How to Generate Barcodes with Aspose.BarCode FOSS

Problem

Generate 1D and 2D barcodes from data strings using Aspose.BarCode FOSS for Python. The library provides per-symbology helper functions (code128(), qr(), ean13(), etc.) and a generic generate() function that accepts a symbology name string.

import aspose_barcode_foss as barcode

bc = barcode.code128("Hello World")
svg = bc.to_svg()

Prerequisites

Python 3.12 or later
pip package manager
aspose-barcode-foss installed via pip install aspose-barcode-foss

Using Per-Symbology Helpers

Each supported symbology has a dedicated helper function that returns a Barcode object. The helper validates input and selects the correct encoder automatically.

import aspose_barcode_foss as barcode

# 1D barcodes
bc_128 = barcode.code128("ABC-123")
bc_39 = barcode.code39("HELLO")
bc_ean13 = barcode.ean13("590123412345")
bc_ean8 = barcode.ean8("1234567")
bc_upca = barcode.upca("01234567890")
bc_upce = barcode.upce("012345")

# 2D barcode
bc_qr = barcode.qr("https://example.com")

Using the Generic Generate Function

The generate() function accepts a symbology name string as its first argument. This is useful when the symbology is determined at runtime.

import aspose_barcode_foss as barcode

bc = barcode.generate("code128", "Dynamic data")
svg = bc.to_svg()

# Also works with other symbology names
bc_qr = barcode.generate("qr", "https://example.com")
bc_ean = barcode.generate("ean13", "590123412345")

Combining Generation with Encode Options

Pass an encode parameter to control symbology-specific options during generation.

import aspose_barcode_foss as barcode
from aspose_barcode_foss import QrOptions, QrErrorCorrectionLevel

bc = barcode.qr(
    "https://example.com",
    encode=QrOptions(error_correction_level=QrErrorCorrectionLevel.Q),
)
svg = bc.to_svg()

Reading the Encoded Symbol

The Barcode object exposes a symbol property of type EncodedSymbol, which contains the matrix (a ModuleMatrix with the module grid) and metadata (a SymbolMetadata with the symbology name, display text, and normalized data).

import aspose_barcode_foss as barcode

bc = barcode.code128("Test")
symbol = bc.symbol

# Access the module matrix
print(f"Width: {symbol.matrix.width}")
print(f"Height: {symbol.matrix.height}")

# Access symbol metadata
print(f"Symbology: {symbol.metadata.symbology}")
print(f"Display text: {symbol.metadata.display_text}")

Saving the Output

After generating a Barcode, call to_svg() for an SVG string or to_png() for PNG bytes. Write the result to a file.

import aspose_barcode_foss as barcode

bc = barcode.code128("SAVE-ME")

# Save as SVG
with open("barcode.svg", "w") as f:
    f.write(bc.to_svg())

# Save as PNG
with open("barcode.png", "wb") as f:
    f.write(bc.to_png())

Supported Symbologies

Symbology	Type	Helper Function	Options Class
Code 128	1D	`code128()`	`Code128Options`
Code 39	1D	`code39()`	`Code39Options`
EAN-13	1D	`ean13()`	`Ean13Options`
EAN-8	1D	`ean8()`	`Ean8Options`
QR Code	2D	`qr()`	`QrOptions`
UPC-A	1D	`upca()`	`UpcaOptions`
UPC-E	1D	`upce()`	`UpceOptions`