Working with barcoded forms

Last update: June 24, 2024

Topics:
Adaptive Forms,APIs & Integrations,Barcoded Forms

CREATED FOR:

Developer

Samples and examples in this document are only for AEM Forms on JEE environment.

About the barcoded forms Service

The barcoded forms service automates the capture of data from fill-and-print forms and integrates captured information into an organization’s core IT systems.

Using the barcoded forms service, you can add one-dimensional and two-dimensional barcodes to interactive PDF forms. You can then publish the barcoded forms to a website or distribute them by email or CD. When a user fills a barcoded form by using Adobe Reader, Acrobat Professional, or Acrobat Standard, the barcode is updated automatically to encode the user-supplied form data. The user can submit the form electronically, or print it to paper and submit it by mail, fax, or hand. You can later extract the user-supplied data as part of an automated workflow, routing the data among approval processes and business systems.

For more information about the barcoded forms service, see Services Reference for AEM Forms.

Decoding Barcoded Form Data

You can use the barcoded forms service API to decode data from a PDF form or an image that contains a barcode. Decoding form data means extracting data that is in the barcode. Before data can be decoded from a PDF form (or image), a user has to populate the form with data.

NOTE

For more information about the barcoded forms service, see Services Reference for AEM Forms.

Summary of steps

To decode data from a PDF form, perform the following steps:

Include project files.
Create a barcoded formsClient API object.
Get a PDF form that contains barcoded data.
Decode the data from PDF form.
Convert the data to an XML data source.
Process the decoded data.

Include project files

Include necessary files into your development project. If you are creating a client application using Java, then include the necessary JAR files. If you are using web services, then make sure that you include the proxy files.

The following JAR files must be added to your project’s classpath:

adobe-livecycle-client.jar
adobe-usermanager-client.jar
adobe-barcodedforms-client.jar
adobe-utilities.jar (Required if AEM Forms is deployed on JBoss)
jbossall-client.jar (Required if AEM Forms is deployed on JBoss)
xercesImpl.jar (in <install directory>/Adobe/Adobe_Experience_Manager_forms/sdk/client-libs\thirdparty)

If AEM Forms is deployed on a supported J2EE application server that is not JBOSS, then you must replace adobe-utilities.jar and jbossall-client.jar with JAR files that are specific to the J2EE application server on which AEM Forms is deployed. For information about the location of all AEM Forms JAR files, see Including AEM Forms Java library files.

Create a barcoded forms Client API object

Before you can programmatically perform a barcoded forms service operation, you must create a Barcoded Forms service client. If you are using the Java API, create a BarcodedFormsServiceClient object. If you are using the barcoded forms web service API, create a BarcodedFormsServiceService object.

Get a PDF form that contains barcoded data

Obtain a PDF form that contains a barcode that has been populated with user data.

Decode the data from the PDF form

After you obtain a PDF form (or image) that contains a barcode, you can decode data. The Barcoded Forms service supports the following types of barcodes:

PDF417 barcodes.
Data matrix barcodes.
QR code barcodes.
Codabar barcodes.
Code 128 barcodes.
Code 39 barcodes.
EAN-13 barcodes.
EAN-8 barcodes.

Character set input as hex in the decode API implies that the content of the barcode is encoded as a hex string. For example, if UTF-8 is specified as the Character encoding in the form and Hex is specified in the decode operation, the content of the barcode is encoded as a Hex string in the < xb:content> element in the decoded output. You can convert this Hex value to get the original content by creating application logic in your client application.

Convert the data to an XML data source

After you decode form data, you can convert it to XDP or XFDF data. For example, assume that you want to import the data into another form. To import the data into an XFA form, then you have to convert the data to XDP data. For information, see Importing Form Data.

Process the decoded data

You can process the converted data to meet your business requirements. For example, after you decode and convert the data, you can save it to a file, store it in an enterprise database, populate another form, and so on. This section discusses how to save the converted data as an XML file.

NOTE

The barcoded forms service fails to decode barcode data when the line delimiter and field delimiter parameters have the same value

Decode barcoded form data using the web service API

Including AEM Forms Java library files

Setting connection properties

Decode barcoded form data using the Java API

Decode form data by using the barcoded forms API(Java):

Include project files

Include client JAR files in your Java project’s class path.
Create a barcoded forms Client API object

Create a BarcodedFormsServiceClient object by using its constructor and passing a ServiceClientFactory object that contains connection properties.
Get a PDF form that contains barcoded data
- Create a java.io.FileInputStream object that represents the PDF form that contains barcoded data by using its constructor and passing a string value that specifies the location of the PDF document.
- Create a com.adobe.idp.Document object by using its constructor and passing the java.io.FileInputStream object.
Decode the data from the PDF form

Decode the form data by invoking the BarcodedFormsServiceClient object’s decode method and passing the following values:
- The com.adobe.idp.Document object that contains the PDF form.
- A java.lang.Boolean object that specifies whether to decode a PDF417 barcode.
- A java.lang.Boolean object that specifies whether to decode a data matrix barcode.
- A java.lang.Boolean object that specifies whether to decode a QR code barcode.
- A java.lang.Boolean object that specifies whether to decode a codabar barcode.
- A java.lang.Boolean object that specifies whether to decode a code 128 barcode.
- A java.lang.Boolean object that specifies whether to decode a code 39 barcode.
- A java.lang.Boolean object that specifies whether to decode an EAN-13 barcode.
- A java.lang.Boolean object that specifies whether to decode an EAN-8 barcode.
- A com.adobe.livecycle.barcodedforms.CharSet enumeration value that specifies the character set encoding value used in the barcode.
The decode method returns an org.w3c.dom.Document object that contains decoded form data.
Convert the data to an XML data source

Convert the decoded data into either XDP or XFDF data by invoking the BarcodedFormsServiceClient object’s extractToXML method and passing the following values:
- The org.w3c.dom.Document object that contains decoded data (ensure that you use the decode method’s return value).
- A com.adobe.livecycle.barcodedforms.Delimiter enumeration value that specifies the line delimiter. It is recommended that you specify Delimiter.Carriage_Return.
- A com.adobe.livecycle.barcodedforms.Delimiter enumeration value that specifies the field delimiter. For example, specify Delimiter.Tab.
- A com.adobe.livecycle.barcodedforms.XMLFormat enumeration value that specifies whether to convert the barcode data into XDP or XFDF XML data. For example, specify XMLFormat.XDP to convert the data to XDP data.
NOTE
Do not specify the same values for the line delimiter and field delimiter parameters.

The extractToXML method returns a java.util.List object where each element is an org.w3c.dom.Document object. There is a separate element for each barcode that is located on the form. That is, if there are four barcodes on the form, then there are four elements in the returned java.util.List object.
Process the decoded data
- Iterate through the java.util.List object to get each org.w3c.dom.Document object that is in the list.
- For each element in the list, convert the org.w3c.dom.Document object to a com.adobe.idp.Document object. (The application logic that converts a org.w3c.dom.Document object into a com.adobe.idp.Document object is shown in the Decoding barcoded form data using the Java API example).
- Save the XML data as an XML file by invoking the com.adobe.idp.Document object’s copyToFile, and passing a File object that represents the XML file.

Including AEM Forms Java library files

Setting connection properties

Decode barcoded form data using the web service API

Decode form data by using the barcoded forms API(web service):

Include project files
- Create a Microsoft .NET client assembly that consumes the barcoded forms service WSDL. For information, see Invoking AEM Forms using Base64 encoding.
- Reference the Microsoft .NET client assembly. For information, see “Referencing the .NET client assembly” in Invoking AEM Forms using Base64 encoding.
Create a barcoded forms Client API object

Using the Microsoft .NET client assembly that consumes the barcoded forms service WSDL, create an BarcodedFormsServiceService object by invoking its default constructor.
Get a PDF form that contains barcoded data
- Create a BLOB object by using its constructor. The BLOB object is used to store a PDF document that contains a barcode.
- Create a System.IO.FileStream object by invoking its constructor and passing a string value that represents the file location of the PDF document and the mode in which to open the file.
- Create a byte array that stores the content of the System.IO.FileStream object. You can determine the size of the byte array by getting the System.IO.FileStream object’s Length property.
- Populate the byte array with stream data by invoking the System.IO.FileStream object’s Read method and passing the byte array, the starting position, and the stream length to read.
- Populate the BLOB object by assigning its binaryData property with the contents of the byte array.
Decode the data from the PDF form

Decode the form data by invoking the BarcodedFormsServiceService object’s decode method and passing the following values:
- The BLOB object that contains the PDF form.
- A Boolean object that specifies whether to decode a PDF417 barcode.
- A Boolean object that specifies whether to decode a data matrix barcode.
- A Boolean object that specifies whether to decode a QR code barcode.
- A Boolean object that specifies whether to decode a codabar barcode.
- A Boolean object that specifies whether to decode a code 128 barcode.
- A Bolean object that specifies whether to decode a code 39 barcode.
- A Boolean object that specifies whether to decode an EAN-13 barcode.
- A Boolean object that specifies whether to decode an EAN-8 barcode.
- A CharSet enumeration value that specifies the character set encoding value used in the barcode.
The decode method returns a string value that contains decoded form data.
Convert the data to an XML data source

Convert the decoded data into either XDP or XFDF data by invoking the BarcodedFormsServiceService object’s extractToXML method and passing the following values:
- A string value that contains decoded data (ensure that you use the decode method’s return value).
- A Delimiter enumeration value that specifies the line delimiter. It is recommended that you specify Delimiter.Carriage_Return.
- A Delimiter enumeration value that specifies the field delimiter. For example, specify Delimiter.Tab.
- A XMLFormat enumeration value that specifies whether to convert the barcode data into XDP or XFDF XML data. For example, specify XMLFormat.XDP to convert the data to XDP data.
NOTE
Do not specify the same values for the line delimiter and field delimiter parameters.

The extractToXML method returns an Object array where each element is an BLOB instance. There is a separate element for each barcode that is located on the form. That is, if there are four barcodes on the form, then there are four elements in the returned Object array.
Process the decoded data
- Create a System.IO.FileStream object by invoking its constructor and passing a string value that represents the file location of the secured PDF document.
- Create a byte array that stores the data content of the BLOB object that was returned by the encryptPDFUsingPassword method. Populate the byte array by getting the value of the BLOB object’s binaryData data member.
- Create a System.IO.BinaryWriter object by invoking its constructor and passing the System.IO.FileStream object.
- Write the contents of the byte array to a PDF file by invoking the System.IO.BinaryWriter object’s Write method and passing the byte array.

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