My name is Pete Draigh. I work for a regional auditing company and do all of our software and data-driven web development using mostly SQL Server, ASP, and a little Access. This article is about a solution I worked out to dynamically generate a bar code based on the value of an ID field in a database. It would be useful in a situation where users need to enter information into a system, be presented with a summary 'this-is-what-you-entered' page that they can then print and can be tracked later with the barcode. Similar to what many shipping companies such as Fedex use when you use their program to generate an airbill. I'd welcome any feedback at pdraigh@businessstrategy.com.
The problem was to translate a value such as '123456' into a barcode. We use the Code 39 barcode for several things we do at our company. I wanted to put that barcode on a web page so that the user could print out a web page containing that barcode and later, we could use that barcode in the indexing process in our imaging system. Most users have a Code 39 font installed on their system for other purposes, but I didn't want to rely on them having it. I wanted to generate it in the web page and have that be independent of the browser/client computer, etc.
My solution was to create GIF files for each supported character in the the Code 39 set. I got a sample for each character and then I created each character and tested it with our scanner software to make sure it was interpreted correctly. Then to represent the database value as a barcode in my ASP page, I simply loop through each character in the field value with an <IMG SRC="..."> tag to replace the character with the character's bar code GIF. Simple, and doesn't require anything on the client machine.
The code is a simple loop:
Response.write "<IMG SRC=""asterisk.gif"">"
'Code 39 barcodes require an asterisk as the start and stop characters
For x = 1 to len(rst("field1"))
response.write "<IMG SRC=""" & mid(rst("field1"),x,1) & ".gif"">"
Next
Response.write "<IMG SRC=""asterisk.gif"">"
Make sure you have a GIF for each barcode and you modify the IMG tags for the correct directory, filename, etc. You can also change the WIDTH and HEIGHT attributes of your IMAGE tag to make the barcode display larger or smaller on your page. Not a real complex solution, but sometimes the simpler, the better.
|
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
More Database Code Articles
More By aspfree  developerWorks - FREE Tools!
|
You'll get answers to many questions and more from David Barnes, Lead Evangelist for IBM Emerging Internet Technologies. David will discuss aspects of Web 2.0 that bring value to corporations, academia, and government. He'll also discuss IBM's vision around Web 2.0, including the importance of remixability and consumability. The discussion will culminate with examples of various IBM Software Group solutions you can use to get ahead of the Web 2.0 adoption curve.
FREE! Go There Now!
| | | |
Achieving true agility is a never-ending effort. We will showcase how you can become agile incrementally, a few practices at the time.Which practices should any agile team strive to adopt? What additional practices should you consider based on your needs to scale? Adopting practices are however made much easier with the right tool support. What about if your tools adapt to your practices? We will take a look at how the Jazz technology can be leveraged to make your process change the behavior of your tools.
FREE! Go There Now!
| | | |
Visit IBM developerWorks to download a free trial version of WebSphere Business Modeler Advanced V6.1.1, IBM’s premier business process modeling and analysis tool for business users that offers process modeling, simulation, and analysis capabilities. IBM WebSphere Business Modeler helps you visualize, understand, and document business processes for continuous improvement.
FREE! Go There Now!
| | | |
Download the IBM WebSphere Portal V6.1 beta code and learn more about the rich features and enhancements in IBM WebSphere Portal V6.1. WebSphere Portal provides a composite application or business mashup framework and the advanced tooling needed to build flexible, SOA-based solutions, and scalability to meet the needs of any size organization.
FREE! Go There Now!
| | | |
Learn how Rational Build Forge can extend a simple compile and package build process by adding customization and deployment capability. Go from a manual method to automating: checking for code changes; getting the latest source; compiling and packaging; customizing; copying to and restarting a deployment server; and sending e-mail notification that a new version is available.
FREE! Go There Now!
| | | |
XML has become a common way of storing business data as flat files and many data server vendors including IBM have provided ways to store this data within relational database systems. Increasingly collections of XML files are accessed like databases using an xQuery and other XML standard mechanisms. Businesses find the need to combine the traditional tabular structured data with XML formatted data. In this webcast, you’ll learn about IBM’s WebSphere Federation Server technology, which provides users with the ability to integrate these two data formats.
FREE! Go There Now!
| | | |
This Fall, IBM Rational talks to you directly through a special teleconference series giving you access to the best minds in IBM Rational - product experts and market thought leaders who will answer your questions during these pre-scheduled telephone conference calls. Register today!
FREE! Go There Now!
| | | |
In this webcast, you'll get an introduction to the eXtreme Transaction Processing (XTP) features of WebSphere Extended Deployment and the common architectural traits required by XTP applications. See how WebSphere Extended Deployment's ObjectGrid feature provides a state-of-the-art infrastructure for hosting XTP applications.
FREE! Go There Now!
| | | |
The discipline of assembling and delivering software is maturing beyond standard developer-centric compile/test software builds. The end-to-end software development lifecycle is emerging as the new focus moves “Beyond the Build.” Join this on demand webcast to learn about methods for streamlining software delivery and key capabilities of the IBM Rational Build Forge framework for automating build and release management in environments of any size.
FREE! Go There Now!
| | | |
Join this webcast to learn how IBM Rational's Functional Testing solution enables you to implement automation your way, at your pace, with your existing staff. In this webcast, you’ll learn how you can eliminate redundancy of manual test scripts, reduce errors, and increase test coverage through test automation. After this presentation you will understand how IBM Rational Functional Testing solution can streamline your manual testing and make test automation easily attainable.
FREE! Go There Now!
| | | |
All FREE IBM® developerWorks Tools!
| |
/ 15 
