N.B.: All DDE examples are for B-Coder Pro. B-Coder Lite does not support DDE.

Prompt For A Bar Code Message
This macro launches B-Coder if it is not already running and then pops up a dialog box for input of a bar code message. After the user enters a bar code message, the macro changes the bar code message in B-Coder to the message entered, generates the bar code and finally copies the bar code into the open document in the WordPerfect window.

Insert a barcode in the Footer of your documents

Similar to the PromptForBarCode Macro below, this macro asks you for the data to encode, then inserts your barcode in the footer of your document. (This can easily be modified to insert data into the Header, instead!).

Download the Word 97/2000 Template that will allow you to install all of the macros described below and more:

Convert Selected Text To A Bar Code (TextToBarCode)
This macro converts any selected text to a bar code.
To convert selected text to a bar code:

• Choose the font size equivalent to the height that you want your bar code to be. There are 72 points per inch, therefore if you want a one-inch bar code, change the font size to 72. Note: if the font size is less than 18, a quarter inch high bar code will be produced.
• Run the TextToBarCode macro by clicking on the small bar code icon in the Word toolbar or by selecting the "AXTextToBarCode" macro from the "Tools" menu.

Prompt For A Bar Code Message (PromptForBarCode)
This macro pops open a dialog box asking you to enter a bar code message, and choose other settings for your barcode. After you enter in the message, the dialog box disappears and a bar code is inserted in your document wherever the cursor is.

Adding Bar Codes To Labels or a Mail Merge Document In Word (MergeBarCodes)
This macro searches through a document and converts any text that has been formatted with any of the installed bar code styles to a bar code. When you install the bar code macros, you will be prompted to select the bar code styles that you would like to use. Each style represents a different type of bar code that you can create. Please refer to the on-line help file to learn more about all the different types of bar codes that you can create with the TAL Bar Code ActiveX.

This macro is ideal for use with mail merge documents. When you create your main "merge document" with the mail merge tool in Word, select any "Insert Fields" or static text that you want converted to a bar code and change its style to any of the installed bar code styles. Next, run your mail merge and merge to a "New Document". Finally, run the MergeBarCodes macro to fill in bar codes in the resulting merged document.
The bar code styles must be applied to the merge template prior to the actual merge between the template and the merge data. The template and the data must be merged to a new document.

Note: Since Word styles apply to an entire line or cell, ensure that each piece of information that you want bar coded is alone on a separate line, or in separate cells of a table.

Bar Code Label Generator (MakeBarCodeLabels)

This macro uses the label tool in Word along with B-Coder to create bar code labels using almost any standard label stock available for both inkjet and laser printers. This macro allows you to create single labels, multiple labels with the same bar code on each label or multiple labels with incrementally numbered bar codes. This is a very powerful macro with many options and it is also a great example of what you can do with Word and B-Coder.

Convert a Field in a Table to Barcodes using B-Coder
The following page contains two example MS Access functions that fill up a picture field (an OLE object field) in an MS Access database table with bar codes.

Download database examples for Microsoft Access 97/2000 (for use with B-Coder Pro)
Fully automate bar code generation in Microsoft Access. This example database shows several techniques including how to fill up a table with bar codes in a single operation as well as insert bar codes one at a time in a table. It also shows how to print reports and labels containing bar codes.

Recently updated, this file now includes 5 new barcode examples, and is an excellent example of how to create and print bar codes in Access using B-Coder. This database requires either the professional edition of B-Coder or the demo version which can be found in the free software section of the site.

Note: While B-Coder can be used with Access we highly recommend you use our ActiveX Control instead as it requires no macro coding and, since the images are not saved in the table less space in your database. More importantly, If you change the data in your table you do not need to rerun the macros to update your barcodes.

Using B-Coder with Excel 97/2000

List of Commands with descriptions

Note: Many of these macros are also available for our ActiveX Control. Visit the ActiveX Macro Library.