In this tutorial, you will find out how Barcode Reader SDK can help you read barcodes from scanned documents, PDFs, images, or a webcam using C# source code.
Barcode Reader SDK is a complete toolkit working in C# and VB.NET to read all types of existing barcodes (1D and 2D) from PDF, images, or a live camera.
In this developer tutorial, you will find the list of C# source code samples demonstrating the following features of Barcode Reader SDK in C#:
The following source code snippet can be used to run Barcode Reader SDK when reading rotated barcodes in C#.
Just copy-paste the following C# source code to see the program in action.
using System;
using System.IO;
using Bytescout.BarCodeReader;
namespace ReadRotatedBarcodes
{
class Program
{
const string ImageFile = "barcode_skewed2.png";
static void Main()
{
Console.WriteLine("Reading barcode(s) from image {0}", Path.GetFullPath(ImageFile));
Reader reader = new Reader();
reader.RegistrationName = "demo";
reader.RegistrationKey = "demo";
// Set barcode type to find
reader.BarcodeTypesToFind.Code128 = true;
// Set barcode Orientation
// DiagonalFromTopLeftToBottomRight11 - Barcodes rotated clockwise by about 11 deg.
reader.Orientation = OrientationType.DiagonalFromTopLeftToBottomRight11;
/* -----------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: We can read barcodes from specific page to increase performance.
For sample please refer to "Decoding barcodes from PDF by pages" program.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- */
// Read barcodes
FoundBarcode[] barcodes = reader.ReadFrom(ImageFile);
foreach (FoundBarcode barcode in barcodes)
{
Console.WriteLine("Found barcode with type '{0}' and value '{1}'", barcode.Type, barcode.Value);
}
// Cleanup
reader.Dispose();
Console.WriteLine("Press any key to exit..");
Console.ReadKey();
}
}
}
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
<PropertyGroup>
<OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
<TargetFramework>netcoreapp2.0</TargetFramework>
<EnableDefaultCompileItems>false</EnableDefaultCompileItems>
<GenerateAssemblyCompanyAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyCompanyAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyConfigurationAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyConfigurationAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyFileVersionAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyFileVersionAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyInformationalVersionAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyInformationalVersionAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyProductAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyProductAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyTitleAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyTitleAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyVersionAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyVersionAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyCopyrightAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyCopyrightAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyTrademarkAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyTrademarkAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyCultureAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyCultureAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyDescriptionAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyDescriptionAttribute>
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<Compile Include="Program.cs" />
<None Include="barcode_skewed2.png">
<CopyToOutputDirectory>Always</CopyToOutputDirectory>
</None>
</ItemGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Windows.Compatibility" Version="2.0.0" />
</ItemGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<Reference Include="Bytescout.BarCodeReader">
<SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
<HintPath>c:\Program Files\Bytescout BarCode Reader SDK\netcoreapp2.0\Bytescout.BarCodeReader.dll</HintPath>
</Reference>
</ItemGroup>
</Project>
The source code sample below can help you decode a PDF417 barcode (for example, driver license information) with Barcode Reader SDK in C#.
Just use the C# source code below to run the program.
using System;
using System.IO;
using Bytescout.BarCodeReader;
namespace ReadDriverLicenseInformation
{
class Program
{
// Replace barcode input file path here
const string InputFile = "InputBarcodeImage.jpg";
static void Main()
{
Console.WriteLine("Reading barcode(s) from image {0}", Path.GetFullPath(InputFile));
Reader reader = new Reader();
reader.RegistrationName = "demo";
reader.RegistrationKey = "demo";
// Set barcode type to find
reader.BarcodeTypesToFind.PDF417 = true;
/* -----------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: We can read barcodes from specific page to increase performance.
For sample please refer to "Decoding barcodes from PDF by pages" program.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- */
// Read barcodes
FoundBarcode[] barcodes = reader.ReadFrom(InputFile);
if(barcodes.Length > 0)
{
FoundBarcode barcode = barcodes[0];
// Get specific fields:
IdentificationCard identificationCard = barcode.Metadata as IdentificationCard;
if (identificationCard != null)
{
Console.WriteLine("ID Numer: " + identificationCard.IdNumber);
Console.WriteLine("First Name: " + identificationCard.Name.First);
Console.WriteLine("Middle Name: " + identificationCard.Name.Middle);
Console.WriteLine("Last Name: " + identificationCard.Name.Last);
Console.WriteLine("Sex: " + identificationCard.Sex);
Console.WriteLine("Date Of Birth: " + identificationCard.DateOfBirth);
Console.WriteLine("Address: " + identificationCard.Address);
if (identificationCard is DriversLicense)
{
DriversLicense driverLicense = (DriversLicense)identificationCard;
Console.WriteLine("Vehicle Class: " + driverLicense.Jurisdiction.VehicleClass);
Console.WriteLine("Endorsement Codes: " + driverLicense.Jurisdiction.EndorsementCodes);
Console.WriteLine("Restriction Codes: " + driverLicense.Jurisdiction.RestrictionCodes);
}
}
else
{
Console.WriteLine("Could not retrieve AAMVA data from this barcode. Raw value: \r\n" + barcode.Value);
}
// ... or get the full information as JSON:
Console.WriteLine("\n\n-----------------\n");
string jsonString = reader.ExportFoundBarcodesToJSON();
Console.WriteLine(jsonString);
}
else
{
Console.WriteLine("No barcodes found!");
}
// Cleanup
reader.Dispose();
Console.WriteLine("Press any key to exit..");
Console.ReadKey();
}
}
}
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
<PropertyGroup>
<OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
<TargetFramework>netcoreapp2.0</TargetFramework>
<EnableDefaultCompileItems>false</EnableDefaultCompileItems>
<GenerateAssemblyCompanyAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyCompanyAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyConfigurationAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyConfigurationAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyFileVersionAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyFileVersionAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyInformationalVersionAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyInformationalVersionAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyProductAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyProductAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyTitleAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyTitleAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyVersionAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyVersionAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyCopyrightAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyCopyrightAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyTrademarkAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyTrademarkAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyCultureAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyCultureAttribute>
<GenerateAssemblyDescriptionAttribute>false</GenerateAssemblyDescriptionAttribute>
</PropertyGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<Compile Include="Program.cs" />
</ItemGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Windows.Compatibility" Version="2.0.0" />
</ItemGroup>
<ItemGroup>
<Reference Include="Bytescout.BarCodeReader">
<SpecificVersion>False</SpecificVersion>
<HintPath>c:\Program Files\Bytescout BarCode Reader SDK\netcoreapp2.0\Bytescout.BarCodeReader.dll</HintPath>
</Reference>
</ItemGroup>
</Project>
The following source code snippet can be used to run Barcode Reader SDK when reading barcodes from a live webcam in C#.
This C# source code sample can be used to run the program.
using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Media;
using System.Reflection;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Threading;
using Bytescout.BarCodeReader;
using TouchlessLib;
namespace ReadFromVideoCamera
{
public partial class MainForm: Form
{
// Scan delay, ms.
const int SCAN_DELAY = 1500; // scan barcodes every 1.5 sec
// Touchless SDK library manager (to use it you should have TouchlessLib.dll referenced and WebCamLib.dll in the build output directory)
readonly TouchlessMgr _touchlessLibManager;
// Background thread for barcode scanning
readonly BackgroundWorker _backgroundWorker = new BackgroundWorker();
// Synchronization event
readonly AutoResetEvent _synchronizationEvent = new AutoResetEvent(false);
// Form constructor
public MainForm()
{
InitializeComponent();
// Create Touchless library manager
_touchlessLibManager = new TouchlessMgr();
// Setup background worker
_backgroundWorker.WorkerSupportsCancellation = true;
_backgroundWorker.DoWork += BackgroundWorker_DoWork;
_backgroundWorker.RunWorkerCompleted += BackgroundWorker_RunWorkerCompleted;
}
// On form loading
private void Form_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Fill devices combobox with available video cameras
foreach (Camera camera in _touchlessLibManager.Cameras)
cmbCamera.Items.Add(camera);
// Select the first available camera. See also cmbCamera_SelectedIndexChanged event handler.
if (_touchlessLibManager.Cameras.Count > 0)
cmbCamera.SelectedItem = _touchlessLibManager.Cameras[0];
else
MessageBox.Show("No video camera available. Please connect the camera.");
// Populate barcode types combobox
PopulateBarcodeTypesCombobox();
// Select some default barcode type
cmbBarcodeType.SelectedItem = "QRCode";
}
protected void PopulateBarcodeTypesCombobox()
{
cmbBarcodeType.Items.Clear();
foreach (PropertyInfo propertyInfo in typeof(BarcodeTypeSelector).GetProperties())
cmbBarcodeType.Items.Add(propertyInfo.Name);
}
// On camera selected
private void cmbCamera_SelectedIndexChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (_touchlessLibManager.CurrentCamera != null)
_touchlessLibManager.CurrentCamera.OnImageCaptured -= CurrentCamera_OnImageCaptured;
if (cmbCamera.SelectedIndex != -1)
{
Camera camera = _touchlessLibManager.Cameras[cmbCamera.SelectedIndex];
if (camera != null)
{
// Set camera output image dimensions
camera.CaptureWidth = int.Parse(tbCameraWidth.Text);
camera.CaptureHeight = int.Parse(tbCameraHeight.Text);
camera.OnImageCaptured += CurrentCamera_OnImageCaptured;
// Select the camera
_touchlessLibManager.CurrentCamera = camera;
}
}
}
private void btnUpdateCameraImageDimensions_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (_touchlessLibManager.CurrentCamera != null)
{
// Update camera's output image dimensions
_touchlessLibManager.CurrentCamera.CaptureWidth = int.Parse(tbCameraWidth.Text);
_touchlessLibManager.CurrentCamera.CaptureHeight = int.Parse(tbCameraHeight.Text);
}
}
public void StartDecoding()
{
if (cmbCamera.SelectedIndex == -1)
return;
// Clear the output text box
rtbFoundBarcodes.Clear();
// Check if we have camera selected
if (cmbCamera.SelectedIndex != -1)
{
// Start the decoding in the background thread
BarcodeTypeSelector barcodeTypesToFind = GetBarcodeTypeFromCombobox();
_backgroundWorker.RunWorkerAsync(barcodeTypesToFind);
UpdateControls(true);
}
else
{
MessageBox.Show("Please select the camera first!");
}
}
private void StopDecoding()
{
_backgroundWorker.CancelAsync();
// Wait until BackgroundWorker finished
if (_backgroundWorker.IsBusy)
_synchronizationEvent.WaitOne();
UpdateControls(false);
}
void UpdateControls(bool started)
{
if (started)
{
btnStart.Enabled = false;
btnStop.Enabled = true;
cmbBarcodeType.Enabled = false;
cmbCamera.Enabled = false;
tbCameraHeight.Enabled = false;
tbCameraWidth.Enabled = false;
btnUpdateCameraImageDimensions.Enabled = false;
cbStopOnFirstBarcode.Enabled = false;
lblScanning.Visible = true;
lblScanning.Text = "Scanning...";
}
else
{
btnStart.Enabled = true;
btnStop.Enabled = false;
cmbBarcodeType.Enabled = true;
cmbCamera.Enabled = true;
cbStopOnFirstBarcode.Enabled = true;
tbCameraHeight.Enabled = true;
tbCameraWidth.Enabled = true;
btnUpdateCameraImageDimensions.Enabled = true;
lblScanning.Visible = true;
}
}
void CurrentCamera_OnImageCaptured(object sender, CameraEventArgs e)
{
pictureBoxPreview.Image = e.Image;
}
private void btnStart_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
StartDecoding();
}
private void btnStop_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
StopDecoding();
}
// Background thread procedure used by BackgroundWorker
public void BackgroundWorker_DoWork(object sender, DoWorkEventArgs e)
{
BackgroundWorker worker = (BackgroundWorker) sender;
BarcodeTypeSelector barcodeTypesToFind = (BarcodeTypeSelector) e.Argument;
// Create and setup barcode reader instance
using (Reader reader = new Reader())
{
reader.RegistrationName = "demo";
reader.RegistrationKey = "demo";
reader.BarcodeTypesToFind = barcodeTypesToFind;
// Work while not canceled
while (true)
{
// Check cancellation
if (worker.CancellationPending)
{
e.Cancel = true;
_synchronizationEvent.Set();
return;
}
// Get image from camera by invoking method from UI thread
Bitmap bitmap = (Bitmap) Invoke(new GetCameraImageDelegate(GetCameraImage));
if (bitmap == null)
{
e.Result = null;
return;
}
// Search the image for barcodes
FoundBarcode[] result = reader.ReadFrom(bitmap);
// Update UI asynchronously
BeginInvoke(new Action(UpdateStatus), new object[] { result });
// Pause
Thread.Sleep(SCAN_DELAY);
}
}
}
delegate Bitmap GetCameraImageDelegate();
Bitmap GetCameraImage()
{
if (!IsDisposed && !Disposing && _touchlessLibManager.CurrentCamera != null)
return _touchlessLibManager.CurrentCamera.GetCurrentImage();
return null;
}
// Update UI with found barcodes information
void UpdateStatus(FoundBarcode[] foundBarcodes)
{
if (foundBarcodes != null && foundBarcodes.Length > 0)
{
// Play sound if we found any barcode
SystemSounds.Beep.Play();
StringBuilder stringBuilder = new StringBuilder();
stringBuilder.AppendFormat("Time: {0:HH:mm:ss:tt}", DateTime.Now);
stringBuilder.AppendLine();
// Display found barcodes in the output text box
foreach (FoundBarcode barcode in foundBarcodes)
{
stringBuilder.AppendFormat("Found barcode: {0} {1}", barcode.Type, barcode.Value);
stringBuilder.AppendLine();
}
rtbFoundBarcodes.Text = stringBuilder.ToString();
// Update status text with number of found barcodes
lblFoundBarcodes.Text = string.Format("Found {0} barcodes:", foundBarcodes.Length);
}
// Make "Scanning..." label flicker.
lblScanning.Visible = !lblScanning.Visible;
lblScanning.Refresh();
// Check if we need to stop on first barcode found
if (cbStopOnFirstBarcode.Checked && foundBarcodes != null && foundBarcodes.Length > 0)
{
StopDecoding();
}
}
// Background thread is finished
private void BackgroundWorker_RunWorkerCompleted(object sender, RunWorkerCompletedEventArgs e)
{
// Update UI asynchronously
BeginInvoke(new Action(OnBackgroundWorkerFinished), new object[] { e });
}
void OnBackgroundWorkerFinished(RunWorkerCompletedEventArgs completedEventArgs)
{
if (completedEventArgs.Cancelled)
{
lblScanning.Text = "Stopped";
}
else if (completedEventArgs.Error != null)
{
lblScanning.Text = "Error: " + completedEventArgs.Error.Message;
}
else
{
lblScanning.Text = "Done!";
}
UpdateControls(false);
}
// Gets selected barcode type
private BarcodeTypeSelector GetBarcodeTypeFromCombobox()
{
BarcodeTypeSelector result = new BarcodeTypeSelector();
string selectedBarcodeTypeName = (string) cmbBarcodeType.SelectedItem;
PropertyInfo propertyInfo = typeof(BarcodeTypeSelector).GetProperty(selectedBarcodeTypeName);
propertyInfo.SetValue(result, true, null);
return result;
}
protected override void OnClosing(CancelEventArgs e)
{
StopDecoding();
_touchlessLibManager.Dispose();
base.OnClosing(e);
}
private void btnExit_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
DialogResult = DialogResult.OK;
Close();
}
private void btnCameraProperties_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
try
{
if (_touchlessLibManager.CurrentCamera != null)
_touchlessLibManager.CurrentCamera.ShowPropertiesDialog(Handle);
}
catch (Exception exception)
{
MessageBox.Show(exception.Message);
}
}
}
}
using System;
using System.Windows.Forms;
namespace ReadFromVideoCamera
{
static class Program
{
///
/// The main entry point for the application.
///
[MTAThread]
static void Main()
{
Application.EnableVisualStyles();
Application.SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(false);
MainForm dlg = new MainForm();
dlg.ShowDialog();
}
}
}
The following source code sample can be used to launch Barcode Reader SDK when reading barcodes from PDF.
Just copy-paste the following C# source code to see the program in action.
using System;
using Bytescout.BarCodeReader;
namespace BarcodesFromPDF
{
class Program
{
static void Main()
{
Reader reader = new Reader();
reader.RegistrationName = "demo";
reader.RegistrationKey = "demo";
// Limit search to 1-dimensional barcodes only (exclude 2D barcodes to speed up the processing).
// Change to barcodeReader.BarcodeTypesToFind.SetAll() to scan for all supported 1D and 2D barcode types
// or select specific type, e.g. barcodeReader.BarcodeTypesToFind.PDF417 = True
reader.BarcodeTypesToFind.All1D = true;
Console.WriteLine("Reading barcodes from PDF document...");
/* -----------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: We can read barcodes from specific page to increase performance.
For sample please refer to "Decoding barcodes from PDF by pages" program.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- */
FoundBarcode[] barcodes = reader.ReadFrom("example.pdf");
foreach (FoundBarcode barcode in barcodes)
{
Console.WriteLine("Found barcode with type '{0}' and value '{1}' on page {2} at {3}",
barcode.Type, barcode.Value, barcode.Page, barcode.Rect);
}
// Cleanup
reader.Dispose();
Console.WriteLine();
Console.WriteLine("Press any key to continue.");
Console.ReadKey();
}
}
}
The source code snippet below would be used to read QR codes from a picture in C# using Barcode Reader SDK.
This C# source code snippet can be used to run the program.
using System;
using Bytescout.BarCodeReader;
namespace Read50QRCodesBarcocesFromPicture
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
try
{
// Create and activate Bytescout.BarCodeReader.Reader instance
using (Reader reader = new Reader("demo", "demo"))
{
// Set barcode type to find
reader.BarcodeTypesToFind.QRCode = true;
/* -----------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: We can read barcodes from specific page to increase performance.
For sample please refer to "Decoding barcodes from PDF by pages" program.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- */
// Read barcodes
FoundBarcode[] barcodes = reader.ReadFrom("50_QrCodes.png");
foreach (FoundBarcode code in barcodes)
Console.WriteLine("Found barcode value: '{1}'", code.Type, code.Value);
}
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Console.WriteLine(ex.Message);
}
Console.WriteLine();
Console.WriteLine("Press any key to exit...");
Console.ReadLine();
}
}
}
The above code snippets demonstrate just a few of the multiple functions Barcode Reader SDK can offer. Check the documentation for more.
About the Author
ByteScout Team of Writers
ByteScout has a team of professional writers proficient in different technical topics. We select the best writers to cover interesting and trending topics for our readers. We love developers and we hope our articles help you learn about programming and programmers.
Google is the best thing that could have possibly happened to mankind in so many centuries. Not only Search engines, but Google also provides various...
Programming is fun? Don’t you think so? Well, here’s why. There’s so much to learn as a programmer. Working as a software developer isn’t just...