Barcode Education

Codabar is a variable length symbology capable of encoding 16 characters within any length message. Codabar can encode six special alphanumeric characters, capital letters A through D, and all numeric digits. Codabar symbology for any new applications today should not be considered except under unusual circumstances because it is limited and out-dated. Listed below are the options for the Codabar symbology.

Check Digit

A modulo 16 check character can be used to enhance data security for Codabar symbols. When this option is selected, the last digit of the symbol is assumed to be the check digit, and it is compared to a calculated check digit to verify the symbol.

Append

When this option is selected, a "D" stop character is used to indicate that the data from the symbol should be concatenated with data from an adjacent symbol with a "D" start character. This option can concatenate any number of Codabar symbols in a row up to the maximum message length. The "D" characters are omitted.

Traditional Names

The traditional names ascribed different start and stop characters. The start characters are "a", "b", "c", and "d". The stop characters are "t", "n", "*", and "e". When deselected, the start/stop characters are "A", "B", "C", and "D".