Microsoft® Visual C# .NET Barcode Integration Guide & Tutorial

The IDAutomation.cs class file for C# encapsulates the encoding and printing of barcodes into one object. This class may be used as a template for C# barcoding needs. The class encodes data into the appropriate symbology format and sends the barcoded string to the default printer. It is important that the appropriate IDAutomation fonts are installed before attempting to call the print method of the class.

1. Download the IDAutomation bar code C# class file and save the file to the local hard drive. It is recommended that the file be saved in the C# .NET project directory for the project it is needed for.
2. Open the Visual Studio C# .NET project the barcode is needed for.
3. In order to use the printing features of the IDAutomation.com class, ensure that a reference to the System.Drawing namespace exists in the C# solution. To include the System.Drawing namespace:
   • Click Project | Add Reference from the VS.NET IDE menu
   • On the .NET tab, locate and select the component name System.Drawing.dll
   • Click the Select button
   • Click the OK button
4. Add the IDAutomation.cs file to the project:
   • Click Project | Add Existing Item from the VS.NET IDE menu

   • Navigate to the location where you saved the downloaded IDAutomation.com class file

   • Select IDAutomation.cs from the list and click Open
5. Include the IDAutomation_FontEncoder namespace to the solution. For example:
      using IDAutomation_FontEncoder;
6. Once the reference to the IDAutomation_FontEncoder namespace is added to the C# solution, the bar code object may be instantiated, for example:
      clsBarCode IDAutomationBarcodeObject = new clsBarCode();
   where IDAutomationBarcodeObject is the name for the instance of this bar code object. When finished using the barcode object, it is recommended to destroy the object to fee memory; for example:   
      IDAutomationBarcodeObject = null;
7. Use the methods associated with the barcode object from the chart below. Methods in the class take a string as an input value, add the appropriate start and stop characters of the selected symbology, add the checksum character (if required by the symbology), and encode the data to the format of the symbology. The class also includes a print method that will take the encoded data, font type, and font size as input values and print the barcode to the default printer for the computer. The following table provides a detailed outline of each method.

1. Purchase or download and install the Barcode ActiveX Control.
2. Open the project and choose Project - Add Reference.
   
3. Select the IDAutomation Barcode ActiveX Control from the COM components tab of the reference list. Click Select. Click OK.
   
4. The following code examples use the IDAutomation Linear Barcode ActiveX Control in the object named axBarCode1:
   To print to the default printer, initiate the Print event of the .NET PrintDocument object and call the DrawImage method of the .NET Graphics object. Insert the following lines into the code at the point in which you would like to initiate the printing of the image e.g. in the click event of a command button:
       //Create a PrintDocument object
       PrintDocument pd = new PrintDocument();
       //set and create the EventHandler for printing the page.
       pd.PrintPage += new PrintPageEventHandler(pd_PrintPage);
       //This will fire off the print page event
       pd.Print(); 
   Add an Event Handler method to the solution, which is called prior to printing, that tells the printer what to print:
       //The PrintPage event is raised for each page to be printed.
       void pd_PrintPage(object sender, PrintPageEventArgs ev)
       {
           //Initialize the vertical position variable of the graphic on the page
            int yPos = 100;       
           //Initialize the left margin of the page
           int leftMargin = ev.MarginBounds.Left;
           //Print the enhanced metafile image of the bar code
           ev.Graphics.DrawImage(axBarCode1.GetEnhWMF(), leftMargin, yPos);
       }
   
   An image may also be saved the to a local hard drive with the following code:
   //Preface the string variable with the @ sign, so that Windows does not interpret the drive path as an escape sequence
       string SaveLoc = @"C:\temp\SavedBarCodeImage.wmf";
       this.axBarCode1.SymbologyID = 13;
       this.axBarCode1.SaveBarCode(SaveLoc);
   
   Copying the image to the clipboard is only supported with IDAutomation's .NET Forms Controls.

When printing with Crystal Reports, refer to the Crystal Reports Barcode Integration Guide for the best implementation method.

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