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Internet & HTML Web Page Barcode Implementation FAQ and Tutorial: |
Internet & Web Page Barcode Tutorial
Implementing internet web barcode technology
is often useful for the automation or verification of something
that must be printed, such as airline boarding passes and tickets, invoices
and receipts, coupons, name badges, check-in confirmations, registrations,
rebate mailers, RMA packing slips, gift certificates and more.
In this tutorial, several different
methods of creating barcodes over
the Internet in HTML WebPages and web applications are evaluated with
on-line demos and
implementation examples.
This site also includes information about how to
scan barcodes into web applications
with a barcode scanner.
Products for Printing Barcodes Over the Internet
There are many advantages and disadvantages for the various products
used to display barcodes on the web. These implementations are listed
on the chart below, in order, with the most popular and recommended
options at the top:
Advantages
- Easily installs on Windows NT, XP, Vista, 2000, 2003
and 2008 Server with IIS enabled.
- The mature components of this barcode product have been
in use since 2002 and are used in IDAutomation's
Barcode Generator Service.
- No temp files are created on the server because the
resulting barcode image is sent directly to the browser
as a binary stream.
- Can be
easily implemented in ASP, JavaScript, PHP and other web
applications as a dynamic <IMG> tag.
- Because a GIF or JPEG is generated at the server, it
is compatible with all web browsers.
- Easily creates barcodes in any application that can
access a URL, including
Crystal Reports and
FileMaker.
- Image is not limited to 96 DPI, however changing the
resolution from 96 DPI requires some
HTML coding.
- Offers better performance for workstations with slower
CPUs.
Disadvantages
- Requires a Microsoft Windows server with IIS and the
.NET Framework installed.
- Centralized barcode processing and image generation
places more load on the server. However, this product is
extremely efficient.
- Low resolution thermal printer use is not directly supported.
To use thermal printers with this product, refer to the
printing to thermal barcode printers from the web browser
article.
Advantages
- Barcodes are created as high quality GIF, JPEG or PNG
graphic images.
- 100% managed code created in C# .NET for performance
and stability.
- Because a high-quality barcode image is generated at
the server, it is compatible with all web browsers.
- Offers better performance for workstations with slower
CPUs.
- Resolution of the barcode image is easily changed to
allow compatibility with thermal printers.
Disadvantages
- Requires ASP.NET and a development environment that
makes use of server controls, such as Microsoft Visual Studio
.NET.
- Centralized barcode processing and image generation
places more load on the server.
- Generates temp files on the server. However, these are
automatically deleted by the server control itself after
a specified time.
Advantages
- No software to install - It is a hosted, managed
and fault tolerant service.
- Multiple backbone and failover network connections insure
quick response time and dependability.
- Streaming mode option sends barcodes to the browser
without saving temp files on the server.
- Barcodes are created as high quality GIF, JPEG, or PNG
graphic images.
- Because a high quality barcode image is generated at
the server, it is compatible with all web browsers.
- Image is not limited to 96 DPI, however changing the
resolution from 96 DPI requires some
HTML coding.
Disadvantages
Advantages
- May be easily
implemented on dynamic webpages with the <IMG> tag.
- Easy to use with
Apache Tomcat.
- Because a JPEG is generated at the server, it is
compatible with all web browsers.
- No temp files are created on the server, the resulting
barcode image is sent directly to the browser as a binary
stream.
- Offers better performance for workstations with slower
CPUs.
- Image is not limited to 96 DPI, however changing the
resolution from 96 DPI requires some
HTML coding.
Disadvantages
Advantages
- Easy implementation with a single JavaScript file, no
additional components, fonts or plug-ins need to be installed
to create barcodes; it is the complete barcode generator.
- Since the barcode is generated on the client, very little
processing needs to be performed on the server. The size
of the JavaScript file downloaded to the client is as small
as 3 kb.
- When printing, this product rasters to the resolution
of the output device.
Disadvantages
- Requires JavaScript to be enabled in the browser.
- Some browsers such as Opera and Safari may create the
barcode to be slightly wider in certain situations. However,
the main browser types such as IE, Mozilla Firefox and Netscape
do not have this issue.
Advantages
- Easy to install; runs on Windows Server.
- Barcodes are created as high quality JPEG, PNG, GIF,
TIFF, BMP or WMF graphic images.
- Created image is streamed to the client over XML.
- 100% managed code created in C# for performance and
stability.
- Compatible with any application that can consume web
services.
Disadvantages
- Only integrates into applications that can consume a
Web Service.
Advantages
- Easy to install and modify.
- Does not require any custom modifications to the server.
- Processing occurs at the workstation which offloads
the processing of barcode images from the server.
- The small size of the JAR files provide quick applet
load times.
- Quick barcode generation can be achieved over slow connections
by
pre-loading applets.
Disadvantages
- Some browsers display but do not
print applets.
- Image is limited to 96 DPI.
- Although the JAR files are small, the browser must read
the JAR file which can cause poor performance over slow
dial-up lines. The JAR is about the size of a normal graphic
image and is stored in the browser's cache. This problem
is solved by
pre-loading applets.
- Not compatible with browsers that do not have a Java
VM.
Advantages
- Barcode ActiveX Controls are precise and efficient,
they are not limited to 96 DPI but they automatically raster
to the output device (such as a printer) which produce extremely
high-quality barcodes.
- Easy to install and modify in HTML or with FrontPage.
- Does not require any custom modifications to the server.
- Processing occurs at the workstation which offloads
the processing of barcode images from the server.
- May be automatically loaded from webpages with
signed CAB files, which are provided in the latest versions
of the product.
Disadvantages
- Only compatible with Internet Explorer 4 and above as
well as other browsers that support ActiveX Controls.
- The control must be installed on every PC that displays
the barcodes, however, this may be automated by
using CAB files.
- Easy to install and modify.
Advantages
- Barcode fonts are precise and efficient; they are not
limited to 96 DPI but raster to the output device.
- Since the barcode is generated from a font, very little
processing needs to be performed on the workstation or the
server.
- Quick browser load time since the fonts are usually
less than 20K.
- When printing to thermal barcode printers with fonts,
refer to the
thermal bar code printer issues with fonts article.
Disadvantages
- This implementation is problematic and does not work
with all browsers and is no longer recommended.
- Requires the purchase of a Developer license and a conversion
tool. The conversion tool for
OpenType fonts is free at the Microsoft website.
Advantages
- Works well with all browsers on Windows and Macintosh.
- Fonts are precise and efficient.
- Fonts are not limited to 96 DPI but raster to the output
device. However, to print accurate bar-codes on 203 and
300 DPI printers, refer to the
font print quality KB article.
- Since the barcode is generated from a font, very little
processing needs to be performed on the workstation or the
server.
Disadvantages
- Works well with all web browsers on Windows and Macintosh,
but may not work well with UNIX clients.
- Requires the installation of barcode fonts on all clients
that display the barcodes with the browser. Therefore, this
is only recommended for Intranet applications.
When implementing barcodes on the web, most browsers will display
and print from the screen image at 96 DPI. Therefore, a 300 dpi image
will appear and print about 3 times larger than normal. This can sometimes
be a problem if the barcodes being created require precise X dimensions
(the width of the narrow bar). The minimum allowable X dimension (the
width of the narrow bar) of a browser barcode that uses an applet to
display a barcode must be a multiple of 1/96 of an inch which is about
12 mils, or .03CM.
Most ISO and AIM standards indicate that the minimum X dimension
should be 10 mils for open systems (meaning compatibility with different
barcode scanners), so this is usually not an issue. However, there are
some situations when the X dimension needs to be defined more accurately.
For example, if an application requires an X dimension of 5 mils or
15 mils, this problem can be resolved by using products that support
this capability. To understand more about this, please refer to the
Achieving
the correct X dimension with web products KB article.
96 DPI images can also cause problems when printing to 203 DPI thermal
barcode printers. This problem can be resolved by using products that
support the capability to print at 203 DPI as mentioned below. To understand
more about this, refer to the
printing to thermal barcode printers with web products article.
The majority of the
barcode scanners provided
by IDAutomation have built-in decoders that automatically read several
barcode types and perform "keyboard emulation" by default. They receive
their power from the PC keyboard or USB port so no external power supply
is required. When a barcode is scanned with
these easy-to-use scanners,
the data is sent to the PC as if it had been typed from the keyboard.
When the data is sent in keyboard emulation mode, it is possible to
use these scanners as easy input devices to online web applications
by placing the cursor in the appropriate field and scanning the barcode.
Additional information about scanning barcodes into applications is
provided in the USB
Barcode Scanner Application Integration Guide.
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