Code 128 VB.NET Barcode Generator Control - Create Code 128 barcode image in .NET

This section provides an overview of generating Code 128 barcodes using the BarcodeLib SDK within VB.NET. Code 128, also referred to as ANSI/AIM 128, USS Code 128, or Uniform Symbology Specification Code 128, is a high density linear symbology known for its excellent reliability and comprehensive character support.

The BarcodeLib VB.NET Code 128 Generator is designed for straightforward integration into Windows Forms (WinForms) and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) desktop applications, as well as class libraries and console projects.

Linear barcode Code 128 is still called USS Code 128, Code 128 Code Set A, Code 128 Code Set B, Code 128 Code Set C, ANSI/AIM 128, ANSI/AIM Code 128, Uniform Symbology Specification Code 128, Code 128A, Code 128B, Code 128C.

ISO/IEC Standard Compatibility: Complying with ISO/IEC 15417 (Second edition 2007-06-01)

Code 128 Three Code Sets

Code Set A (or Chars Set A): all of the standard upper case U.S. alphanumeric keyboard characters and punctuation characters together with the control characters, (i.e. characters with ASCII values from 0 to 95 inclusive), and seven special characters.
Code Set B (or Chars Set B): all of the standard upper case alphanumeric keyboard characters and punctuation characters together with the lower case alphabetic characters (i.e. characters with ASCII values from 32 to 127 inclusive), and seven special characters.
Code Set C (or Chars Set C): the set of 100 digit pairs from 00 to 99 inclusive, as well as three special characters. This allows numeric data to be encoded as two data digits per symbol character, at effectively twice the density of standard data.

Code 128 Special Characters

The last seven characters of Code Sets A and B (character values 96 - 102) and the last three characters of Code Set C (character values 100 - 102) are special non-data characters with no ASCII character equivalents, which have particular significance to the bar code reading device.

Code 128 Data Character Set

The Code 128 barcode supports the following data characters:

All 128 Full ASCII characters as defined in ISO/IEC 646.
Extended ASCII characters, supported through the use of Function Character (FNC4). By default, values 128 through 255 of ISO/IEC 8859-1 (Latin Alphabet 1) are supported.
Four non-data function characters.
Four code set selection characters.
Three start characters.
One stop character.

Code 128 Data Code Sets in VB.NET

Code 128 barcodes utilize three distinct data character code sets:

Code Set A
Code Set B
Code Set C

Each code set contains a subset of the full ASCII character set, along with various auxiliary characters.

When using the BarcodeLib Code 128 generator library in a VB.NET, WinForms, or WPF application, you may ignore the manual selection of the code set. The library automatically selects the appropriate starting code set.

You can set the Type property to BarcodeType.CODE128, and the library will determine the correct code set automatically.

If manual selection of the Code 128 code set is required, set the Type property to one of the following:

BarcodeType.CODE128A for Code Set A
BarcodeType.CODE128B for Code Set B
BarcodeType.CODE128C for Code Set C

' Barcode symbology type. Code 128 supports types:
' CODE128, CODE128A, CODE128B, CODE128C.
code128.Type = BarcodeType.CODE128

Code 128 Function Characters Using VB.NET

Code 128 Function Characters (FNC) provide instructions to the barcode reading device for special operations and applications:

FNC1: Used for the GS1 system. Additional information on GS1-128 can be found separately.
FNC2: Used for message append functionality.
FNC3: Instructs the barcode reader to interpret the data from the symbol containing this character as initialization or reprogramming instructions.
FNC4: Represents an extended character set, with byte values 128 to 255 in ISO/IEC 8859-1 by default.

When using the BarcodeLib Code 128 barcode generator within VB.NET, WinForms, or WPF, it is not necessary to input function characters manually. The library handles their encoding automatically.

Code 128 Check Digit Character in VB.NET

A mandatory check digit (checksum) character is included in Code 128 barcodes, based on modulo 103 (mod 103). This check digit is not displayed in the human-readable interpretation (barcode text) and is not returned by the barcode decoder.

In the Linear barcode library class, the AddCheckSum property does not apply to Code 128. The library always calculates and appends a check digit character before the stop character.

How to Install

We provide detail user guide for how to generate Code 128 barcode iamges in ASP.NET, please see as blow (Two Methods Provided).

VB.NET Code 128 barcode generation through BarcodeLib Buildin ASP.NET Barcode Application.

Unzip the downloaded evaluation package, and copy barcode folder and its contents to your IIS folder, eg. C:\inetpub.
Create a new virtual directory in your IIS, name it "barcode", and connect it to the above "barcode" folder in inetpub.
Restart IIS for a Code 128 streaming test. Simply navigate to:
http://YourDomain:port/barcode/linear.aspx?Type=2&Data=CODE128&LeftMargin=10&RightMargin=10
Above is the encoded Code 128 barcode image. If you want to customize Code 128 image width & height, please view more web stream URL parameters for Code 128 here: .NET Code 128 Barcode Property Settings.
You can also insert this Code 128 image in your aspx or html page, simply pass the url to IMG tag or src value.
For example:
<img src=http://YourDomain:port/barcode/linear.aspx?Type=2&Data=CODE128&LeftMargin=10&RightMargin=10 />
This method will not generate any barcode images in your IIS server side.

VB.NET Code 128 barcodes encoding through ASP.NET Web Form Controller.

Intall ASP.NET barcode controller to your barcoding project by adding reference.
Add barcode library to your Visual Studio toolbox.
Open barcode in your unzipped trial package, and copy files "linear.aspx", "linear.aspx.cs" to the aspx page where you will be generating Code 128 images.
Now you can drag LinearASPNET to your ASP.NET web site, and change Code 128 settings through properties window on the right.
Run the project and a Code 128 barcode is generated on your aspx pages.
Or you may directly generate Code 128 barcodes using above free sample Visual Basic .NET code for your ASP.NET applications.

This guide has provided a comprehensive walkthrough for generating Code 128 barcodes using the BarcodeLib SDK in VB.NET, with particular attention to the flexibility of encoding all 128 ASCII characters and supporting tilde notation for special character representation.

These capabilities are well suited for integration into Windows Forms (WinForms) and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) desktop applications, enabling developers to incorporate high density linear barcode generation into their .NET projects. The included code example and list of supported symbologies serve as a practical reference for implementing barcode functionality across a variety of VB.NET application types.

VB.NET Code 128 Barcode Generator Control

Code 128 Barcode Data Characters Encoding Using VB.NET, WinForms, and WPF

Code 128 Data Character Set

Code 128 Data Code Sets in VB.NET

Code 128 Function Characters Using VB.NET

Code 128 Check Digit Character in VB.NET

How to Install

Summary