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Text File | 1991-07-13 | 23KB | 630 lines

K N O W - B A R S F O R C O D E 3 9 V E R S I O N 2 . 0 U S E R ' S M A N U A L C O M P U T E R R E S O U R C E S G R O U P 629 Silverdale Drive Claremont, CA 91711 Voice: (714) 624-8734 BBS: (714) 626-1054 07/13/91 KNOW-BARS SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT This is a legal agreement between you and COMPUTER RESOURCES GROUP. COMPUTER RESOURCES GROUP retains ownership of KNOW-BARS and it's associated files (the "SOFTWARE") and reserves all rights under the copyright laws of the United States of America. The SOFTWARE is li- censed to you for use under the following conditions: (1) You may freely use or copy the SOFTWARE. (2) You may freely distribute the SOFTWARE as long as is distributed unmodified, in its entirety, and free of charge. Shareware and Public Domain software distributors and Electronic Bulletin Board Systems may charge their standard distribution fees. (3) The SOFTWARE may NOT be embedded in other programs, in whole or in part, without the written consent of COMPUTER RESOURCES GROUP. (4) You may NOT decompile, disassemble, or create derivative works from the SOFTWARE. KNOW-BARS is offered "as-is." All warranties and representations of any kind with regard to KNOW-BARS are hereby disclaimed, including the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Under no circumstances will the manufacturer or developers of KNOW-BARS be liable for any consequential, incidental, special or exemplary damages occurring due to the use of KNOW-BARS. USER SUPPORT Users may obtain technical support by mail or through Computer Re- sources Group on line service, ZONE TWIXT THE BARS. The BBS is avail- able 24 hours a day Monday through Saturday. The system is down for maintenance Sunday from 7am 1pm Pacific Standard Time. To access ZONE TWIXT THE BARS, set your communications software to 8 data bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit and dial (714) 626-1054. TRADE MARKS KNOW-BARS, KNOW-WEDGE, and ZONE TWIXT THE BARS are registered trade- marks of Computer Resources Group. EPSON is a registered trademarks of Epson America, Incorporated. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCING KNOW-BARS...................................1 PURPOSE AND THEORY.................................1-1 FEATURES...........................................1-2 INSTALLING KNOW-BARS....................................2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS................................2-1 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION..............................2-1 INSTALLING KNOW-BARS MANUALLY.................2-1 INSTALLING KNOW-BARS AUTOMATICALLY............2-2 CONFIGURING KNOW-BARS...................................3 APPENDIX A: CHECK CHARACTER CALCULATION.................A MODULUS 43....................................A-1 WEIGHTED MODULUS 43...........................A-3 SECTION 1--INTRODUCTION 1-1 PURPOSE AND THEORY KNOW-BARS is a CODE 39 bar code printing utility for 9 and 24 pin dot matrix printers. Both Modulus 43 and Weighted Modulus 43 error check- ing schemes are supported. KNOW-BARS is freely distributed for the purpose of enhancing public awareness and use of bar coding and Auto ID. No contributions for use of this program are solicited and none will be accepted. KNOW-BARS may be used, freely, by any individual, business, or government agen- cy. Computer Resources Group is the developer of KNOW-WEDGE, the first all software solution to decoding bar codes. By eliminating the need for hardware decoders, Computer Resources Group has made possible the utilization of bar code technology in virtually every aspect of data collection. Advantages of decoding through software rather than hard- ware wedges include: 1) drastic reduction in the cost of bar coding. 2) superior reading performance. 3) elimination hardware maintenance and repairs costs. 4) increased overall system reliability (no hardware failures to to bring the system down). 5) hardware compatibility problems are eliminated. 6) permits customization through software rather than hardware switch settings. KNOW-WEDGE is a terminate and stay resident (TSR) program. Once loaded in memory it waits, quietly and transparently to other applica- tions, until it detects the operator reading a bar code. KNOW-WEDGE then springs alive, decoding the bars, and passing the information to the application via the keyboard buffer. This technique is vastly superior to today's "Wedges" (hardware decoders) because the full power of your computer is available to decode bars and provide addi- tional features not available with hardware wedges. Simply put, KNOW- WEDGE just works better--hardware decoders are unnecessary, slow, costly, unreliable, and finally--OBSOLETE! For more information on KNOW-WEDGE, bar code readers, or any related subject, give us a call on our voice line or log on to our 24-hour BBS support service, ZONE TWIXT THE BARS. The board has our evaluation software and other related files available for download. KNOW-BARS for CODE 39 version 2.0 1-2 KNOW-BARS FEATURES KNOW-BARS provides a simple method of printing CODE 39 bar codes on most 9 pin and 24 pin dot matrix printers. *- KNOW-BARS is menu driven with a user friendly visual interface. *- runs from diskette, hard drive, even from RAM disk. *- supports bar code concatenation. *- KNOW-BARS supports the most sophisticated error checking schemes. If selected either MODULUS 43 or WEIGHTED MODULUS 43 check charac- ters are automatically computed and appended to the bar code mes- sage. *- offers 5 label sizes *- print labels with or without bar code message. *- print labels with or without independent text. *- printers may be set to DRAFT, NEAR LETTER QUALITY, or PROPORTIONAL MODE. *- prints up to 999 labels. *- cost effective; KNOW-BARS is FREE! SECTION 2--INSTALLATION 2-1 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Minimum system requirements are any microcomputer with at least 256K of RAM, and an EPSON compatible 9 pin or 24-pin dot matrix printer. The operating system is assumed to be DOS 2.0 or higher. SOFTWARE INSTALLATION KNOW-BARS is not copy protected and will run from floppy, hard, or RAM drive. No special installation procedures are necessary. Just manually copy C39DM.EXE to any drive or directory. If you prefer you may use the included INSTALL program. If you want to invoke KNOW-BARS from any drive or directory, be sure to include the KNOW-BARS home directory in the PATH statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT, or it's equivalent. For example: PATH H:\BAT;C:\UTILS;C:\DOS;C:\UTILS\ARC;C:\KNOWBARS To start the program, at the DOS prompt enter the command: C39DM INSTALLING KNOW-BARS MANUALLY To install KNOW-BARS manually, create a KNOW-BARS directory and to it, copy the desired files. For example: assume the KNOW-BARS files are on drive G. You want to copy all of the files to a directory named KNOWBARS on drive C. Fri 07-12-1991 13:02:55.90 <G:\>MD C:\KNOWBARS Fri 07-12-1991 13:03:08.59 <G:\>COPY *.* C:\KNOWBARS KNOWBARS.MAN INSTALL.BAT C39DM.EXE INSTALL.COM 4 file(s) copied Fri 07-12-1991 13:03:40.45 <G:\> KNOW-BARS for CODE 39 version 2.0 2-2 INSTALLATION INSTALLING KNOW-BARS AUTOMATICALLY To use the KNOW-BARS installation program, make the drive and directo- ry that contain the KNOW-BARS files current, type INSTALL, and press enter. For example, assume the KNOW-BARS files are in your TEMP directory on drive G: 1) type G: and press ENTER (to make drive G current) 2) type CD G:\TEMP and press ENTER (change to your TEMP direc- tory 2) type INSTALL and press ENTER When KNOW-BARS has been installed successfully, a screen similar to FIGURE 1 will be displayed. K N O W - B A R S 2 . 0 . . Copyright (c) 1991 Computer Resources Group (714) 624-8734 . INSTALLING KNOW - BARS CREATING KNOW-BARS DIRECTORY ON DRIVE C (C:\KNOWBARS) . COPYING KNOW-BARS FILES TO C:\KNOWBARS . KNOWBARS.MAN INSTALL.BAT C39DM.EXE INSTALL.COM 4 file(s) copied . KNOW-BARS FILES SUCCESSFULLY COPIED TO C:\KNOWBARS Fri 07-12-1991 13:11:59.88 <G:\TEMP> SECTION 3--CONFIGURATION 3-1 KNOW-BARS prints Code 39 bar codes, a text line, and the text repre- sentation of the code on standard 15/16 inch labels. If desired, KNOW- BARS will calculate the Code 39 check character and automatically include it in the bar code. KNOW-BARS is quite flexible and can be easily configured to meet individual user requirements. KNOW-BARS is completely menu driven. The KNOW-BARS program, C39DM provides a powerful, user friendly, visual interface. It is so easy to operate, we suggest you stop right here and start using the pro- gram. KNOW-BARS will prompt you for all needed information. When C39DM is invoked, the KNOW-BARS OPENING SCREEN is displayed. You may press any key to proceed to KNOW-BARS DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION SCREEN, which is followed by the KNOW-BARS CONFIGURATION SCREENS. The KNOW-BARS CONFIGURATION SCREENS present each user selectable option in turn. The first screen allows printer selection, inclusion of a text line, check character implementation, and bar code size selection. If you press "Esc" at any time, you will be returned to the previous option. The second screen prompts for the bar code message; any independent text, and the number of labels required. Each option will be discussed in turn. 9-Pin Printer -- 24-Pin Printer -- Quit/DOS Select a printer or return to DOS. Use the space bar or right and left arrow keys to highlight your choice and press "Enter." Alterna- tively you may press "9" to select a 9 pin printer; "2" to select a 24 pin printer; or "Q" or "D" to return to DOS. Print a Text Line on Labels -- Don't Print a Text Line on Labels KNOW-BARS prints the text equivalent of the bar code message under each bar code automatically . You may also opt to include additional text, such as your company name or a product description, above the bar code. Use the space bar or right and left arrow keys to highlight your choice and press "Enter." Alternatively you may press "P" to print additional text or "D" to decline. Don't Include Check Characters -- Modulus 43 -- Weighted Modulus 43 Although CODE 39 is a self checking symbology, applications requiring extreme data security may resort to the use of a check character (See APPENDIX E). The check character is placed after the encoded data and before the stop character. KNOW-BARS for CODE 39 version 2.0 3-2 CONFIGURATION Two error checking schemes are supported, MODULUS 43 and WEIGHTED MODULUS 43. If you select either, KNOW-BARS will automatically calcu- late the correct check character and place it in its correct location at the end of your bar code message. MODULUS 43 - The check character is the modulus sum of all of the data character values. WEIGHTED MODULUS 43 - Similar to MODULUS 43, but considerably more robust, WEIGHTED MODULUS 43 differs in that the CHARACTER's VALUE is multiplied by a weighting constant and the respective products are summed. The result is then divided by 43 and the remainder is the VALUE of the CHARACTER. (See APPENDIX E). Use the space bar or right and left arrow keys to highlight your choice and press "Enter." Alternatively you may press "D" decline inclusion of a check character; "M" to select MODULUS 43; or "W" to select WEIGHTED MODULUS 43. Bar Code Size: 1 2 3 4 5 -- Print Labels w/out Bar Codes KNOW-BARS allows the user to select the size (density) of the bar code message or to do away with it all together. Size "1" is the smallest (highest density) and size "5" is the largest (lowest density). Text is not affected by bar code size. You can calculate the approximate size of a given bar code by considering the following: BAR CODE CHARACTERS SIZE PER INCH 1 5 2 3.5 3 3 4 2.5 5 2 Use the space bar or right and left arrow keys to highlight your choice and press "Enter." Alternatively you may press any number between 1 and 5 to select a size, or "P" to print text only. KNOW-BARS for CODE 39 version 2.0 3-3 CONFIGURATION ENTER/SCAN BAR CODE: Either scan a bar code or enter the bar code message to be printed. CODE 39 accepts letters (UPPER case only), numbers (0-9), and eight special characters: 1) space { } (represented by a dot) 2) dash {-} 3) period {.} 4) dollar {$} 5) percent {%} 6) plus {+} 7) slash {/} 8) asterisk {*} Note: The "*" is the Code 39 start and stop character. The program automatically includes this for you. Do not place an "*" in the middle of a code or your reader will stop reading when it reaches it. TEXT LINE: If you chose Print a Text Line on Labels on the previous screen, you will be prompted for a TEXT LINE. Up to 49 characters are allowed. NUMBER OF LABELS TO PRINT Enter the number of bar codes you want to print. CONCATENATION. Space constraints or bar code input device capabilities may make it preferable or necessary to separate long bar codes into multiple linked messages. KNOW-BARS fully supports the Code 39 concatenation rules that allow the linking together of two or more bar code mes- sages. If you are using KNOW-WEDGE or other bar code reading software that recognizes Code 39 concatenation rules (most hardware decoders or wedges do not), simply use a space as the first data character of a bar code message. The data elements (excluding the space) will be passed to the keyboard buffer, by the bar code reading software, without a separating delimiter. This continues with each successive read until a bar code without a leading space is encountered. When this happens, the final bar code message receives a delimiter as it is passed to the keyboard buffer, thus, completing the linked bar code message. The KNOW-BARS concatenation feature is completely automatic. APPENDIX A -- CHECK CHARACTERS A-1 Although CODE 39 is a self checking symbology, applications requiring extreme data security may resort to the use of a check character. Check characters are special encoded characters used to provide an increased level of data security. The check character is placed immediately after the data and before the stop character. When a bar code is read, the program performs a mathematical calculation (ex- plained below) to decode the check character. If the check character calculation does not match up to the preceding data, then the bar code message is not passed to the program. The user must scan the bar code again and obtain a good read. KNOW-BARS supports two types of data checking, Modulus 43 and Weighted Modulus 43. MODULUS 43 The check character is the modulus sum of all of the data character VALUES (see TABLE 1). To calculate the check character, sum the VALUE of each data element and divide the result by 43. Note the remainder. The check character is the CHARACTER whose VALUE is the remainder. The following two examples illustrate the concept. EXAMPLE I KNOW-WEDGE K N O W space - space W E D G E 20 + 23 + 24 + 32 + 38 + 36 + 38 + 32 + 14 + 13 + 16 + 14 = 300 300 is divisible by 43 6 times, leaving a remainder of 42. The CHARACTER associated with the VALUE 42 is %. Hence the check character for KNOW-BARS is %. EXAMPLE II CODE 39 C O D E space 3 9 12 + 24 + 13 + 14 + 38 + 3 + 9 = 113 113 is divisible by 43 twice, leaving a remainder of 27. The CHARACTER associated with the VALUE 27 is R. Hence the check character for CODE 39 is R. KNOW-BARS for CODE 39 version 2.0 A-2 CHARACTER VALUES FOR CODE 39 CHARACTER SET /---------------------------------------------------------------\ |CHARACTER|VALUE|CHARACTER|VALUE|CHARACTER|VALUE|CHARACTER|VALUE| |---------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | 0 | 0 | B | 11 | M | 22 | X | 33 | |---------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 | C | 12 | N | 23 | Y | 34 | |---------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | 2 | 2 | D | 13 | O | 24 | Z | 35 | |---------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | 3 | 3 | E | 14 | P | 25 | - | 36 | |---------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | 4 | 4 | F | 15 | Q | 26 | . | 37 | |---------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | 5 | 5 | G | 16 | R | 27 | SPACE | 38 | |---------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | 6 | 6 | H | 17 | S | 28 | $ | 39 | |---------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | 7 | 7 | I | 18 | T | 29 | / | 40 | |---------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | 8 | 8 | J | 19 | U | 30 | + | 41 | |---------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | 9 | 9 | K | 20 | V | 31 | % | 42 | |---------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | A | 10 | L | 21 | W | 32 | | | \---------------------------------------------------------------/ TABLE 1 KNOW-BARS for CODE 39 version 2.0 A-3 WEIGHTED MODULUS 43 Similar to MODULUS 43, but considerably more robust, WEIGHTED MODULUS 43 differs in that the CHARACTER's VALUE is multiplied by a weighting constant and the respective products are summed. The result is then divided by 43 and the remainder is the VALUE of the CHARACTER. The weighting constant is a number from 1 to 43, derived from the position of the data character. The weighting factor is assigned from right to left. The last data character has a weighting factor of 1, the second from the last data character has a weighting factor of 2, the third from the last data character has a weighting factor of 3, and so on. The following two examples illustrate the concept. EXAMPLE I KNOW-WEDGE K N O W space - space W E D G E 20 23 24 32 38 36 38 32 14 13 16 14 VALUE x12 x11 x10 x9 x8 x7 x6 x5 x4 x3 x2 x1 FACTOR 240 +253 +240 +288 +304 +252 +228 +160 + 56 + 39 + 32 + 14 = 2106 2106 is divisible by 43 48 times, leaving a remainder of 42 The CHARACTER associated with the VALUE 42 is %. Hence the check character for KNOW-BARS is %. EXAMPLE II CODE 39 C O D E space 3 9 12 24 13 14 38 3 9 VALUE x7 x6 x5 x4 x3 x2 x1 FACTOR 84 +144 + 65 + 56 +114 + 6 + 9 = 478 478 is divisible by 43 11 times, leaving a remainder of 5. The CHARACTER associated with the VALUE 5 is 5. Hence the check character for CODE 39 is 5.