Important Update
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.
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