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Parameter Template Structure

This article introduces the parameter definitions, organization structure, usage rules, and related interfaces involved in Dynamsoft Barcode Reader.

Definitions

Dynamsoft Barcode Reader uses a template to set parameters. A template contains three types of data: ImageParameter , RegionDefinition , and FormatSpecification .

ImageParameter is used to specify the decoding settings on the entire image. The value of the ImageParameter.Name field is the unique identifier of the ImageParameter. Read more about ImageParameter.
RegionDefinition is used to specify a decoding region. It is also used to specify the decoding settings in this area. The value of the RegionDefinition.Name field is the unique identifier of RegionDefinition. Read more about RegionDefinition.
FormatSpecification is used to specify a barcode format. It is also used to specify the decoding settings of this barcode format. The value of the FormatSpecification.Name field is the unique identifier of FormatSpecification. Read more about FormatSpecification.

Organizational Relationship

There is only one ImageParameter in a template definition. The ImageParameter.Name field denotes the unique identifier of the template;
One or more RegionDefinition can be referenced through RegionDefinitionNameArray in ImageParameter;
One or more FormatSpecification can be referenced through FormatSpecificationNameArray in ImageParameter;
One or more FormatSpecification can be referenced through FormatSpecificationNameArray in RegionDefinition;
In a JSON template file/string, you can use ImageParameterContentArray/RegionDefinitionArray/FormatSpecificationArray field to define multiple ImageParameter/RegionDefinition/FormatSpecification, for example:

{
  "FormatSpecificationArray": [{
    "Name": "IP1_BF_QR_CODE"
  }],
  "ImageParameter": {
    "FormatSpecificationNameArray": [
      "IP1_BF_QR_CODE"
    ],
    "Name": "default",
    "RegionDefinitionNameArray": [
      "region1"
    ]
  },
  "RegionDefinition": {
    "Name": "region1"
  },
  "Version": "3.0"
}

Scope

When the same parameter is set in both ImageParameter and RegionDefinition, the decoding operation in the region specified by RegionDefinition is used; otherwise, the parameter values under the ImageParameter will be used.
When the same parameter is set in both ImageParameter and FormatSpecification, the decoding operation for the barcode format specified by FormatSpecification is used; otherwise, the parameter values under the ImageParameter will be used.
When the same parameter is set in both RegionDefinition and FormatSpecification, the decoding operation for the barcode format specified by FormatSpecification is used in the region specified by RegionDefinition; otherwise, the parameter values under the ImageParameter will be used.

Parameter list

The parameters of ImageParameter are:

ImageParameter.BarcodeColourModes
ImageParameter.BarcodeComplementModes
ImageParameter.BarcodeFormatIds
ImageParameter.BarcodeFormatIds_2
ImageParameter.BinarizationModes
ImageParameter.ColourClusteringModes
ImageParameter.ColourConversionModes
ImageParameter.DeblurLevel
ImageParameter.DeblurModes
ImageParameter.DeformationResistingModes
ImageParameter.Description
ImageParameter.DPMCodeReadingModes
ImageParameter.ExpectedBarcodesCount
ImageParameter.FormatSpecificationNameArray
ImageParameter.GrayscaleTransformationModes
ImageParameter.ImagePreprocessingModes
ImageParameter.IntermediateResultSavingMode
ImageParameter.IntermediateResultTypes
ImageParameter.LocalizationModes
ImageParameter.MaxAlgorithmThreadCount
ImageParameter.Name
ImageParameter.Pages
ImageParameter.PDFRasterDPI
ImageParameter.PDFReadingMode
ImageParameter.RegionDefinitionNameArray
ImageParameter.RegionPredetectionModes
ImageParameter.ResultCoordinateType
ImageParameter.ReturnBarcodeZoneClarity
ImageParameter.ScaleDownThreshold
ImageParameter.ScaleUpModes
ImageParameter.TerminatePhase
ImageParameter.TextFilterModes
ImageParameter.TextResultOrderModes
ImageParameter.TextureDetectionModes
ImageParameter.Timeout

The parameters of RegionDefinition are:

RegionDefinition.BarcodeFormatIds
RegionDefinition.BarcodeFormatIds_2
RegionDefinition.Bottom
RegionDefinition.ExpectedBarcodesCount
RegionDefinition.FormatSpecificationNameArray
RegionDefinition.Left
RegionDefinition.MeasuredByPercentage
RegionDefinition.Name
RegionDefinition.Right
RegionDefinition.Top

The parameters of FormatSpecification are:

FormatSpecification.AllModuleDeviation
FormatSpecification.AustralianPostEncodingTable
FormatSpecification.BarcodeAngleRangeArray
FormatSpecification.BarcodeBytesLengthRangeArray
FormatSpecification.BarcodeBytesRegExPattern
FormatSpecification.BarcodeComplementModes
FormatSpecification.BarcodeFormatIds
FormatSpecification.BarcodeFormatIds_2
FormatSpecification.BarcodeHeightRangeArray
FormatSpecification.BarcodeTextLengthRangeArray
FormatSpecification.BarcodeTextRegExPattern
FormatSpecification.BarcodeWidthRangeArray
FormatSpecification.BarcodeZoneBarCountRangeArray
FormatSpecification.BarcodeZoneMinDistanceToImageBorders
FormatSpecification.Code128Subset
FormatSpecification.DeblurLevel
FormatSpecification.DeformationResistingModes
FormatSpecification.EnableDataMatrixECC000-140
FormatSpecification.EnableQRCodeModel1
FormatSpecification.FindUnevenModuleBarcode
FormatSpecification.HeadModuleRatio
FormatSpecification.MinQuietZoneWidth
FormatSpecification.MinRatioOfBarcodeZoneWidthToHeight
FormatSpecification.MinResultConfidence
FormatSpecification.MirrorMode
FormatSpecification.ModuleSizeRangeArray
FormatSpecification.MSICodeCheckDigitCalculation
FormatSpecification.Name
FormatSpecification.PartitionModes
FormatSpecification.PatchCodeSearchingMargins
FormatSpecification.RequireStartStopChars
FormatSpecification.ReturnPartialBarcodeValue
FormatSpecification.StandardFormat
FormatSpecification.TailModuleRatio

Parameter template files assignment rules

When setting parameters through a JSON template, Dynamsoft Barcode Reader will process the template according to the following rules:

Parameters not defined in ImageParameter/RegionDefinition/FormatSpecification will be filled with default values
FormatSpecification is automatically split into multiple settings for a single barcode format, for example:

Template you set
{
    "ImageParameter":{
        "Name": "ImageParameter1", 
        "BarcodeFormatIds": ["BF_ONED"],    
        "FormatSpecificationNameArray": [
          "FormatSpecification1"
        ]
    }, 
    "FormatSpecification": {
      "Name": "FormatSpecification1", 
      "BarcodeFormatIds": ["BF_CODE_39","BF_CODE_128"],
      "MinResultConfidence": 20
    }
}

Template used by DBR
{
    "ImageParameter":{
        "Name": "ImageParameter1", 
        "BarcodeFormatIds": ["BF_ONED"],    
        "FormatSpecificationNameArray": [
          "FormatSpecification1_BF_CODE_39",
          "FormatSpecification1_BF_CODE_128"
        ]
    },
    "FormatSpecificationArray":[
      {
        "Name": "FormatSpecification1_BF_CODE_39", 
        "BarcodeFormatIds": ["BF_CODE_39"],
        "MinResultConfidence": 20
      },
      {
        "Name": "FormatSpecification1_BF_CODE_128", 
        "BarcodeFormatIds": ["BF_CODE_128"],
        "MinResultConfidence": 20
      }
    ] 
}

When the two templates are merged, duplicate parameter settings in the defined ImageParameter are handled as follows:
- The following parameters take the maximum of the two settings
  - DeblurLevel
  - ExceptedBarcodeCount
  - MaxAlgorithmThreadCount
  - PDFRasterDPI
  - ScaleDownThreshold
  - Timeout
- The following parameters take the combined values of two settings
  - BarcodeFormatIds
  - BarcodeFormatIds_2
  - IntermediateResultTypes
  - Pages
- The following parameters are controlled by the ConflictMode. If ConflictMode is IGNORE, the first value is taken. If ConflictMode is OVERWRITE, the last value is taken
  - AccompanyingTextReadingModes
  - BarcodeColourModes
  - BarcodeComplementModes
  - BinarizationModes
  - ColourClusteringModes
  - ColourConversionModes
  - DeblurModes
  - DeformationResistingModes
  - DPMCodeReadingModes
  - GrayscaleTransformationModes
  - ImagePreprogressingModes
  - IntermediateResultSavingMode
  - LocalizationModes
  - PDFReadingMode
  - RegionPredetectionModes
  - ResultCoordinateType
  - ReturnBarcodeZoneClarity
  - ScaleUpModes
  - TerminatePhase
  - TextFilterModes
  - TextResultOrderModes
  - TextureDetectionModes
  - RegionDefinitionNameArray: Take the last RegionDefinitionName in the last RegionDefinitionNameArray
  - FormatSpecificationNameArray: Take the combined value of the two settings, but if the FormatSpecification is set for the same barcode format, FormatSpecificationNameArray will only keep the name of the last FormatSpecification

Modes, Mode and Arguments

The entire decoding process of Dynamsoft Barcode Reader consists of many subdivided functions, among which the control parameters of some function blocks are designed in accordance with the format of Modes-Mode-Argument. That is, a function is controlled by a Modes parameter. There are many ways to implement this function, each method (Mode) has multiple unique settings, and each setting is an Argument.

Modes-Mode-Argument hierarchy

For example, one of the functions in the decoding process is barcode localization. Dynamsoft Barcode Reader provides the LocalizationModes parameter to control this function. It provides LM_CONNECTED_BLOCKS , LM_STATISTICS , LM_LINES , LM_SCAN_DIRECTLY , LM_STATISTICS_MARKS , LM_STATISTICS_POSTAL_CODE , a total of 6 methods to implement barcode localization. For LM_SCAN_DIRECTLY, there are two Arguments, ScanStride and ScanDirection .

Interfaces to change settings

Dynamsoft Barcode Reader provides two ways to set parameters: PublicRuntimeSettings and JSON template files. PublicRuntimeSettings is used to modify the Dynamsoft Barcode Reader built-in template, and only supports commonly used parameters. The following are the steps to update Dynamsoft Barcode Reader parameters through PublicRuntimeSettings :

(optional) Restore the parameter settings of the Dynamsoft Barcode Reader built-in template to the default values through the ResetRuntimeSettings interface
Call the GetRuntimeSettings interface to get the current PublicRuntimeSettings of the Dynamsoft Barcode Reader object
Modify the contents in PublicRuntimeSettings in the previous step
Call the UpdateRuntimeSettings interface to apply the modified PublicRuntimeSettings in the previous step to the Dynamsoft Barcode Reader object
(optional) Call the SetModeArgument interface to set the optional argument for a specified mode in Modes parameters.

JSON templates supports all Dynamsoft Barcode Reader parameters. The related parameter setting interfaces are:

InitRuntimeSettingsWithFile: After calling this interface, the template definition in the file are processed according to the merging rules stated in the “Multiple parameter template files” section. Each independent template is stored in the Dynamsoft Barcode Reader object. All templates are merged into one template, then replace the built-in template of Dynamsoft Barcode Reader;
InitRuntimeSettingsWithString: The effect after calling this interface is the same as InitRuntimeSettingsWithFile. The only difference is the template definition of InitRuntimeSettingsWithString is saved as a string;
AppendTplFileToRuntimeSettings: After calling this interface, the template definition in the file will be processed according to the merging rules stated in the “Multiple parameter template files” section . Each independent template is stored in the Dynamsoft Barcode Reader object. All templates, including Dynamsoft Barcode Reader’s built-in template, are merged into one template to replace the built-in template of Dynamsoft Barcode Reader;
AppendTplStringToRuntimeSettings: The effect after calling this interface is the same as AppendTplFileToRuntimeSettings. The only difference is the template definition of AppendTplStringToRuntimeSettings is saved as a string.

RegionDefinition and How It Works

Limiting the reading area of the barcode reader instance can help provide a better scanning UI as well optimize the performance of the SDK. It is important to understand how the RegionDefinition interface works, and what exactly you need to consider when coming up with the region percentage values.

By definition, the top parameter of the RegionDefinition is used to represent the top-most coordinate of the region, while bottom represents the bottom-most coordinate of the region. But how do you figure out the appropriate values to set them?

In order to set these values, we highly recommend setting MeasuredByPercentage to 1 to make this process as easy as possible. The next section assumes that this parameter is set to true.

For top and bottom , think of the height of the image or frame as a vertical axis that goes from 0 to 100:

0 represents the top-most point of the image or frame
100 represents the bottom-most point of the image or frame.

Please follow this diagram for a visual representation of different regions with various top and bottom values:

Please note that the above diagram is not limiting the horizontal view at all.

After determining where you want the top-most and bottom-most points of the reading region, you can find its corresponding percentage value either by trial and error (and using the naked eye) or you can take exact measurements and use those to calculate the exact percentage values.

Now for left and right , think of the width of the image or frame as a horizontal axis that goes from 0 to 100:

0 represents the left-most point of the image of frame
100 represents the right-most point of the image of frame

The above diagram represents various percentages and their visual representation. This assumes that you are not restricting the vertical area and leaving top and bottom unaffected.

Now let’s group them all together to demonstrate various scanerios and their corresponding values

And that is pretty much a gist of how the RegionDefinition works. If anything is unclear, please contact support.

Using Runtime Settings Templates

When getting started with the runtime settings, it could be a bit overwhelming given how many settings there are and the different scenarios in which they apply.

To make things easier, we introduced three general modes to represent the RuntimeSettings :

speed: configures the SDK to read the image or frame as fast as possible, disregarding accuracy. This mode is not recommended for 2D codes in general, but specifically PDF417 codes.
coverage: opposite to speed, this mode prioritizes accuracy by sacrificing speed.
balance: As the name suggests, this mode offers the best of the two modes, achieving a good combination of the two extremes.
single: This is the default setting which is optimized for detecting one barcode from video input.

When using the JavaScript edition, the RuntimeSettings can be updated to any one of the three templates directly instead of having to update each RuntimeSetting individually. Please check out the corresponding documentation for more info. Please note that updating the runtime settings using a preset template is currently only supported by the JavaScript edition.

Please refer to the following breakdown the difference in the individual RuntimeSettings between the three modes, as well as the default settings

Parameter	`speed`	`balance`	`coverage`	`single`
`DeblurModes`	`[DM_BASED_ON_LOC_BIN, DM_THRESHOLD_BINARIZATION, DM_DIRECT_BINARIZATION]`	`[DM_BASED_ON_LOC_BIN, DM_THRESHOLD_BINARIZATION,` `DM_DIRECT_BINARIZATION, DM_SMOOTHING]`	`[DM_BASED_ON_LOC_BIN, DM_THRESHOLD_BINARIZATION,` `DM_DIRECT_BINARIZATION, DM_SMOOTHING,` `DM_GRAY_EQUALIZATION, DM_MORPHING, DM_DEEP_ANALYSIS]`	`[DM_BASED_ON_LOC_BIN, DM_THRESHOLD_BINARIZATION,` `DM_DIRECT_BINARIZATION, DM_SMOOTHING,` `DM_GRAY_EQUALIZATION, DM_MORPHING, DM_DEEP_ANALYSIS]`
`BarcodeFormatIds_2`	`BF2_POSTALCODE`	`BF2_POSTALCODE`	`BF2_POSTALCODE`	`BF2_NULL`
`ExpectedBarcodesCount`	`512`	`512`	`512`	`1`
`GrayscaleTransformationModes`	`[GTM_ORIGINAL, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]`	`[GTM_ORIGINAL, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]`	`[GTM_ORIGINAL, GTM_INVERTED, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]`	`[GTM_ORIGINAL, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]`
`TextFilterModes`	`[0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]`	`[TFM_GENERAL_CONTOUR, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]`	`[TFM_GENERAL_CONTOUR, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]`	`[TFM_GENERAL_CONTOUR, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]`
`LocalizationModes`	`[LM_CONNECTED_BLOCKS, LM_STATISTICS_MARKS, LM_STATISTICS_POSTAL_CODE, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]`	`[LM_CONNECTED_BLOCKS, LM_STATISTICS, LM_STATISTICS_MARKS,` `LM_STATISTICS_POSTAL_CODE, 0, 0, 0, 0]`	`[LM_CONNECTED_BLOCKS, LM_SCAN_DIRECTLY,` `LM_STATISTICS, LM_LINES,` `LM_STATISTICS_MARKS, LM_STATISTICS_POSTAL_CODE, 0, 0]`	`[LM_CONNECTED_BLOCKS, LM_SCAN_DIRECTLY,` `LM_STATISTICS, LM_LINES, 0, 0, 0, 0]`
`ScaleDownThreshold`	`2300`	`2300`	`214748347`	`2300`