Contents: License Agreement..........................................................................................................3 Introduction......................................................................................................................5 Installing The Bar Code DLLs On Your Computer........................................................6 Getting Started.................................................................................................................6 Overview of graphics programming in Windows .........................................................7 All about Windows Metafiles ..........................................................................................8 How to use the TAL Bar Code Libraries ........................................................................9 Function names and DLL files for creating different bar code symbologies. .....................................9 DLL Function Declarations and Type Structures..........................................................10 Sample Visual Basic DLL Function Declaration Statements .............................................................10 Sample C/C++ DLL Function Declaration Statements.......................................................................10 Visual Basic TALBarCode Type Structure Declaration......................................................................11 Visual Basic MetafilePict Type Structure Declaration ........................................................................11 C/C++ TALBarCode Type Structure Declaration ...............................................................................12 TALBarCode Type Structure Elements ..............................................................................................13 Visual Basic TALPDFBarCode Type Structure Declaration...............................................................14 C/C++ TALPDFBarCode Type Structure Declaration........................................................................15 TALPDFBarCode Type Structure Elements.......................................................................................16 TALBarCode Data Type Member Descriptions and Notes ................................................................17 Parameters Specific to the TALPDFBarCode Type Structure ...........................................................22 Preferences Options and Constants: .................................................................................................24 Bar Code Dimensions .....................................................................................................28 Bar Code Basics ..............................................................................................................29 How A Bar Code Reader Works .....................................................................................30 How To Produce Readable Bar Codes...........................................................................31 A Word About Graphic File Formats..............................................................................32 Bitmaps (Raster Graphics) .................................................................................................................32 Vector Graphics and Metafiles ...........................................................................................................33 About The New Enhanced Metafile Format .......................................................................................34 Special Considerations and Incompatibilities ..............................................................35 Pasting Bar Codes From The Clipboard Into Other Programs ..........................................................35 Printing Bar Codes On A Dot Matrix Printer.......................................................................................36 Bar Code Symbology Descriptions and Rules..............................................................37 CODE 39 (Normal, Full ASCII and HIBC versions)............................................................................37 UPC-A, UPC-E, and UPC Supplementals..........................................................................................39 EAN-8 / EAN-13, BookLand and EAN Supplementals.......................................................................40 UPC and EAN Magnification Factors .................................................................................................41 CODE 93 ............................................................................................................................................42 CODABAR..........................................................................................................................................42 INTERLEAVED 2 OF 5 (ITF)..............................................................................................................43 MSI-PLESSEY....................................................................................................................................43 CODE 128 ..........................................................................................................................................44 EAN/UCC 128 ....................................................................................................................................44 POSTNET...........................................................................................................................................45 Postal FIM Patterns ............................................................................................................................45 PDF417...............................................................................................................................................46 PDF417 Bar Code Dimensions...................................................................................................................47 PDF417 Aspect Ratio .................................................................................................................................48 PDF417 Data Compaction Modes ..............................................................................................................49 PDF417 Error Detection and Correction .....................................................................................................49 Truncated PDF417 Symbols.......................................................................................................................50 PDF417 Options .........................................................................................................................................51 Aztec Code .........................................................................................................................................52 Data Matrix .........................................................................................................................................53 ECC 000 - ECC 140....................................................................................................................................53 ECC200 ......................................................................................................................................................54 Data Matrix Tilde Control Codes.................................................................................................................55 1 Calling the TAL Aztec and Data Matrix bar code DLLs ...............................................................................57 Visual Basic Type declaration for TALMatrixCode data type....................................................................57 Visual Basic DLL Function Declarations for Aztec and Data Matrix DLLs................................................58 Sample C/C++ DLL Function Declaration for Aztec and Data Matrix DLLs..............................................59 C/C++ TALMatrixCode Type Structure ....................................................................................................59 Aztec Code Error Correction Values ...........................................................................................................60 Data Matrix Error Correction and Data Format Values ...............................................................................61 MaxiCode............................................................................................................................................62 MaxiCode Modes........................................................................................................................................62 Structured Carrier Messages in Mode 2 and 3 MaxiCode Symbols............................................................63 Calling the TAL MaxiCode bar code DLL....................................................................................................64 Visual Basic Type declaration for TALMaxiCode data type......................................................................64 Sample Visual Basic DLL Function Declarations for MaxiCode DLL........................................................64 Sample C/C++ DLL Function Declaration for MaxiCode DLLs.................................................................65 C/C++ TALMaxiCode Type Structure.......................................................................................................65 Obtaining the dimensions of a MaxiCode symbol ....................................................................................66