Code 128 Barcode string encode with ColdFusion

There are multiple ways to generate Code 128 barcodes. Barcode4j and Barbecue are two wonderful java projects that we can use with ColdFusion; both of them generate a barcode that can be saved as image files. Code 128 barcode also can be draw using a Code 128 barcode font. They are not that difficult to find, and there are even free Code 128 barcode fonts.

I guess different situations favor font over images or vice-versa. But as I’ve been working on an InDesign server project, I chose to go with the Code 128 font. With this font I can pass my barcode string and the font will draw it – if designers wish to change the size or other properties, they’ll still have the freedom to do so. But with images, I have to generate image files in the exact size, so all of them will link inside the document.

Unlike Code 39, Code 128 is high-density barcode and it stores an “encoded” string with start character, check character and a stopper. If you are using Barcode4j or Barbecue, you can pass the natural string and it will encode the string and generate the barcode image for you. But if you are using a font, you must encode the string into Code 128 format first. That’s the job of the following function. Pass a string, get it encoded, and pass that to your Code 128 font.

   1: <cffunction name="code128Encode" returntype="string" output="No">

   2:  <cfargument name="string" required="no" type="string" default="">

   3: <cfif REFind('^[0-9]+$',arguments.string)>

   4:  <!--- *********************************************************** --->

   5:  <!--- code128c : numbers only --->

   6:  <!--- *********************************************************** --->

   7:  <cfset local.startChr = 205>

   8:  <cfset local.endChr = 206>

   9:  <cfif len(arguments.string) mod 2>

  10:  <cfset arguments.string = "0#arguments.string#">

  11:  </cfif>

  12:  <cfset local.stringTotal = local.startChr - 100>

  13:  <cfset local.count = 1>

  14:  <cfset local.encoded = "">

  15:  <cfloop from="2" to="#len(arguments.string)#" step="2" index="i">

  16:  <cfset local.letter = (( asc(mid(arguments.string,i-1,1)) -48)*10) + ( asc(mid(arguments.string,i,1)) -48)>

  17:  <cfif val(local.letter)>

  18:  <cfif local.letter lt 95>

  19:  <cfset local.encoded = "#local.encoded##chr(local.letter + 32)#">

  20:  <cfelse>

  21:  <cfset local.encoded = "#local.encoded##chr(local.letter + 100)#">

  22:  </cfif>

  23:  <cfelse>

  24:  <cfset local.encoded = "#local.encoded##chr(194)#">

  25:  </cfif>

  26:  <cfset local.stringTotal = local.stringTotal + (local.letter * local.count)>

  27:  <cfset local.count = local.count + 1>

  28:  </cfloop>

  29:  <cfset local.chkChrVal = int(local.stringTotal mod 103)>

  30:  <cfif val(local.chkChrVal)>

  31:  <cfif local.chkChrVal lt 95>

  32:  <cfset local.chkChr = local.chkChrVal + 32>

  33:  <cfelse>

  34:  <cfset local.chkChr = local.chkChrVal + 100>

  35:  </cfif>

  36:  <cfelse>

  37:  <cfset local.chkChr = 194>

  38:  </cfif>

  39:  <cfset arguments.string = "#chr(local.startChr)##local.encoded##chr(local.chkChr)##chr(local.endChr)# ">

  40:  <cfreturn arguments.string>

  41:  <cfelse>

  42:  <!--- *********************************************************** --->

  43:  <!--- code128a and code128b --->

  44:  <!--- *********************************************************** --->

  45:  <cfif REFind('^[\x00-\x1F]',arguments.string)>

  46:  <!--- code128a : numbers, upper-case letters, and controls --->

  47:  <cfset local.startChr = 203>

  48:  <cfset local.endChr = 206>

  49:  <cfelse>

  50:  <!--- code128b : numbers, upper- and lower-case letters --->

  51:  <cfset local.startChr = 204>

  52:  <cfset local.endChr = 206>

  53:  </cfif>

  54:  <cfset local.string = "">

  55:  <cfloop from="1" to="#len(arguments.string)#" index="i">

  56:  <cfset local.letter = mid(arguments.string,i,1)>

  57:  <cfset local.thisasc = asc(local.letter)>

  58:  <cfif local.thisasc LT 32>

  59:  <!--- handle special characters --->

  60:  <cfif not StructKeyExists(local,'setA') and local.startChr gt 203>

  61:  <cfset local.string = "#local.string##Chr(201)##Chr( local.thisasc + 96)#">

  62:  <cfset local.setA = "">

  63:  <cfelse>

  64:  <cfset local.string = "#local.string##Chr( local.thisasc + 96)#">

  65:  </cfif>

  66:  <cfelse>

  67:  <cfset local.string = "#local.string##local.letter #">

  68:  </cfif>

  69:  </cfloop>

  70:  <cfset arguments.string = local.string>

  71: 

  72:  <cfset local.stringTotal = local.startChr - 100>

  73: <cfloop from="1" to="#len(arguments.string)#" index="i">

  74:  <cfset local.letter = asc(mid(arguments.string,i,1))>

  75:  <cfif local.letter lt 135 >

  76:  <cfset local.letter = local.letter - 32>

  77:  <cfelseif local.letter gt 134 >

  78:  <cfset local.letter = local.letter - 100>

  79:  </cfif>

  80:  <cfset local.letter = local.letter * i>

  81:  <cfset local.stringTotal = local.stringTotal + local.letter>

  82:  </cfloop>

  83:  <cfset local.chkChrVal = int(local.stringTotal mod 103)>

  84:  <cfif val(local.chkChrVal)>

  85:  <cfif local.chkChrVal lt 95>

  86:  <cfset local.chkChr = local.chkChrVal + 32>

  87:  <cfelse>

  88:  <cfset local.chkChr = local.chkChrVal + 100>

  89:  </cfif>

  90:  <cfelse>

  91:  <cfset local.chkChr = 194>

  92:  </cfif>

  93:  <cfset arguments.string = replace(arguments.string,' ',chr(194),'all')>

  94: <cfset arguments.string = "#chr(local.startChr)##arguments.string##chr(local.chkChr)##chr(local.endChr)# ">

  95:  <cfreturn arguments.string>

  96:  </cfif>

  97: </cffunction>

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