EAN UCC 128 encoding for AI 420

[cfdave]

I have inherited an application (vb.net) that produces a shipping label and packing list. Part of the shipping label is a EAN UCC 128 barcode for the shipping zip code. I don't fully understand the code that generates this barcode, but it works for US zip codes (5 digit numeric ex 27215)

Now this application has to work for Canadian zip codes as well (5 digits alphanumeric ex V6E2Y)

The existing code crashes because it doesn't pair up numbers to encode.

Does anyone have some insight and possibly a routine to encode these Canadian EAN UCC 128 barcodes correctly?

Thanks in advance!

Dave

 

[jlasman]

Canadian postal codes are SIX characters...

ANANAN

e.g., M3W4P7

Jim Asman

http://www.spectracolorservices.com

 

[DansDadUK]

>> The existing code crashes because it doesn't pair up
>> numbers to encode.

This might imply that your existing code, expecting only pairs of digits, is only capable of generating 'subset C' characters.

But with alphanumeric input, regardless of whether or not it is an even numebr of characters, you'd need to generate 'subset B' output characters.

You really need to obtain, read and digest a specification of the Code 128 symbology; I'm not sure if there is a 'free to download' official specification (ISO and AIM will charge for specification documents), but there are probably plenty of sites which provide a precis of the specification & mechanism; Wikipedia might be a good place to start?

 

[cfdave]

Thanks for the info. Yes, I know I have to go to B subset. I'm getting pretty close except that the barcode AB Tall that I'm trying to use dosen't map the FNC1 to the same location... Grrrrrrrr

 

[67peshawar294]

cfdave,
try this site. I'm not sure if it is what you need, but it explains the 128.

http://grandzebu.net/index.php?page=/informatique/codbar-en/codbar.htm