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Miscellaneous DataMatrix ActiveX FAQs

Miscellaneous DataMatrix-ActiveX FAQ

What image formats can barcode be saved in?

Can your DataMatrix-ActiveX controls be used in scripting languages (VB Script, Java Script)?

Are your controls compatible with .NET, and how should they be used in the .NET environment?

Is it possible to encode binary data with your DataMatrix barcodes?

Why do I get some other information while scanning and not the information I encoded with your DataMatrix control?

Your DataMatrix barcode ActiveX control accepts a string as the barcode value (DataMatrixCtrl1.DataToEncode). But our original barcode value is presented by an array of bytes. How should I convert our bytes' array into to the corresponding string if I want to use your component?





What image formats can barcode be saved in?

All our barcode controls can save files in the following formats: JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, BMP, WMF, EMF.
To be able to save images in these formats, you must have the GDI+ library (supplied beginning from Windows XP, 2003 and higher) on your PC. If you do not have this library, you can copy it to the System32 folder from any other PC where it is installed.




Can your DataMatrix-ActiveX controls be used in scripting languages (VB Script, Java Script)?

Yes, you can use our barcode controls in such scripting languages as VBScript and JavaScript. All properties and methods of our controls are script-compatible. We carried out special compatibility tests for the scripting languages.




Are your controls compatible with .NET, and how should they be used in the .NET environment?

Yes, our barcode controls are fully compatible with the .NET environment. Most development tools (VB.NET, C#, etc.) allow you to transparently use COM and ActiveX controls. You do not have to do anything special for that.




Is it possible to encode binary data with your DataMatrix barcodes?

Yes, it is. To encode binary data, you should convert each byte into the following form:

~xNN

where NN is your binary number.
Suppose you need to encode the following byte array:

0000C7A9030030323141642343001D2774

You should convert it into the following string:

"~x00~x00~xC7~xA9~x03~x00~x30~x32~x31~x41~x64~x23~x43~x00~x1D~x27~x74"

This string must be attributed to the DataToEncode property. Our DataMatrix will decode this string and your real barcode will have your initial byte array in it instead of the string.




Why do I get some other information while scanning and not the information I encoded with your DataMatrix control?

For example, I tried to create a datamatrix Base256 barcode using the Hex data. This is my hex data.

0000C7A9030030323141642343001D2774

I converted it to this.

~x00~x00~xC7~xA9~x03~x00~x30~x32~x31~x41~x64~x23~x43~x00~x1D~x27~x74

When I scanned the data, I did not get my original hex data. I got this.

44454D4F0000C7A9030030323141642343001D2774

What am I doing wrong ? I used the VB sample project.


As you can see, only first four bytes do not coincide, the rest of the code is completely the same. It happens because you use the demo version. The first four bytes 44454D4F mean the "DEMO" string in the HEX representation.

Note: The "DEMO" string can be added not only at the beginning of your barcode, but also at the end of it. In this case these four bytes will be at the end of your binary data:

0000C7A9030030323141642343001D277444454D4F





Your DataMatrix barcode ActiveX control accepts a string as the barcode value (DataMatrixCtrl1.DataToEncode). But our original barcode value is presented by an array of bytes. How should I convert our bytes' array into to the corresponding string if I want to use your component?

Yes, you are right. The data to be encoded must be represented in the form of a string and it is impossible to represent binary data in a string. That is why to encode binary data, you should convert each byte into the following form:

~xNN

where NN is your binary number.

See also

Is it possible to encode binary data with your DataMatrix barcodes?
Why do I get some other information while scanning and not the information I encoded with your DataMatrix control?