Code 128 Barcodes in Crystal Reports

This tutorial shows how to add Code 128 B barcodes to your Crystal Reports.
See the video or simply follow the steps below.

Step 1. Add a new formula

In the Field Explorer, right click Formula Fields and click New...

Enter a name for the new formula.

Step 2. Locate the Code 128 Functions

Ensure the functions are installed. May be listed under one of these three locations:
Functions > Additional Functions
Functions > Additional Functions > Visual Basic UFLs (u2lcom.dll)
Functions > Additional Functions > COM and .NET UFLs (u212com.dll)
See here for function descriptions

Step 3a. (For Text Fields): Enter the function name in Formula Editor

If your data field is text (string), copy the function below and paste it into your report:

stringVar barcodeInput := "Barcode Data 00123456";

stringVar hexStr := Code128BHex(barcodeInput);

local stringVar barcode := "";
local stringVar hexVals := "0123456789ABCDEF";
local numberVar hexStrLength := Length(hexStr);
local numberVar i;
for i := 1 to hexStrLength step 2 do
(
    local stringVar byteAsHex := Mid(hexStr, i, 2);
    local numberVar byte := Int( (Instr( hexVals, Mid(byteAsHex, 1, 1))-1) * 16 + Instr( hexVals, Mid(byteAsHex, 2, 1))-1);
    barcode := barcode & ChrW(byte);
);

barcode;

Click on Save and close. Continue to Step 4.

Step 3b. (For Numeric Fields): Enter the function name in Formula Editor

If your data field is numeric, it must be converted to text. This is done using the Crystal Function ToText().
Copy the formula text below and paste it into your report:

stringVar barcodeInput := ToText( 12345678, 0, '');

stringVar hexStr := Code128BHex(barcodeInput);

local stringVar barcode := "";
local stringVar hexVals := "0123456789ABCDEF";
local numberVar hexStrLength := Length(hexStr);
local numberVar i;
for i := 1 to hexStrLength step 2 do
(
    local stringVar byteAsHex := Mid(hexStr, i, 2);
    local numberVar byte := Int( (Instr( hexVals, Mid(byteAsHex, 1, 1))-1) * 16 + Instr( hexVals, Mid(byteAsHex, 2, 1))-1);
    barcode := barcode & ChrW(byte);
);

barcode;

Click on Save and close.

Step 4. Add a barcode to the report

Drag the formula from Field Explorer to the report

Change the font properties to:
Font Name: BCW_Code128B_2
Font Size: 24

The report is now ready

Click on Preview to see or print it.

Code 128 Fonts Functions in Crystal Reports

Code128Auto()

Code128Auto() Encodes data in the most efficient way possible, using a combination of subsets if necessary. Supports all 128 ASCII characters.
This function should be used with one of the following fonts:
BCW_Code128_1 through BCW_Code128_6 (does not show human readable text)
This function requires the use of a barcode font without human readable text. However, the text can easily be displayed in a separate formula field with a font such as Arial.
To encode a control character, enter it in the format: ^000, where 000 is its digital ASCII value. For example, ABC^009 encodes ABC followed by TAB. To encode FNC1, enter: ^F1

Code128B()

Code128B() Encodes data using Code 128 Subset B only. It supports numbers, upper and lower-case letters, space, and the following characters: !"#$%&'()*+,-./:;<=>?@[\]^_`{|}~
This function should be used with one of the following fonts:
BCW_Code128B_1 through BCW_Code128B_6 (shows human-readable text under barcode)
BCW_Code128_1 through BCW_Code128_6 (does not show human readable text)
It is possible to encode control characters using the function Code128B() by temporarily shifting to Subset A. This process is automatic.
To encode a control character, enter it in the format: ^000, where 000 is its digital ASCII value. For example, ABC^009 encodes ABC followed by TAB. To encode FNC1, enter: ^F1

Code128C()

Code128C() Encodes data using Code 128 Subset C. It supports numbers only and must contain an even number of digits.
The digits are encoded in pairs of two, resulting in a barcode about half as wide as subset A or B.
This function should be used with one of the following fonts:
BCW_Code128C_1 through BCW_Code128C_6 (shows human-readable text under barcode)
BCW_Code128_1 through BCW_Code128_6 (does not show human readable text)
To encode FNC1, enter: ^F1