README

Build a Web-Based Barcode Scanner Using Just a Few Lines of JavaScript

This user guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough of a "Hello World" web application using the BarcodeScanner JavaScript Edition.

The BarcodeScanner class offers the following features:

High-level APIs that deliver core functionality with a single line of code.
Pre-built UI components for fast and easy integration.
Intuitive configuration objects that streamline both algorithm and UI setup.

We recommend using this guide as a reference when creating your own application. If you are looking for a fully customizable barcode decoding library, you are welcome to use the Foundational APIs. Before starting, ensure the basic requirements are met.

Internet connection
A supported browser
Camera access

Tip

Please refer to system requirements for more details.

License

When getting started with Barcode Scanner, we recommend getting your own 30-day trial license

Quick Start: Hello World Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <body>
    <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/dynamsoft-barcode-reader-bundle@11.2.2000/dist/dbr.bundle.js"></script>
    <script>
      // Initialize the Dynamsoft Barcode Scanner
      const barcodeScanner = new Dynamsoft.BarcodeScanner({
        // Please don't forget to replace YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE
        license: "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE",
      });
      (async () => {
        // Launch the scanner and wait for the result
        const result = await barcodeScanner.launch();
        // Display the first detected barcode's text in an alert
        if (result.barcodeResults.length) {
            alert(result.barcodeResults[0].text);
        }
      })();
    </script>
  </body>
</html>

Step 1: Setting up the HTML and Including the Barcode Scanner

As outlined earlier, this guide will help you create a simple Hello World barcode scanning application using vanilla JavaScript. The full sample code is also available in the GitHub repository.

The first step before writing the code is to include the SDK in your application. You can simply include the SDK by using the precompiled script.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <body>
    <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/dynamsoft-barcode-reader-bundle@11.2.2000/dist/dbr.bundle.js"></script>
  </body>
</html>

In this example, we include the precompiled Barcode Scanner SDK script via public CDN in the body.

Use a public CDN

The simplest way to include the SDK is to use either the jsDelivr or UNPKG CDN.

jsDelivr

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/dynamsoft-barcode-reader-bundle@11.2.2000/dist/dbr.bundle.js"></script>

UNPKG

<script src="https://unpkg.com/dynamsoft-barcode-reader-bundle@11.2.2000/dist/dbr.bundle.js"></script>

When using a framework such as React, Vue or Angular, we recommend adding the package as a dependency using a package manager such as npm or yarn:

npm i dynamsoft-barcode-reader-bundle@11.2.2000
# or
yarn add dynamsoft-barcode-reader-bundle@11.2.2000

When using package managers like npm or yarn, you likely need to specify the location of the engine files as a link to a CDN. Please see the BarcodeScannerConfig API for a code snippet on how to set the engineResourcePaths.

Host the SDK yourself

Alternatively, you may choose to download the SDK and host the files on your own server or preferred CDN. This approach provides better control over versioning and availability.

From the website

Download Dynamsoft Barcode Reader JavaScript Package

The resources are located in the ./dist/ directory.
From npm
```
npm i dynamsoft-barcode-reader-bundle@11.2.2000
```
The resources are located at the path node_modules/<pkg>, without @<version>. You can copy it elsewhere and add @<version> tag.

[!IMPORTANT] Since "node_modules" is reserved for Node.js dependencies, and in our case the package is used only as static resources, we recommend either renaming the "node_modules" folder or moving the "dynamsoft-" packages to a dedicated folder for static resources in your project to facilitate self-hosting.

You can typically include the SDK like this:

<script src="path/to/dynamsoft-barcode-reader-bundle@11.2.2000/dist/dbr.bundle.js"></script>

Barcode Scanner comes with a Ready-to-Use UI. When the Barcode Scanner launches, it creates a container which it populates with the Ready-to-Use UI.

Step 2: Initializing the Barcode Scanner

// Initialize the Dynamsoft Barcode Scanner
const barcodeScanner = new Dynamsoft.BarcodeScanner({
  // Please don't forget to replace YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE
  license: "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE",
});

This is the simplest way to initialize the Barcode Scanner. The configuration object must include a valid license key. Without it, the scanner will fail to launch and display an error. For help obtaining a license, see the licensing section.

Tip

By default, the BarcodeScanner scans a single barcode at a time. However, it also supports a MULTI_UNIQUE scanning mode, which continuously scans and accumulates unique results in real time. You can enable this mode by modifying the BarcodeScannerConfig as follows:

// Initialize the Dynamsoft Barcode Scanner in MULTI_UNIQUE mode
const barcodeScanner = new Dynamsoft.BarcodeScanner({
  license: "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE",
  scanMode: Dynamsoft.EnumScanMode.SM_MULTI_UNIQUE,
});

Step 3: Launching the Barcode Scanner

(async () => {
  // Launch the scanner and wait for the result
  const result = await barcodeScanner.launch();
  // Display the first detected barcode's text in an alert
  if (result.barcodeResults.length) {
      alert(result.barcodeResults[0].text);
  }
})();

Now that the Barcode Scanner has been initialized and configured, it is ready to be launched! Upon launch, the Barcode Scanner presents the main BarcodeScannerView UI in its container on the page, and is ready to start scanning. By default, we use the SINGLE scanning mode, which means only one decoding result will be included in the final result. In the code above, we directly alerted the successfully decoded barcode text on the page.

Note

In the Hello World sample, after a successful decoding process, the scanner closes and the user is met with an empty page. In order to open the scanner again, the user must refresh the page. You may choose to implement a more user-friendly behavior in a production environment, such as presenting the user with an option to re-open the Barcode Scanner upon closing it.

Tip

When running performance benchmarks, make sure to disable the console, avoid using console.log(), and run in non-debug mode whenever possible. This ensures that your benchmark results reflect true performance without interference from logging or debugging overhead.

Next Steps

Now that you've implemented the basic functionality, here are some recommended next steps to further explore the capabilities of the Barcode Scanner:

Learn how to Customize the Barcode Scanner
Check out the Official Samples and Demo
Learn about the APIs of BarcodeScanner

dynamsoft / javascript-barcode

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