Description of GS1-128, EAN/UCC-128, EAN-128, UCC-128
There can be coded more than one data field inside one barcode. For example a food palette gets a barcode with the product number (e.g. the EAN 13 number) and additional the weight and the pull date.
To code this different data field inside one barcode the GS1-128 or EAN/UCC-128 codes used the international standard of Application Identifiers (AI). A barcode could look like this:
The numbers inside the brackets are the
Application Identifiers (AI) and the data behind are the data for this AI.
The brackets are only used for the human readable line of the barcode. There are not coded!
The AI "(01)" defines that the product code follows. This product code is always 14 digits long. This length
is specified with the AI. This 14 data digits follow directly to the AI. After the product code of 14 digits, the
next AI follows. In this example it's the pull date, specified with the AI "(15)". This one is always 6 digits long
and must be specified using the mask YYMMTT. In this example the date is 31st December 2005
How do I create such a barcode with ActiveBarcode?
ActiveBarcode offers you a very easy form of this GS1-128 or EAN/UCC-128 code: The "EAN/UCC 128 AI" type. You simply
enter the human readable line including the brackets: e.g. (01)01234567890128(15)051231. ActiveBarcode
removes the brackets and codes the EAN/UCC 128 code correct as 010123456789012815051231.
If you are using AI's that have a variable length of data, you may be forced to use the control character
FNC1 before the next AI to close the current AI. This control character "tells" the scanner that this AI
is closed and a new one will follow.
Example: You want a code containing the Number in parts (AI #30) and the serial number (AI #21):
In this example the "number of parts" is 19 and the serial number is 123456789012. The "number of parts"
can be up to 8 digits long. So we code a FNC1 after the 9 to let the scanner know, that the AI is closed
here now and a new one follows. To create a FNC1 with ActiveBarcode simply enter
<FNC1> into the text property as shown in this example:
(30)19<FNC1>(21)123456789012
More information about this can be found at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EAN-128
Technical data
Valid characters: | alphanumeric |
Length: | Variable with no fixed length. |
Check digit: |
Calculated according to Modulo 103 ActiveBarcode calculates the check digit automatically. |
Type#: |
EAN/UCC-128 - #15 - CODEEAN128 EAN/UCC-128 AI - #28 - CODEEAN128AI GS1-128 - #108 CODEGS1128 |