Aztec Code

Aztec Code

Aztec Code is a 2D matrix-style barcode symbology. It can encode full 256-character extended-ASCII.

Uses:

• Mobile airline boarding passes (IATA Bar Coded Boarding Pass).
• European rail tickets (UIC Flexible Content Barcode).

Variants:

• Compact Aztec Code is a reduced form of Aztec Code used in applications where the space for the symbol is restricted.
• Aztec Runes are a set of small barcode symbols that are used for special applications.

Standards: ISO/IEC 24778, ANSI/AIM BC13 - ISS Aztec Code.

Data and Options

• The data field can contain any extended ASCII data. The default interpretation of data by readers is in accordance with ISO/IEC 8859-1. When supported by the receiver, characters from other code pages can be encoded using Extended Channel Interpretation (ECI).
• When the parse option is specified, any instances of ^NNN in the data field are replaced with their equivalent ASCII value, useful for specifying unprintable characters.
• When the parsefnc option is specified, non-data function characters can be specified by escape sequences:
  • ^FNC1: FNC1
  • ^ECI000000 to ^ECI999999: ECI indicators
  • ^FNC@: FNC1 in second position, written before an AIM application indicator of one letter or two digits at the start of the data, e.g. ^FNC@T... or ^FNC@99.... See FNC1 in second position.
  • ECIs are not available with FNC1 in first or second position.
• The eclevel option is used to specify the percentage of error correction to be applied when expanding the data, from 5 to 95, by default 23.
• The ecaddchars option is used to specify how many additional error correction characters to add after applying the eclevel percentage, 3 or more, by default 3.
• The layers option is used to specify a particular number of layers in which to encode the data, between 1 and 32. By default the encoder will create a symbol with the minimal number of layers to encode the given data.
• The readerinit option denotes that the symbol is used for programming the barcode reader. Reader programming is only compatible with 1- to 22-layer full-range Aztec Code symbols, so layers must also be given, from 1 to 22.
• The raw option denotes that the data field is providing the input as a pre-encoded bitstream suitable for direct low-level encoding.
• Deprecated: Consider Compact Aztec Code instead. The format option can also be used to create Compact Aztec Code symbols, using format=compact.
• Deprecated: Consider Aztec Runes instead. The format option can also be used to create Aztec Code "runes", using format=rune. In this case the rune symbol number should be given in the data field.
• The sampos, samtotal and samid options make the symbol one of a Structured Append sequence of 2 to 26 symbols, which a reader reassembles into a single message. sampos and samtotal are required:
  • sampos is the position of the symbol in the sequence, from 1 to samtotal.
  • samtotal is the number of symbols in the sequence.
  • samid is an optional message ID, which is the same in every symbol of the sequence and must not contain spaces. Uppercase letters encode most compactly.
  • Structured Append is not available for Aztec Runes, reader initialisation symbols or with the raw option.

Examples

A symbol with a fixed number of layers:

Data:    ABC123
Options: layers=3
Encoder: azteccode

A symbol with additional error correction characters:

Data:    TEST
Options: ecaddchars=20 layers=4
Encoder: azteccode