The UCC/EAN-128 Symbology is a subset of the more general Code 128 Symbology. UCC/EAN-128 was developed to provide a worldwide format and standard for exchanging common data between companies. While other bar codes simply encode data with no respect for what the data represents, UCC/EAN-128 encodes data and encodes what that data represents.

UCC/EAN-128 has a list of Application Identifiers (AI). The Application Identifier is a 2, 3, or 4-digit number that identifies the type of data which follows. By convention, the Application Identifier is enclosed in parentheses when printed below the barcode (the parentheses are only for visual clarity, and are not encoded in the barcode).

Sample of a UCC/EAN-128 Barcode

How to encode UCC/EAN-128 values using Barcode Library

Introduction

UCC/EAN 128 encodes the so called Element Strings which are composed of an Application Identifier (AI) plus a data field. Each AI identifies the meaning and format of the data following it. Note that the AI has parentheses around it in the human readable text, but the parentheses are not encoded in the barcode.

Encode AI Code

In Barcode Library, developer mush put AI(dddd) around AI code, for the above sample image, you must set data property = 'AI(21)d12345777AI(21)12345678'.

View AI Table

Encode ASCII Data

In Barcode Library, you can use CH(ddd) format to encode ASCII data, for example CH(100) = d. So for the above sample image, you can also set data property = 'AI(21)CH(100)12345777AI(21)12345678'.

The following code illustrates how to create a barcode in a Java class

1            Barcode barcode = new Barcode(); 
2            barcode.setData("123456789"); 
3            barcode.setType(Barcode.CODE39); 
4            barcode.createBarcodeImage("c:/code39.gif"); 

• Create a Barcode object (line 1)
• set Barcode object properties (line 2 - 3)
• save into gif file (line 4)

There are two ways to create barcode images in your Java web applications.

1. This is the simplest way to stream barcode image using our provided barcode servlet classes.
   
   And it will not save barcode images in your server side.
   
   
   • Under demo package, copy barcode folder to your java servlet container like tomcat.
     
     
   • To test your installation, goto http://YourDomain:Port/barcode/barcode?Data=123456789&Type=CODE39
     
     
   • To create barcode image in your JSP page, you can pass the url to IMG tag src value. For example, <img src="http://YourDomain:Port/barcode/barcode?Data=123456789&Type=CODE39" />
     
     
2. The second method is similar with the way to generate barcode in Java applications.
   
   
   • Create a barcode image in server side

     1            Barcode barcode = new Barcode(); 
     2            barcode.setData("123456789"); 
     3            barcode.setType(Barcode.CODE39); 
     4            barcode.createBarcodeImage("C:/Tools/Tomcat 5.5/webapps/YourWebApp/bimages/code39.gif"); 
     
     
     

   • In your JSP page, you can using IMG tag to display generated image, like <img src="http://YourDomain:Port/YourWebApp/bimages/code39.gif" />

The following jasper xml content illustrates how to insert a barcode into JasperReports

<import value="com.barcodelib.barcode.BarcodeFactory"/> 

Import class BarcodeFactory to report.

<image scaleImage="Clip" hAlign="Center"> 
    <reportElement x="50" y="110" width="515" height="120"/> 
    <graphicElement/> 
    <imageExpression class="net.sf.jasperreports.engine.JRRenderable">
     <![CDATA[new com.barcodelib.barcode.BarcodeJasperRenderer(BarcodeFactory.createLinear(13, "0470821632"))]]></imageExpression> 
</image>

Please go to class BarcodeFactory in Java doc for all methods to create linear barcode.

Developers also can extend BarcodeFactory class to meet their own requirements. Complete BarcodeFactory.java Source Code