News

The latest news on developments with the barcode toolkits.

March 2008: OnLine Barcode Reader Added to Web Site

An online barcode reader page has been added to the web site. This uses the SoftekBarcodeWeb ActiveX control to read barcodes from files using javascript in a web page. more...

January 2008: Version 7.1.2 of the Windows Toolkit Released

Code 39 - read rate increased for poor quality barcodes.

TifSplitPath - output file names (when splitting a multi-page TIF into sub-files) can now include the value of a barcode found in the document, rather than just an index number.

Speckled Images - the toolkit is now able to handle many speckled images using default settings.

June 2007: Version 7.1 of the Windows Toolkit and PDF Extension Released

Version 7.1 contains support for XML, CSV and Java, with improvements to Code 39, Code 25 and PDF-417 recognition...

1. Median Filter The Median Filter option is another method of cleaning noisy images. It's more versatile than the noise reduction filters because it isn't restricted to a single orientation, although it isn't recomended for low resolution images.

2. XML Interface Added
2.1 Using an XML File to Control Properties It is now possible to load settings for the toolkit from an XML file. What's more, it is also possible to define groups of settings, to be applied successively to an image until a barcode is found. Groups of settings can also be targetted at particular pages in an image. See the manual pages for LoadXMLSettings and ExportXMLSettings for more details.
2.2 Exporting Results to an XML or CSV File The SaveResults method can be used to export barcode values and locations to an XML or CSV file. See the manual page for SaveResults for more details.
2.3 Using an XML File to Specify Files or Folders to be Processed. An XML file can also be used to spedify files and folders for the toolkit to scan, with the results written to another XML file or a CSV file. Note that this does not currently support PDF files. See the manual page for ProcessXML for more details.

3. Java Interface The toolkit is now provided with a Java class, which can be found in the java folder under the installation folder. Please see the README file in the Java folder for more details on the supported properties and methods.

4. Code 25 character width tolerance The allowed variation in width for Code 25 characters in barcodes of more than 6 characters has been increased.

5. Extra wide spaces The toolkit now handles barcodes with an exceptionally high ratio between the first black bar and first white space.

6. Auto Color Threshold Calculation Improved The automatic calculation of the value for color threshold has been imrpoved.

7. PDF-417 Recognition An improvement has been made to the PDF-417 algorithm, which allows it to recognise much lower resolution images than was previously possible. A logic error has also been fixed in the decoding alogorithm for byte compacted data.

8. Code 39 Recognition A small improvement has been made to the Code 39 algorithm to handle barcodes with a low ratio between the wide and narrow bars.

March 2007: Perl Module Released

Linux, Solaris and OSX developers in Perl can now use the SoftekBarcode module to interface directly with the toolkit.

March 2007: Solaris Sparc Version of the JNI Library Released

The Java interface to the toolkit has been enhanced with the addition of the Solaris Sparc JNI library. The library is included in the free java download.

March 2007: Barcode Reader for Solaris Sparc

Version 7.0.8 has been released for Solaris Sparc.

February 2007: Java Add-On Released

The Softek.Barcode Class allows you to read barcodes from images in Java applications. The Add-On includes jni libraries for windows, linux and osx. More...

February 2007: Softek Software in Top 25 Publishers

Strong sales of the barcode reading sdk in 2006 have put Softek Software in the ComponentSource list of Top 25 best selling publishers.

October 2006: PDF-417 Support included in Standard Version

The Softek Barcode Reader Toolkit now reads normal and 2-Dimensional barcodes from images and bitmaps. The toolkit currently supports PDF-417 and Compact PDF-417 barcode formats. More....

June 2006: Visual Studio LoaderLock Error Fixed

A fix is now available for the LoaderLock error experienced by Visual Studio 2005 users when working with the SoftekBarcodeLib class library. Registered users should contact support@bardecode.com for an updated component and evaluating users can download the latest 30 day evaluation from the download page. Because the new version of the class library will not work in Visual Studio 2003, we have called it SoftekBarcodeLib2 and developers will need to change the reference in their projects and replace "SoftekBarcodeLib" with "SoftekBarcodeLib2" in their code.

March 2006: New support forum available.

A new support bulletin board is now available for Softek Software products. Be the first to post a message!

February 2006: Version 6.2.0 Released for Linux, OSX and Solaris x86

The latest version of the toolkit is now available for Solaris 10 on the Intel platform. An evaluation version is now available from our download page.

January 2006: Win32 Version of DLL Available on Request

Registered users of Version 6.2.0 can now ask for a Win32 version of the SoftekBarcode.dll file. Please contact support@bardecode.com for a copy.

January 2006: Regular Expression Matching

A new feature in Version 6.2.0 is Regular Expression matching, but what does it mean and what use is it?

A regular expression is a pattern that can be used to match against a barcode string. For example, if you set the Pattern property to "^ABC[0-9]+XYZ$" then the toolkit will only report barcodes that start with "ABC", followed by one or more digits and end with "XYZ". This useful because you can reduce the chance of false positive readings or ignore barcodes from other sources. If you know the format of the barcode string you expect then it's always worth setting this property.

January 2006: Softek Barcode Reader for Windows 30 Day Evaluation

It's now easier to evaluate the Barcode Reader Toolkit. The evaluation download will provide complete functionality for 30 days from installation. No more nag screens!

January 2006: Softek Barcode Reader for Windows Version 6.2.0 Released

Version 6.2.0 of the Barcode Reader Toolkit is now available. Highlights in this version are improved performance and regular expression matching. There have also been improvements in accuracy for Code 25, Code 128 and Code 39 barcodes.

1. Code 39 Recognition. Further enhancements have been made to Code 39 recognition: If the Code39Checksum property is set to True then the toolkit will only report Code 39 barcodes where the last character is a valid checksum for the rest of the string. If the ExtendedCode39 property is set to True then the toolkit will attempt to interpret the barcode in the Code 39 Extended symbol set.
2. Code 25 Recognition. The Code 25 recognition module has been modified to allow for barcodes where the width of a module for a bar may be different to that of a space.
3. Regular Expression Matching. The Pattern property now allows applications to specify a regular expression that all reported barcodes must match against. For example, Pattern = "^ABC[0-9]+XYZ$" would match barcodes similar to "ABC123456XYZ". If the related property called Numeric is set to True then it is the equivalent of setting Pattern to "^[0-9]+$".
4. Improved Code 128 Recognition. The Code 128 recognition module has been improved to cope with barcodes where the bar widths have been distorted by the process of scanning or faxing.
5. Error Correction. If the ErrorCorrection property is set to True then the toolkit will attempt to find the best match for a barcode character where it is practical to do so. This currently only applies to Code 39 barcodes, but will be extended to other types in the future.
6. Minimum Space Bar Width. The MinSpaceBarWidth property specifies the smallest width of a space in a barcode. Any spaces smaller than this width will be ignored by the toolkit. This is very useful when a scanned image contains lots of white dots in the black bars. Setting the property to a value of 2 or 3 can often result in a reliable read for such images.
7. Control over PDF Conversion. Where the PDF Extension to the toolkit is installed, it is now possible to control the resolution and color depth of the image created from the PDF file, and used to locate the barcodes. This allows applications to control the speed and accuracy of the process. The PdfBpp property controls the number of bits-per-pixel of the converted image (1, 8 or 24) and PdfDpi controls the number of dots per inch of the converted image. Lower values for either property lead to an increase in speed.
8. Default value of LineJump property has been changed from 9 to 1.
9. Improvement in speed Optimization in the Code 25, Code 39 and Code 128 module has given a significant improvement in speed.

November 11th 2005: Softek Barcode Maker Active X Control Released

The Softek Barcode Maker Active X control is an easy way to print barcodes from VB, Word and Excel. This new product currently supports Code 39, Code 25 and Code128 (types A, B and C). More ... or   Download.

September 15th 2005: Version 6.1.1 for Linux is Released

The Linux variant of the Barcode Reader Toolkit Version 6.1.1 has now been released.

September 1st 2005: Version 6.1.1 for Windows Released

1. PDF Conversion - The ScanBarCode method now uses the PDF Extension to convert the pdf document at 8 bits per pixel.
2. ZIP Compression - The toolkit now supports TIF documents that use ZIP compression.
3. ScanDirection Mask Change - The managed component interface has been modified to interpret the ScanDirection mask in the same way as the standard windows dll. This may mean that some applications will need changing if they use the managed component and set a non-default value for the mask. If in doubt then please contact support@bardecode.com for further information.
4. Percentage mapping Mode for SetScanRect - A new mapping mode is now available for SetScanRect. If a value of 1 ise used for the mapping mode then the units are treated as a percentage of the width or height of the image.
5. SoftekATL COM Object Trial Version - The trial version of the SoftekATL COM Object has been modified to prevent the display of the trial version dialog box, which caused problems for web servers. The new trial version replaces the last 3 characters of the barcode with a * character.
6. HBITMAP and DIB Support in the Managed Component - The managed component interface now supports the ScanBarCodeFromBitmap and ScanBarCodeFromDIB methods.
7. UPC-E Recognition - A bug that prevented the recognition of valid UPC-E barcodes has been fixed.
8. Images with Small Height - The toolkit now correctly handles images with a height of less than 4 pixels.
9. Old JPEG Compression - If a TIF file contains pages that use old jpeg compression then the return value will either be the number of barcodes found on other pages or, if no other barcodes were found, a value of -5.
10. Code 39 and Code 25 Recognition - The algorithms for Code 39 and Code 25 have been improved to cope better with poor quality barcodes.
11. Memory Leak in the .Net Component - A memory leak has been fixed in the .Net component. The memory was leaked each time an instance of the component was destroyed.

January 13th 2005:  PDF Support Available

A new product has been launched that adds PDF capability to the standard version of the windows toolkit. more...

January 13th 2005: New Windows Version

Version 6.1.0 of the barcode toolkit has been released. Changes for this version include:

• Massively improved performance for processing TIF documents.
• Support for Code 25 non-interleaved barcode format.
• Full multi-page support for the Managed Component.

October 1st 2004: GIF File Support.

The next version of the toolkit will include support for GIF images. If you would like a pre-release copy for this version then please email sales@bardecode.com.

September 24th 2004: New Windows Version.

Version 6.09 of the Windows toolkit is now available. Click here for release notes.

September 17th 2004: Apple OS X Version

The barcode toolkit has been ported to Apple OS X and is available for download.

September 8th 2004: New Linux Version.

Version 6.09 of the Linux toolkit is now available. This version includes a shared version of the library and improved Codabar recognition. Download Version 6.09 for Linux.

September 6th 2004: New Release due in September

The next release of the barcode reading toolkit will be made available during September. Version 6.09 will include the following changes:

• Both shared and static versions of the library available for Linux.
• The Codabar recognition module upgraded to the same standard as the Code 39 and Code 25 modules.
• RGBA Color (32 bit) bitmaps handled correctly by the ScanBarcodeFromBitmap function.