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AnexTools Family     End | Next

Can I use both DLL and VCL?
Yes. You can mix the usage of DLL, OCX or VCL implementations of the AnexTools development kit.

Which image drawing method suits my application?
If possible,you should use the DrawImage method to draw the symbol directly on the printer device. This minimizes coding and provides you with the capability to use the property DispMode. Alternatively, use the method OutputMetaFile to generate the Enhanced Metafile and output to the printer device with a set of given coordinates.
You can also use the method OutputBitmap to generate the image to DIB format (.BMP) or TIFF format (.TIF).

Which files do I need to distribute with my application?
Depending on the type of implementation, the following should be placed in the Windows system directory.
OCX Implementation - ??????.OCX, ??????.DLL, MFC42.DLL, MSVCRT.DLL and MSVCRT40.DLL
VCL or DLL Implementation - ??????.DLL, MFC42.DLL, MSVCRT.DLL and MSVCRT40.DLL
where ?????? is for AnexBC, AnexRSS, Anx417, AnexMC or AnexDM.

AnexTools for Linear Bar Codes    Prev | Next

What type of bar code is suitable for my application?
That depends on whether the bar code is for in-house operation or for public requirement. If it is for a public usage such as the product bar code on commercial items, you are required to follow the standard guideline in the public domain.
In general, Code 128 is the most common type for in-house application. However, if the bar code is for numeric data only, then ITF (Interleaved 2 of 5) also has a small footprint that is suitable for limited print space.

Which implementation of AnexBC is best for my application?
There are three implementations of AnexBC object. VCL implementation has its specific target platform. If you are developing on QuickReport  with Delphi  or C++ Builder , you should use the VCL implementation.
You should use the OCX implementation if you do not wish to write any code to implement your bar code symbol, provided that your development environment supports OCX interface.
If you are using Microsoft Access  97 or later, you should use OCX implementation since Access supports OCX interface in its report generator. There is no coding required to generate the bar code symbol using AnexBC OCX. In general, OCX is suitable for most requirements and environments.
Most development environments support both DLL and OCX. To choose the best implementation for your application, first decide if performance and system resource are your main concern. DLL requires additional coding in generating the symbol but offers better performance. When you have multiple images on the same section of the paragraph, the footprint of DLL becomes much smaller in comparing with using multiple OCXs on the same form.

Does AnexBC support all three character sets of Code128 ?
AnexBC supports all three character sets (A, B & C) to encode full ASCII characters. In general, there is no need to specify to use which character set for encoding. AnexBC determines the optimal combination of these character sets to achieve the minimum size.

Does AnexBC support supplementary digits in UPC and EAN?
Yes. AnexBC supports both two and five supplementary digits. It is automatically detected from the given bar code data.

AnexTools for PDF417    Prev | Next

What is PDF417?
PDF417 is a multi-row, variable length bar code symbol. It has the benefits of high capacity and error correction. It is capable of encoding more than 1,100 bytes, 1,800 ASCII characters or 2,700 digits depending on the data compaction mode. PDF417 supports full ASCII character including extended character set. There are 3 configurations of PDF417, namely Standard, Macro and Truncated.
Standard is the base of all PDF417 extended versions. Macro has the ability of distributing large files into a number of symbols. Truncated reduces the symbol size but requires a clean environment for scanning.
Anx417 supports the Standard and Truncated versions of PDF417.

Does Truncated PDF417 affect the data capacity?
No. The only difference of Truncated and Standard is the right row indicator and the stop pattern. Truncated has no right row indicator and uses a single bar as the stop pattern. This improves the scanning performance but requires clean symbol and environment.

Is Truncated PDF417 better than Standard PDF417?
Yes. The scanning or decoding performs better. However, Truncated should only be used in a clean environment. Usually, only in-house applications will use Truncated PDF417.

AnexTools for DataMatrix   Prev | Next

What is DataMatrix?
DataMatrix is a variable size two dimensional matrix symbology capable of encoding full ASCII character including extended character set. There are two type of DataMatrix, ECC 000-140 and ECC 200. Both type of DataMatrix has error correction capability. ECC 000-140 includes user selectable error correction capabilities. It is for closed applications where a single party controls printing and scanning of symbol. ECC 200 has larger data capacity. It is for public usage. New applications should choose ECC 200 instead of ECC 000-140. It can encode up to 2,000 characters. 
AnexDM supports both ECC 000-140 and ECC 200 DataMatrix.

Why should I use ECC200 for my application?
ECC 200 is the Revised Version of DataMatrix. It has larger data capacity and better support in symbol reader. You should use this type of symbol for newly developed applications.

I use different Extended Channel Interpretation (ECI). Is there any difference in data encoding?
The use of different Extended Channel Interpretation (ECI)  allows the output data stream to have different interpretation. However, it does not affect the data encodation and symbol optimization. The encodation mode used is determined strictly by the 8-bit data values being encoded and does not depend on the ECI in use. ECI should only be used with the reader enabled to transmit the symbology identifiers.

Why is there no data decoded for the symbol when property InitReader is turned on?
The property InitReader  should only be used for the programming of the bar code reader. The scanner will discard Reader Initialization symbol if the decoded data can be recognized as valid programming information. Application developer should not use this property unless the scanner is configurable through a user prepared Reader Initialization symbol.

What is Macro?
DataMatrix uses Macro codeword to abbreviate an industry specific header and trailer in the symbol. This reduces nine characters to one single codeword. However, Macro should only be used for bar code readers that can decode the macro character to the corresponding header and trailer of the decoded data.

AnexTools for MaxiCode   Prev | Next

AnexTools for Reduced Space Symbology (RSS)  Prev | Top

Should we use RSS instead of EAN.UCC128 or UPC?
Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) enhances the data capacity over EAN.UCC128 or UPC. It allows more data to encode into the same space as other types of linear barcodes. RSS has no intention to replace the original EAN.UCC 128 or UPC. RSS should be used when the data cannot be encoded in current linear barcode because of size restrictions.

What format of RSS is suitable for my application?
It depends on whether the bar code is for in-house operation or for public requirement. If it is for a public usage such as product bar code on commercial items, you are required to follow the standard guideline in public domain. In general, RSS-14 should be the common format for item identification in public domain. RSS Expanded  may be used when supplementary data needs to be encoded too.

Is Stacked symbol good for my application?
If there is no size restriction to use linear format, linear format should be used since it can be scanned by wands and linear scanner. Stacked barcode may only be scanned by omni-directional  or 2D scanner.

Does AnexRSS support all encoding methods in RSS Expanded?
AnexRSS fully conforms to the EAN.UCC RSS standard. It supports all encoding methods for supplementary data in RSS Expanded.

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