Code 3 of 9 Bar Code Print Utility Version 3.2. For the IBM Personal Computer and Compatibles

Transcription

1 ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ Û TM Û Û Û Û Û Û Û ÛÛÛ Û ÛÛÛ Û ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛÛ Û Û ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û ÛÛÛ Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û ÛÛÛ Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛ Û Û ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛ ÛÛÛ Û Û ÛÛÛ ÝÞÞÝÛÞÞÝÛÞÞ ÝÝÝÝÞÝÛÞ ÝÛÞÝÝ ÝÞÞÝÛÞÞÝÛÞÞ ÝÝÝÝÞÝÛÞ ÝÛÞÝÝ ÝÞÞÝÛÞÞÝÛÞÞ ÝÝÝÝÞÝÛÞ ÝÛÞÝÝ ÝÞÞÝÛÞÞÝÛÞÞ ÝÝÝÝÞÝÛÞ ÝÛÞÝÝ Code 3 of 9 Bar Code Print Utility Version 3.2 For the IBM Personal Computer and Compatibles A product of MicroGadgetry, Inc Grandview Avenue Denver, Colorado (303) Copyright (C) M. Gavito ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 WHY BAR CODES WARRANTY LICENSE AGREEMENT PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS GENERAL DISCUSSION ADVANTAGES TO CODE 3 OF DISADVANTAGES TO CODE 3 OF GETTING STARTED 2.1 EXECUTING THE PROGRAM CHANGING YOUR PRINTER CODES BUILDING A BAR CODE 3.1 GUIDELINES INPUT FIELDS SPECIAL KEYS COMMAND LINE OPTIONS 4.1 GENERAL DISCUSSION SWITCH OPTIONS VARIABLE OPTIONS...7

3 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 WHY BAR CODES Because your computer doesn't know or care whether it receives information by manual entry or bar code scanner, bar codes are a simple and effective alternative to data entry. It has been proven that their use significantly reduces erroneous data entry and increases accuracy and efficiency of input. 1.2 WARRANTY This author makes no warranty of any kind, express or implied, including without limitation, any warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose or application. He shall not be liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special or consequential arising from a failure of this program to operate in the manner desired by the user. Further, in no event will the author of this program be liable for any damages, including lost profits, lost savings, loss of data or property, or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of use or inability to use this program, or for any claim by any other party. 1.3 LICENSE AGREEMENT BarCode version 3.2 is not considered public domain software, nor is it free software. Non-registered users are granted a limited license to use BarCode on a trial basis for the purpose of determining whether BarCode is suitable for their needs. Use of BarCode, except for this limited purpose, requires registration and a fee of $25. Use of non-registered copies of BarCode by any person, business, corporation, government agency or other institution is strictly forbidden. Registration grants a user license to use BarCode on a single computer; a registered user may use the program on different computers, but may not use the program on more than one computer at the same time. No user may modify BarCode in any way, including but not limited to decompiling, disassembling or otherwise reverse engineering the program. 1.4 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS BarCode was written to run on IBM PC, XT, AT (or 100% IBM compatible) equipment utilizing DOS version 3.0 or greater and requires 150K of free memory. Though originally developed and tested on an IBM graphics printer, BarCode version 3.2 is capable of running a multitude of different printers. 1.5 GENERAL DISCUSSION BarCode creates labels using code 3 of 9, an alphanumeric code consisting of numbers 0 thru 9, the alphabet in upper case characters, and 7 special characters (- + % $ /. "space"). Each character is made up of

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5 nine (9) elements, containing five bars and four spaces. Three of these elements are wide and six narrow. The exception to this are the special characters which have slightly different element patterns. Each bar code begins with a Start character and ends with a Stop character. The Start/Stop characters may or may not be transmitted when the labels are read. 1.6 ADVANTAGES TO CODE 3 OF 9 Code 3 of 9 is alphanumeric, allowing both alphabetic and numeric characters. With this flexibility, the code has broader applications than that of a numeric one. Its length is variable, which in this program allows printing of labels up to thirty characters in length. 1.7 DISADVANTAGES TO CODE 3 OF 9 The information density (characters per inch) is lower for code 3 of 9 than for other numeric-only codes, i.e. U.P.C. or Interleaved 2 of 5.

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7 2.0 GETTING STARTED 2.1 EXECUTING THE PROGRAM BarCode is a straightforward program consisting of two screens, one for building bar codes and a second option screen for modifying printer control codes. Under normal operation, the program is executed by typing the word BARCODE after the DOS prompt. The option screen has been included to allow the user to access and change printer configurations. By using the /C switch when executing BarCode (BARCODE /C), the user is taken first to the printer configuration screen. Once changes are made here, the program moves on to the main input screen. BarCode allows a great deal of flexibility with printers, but with the large variety of printers on the market, no guarantees are made concerning printer compatibility. ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͵ BarCode PRINTER CONFIGURATIONS ÆÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º DEFAULT PRINTER COMPATIBILITY (1-4) 2 º º EMULATION TYPE (1,2)úúúúúúúúúúúúúúú 1 º º PRINTER COMPATIBILITY DESCRIPTIONúú IBM Graphics (9 Pin) º º OUTPUT DEVICE OR FILE NAMEúúúúúúúúú LPT1: º º PRINTER INITIALIZATION SEQUENCEúúúú 121B47 º º PRINTER DE-INITIALIZATION SEQUENCEú 121B48 º º CARRIAGE RETURN LINE FEED SEQUENCEú 0D º º 1/6 INCH LINE SPACINGúúúúúúúúúúúúúú 1B410C1B32 º º n/x INCH VARIABLE LINE SPACINGúúúúú 1B41 WHERE X EQUALSúú 72 º º ACTIVATE VARIABLE LINE SPACINGúúúúú 1B32 º º ENABLE GRAPHICS MODEúúúúúúúúúúúúúúú 1B4C º º DISABLE GRAPHICS MODEúúúúúúúúúúúúúú º º NUMBER OF BYTES TO SEND (1,3)úúúúúú 1 º º DEFAULT FONT ENABLE SEQUENCEúúúúúúú DPIúú 12 º º ~ DESCRIPTOR FONT ENABLE SEQUENCEúú 0F 120 DPIúú 7 º º ^ DESCRIPTOR FONT ENABLE SEQUENCEúú 1B3A 120 DPIúú 10 º º \ DESCRIPTOR FONT ENABLE SEQUENCEúú 120E 120 DPIúú 24 º º COPYRIGHT (C) M. GAVITO º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍ͵ [Esc] Exit Program ³ [F9] Toggle Printer Types ³ [F10] Save ÆÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ 2.2 CHANGING YOUR PRINTER CODES The screen pictured above is accessed with the /C switch (see Execution of Program paragraph). It contains fields in which to input the proper printer emulation type and printer functions. Codes are entered as hexadecimal equivalents of the character representation (example: hexadecimal representation of capital L is 4C). The program contains four possible printer configuration modes, which have been set up with common printer configurations. The example screen above shows one of the four. No effort has been made in this documentation to explain the intricacies of printer code modification in this program. Should you not be familiar with this procedure or are uncertain of your printer's compatibility, please contact the author for technical assistance. Please have your printer manual available. The author will not recognize the concerns of non-registered users.

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9 3.0 BUILDING A BAR CODE 3.1 GUIDELINES The guidelines for building a desired bar code appear on the main input screen as a series of input fields or fill-in-the-blank questions. Descriptions of the fields are listed in the text below the sample screen. The program contains audio prompts to prevent both incorrect keystroke errors and invalid field data. A short beep in any of the fields signifies an incorrect key was pressed (example: an alphabetic character in the FORM LENGTH field which allows only numeric characters). A longer beep signifies the wrong data was input for the particular field requirements (example: a number greater than 15 in the FORM LENGTH field). ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͵ PRINT CODE 3 OF 9 BarCode LABELS ÆÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º (FIRST) BAR CODE TO PRINTúúú AB1234X º º UPPER DESCRIPTION TO PRINTúú TEST PRODUCT º º ~MEN'S WEAR SIZE SMALL º º LOWER DESCRIPTION TO PRINTúú \BarCode CLOTHING º º ^123 MAIN STREET º º NUMBER OF LABELS TO PRINTúúú 8 FIRST POSITION OF NUMBER IN CODE 3 º º LENGTH OF NUMBER IN CODEúúúúúúúú 0 º º NUMERIC STEP INCREMENTúúúúúúúúúú 10 º º BAR CODE FORMAT (S/N/B)úúúúú S TOP MARGIN INCHES (0-8.5)úúúúúúú 0 º º BAR CODE HEIGHT (2-5 LINES)ú 4 LEFT MARGIN INCHES (0-8.5)úúúúúú 1 º º FORM FEED AFTER LABEL (0-99) 0 FORM LENGTH INCHES (0-15)úúúúúúú 1 º º PRINTER COMPATIBILITYúúúúúú IBM Graphics (9 Pin) to LPT1: º º COPYRIGHT (C) M. GAVITO º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍ͵ [Esc] Exit Program ³ [F9] Toggle Printer Types ³ [F10] Print ÆÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ 3.2 INPUT FIELDS (FIRST) BAR CODE TO PRINT: This field calls for the actual character series contained in your bar code, or the beginning of sequential or multiple bar codes. It will allow upper case alphabetic characters, numeric characters, or any of the special characters (- + % $ /. "space"). UPPER / LOWER DESCRIPTIONS TO PRINT: These fields are optional, calling for a string of characters you wish to appear above or below the bar code. They can contain any standard ASCII character up to the maximum length of the input field. Normally, the program will attempt to center the string of characters directly above the bar code. When descriptions are lengthy, care must be taken that the left bar code margin is wide enough to allow correct centering.

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11 Four user-defined fonts are available for flexibility in each description line. One is considered the default and the three others are enabled by placing the appropriate special character in position 1 of the description line. The special character will not print on the label but will appear only on the screen. The printer configuration screen contains fields to define these fonts, however these fields contain no default font styles. NUMBER OF BAR CODES TO PRINT: This field represents the number of bar codes you intend to print. It will accept four digit numeric characters up to a maximum total of 9999 bar codes. FIRST POSITION OF NUMBER IN CODE / LENGTH OF NUMBER IN CODE: These are two optional fields which allow you to define a numeric-only segment of a bar code. For example, the bar code AB003F contains numeric information which starts in position 3, and is 3 characters long. NUMERIC STEP INCREMENT: This optional field defines the increment in which each succeeding numeric-only segment of the bar code changes in numeric value. See example below. Zero should be used here for the consecutive printing of the same bar code. BAR CODE FORMAT: With this field, users are given a choice of the three bar code types listed below. A response of S in this field will produce Stylized bar codes, A response of N will produce Standard bar codes and a B response will print Block bar codes. Stylized Print Standard Print Block Print Û³Û³³Û³³Û³³Û³Û Û³Û³³Û³³Û³³Û³Û Û³Û³³Û³³Û³³Û³Û Û³Û³³Û³³Û³³Û³Û Û³Û³³Û³³Û³³Û³Û Û³Û³³Û³³Û³³Û³Û Û³Û ABC123 Û³Û ABC123 BAR CODE HEIGHT (2-5 LINES): This field allows you to adjust the vertical size of your bar codes by specifying the number of lines to be printed. TOP MARGIN: This field allows additional space to be skipped before printing the bar code. LEFT MARGIN: This field allows additional space to be skipped between the left edge of the form and the left edge of the bar code. You should test right margin bar codes by first printing them at the left margin and verifying their printed length. For example, if the left margin is too great it is possible that right part of the bar codes may be partially cut off and not read correctly. FORM LENGTH: This field also adjusts the placement of the bar codes. It is the distance from the top of one bar code to the top of the next in inches. ADD FORM FEED AFTER LABEL(S): allows you to send a form feed to the printer after a certain number of bar codes. A zero in this field disables this function. -5-

12 PRINTER COMPATIBILITY MODE: The choice of modes available for this field can be predetermined by the user at the Printer Configuration Screen. The [F9] key will scroll through the available options. EXAMPLE: The example above uses all input fields. The resulting bar codes would be printed one inch from the left edge of the form and would be spaced one inch from the top of one bar code to the top of the next. The first bar code printed will be assigned the characters AB1210X. The next would be AB1220X, and so on to the last label of AB1280X. Above each label would print the two line description, TEST PRODUCT and MEN'S WEAR SIZE SMALL. Below each label would print the two line description, BarCode CLOTHING and 123 MAIN STREET. Each description line would print with the appropriate font defined in the printer configuration and defined by the first character of each description line where applicable. 3.3 SPECIAL KEYS FUNCTION KEYS: Function keys are labeled F1 through F10 on your keyboard. Usable function keys in this program will always appear at the bottom of the screen. The four arrow keys on the cursor pad are also functional. Function keys not labeled, with the exception of the cursor pad, have no function at this time. [Esc]: Can be used at any time to exit the program. [F9]: Is used to scroll printer options. [F10]: Saves information on the screen, process it, and advance to the next step in the program, i.e. the next screen or printing.

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14 4.0 COMMAND LINE OPTIONS 4.1 GENERAL DISCUSSION Command line options are methods of instructing the program to perform in some specific way different than normal. The command prompts are entered after the program name during initial execution. BarCode uses two types of command line options, Switch Options and Variable Options. Switch Options are used to turn on special functions of program operation, or bypass normal functions of program operation. Variable options allow you to pass variables to BarCode. 4.2 SWITCH OPTIONS /Q This option tells BarCode to skip the banner and warranty screens, which are normally displayed first when starting BarCode. /NC Use this option when you are using a monochrome monitor with a color graphics card, or if you don't want to display the screens in color. Note that you don't need to use /NC if you do not have a color card; BarCode can detect the type of card you have but not the type of monitor. /C This option allows access to printer configuration screen and is discussed in section 2.2 Printer Configuration. 4.3 VARIABLE OPTIONS /SP This option is functionally the same as the BAR CODE FORMAT input field. It allows you to select Stylized, Standard, or Block print. The variable default is S. SYNTAX for /SP /SPx where x is the letter S or N or B. /VL This option is functionally the same as the BAR CODE HEIGHT input field. It allows you to adjust the vertical size of your bar codes by specifying the number of lines to be printed. The variable default is 4 SYNTAX for /VL /VLn where n is a number from 2 to 5. /TM This option is functionally the same as the TOP MARGIN input field. It allows you to allocated extra space in inches between the top of the form and the start of printing. The variable default is 0. SYNTAX for /TM /TMn, where n is a number between 0 and 8.5

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16 /LM This option is functionally the same as the LEFT MARGIN input field. It allows you to set the distance between the left edge of the form and left edge of the bar code in inches. The variable default is 0. SYNTAX for /LM /LMn, where n is a number between 0 and 8.5 /FL This option is functionally the same as the FIELD LENGTH input field. It allows you to set the distance between the top of one label to the top of the next in inches. The variable default is 1. SYNTAX for /FL /FLn, where n is between.75 and 15 /FF This option is functionally the same as the ADD FORM FEED AFTER LABEL(S) input field. The variable default is 0. SYNTAX for /FF /FFn, where n is between 0 and 99 /M This option is functionally the same as the [F9] key on the main BarCode input screen. It allows you to define which print mode to use. SYNTAX for /M /Mn where n is a number from 1 to 4. * /AP This option allows you to specify bar code print parameters and automatically print these options without using the BarCode input screen. SYNTAX for /AP Option /AP Bar Code;[Description 1;][Description 2;][Description 3;][Description 4;][Labels to print;][first position of number in code;][length of number in code;][numeric increment] Example 1: BARCODE /AP XYZ1234ABC;Test Print;;;;5;4;4;2 This example would cause BarCode to print 5 labels. The First label printed would be XYZ1234ABC, the second XYZ1236ABC, the third XYZ1238ABC and so on. All Labels would have the description "TEST PRINT" above them. Example 2: BARCODE /AP 0001;John Doe;;Store 1;;2 /LM1 /FL2 This example would instruct BarCode to print 2 labels with a left margin of 1 inch, a upper description line of "JOHN DOE",a lower description of "Store 1", and a label representing 0001

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18 * /FILEn This option assumes the users understanding of ASCII text files. It instructs BarCode to use file n, n being replaced with any valid DOS file name, to print a run of labels. The file must be a random record length file with a carriage return, line feed separating the records. The format for each record is "BAR CODE TO PRINT","DESCRIPTION 1","DESCRIPTION 2","DESCRIPTION 3","DESCRIPTION 4". Fields must be separated by a comma and it is recommended that the individual fields be inclosed in quotes. SAMPLE FILE barcode.txt "AB123","Product 1","","Company XYZ","123 Main St." "AC345","Product 5","","Company XYZ","123 Main St." "AD423","Product 3","","Company XYZ","123 Main St." "AK264","Product 5","","Company XYZ","123 Main St." "AQ524","Product 6","","Company XYZ","123 Main St." Example: BARCODE /FILEbarcode.txt /LM1 This example would print a run of labels using the above data with a left margin of 1 inch. * Option Not Functional in Shareware Version IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines.

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