Aztec Code

Aztec Code is one of the types of barcodes that can be added to a template; see Barcode.

The barcode can be added either using the Barcode toolbar button or through selecting Insert > Barcode on the menu; see Adding a barcode.

To change a barcode's properties, such as the scale and color, open the Barcode properties dialog: right-click the barcode (on the Design tab in the Workspace) and select the Barcode... option in the context menu.

This topic lists the properties and output options of the Aztec Code barcode type. For the properties of other barcode types, see Barcode type and properties.

Barcode properties

Module size

Enter the size of the square modules in pixels.

Configuration type

Use the drop-down to select the format type used when creating the barcode: only full range format, only compact formats, or any format.

Preferred configuration

Use the drop-down to select the preferred format for the barcode. Note that the barcode generator may choose a different format if the data cannot be represented by the preferred format.

Encoding

Use the drop-down to select the encoding type:

  • Normal can encode any character but is not very efficient for encoding binary values (above 128).

  • Binary is to be used only if the data contains many bytes/characters above 128.

Error Correction Level

This option reserves a percentage of the symbol capacity for error correction. The recommended percentage for this type of barcode is 23.

Rune

When set to a value between 0 and 255, an Aztec Rune corresponding to the selected value is created. Set the Rune to -1 to disable this feature.

Scale

Defines if and how the rendered barcode is scaled in relation to the parent element:

  • None: The barcode is rendered based on the module width.

  • Proportional: The barcode is stretched up to where it fits either the width or height of the parent box, whichever requires the less stretching.

Tilde processing

Check this option to process tilde (~) characters in the data as special characters. (See the Java4less Barcodes Guide to learn what the tilde character can be used for.)
The tilde is expected to be followed by the 'd' character and 3 digits representing an ASCII character: ~dNNN . For example, ~d013 represents a carriage return.
Note that with this option checked, any tilde that needs to be included in the output must be escaped by adding another tilde: ~~.

Barcode output

Color

The Color group allows you to choose a different Barcode color (instead of black) and Background color (instead of white), by typing a hexadecimal color value (see for example w3school's color picker).

When black is a composite of CMYK or RGB values, it may incur a color click charge on some printers. Check the Output in Grayscale option to make sure that pure black is used.

Output format

Defines how the barcode is output on the page. There are two possible formats:

  • SVG: Vector format. This is usually of higher quality, but may take longer to generate and is not compatible with Email output.

  • PNG: Binary rasterized format. This has a slightly lower quality than SVG but is usually generated faster and will display properly in Email output.