Barcode Column

The Barcode column and its formula counterpart allow the entry of specific codes via an input field on the edit form. These codes are then displayed as QR codes or barcode images on views, in the record preview form, and documents.

The Barcode Column supports most of the up-to-date industrial and retail 1D barcodes. These include QR Code, EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8, UPC-E, Interleaved 2-of-5, and Standard 2-of-5, which are all-digit codes. Additionally, Code 128, Code 93, and Code 39 can be used to display alphanumeric inputs.

While editing, TeamDesk performs basic validation for allowed characters and checks for matching digits according to the barcode type.

For output, TeamDesk generates vector-based images (which scale perfectly) for both web pages and documents.

Barcodes in the products list

General Properties

General properties

If the column contains data that doesn’t appear or behave the way you want, you can edit the column’s General Properties as well as the properties defined by the column type.

Barcode Options

Barcode options

Type
Select the barcode type from the available list:
Help
When the Help text property is filled in, a question mark is displayed near the field name on the View/Edit form. Hovering over this question mark will display a pop-up with a tip or help text message.

Barcode Dimensions

Please note that on web pages, barcode images are generated using the most compact presentation. The narrow bar is exactly 1 pixel wide, and the height is set to either 15% of the width or to 1/4 inch, whichever is larger.

By default, documents follow the same convention. You can override the default size by specifying the desired dimensions via field code. However, to avoid subpixel rendering, horizontal scaling is performed in multiples of the minimal width (2x width, 3x width, and so forth). If the specified dimensions are not sufficient to display the image, #ERR is displayed instead.

QR Codes

QR codes use a rather complex text encoding scheme. There are many ways to encode the same text, and some ways are more efficient than others. While we strive to make the most of the input text, certain transformations cannot be done without your consent. For example, uppercase letters take up less space than lowercase letters. When encoding a link to your website, consider uppercasing the address and using case-insensitive parameters.
For instance, the two QR codes below demonstrate this difference:

Barcode uppercase

Barcode lowercase

A side note: we use error correction level M for our QR code implementation, allowing up to 15% of data to be restored if the printed QR code is damaged.

QR Codes and Links

While you can encode links to open your favorite websites using QR codes, there are a couple of other link types that might be useful, especially on mobile devices. However, please note that support for these link types may vary depending on the mobile OS and scanner application.