How to Generate Barcodes in Java

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  4. How to Generate Barcodes in Java
Zeeshan Afridi Feb 02, 2024
Java Java Barcode
  1. Types of Barcodes
  2. Use the zxing Library to Generate Barcodes in Java
  3. Use the itextpdf Library to Generate Barcodes in Java
  4. Conclusion
How to Generate Barcodes in Java

A barcode consists of bars and spaces. It is simply a machine-readable representation of characters and numbers in the form of a pattern of parallel lines of different widths.

These patterns are affixed to retail identification cards, store items, and postal mail to identify a particular product’s number, location, or name. A barcode symbol has five components, i.e., a quiet zone, a start character, a stop character, data characters, and another quiet zone.

Types of Barcodes

To identify barcodes, let’s have a look at the types of barcodes which are shown below:

  1. Linear (1D) barcodes
  2. Matrix (2D) barcodes

Some of the most used barcode formats are UPC, Code 39, Extended Code39, Code 128, EAN 128, and QR Code.

We can generate barcodes in Java with the help of the two most used libraries, which are itextpdf and zxing.

Use the zxing Library to Generate Barcodes in Java

We can use the zxing library to generate barcodes in Java. zxing means Zebra Crossing.

To use this library, we must follow these steps in IntelliJ IDEA.

  • Create a new project with the language Java and build system maven.
  • Open pom.xml and write the following code.
    <dependencies>
	<dependency>
		<groupId>com.google.zxing</groupId>
		<artifactId>core</artifactId>
		<version>3.3.0</version>
	</dependency>
	<dependency>
		<groupId>com.google.zxing</groupId>
		<artifactId>javase</artifactId>
		<version>3.3.0</version>
	</dependency>
</dependencies>
  • Press the load maven changes button or press the shortcut key ctrl+shift+o.

When we sync dependencies, we can import zxing in our program.

Example:

This code will generate an image of the two mainly used barcodes, Code 128 and EAN 8. Remember, you must create the path of the images on your computer.

package org.example;
import com.google.zxing.BarcodeFormat;
import com.google.zxing.client.j2se.MatrixToImageWriter;
import com.google.zxing.common.BitMatrix;
import com.google.zxing.oned.Code128Writer;
import com.google.zxing.oned.EAN8Writer;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    try {
      // Content for encode function of code128writer
      String text = "http://www.google.com";

      // Path where we save our barcode
      String path = "E:\\barcode image\\code128barcode.jpg";

      // Barcode code128 writer object
      Code128Writer c128writer = new Code128Writer();

      // Represents a 2D matrix of bits. Create a bar code with a width of 500 and a height of 300
      BitMatrix matrix = c128writer.encode(text, BarcodeFormat.CODE_128, 500, 300);

      MatrixToImageWriter.writeToPath(matrix, "jpg", Paths.get(path));

      System.out.println("Barcode image file is created...");

      // Digits for encode function of EAN_8
      String digits = "12345678";

      // Path where we save our barcode
      path = "E:\\barcode image\\EANbarcode.jpg";

      // Barcode EAN8 writer object
      EAN8Writer EANwriter = new EAN8Writer();

      /*Represents a 2D matrix of bits.
      Create an EAN bar code of width 500 and height 300*/
      matrix = EANwriter.encode(digits, BarcodeFormat.EAN_8, 500, 300);

      MatrixToImageWriter.writeToPath(matrix, "jpg", Paths.get(path));

      System.out.println("Barcode image file is created...");

    } catch (Exception e) {
      e.printStackTrace();
    }
  }
}

Output:

java barcode generation

Use the itextpdf Library to Generate Barcodes in Java

With the help of the itextpdf library, we can generate barcodes in Java and easily store them in PDF format. To use this library, we must follow these steps.

  • Download the itextpdf library from here.
  • Open IntelliJ IDEA.
  • Create a new project with the language Java.
  • Right-click the project folder.
  • Open the module setting or press F4.
  • Click on the dependencies tab.
  • Press the add button or press Alt+Insert.
  • Select itextpdf.jar, which we downloaded from the itextpdf website.

We can import itextpdf in our Java code to generate barcodes.

Example:

With the help of this example, we can store Code 128 and EAN 13 barcodes in PDF format.

package org.example;

import com.itextpdf.text.Document;
import com.itextpdf.text.DocumentException;
import com.itextpdf.text.Image;
import com.itextpdf.text.PageSize;
import com.itextpdf.text.pdf.Barcode128;
import com.itextpdf.text.pdf.BarcodeEAN;
import com.itextpdf.text.pdf.PdfContentByte;
import com.itextpdf.text.pdf.PdfWriter;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;

public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    Main.barcodePDF("mybarcodepdf.pdf", "Zeshan");
  }
  public static void barcodePDF(String pdfFilename, String myString) {
    // declare object of document class of the itextpdf library
    Document doc = new Document();
    PdfWriter pdfWriter = null;

    try {
      // initialize docWriter object with the path of the pdf file
      // mention the path of your computer
      pdfWriter =
          PdfWriter.getInstance(doc, new FileOutputStream("E:\\my barcode pdf\\" + pdfFilename));

      // set pdf file properties
      doc.addAuthor("zeshan");
      doc.addCreationDate();
      doc.addProducer();
      doc.addCreator("google.com");
      doc.addTitle("java barcode generation");
      doc.setPageSize(PageSize.A4);
      doc.open();

      /*PdfContentByte is an object that contains the user-positioned text and
      graphic contents of a page*/
      PdfContentByte cb = pdfWriter.getDirectContent();

      // type of barcode
      Barcode128 code128 = new Barcode128();

      // remove all leading and trail space and pass to set code
      code128.setCode(myString.trim());
      code128.setCodeType(Barcode128.CODE128);

      /*create the image of the barcode with null bar color and null text color
      set its position and scale percent*/
      Image code128Image = code128.createImageWithBarcode(cb, null, null);
      code128Image.setAbsolutePosition(10, 700);
      code128Image.scalePercent(150);

      // Add image to pdf file
      doc.add(code128Image);

      // Type of barcode
      BarcodeEAN codeEAN = new BarcodeEAN();

      // Remove all leading and trail space and pass to set code
      codeEAN.setCode(myString.trim());

      // Set barcode type
      codeEAN.setCodeType(BarcodeEAN.EAN13);

      /* Create an image of the barcode with a null bar color and
      null text color its position and scale percent */
      Image codeEANImage = code128.createImageWithBarcode(cb, null, null);
      codeEANImage.setAbsolutePosition(10, 600);
      codeEANImage.scalePercent(150);

      // Add image to pdf file
      doc.add(codeEANImage);
      System.out.println("Barcode in PDF file is created...");

    } catch (Exception ex) {
      ex.printStackTrace();
    } finally {
      // close doc and docwriter if they are not null
      if (doc != null) {
        doc.close();
      }
      if (pdfWriter != null) {
        pdfWriter.close();
      }
    }
  }
}

Output:

java barcode generation

Conclusion

Barcodes inscribe product data into bars and alphanumerical characters, making it much quicker and easier to enter things at a store or track inventory in an exceeding warehouse. Besides ease and speed, barcodes’ prominent business edges embrace accuracy, internal control, and price savings—their square measure many barcodes.

There are many formats of barcodes. We use different formats in different situations.

We can use all the barcode formats with the help of the zxing and itextpdf libraries. There are other libraries, but these two are easy and fast.

Author: Zeeshan Afridi
Zeeshan Afridi avatar Zeeshan Afridi avatar

Zeeshan is a detail oriented software engineer that helps companies and individuals make their lives and easier with software solutions.

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