Kbase P24376: How to print bar codes from Report Builder using bar code 3 of 9 and POSTNET bar codes?
| Autor |
Progress Software Corporation - Progress |
| Acesso |
Público |
| Publicação |
10/10/2008 |
|
Status: Unverified
GOAL:
How to print bar codes from Report Builder using bar code 3 of 9 and POSTNET bar codes?
GOAL:
How to print bar codes from Report Builder using bar code 3 of 9?
GOAL:
How to print bar codes from Report Builder using POSTNET bar codes?
FACT(s) (Environment):
Progress 8.x
Progress 9.x
Windows
FIX:
To include bar codes on a report, you first need to determine what type of bar codes you want. There are many different types of bar code fonts. The type that you use depends on the purpose for which you are bar coding something and the type of scanner that will be used to read the bar code.
For example, for postal bar codes you need a special bar code font, called POSTNET, which is readable by the bar code scanners used by the Post Office.
Once you have determined the type of bar code you want, you need to obtain a font for that bar code. This could be a built-in font in your printer, a PostScript font, or a Windows True Type font.
Once you have obtained and installed the appropriate font, you use bar codes in your report as follows:
1. Create a calculated field that formats the data in your database appropriately for the type of bar code you are using. For example, you might need to convert from a numeric to a character value, or pre-pend or append certain characters to the value you want to print as a bar code.
2. Place the calculated field on the report layout.
3. Apply the bar code font to the calculated field.
4. If necessary adjust the width of the field so that the complete bar code can be printed.
Following are two detailed examples for using bar code 3 of 9 and POSTNET bar codes.
Bar code 3 of 9:
1. Create a calculated field that pre-pends and appends an asterisk to the data field you want printed as a bar code.
If the data field is a character field called prod_code, use the following expression:
"*" + prod_code + "*"
2. Place the calculated field on the report and apply the bar code 3 of 9 font to it.
POSTNET bar codes:
POSTNET bar codes require more complex formatting, including a checksum calculated from the digits of the zip code. In order to make it easier to use POSTNET bar codes in different reports, you can create user-defined functions to do some of the formatting. The formatted string should contain:
`!'
5, 9 or 11 digit zip code
check digit
`!'
If you have purchased a POSTNET font, this should be explained in more detail with the documentation that comes with the font, however, the following steps should provide all the information you need to use the font with Report Builder.
1. Create a user-defined function, called CheckSum, to compute the check digit, which is calculated from the digits in the zip code. It should have one character parameter called ZipCode and its expression should be:
SUBSTRING(STRING(10 -
((NUMERIC(SUBSTRING(ZipCode,1,1)) +
NUMERIC(SUBSTRING(ZipCode,2,1)) +
NUMERIC(SUBSTRING(ZipCode,3,1))
+ NUMERIC(SUBSTRING(ZipCode,4,1)) +
NUMERIC(SUBSTRING(ZipCode,5,1)) +
NUMERIC(SUBSTRING(ZipCode,6,1))
+ NUMERIC(SUBSTRING(ZipCode,7,1)) +
NUMERIC(SUBSTRING(ZipCode,8,1)) +
NUMERIC(SUBSTRING(ZipCode,9,1))) Modulo 10 )),1,1)
This expression calculates the sum of the digits in a nine-digit zip code, then subtracts that number from 10 and takes the last digit of the result. If you use 5- or 11-digit zip codes, the expression should be modified to add the correct number of digits.
2. Create a second user-defined function, called PostNetFormat, to build the string that will be displayed as a bar code. It should have one character parameter called ZipCode, and its expression should be:
"!" + ZipCode + CheckSum(ZipCode) + "!"
3. Create a calculated field that calls the user-defined function, and specifies as its parameter the character field containing the zip code you want to print as a bar code. For example, if your database contains a field called Postal-Code which stores a 9-digit zip code as a character string, use the calculated field expression:
PostNetFormat(Postal-Code)
4. Place the calculated field on the report layout, and apply the POSTNET font..
5. Since POSTNET fonts are very wide, increase the width of the field on the layout so that the whole bar code will be printed. (About 3 inches should be sufficient).
Once you have created the user-defined functions in steps 1 and 2, if you want to include bar codes on other reports, you need to repeat only steps 3 through 5..