Use the Barcode Reader function to decode a 1D barcode.

Main Tab

  1. In the Step Name textbox, enter a descriptive name for the step.
  2. Verify that the Reposition Region of Interest option is enabled if you want to link the region of interest specified in this step to a previously defined coordinate system.
  3. Link the region of interest to a coordinate system if the position of the object under inspection changes from image to image, and you need to adjust the position of the region of interest to match the new location of the object.
  4. Select Locate Barcode for the step to automatically detect the barcode in the image. Specify detection parameters with the Minimum Bar Width, Minimum Edge Strength, and Minimum Bars controls.

Read 1D Barcode Tab

By default, the Auto Setup, Add Special Characters to Code Read, and Add Checksum to Code Read checkboxes are enabled. This configuration enables automatic barcode detection.

If automatic barcode detection does not produce expected results, you can manually configure the step:

  1. Deselect Auto Setup.
  2. Click to add a barcode type.
  3. Select a barcode type in the Types of Barcode to Search box. Click a barcode type to edit it.
  4. Click to remove a barcode type.
  5. Click to move a barcode type up in the list, or to move a barcode type down in the list.

    To optimize barcode classification, order the list of barcode types from the strictest standards to the most lenient, as in the following list:

    1. EAN 13
    2. EAN 8
    3. UPCA
    4. Code 128
    5. MSI
    6. Code 39
    7. Code 93
    8. Codabar
    9. Interleaved 2 of 5
    10. RSS Limited
    11. Pharmacode
  6. Specify the Number of Barcodes to Read.
  7. If the barcode types include Codabar, Code 39, or Interleaved 2 of 5, you can enable the Validate checkbox to use the encoded error correction information to validate the results. If the validation fails, the step also fails.
  8. If the barcode types include Codabar, Code 128, EAN 8, EAN 13, or UPCA, you can enable the Add Special Character to Code Read checkbox to add the special characters of the code to the encoded data. You also can add the checksum to the encoded data by checking the Add Checksum to Code Read checkbox.

Results Tab

  1. Specify a Minimum Score for a barcode to appear in the Results tree. The default score is 500.
  2. Enable the Grade Barcodes checkbox for the step to grade each barcode. Specify a Scan Width, in pixels, for the width of the scanning line. The default Scan Width is 1. The results appear under Grading in the Results tree.
  3. Use the Results tree to view the following data for each barcode:
    • Complete Data — The complete data read from the barcode, including special character 1, 2, and checksum.
    • Data — Data read from the barcode, not including special character 1, 2, or checksum.
    • Special Character 1 — The first character preceding the barcode, if applicable.
    • Special Character 2 — The second character preceding the barcode, if applicable.
    • Checksum — The character following the barcode, if applicable.
    • Barcode Type — Indicates the type of barcode read.
    • Bounding Box — Expand to view the X and Y coordinates of each corner of the barcode bounding box.
    • Grading — Appears when you enable the Grade Barcodes checkbox. Expand to view the barcode grading results.
  4. Click OK to add this step to the script and close the Parameter window.