.NET RDLC Reports PDF-417 Barcode Generator

The PDF-417 barcode control for RDLC is a robust reporting component that facilitates the creation of comprehensive reporting solutions with integrated barcode generation and printing capabilities. This library is compatible with VB.NET, C#, Managed C++, and Borland Delphi for .NET, and can be utilized in applications requiring RDLC based reporting.

This guide outlines the process of generating PDF417 2D barcodes within RDLC Local Reports using C#. The approach is optimized for ASP.NET (including Web Forms and MVC) and Windows Forms (.NET Framework) projects integrated with the ReportViewer Control. The guide is based on the following tutorials:

• How to create barcodes in RDLC reports in ASP.NET
• How to create barcodes in RDLC reports in Windows Forms

The existing demonstration code for Code 128 can be adapted to generate PDF-417 barcodes as described below.

• Open the file Form1.cs in Visual Studio.
• Comment out the existing Linear object construction code.
• Create a new PDF417 object to generate and customize PDF417 barcodes in the RDLC report.

PDF-417 barcodes in RDLC reports support the following character encodings:

• Full ASCII (128 standard characters)
• Extended ASCII (values 128–255 per ISO 8859-1)
• Up to 811,800 distinct character sets or data interpretations
• Various function codewords for control purposes (compatible with RDLC Custom Code)

PDF-417 supports compact encoding modes optimized for different data types in RDLC reports:

• Auto (default): The RDLC PDF-417 library automatically selects the optimized combination of compact modes.
• Text Compaction: Encodes printable ASCII characters (32 - 126 per ISO/IEC 646 IRV) and selected control characters.
• Byte Compaction: Encodes all 256 8 bit byte values (supports international character sets for RDLC).
• Numeric Compaction: Efficiently encodes numeric data strings (ideal for large numeric datasets in RDLC).

The library auto selects the optimal mode for RDLC, or the mode can be set explicitly. The following C# code specifies the target data mode in an RDLC local report file (.rdlc).

The maximum data capacity for PDF-417 with Error Correction Level 0 in RDLC reports varies by encoding mode:

• Text Compaction: 1,850 characters
• Byte Compaction: 1,108 characters
• Numeric Compaction: 2,710 digits

Note: Higher error correction levels reduce the maximum data capacity. Exceeding these limits triggers PDF-417 encoding errors. Macro mode (covered later) can be used for large text messages.

This section covers encoding different text types (ASCII, Unicode, non printable characters) into PDF-417 barcodes for RDLC reports in ASP.NET and Windows Forms projects.

• For printable ASCII characters (95 total), assign the text directly to the Data property.
• For non printable ASCII characters (33 ASCII control characters):
  • Convert the character to ~ddd format, where ddd is a three digit ASCII value (e.g., carriage return = ~013).
  • Enable ProcessTilde = true to allow the library to parse the ~ddd format.

Note: Scan the generated PDF-417 in the RDLC report viewer (or in exported PDF/Excel) to confirm that non printable characters decode correctly.

• Enable EncodeUnicodeText = true to support multi language text (e.g., Chinese, French) in RDLC reports.
• Ensure the RDLC Font setting (e.g., Arial Unicode MS) supports Unicode characters.

Note: Use a PDF-417 scanner device or software to verify that the Unicode PDF-417 renders correctly in the ReportViewer Control (Windows Forms) or in the browser (ASP.NET).

• Binary Data: Encode files (e.g., PDFs) into PDF-417 using Byte Compaction mode (ideal for RDLC reports with embedded files).
• ECI Mode: Support extended character sets (e.g., Arabic, Cyrillic) via Extended Channel Interpretation (ECI) mode.

Optimize PDF-417 dimension size for the RDLC Image report item to avoid distortion in printed or exported reports. Use BarcodeWidth and BarcodeHeight. Add the following C# code to the RDLC Barcode ASP.NET or Windows Forms project.

• Determine the PDF-417 printing size in the .rdlc file (matches BarcodeWidth and BarcodeHeight).
• Use UOM to choose the preferred unit of measure (inch or cm).
• Set BarcodeWidth and BarcodeHeight to specify the PDF-417 image rendering size.

In the C# PDF-417 generator for RDLC, the following properties can be used to customize barcode dimensions:

• AutoResize: Must be false to enable the X and XtoYRatio properties.
• X: Bar module width (minimum value defined by application specifications).
• XtoYRatio: Bar width to height ratio (default: 0.3333333f).
• RowCount: Number of rows (3 - 90).
• ColumnCount: Number of columns (1 - 30).
• LeftMargin / RightMargin / TopMargin / BottomMargin: Quiet zone (minimum width = 2X).

Note: Check the RDLC report viewer to confirm that the PDF-417 barcode dimensions match the configured values (no stretching or compression). Adjust RowCount or ColumnCount if the encoded data exceeds the current symbol capacity; the barcode library auto adjusts if needed.

Every PDF-417 symbol in RDLC includes error correction codewords for reliability. The ECL property sets the error correction level (0 - 8), with higher levels providing better resilience (critical for printed RDLC reports).

Use Truncated PDF-417 for RDLC reports with limited space (low risk of symbol damage). Ensure that barcode scanners support Truncated PDF-417 (verify with the hardware vendor).


Note: Confirm that the truncated PDF-417 renders correctly in the RDLC report viewer, or in the printed PDF/Excel file, and scans without errors.

Macro PDF-417 splits large datasets across multiple PDF-417 symbols (similar to Structured Append mode in QR Code and Data Matrix), which is ideal for long RDLC reports with extensive data.

• Splits data into blocks across up to 99,999 PDF-417 symbols.
• Includes control information to reconstruct data regardless of scan order.
• Compatible with RDLC Subreport controls for multi symbol display.

Note: Verify that all Macro PDF-417 symbols render in the RDLC report (use Tablix/List controls for layout) and scan to reconstruct the full dataset.

The core workflow for generating PDF-417 barcodes in an RDLC Local Report consists of the following steps:

• Initialize the PDF-417 barcode object.
• Configure PDF-417 encoding data and code set.
• Generate the PDF-417 barcode byte stream.
• Bind the byte stream to the RDLC Image report item.
• Render the report through the ReportViewer Control (ASP.NET / Windows Forms).

Critical customization parameters for RDLC compatibility include:

• Encoding mode (DataMode)
• Dimension settings (X, RowCount / ColumnCount)
• Error correction level (ECL)

These settings must align with the properties of the RDLC Image report item to ensure consistent rendering.