• Setting Properties
  • Linear Properties
  • Aztec
  • Data Matrix
  • MaxiCode
  • PDF417
• Symbology Specific Notes
  • Code 128
  • USPS Barcodes
  • UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN-8 and EAN-13
• Developer Notes
• Technical Support
• Related Products and Information

It is important to have the ability to test printed barcodes with a barcode scanner.
If a scanner is not available for testing purposes, IDAutomation also provides hand-held barcode scanner kits.

The IDAutomation ActiveX Barcode Control supports several Linear and 2D barcode symbologies without the use of fonts. They are easy-to-use, "drag and drop" graphic objects that are compatible with Windows applications that support ActiveX including Microsoft Access, Word, Excel, InfoPath, Visual Basic, C++, FrontPage and Internet Explorer web pages. IDAutomation ActiveX Barcode Controls also function as DLLs that generate, print and save WMF images.

Three basic steps must be executed to utilize the IDAutomation ActiveX Barcode Control:

1. Install and register the control in Windows:
   Install the ActiveX Barcode Control package by running the executable file included in the package; this will register the control in Windows and install several implementation examples. The barcode control must be installed and registered in Windows before an application will be able to "identify" it. If desired, the DLL may also be registered manually from the command line by executing REGSVR32 DLLNAME at the prompt where DLLNAME is the name of the ActiveX DLL in the current directory.
2. Install the barcode control in the desired application:
   After the control has been installed and registered on the PC, it may be activated in any application that supports ActiveX or COM. Several installation tutorials are included in this document. For applications that are not listed in this document, search the application's help file for information about how to utilize ActiveX controls.
3. Modify the properties of the control:
   Properties determine the data that will be encoded in the barcode and other options such as the barcode type and size.

ActiveX Barcode Controls cannot be linked to a mail-merge field in Microsoft Word. If this implementation is needed, IDAutomation suggests using barcode fonts, which may be easily linked to a mail-merge source. More information about this subject is provided in the Microsoft Word Barcode Tutorial.

1. In Microsoft® Word, choose View - Toolbars - Control Toolbox. There should now be a toolbox visible. On the toolbox, choose the "more controls button".
   
2. Select the barcode control from the list of available ActiveX Controls and the control will appear in the document.
3. Size the control as necessary.
4. To change the properties of the control such as barcode height and symbology type, right-click on the control and choose properties. When finished, click on the "design mode button."
   
5. To edit the properties of the barcode control, the user must be in design mode. If problems are encountered editing the properties of the control, press the design mode button to enable it.
6. The data encoded in the barcode may be either static or modified with the use of VBA code.

IDAutomation ActiveX Barcode Controls work very well in Microsoft Access. When used in reports and forms, the controls may be dragged into the design area and easily connected to database fields.

1. Open the report in design mode.
2. Choose insert - ActiveX control.
3. Move and size the control necessary. To change the properties of the control, such as barcode height and symbology type, right click on the control and choose properties.
4. To bind the barcode to a data source, select the table in the control source field in the same manner as for a text control.
5. Verify the correct data is encoded in the barcode. If it does not, consult Access Help to determine how to get the correct data in the Control Source field. The result of the Control Source is what will be encoded in the barcode. IDAutomation recommends using a barcode scanner to verify that the correct data has been properly encoded. When working with multiple tables, it may be necessary to specify both the table and field in the control source,
   for example: =([Table1.Field1])
6. Optional: A single formula or VB Script may be used in the control source property, which allows the combining of multiple fields and/or prefix and suffix values. For example:
   ="PREFIX" & [Field1]
   =[Field1] & [Field2]
   =[Field1] & "," & [Field2]
   =("PrefixText"&[Table1.Field1] & "~009" & [Table1.Field2] & "SuffixText")

NOTE: When distributing Access Databases, the ActiveX Barcode Control must be installed on each computer used to print barcodes. For a simpler solution, IDAutomation also offers the Native Barcode Generator for Access, which is a complete barcode generator object that stays embedded in the database.

ActiveX Barcode Controls may easily be used in Microsoft Excel and may be modified by referencing a cell or via the use of VBA code. ActiveX Controls cannot be used to easily populate a column in Excel; they must be placed one at a time. If this type of implementation is needed, IDAutomation suggests using barcode fonts, which can be easily used to produce a column of barcodes.

1. In Microsoft Excel, choose View - Toolbars - Control Toolbox. There should now be a toolbox visible. On the tool box, choose the "more controls button."
   
2. Select the barcode control from the list of available ActiveX Controls. Click and drag the control for desired placement in the spreadsheet and size it as necessary.
3. To modify the properties of the control, such as barcode height and symbology type, right-click on the control and choose properties. When finished, click on the "design mode button."
   
4. To edit the properties of the control, the user must be in design mode. If problems are experienced when editing the properties of the control, press the design mode button to enable it.
5. To link a cell to the data that is to be encoded in the barcode, enter the cell in the "LinkedCell" property of the control.

ActiveX Barcode Controls may be used in HTML or Microsoft FrontPage to create barcodes in dynamically generated webpages, as demonstrated in the JavaScript Example. ActiveX Controls only work with Internet Explorer and other browsers that support ActiveX. If it is determined that support for other browsers is needed, IDAutomation suggests reviewing the Internet Barcode FAQ.

To use the control in FrontPage:

1. In FrontPage, choose Insert - Advanced - ActiveX Control (In FrontPage 2003, choose Insert - Web Component - Advanced Controls - ActiveX Control). If the control does not appear in the list, choose Customize to add it to the list of controls. Choose Finish.
2. The control will appear in the web page. Right-click on the control to adjust properties as necessary.
3. The control must be installed on every PC that accesses the web page displaying the ActiveX control. To enable the control to automatically install (if it is not already installed), enter the file name and path of the signed CAB file, which is provided in the download package. IDAutomation supplies signed CAB files in the package for this purpose. IDAutomation also provides an online example of installing the ActiveX Barcode with a CAB file.
   

To use the control in HTML:

1. Copy and paste the following object code into HTML:
   <object classid="clsid:0C3874AA-AB39-4B5E-A768-45F3CE6C6819" id="IDAutomationBarcode" width="300" height="80" codebase="http://www.yourdomain.com/activex/IDAutomationLinear.cab">
   <param name="DataToEncode" value="Linear ActiveX">
   </object>
    
2. If the Linear control is not being used, replace the Class ID with the values listed below:
   Aztec:
   EBA15B30-80B4-11DC-B31D-0050C2490048
   DataMatrix:
   DB67DB99-616A-4CAB-A3A1-2EF644F254E7
   MaxiCode:
   3F66852C-5FD8-4E70-A897-ECC1DE14019F
   PDF417:
   E97EE6EB-7FBE-43B1-B6D8-C4D86C78C5A0
3. Modify width= and height= as necessary to size the area the control will occupy.
4. Change codebase= to the location of the CAB file.
5. Modify other properties by specifying the param name= and value= as demonstrated in step 1 with the DataToEncode property.
6. Using this method, ActiveX may be used to create barcodes in dynamically generated webpages, as demonstrated in the JavaScript Example.

IDAutomation ActiveX Barcode Controls work well in Visual Basic 6. When Visual Basic.NET is used, IDAutomation suggests using the .NET Forms Barcode Control instead of ActiveX because it is a managed code assembly and is easier to use in .NET. To activate the ActiveX Barcode Control in a VB 6 project, perform the following:

1. In Visual Basic 6, choose Project - Components from the menu.
2. Select the barcode control from the list.
3. Choose View - Toolbox. After the control appears in the toolbox, it may be placed in the VB project.
4. To change the properties of the control such as barcode height and symbology type, right click on the control and choose properties.
5. Use "code behind" to modify properties of the control, for example:
   BarCode1.BarHeight=2
   BarCode1.DataToEncode="12345678901"
   BarCode1.SaveEnhWMF "C:\saved-barcode.wmf"

Methods of printing from the ActiveX Barcode Control in Visual Basic include the following:

1. Print Directly to the Printer - The following print method sends the barcode image graphic directly to the printer. The example below shows how to send a barcode to the printer starting at position X=2048 and Y=1024:
   Private Sub PrintDirect_Click()
      Printer.PaintPicture BarCode1.Picture, 2048, 1024
      Printer.EndDoc
   End Sub
2. PrintForm - This printing method prints the actual form with the barcode control. This method prints at the screen DPI, therefore, narrow bar widths smaller than .03CM cannot be printed. Below is code from a button on the form that performs this task:
   Private Sub PrintForm_Click()
      Me.PrintForm
   End Sub
3. Copy to the Clipboard - The following method sends the barcode image graphic directly to clipboard:
   Private Sub CopyToClipboard_Click()
      Clipboard.Clear
      Clipboard.SetData BarCode1.Picture, vbCFMetafile
      'Optionally, display in an image box
      Image1.Picture = BarCode1.Picture
   End Sub
4. Save to File - The following method saves the barcode image graphic directly to a file that may be imported into an application that can display WMF files such as Microsoft® Word:
   Private Sub SaveToFile_Click()
      BarCode1.SaveEnhWMF "SavedBarCode.wmf"
   End Sub
5. Use the control as a DLL - The following code loads the barcode control and prints without it being placed on a form:
   Dim BC
   Set BC = CreateObject("IDAuto.BarCode")
   BC.DataToEncode = "DLL-TEST"
   Printer.PaintPicture BC.Picture, 2048, 1024
   Printer.EndDoc
   Set BC = Nothing

1. Choose the resource tab in Visual C++ to view dialogs.
2. To add a control to the dialog, right-click on the dialog form to the right and choose "Insert ActiveX Control."
3. Select the correct barcode control from the list. The control should then appear in the dialog. Download the C++ project example for an implementation example.

1. In a Visual Foxpro form, select the "OLE Container" from the standard toolbox.
2. After the "Insert Object" dialog box opens, select an ActiveX Barcode Control that begins with "IDAutomation".
3. The characteristics may be modified in the properties window.
4. To print barcodes on reports or labels, a field must be used to store the barcode and it must be setup as an OLE Control with the data type of "general." Download the IDAutomation VFP barcode example for an implementation example that was created in VFP 6.0.

After activating the barcode control in the application, the properties of the control may be modified by code or by right-clicking on the control and selecting the properties option.

* When used with low-resolution devices such as the display screen, changes within the WhiteBarIncrease property value may not be visible in the barcode control itself. However, the change will usually be shown when printed, if a printer with 300 dpi or greater is used. In addition, when saving the barcode as an image, WhiteSpaceIncrease can usually be seen with the SaveBarCode property, but not with the SaveEnhWMF property due to SaveEnhWMF formatting the image to the screen resolution.

Distribution with an Application

The file(s) to distribute after installation reside in the "WinSys" directory and begin with "IDAutomation." When distributing the ActiveX Barcode Control, it is necessary to copy it to the "System" directory of the destination PC and then register the DLL. This process may be automated with installation utilities.

IDAutomation ActiveX Barcode Controls are packaged with the Setup Generator Pro application by Gentee. Within the Setup Generator Pro application, the "Register as OCX or DLL" option must be selected for each ActiveX DLL file that is to be registered. This is an easy-to-use, yet powerful application that does not have any runtime requirements. Other setup applications are also available that register DLLs such as CreateInstall and the Windows Installer.

Multi-Threading:

Many instances of the ActiveX object within the application may be created as needed. However, the DLL does not support multi-threading and will not run as a separate process.

Free product support may be obtained by reviewing the knowledgebase articles that are documented below and by searching the resolved public help desk issues. Priority phone, email and help desk support is also provided up to 30 days after purchase. Additional priority phone, email and help desk support may be obtained if the Priority Support and Upgrade Subscription is active.

• ActiveX barcode controls produces run-time error '-2147417848' when using SaveEnhWMF method
• ActiveX control produces blank metafile when initially called using Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3
• Barcode prints but will not scan (or scan correctly)
• Why is an extra character added to the end of a Codabar or Code 39 barcode?
• What is the process of linking the ActiveX control to a Field in MSWord?
• "A required file, MSVBVM60.DLL was not found" error when running Image Generator.
• Why are the check digits of Code 128 in the human readable form not viewable?
• "Out of Memory Error" with Linear ActiveX Control on XP when creating many barcodes
• "Out of Memory Error" using ActiveX Control on Office 97 Products
• Received an InvalidActiveXStateExceptionError
• Cannot adjust X dimension accurately when printing with low resolution printers
• Barcodes are different sizes when printing to printers with different resolutions
• Barcode size changes in design mode or size is not accurately displayed on the screen
• Tutorial on how to install the control in common applications
• How to adjust the properties of the ActiveX Control
• Lines appear, distortion or other problems when printing with IE 5.5
• Notes for programmers distributing the control with their applications
• "There is no object in this control" error or control properties cannot be adjusted
• Cannot find saved barcode WMF file on Windows® 9X
• Symbology specific issues
• Can extended ASCII characters be encoded and scanned?
• Can cells be combined in Excel with the 'LinkedCell" property?
• Cannot adjust NarrowBarWidth accurately when printing with low resolution or less than 600 DPI Printers
• Problems occur after running the uninstall for the ActiveX Control
• Can the ActiveX controls be used on a Pocket PC?
• Does the Maxicode component support UPS Compression?
• Control produces run-time error -2147417848 on computer running Windows XP SP2
• PDF417 and DataMatrix FontEncoder functions do not return data in PowerBuilder
• DataMatrix ActiveX control does not save PreferredFormat or EncodingMode properties in Microsoft Office programs.
• Evaluation versions of PDF417 & DataMatrix Font Encoders and UFL's do not function on Windows Server 2003

• Native Barcode Generator for Access creates barcodes natively in Access with an embeddable VBA module.
• Barcode Scanners including easy-to-use Hand-Held USB Barcode Scanners.
• .NET Forms Barcode Controls easily add barcoding capability to local .NET applications.
• ASP. NET Barcode Web Component provides server controls and web components for creating bar-codes in web applications.
• Barcode Server for IIS easily adds barcodes to any web application with this component for Microsoft IIS.
• Barcode Fonts offer easy integration with several types of applications and include over 30 font tools and encoders to ease integration.
• Barcode Label Design Software allows easy designing and printing of barcodes to labels with MS Access database and VB script support.
• Hosted Barcode Services allow dynamic creation of barcodes without installing any software.
• Barcode Image Generator easily creates barcode images one at a time.
• Java Barcode Packages include Servlets, JavaBeans, Class Libraries & Applets that may be used on Unix, Linux, Macintosh and other systems to create barcodes.

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