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Getting Started with Android

Requirements

  • Supported OS: Android 5.0 (API Level 21) or higher.
  • Supported ABI: armeabi-v7a, arm64-v8a, x86 and x86_64.
  • Development Environment: Android Studio 2022.2.1 or higher.

Add the Libraries

The Dynamsoft Barcode Reader (DBR) Android SDK comes with seven libraries:

File Description
DynamsoftCaptureVisionRouter.aar The Capture Vision Router library is used to interact with image-processing and semantic-processing products in the applications. It accepts an image source and returns processing results which may contain final results or intermediate results.
DynamsoftBarcodeReader.aar The Dynamsoft Barcode Reader library, which includes 1D and 2D barcodes recognition algorithm and related APIs.
DynamsoftCore.aar The core library, which includes common basic structures and intermediate result related APIs.
DynamsoftImageProcessing.aar The image processing library, which incorporates a collection of basic and specialized image processing algorithms.
DynamsoftLicense.aar The license library, which includes license related APIs.
DynamsoftCameraEnhancer.aar(Optional) The Dynamsoft Camera Enhancer (DCE) SDK provides camera control, camera enhancements, and basic UI configuration features.
DynamsoftUtility.aar(Optional) The utility library, which includes multiple implementations of image source adapters, result filter, image exporter, and other utility APIs etc.

Note:

DCE is optional. If you want to use Android CameraX SDK to control camera, preview video, and read barcodes, please refer to the DecodeWithCameraX example.

There are two ways to add the libraries into your project - Manually and Maven.

Add the Libraries Manually

  1. Download the SDK package from the Dynamsoft Website. After unzipping, seven aar files can be found in the Dynamsoft\Libs directory:

    • DynamsoftCaptureVisionRouter.aar
    • DynamsoftBarcodeReader.aar
    • DynamsoftCore.aar
    • DynamsoftImageProcessing.aar
    • DynamsoftLicense.aar
    • DynamsoftUtility.aar
    • DynamsoftCameraEnhancer.aar (Optional)

      Note:

      If you want to use Android Camera SDK or your own sdk to control camera, please ignore DynamsoftCameraEnhancer.aar in the following steps.

  2. Copy the above seven aar files to the target directory such as [App Project Root Path]\app\libs

  3. Open the file [App Project Root Path]\app\build.gradle and add the reference in the dependencies:

    dependencies {
        implementation fileTree(dir: 'libs', include: ['*.aar'])
    
         def camerax_version = '1.1.0'
         implementation "androidx.camera:camera-core:$camerax_version"
         implementation "androidx.camera:camera-camera2:$camerax_version"
         implementation "androidx.camera:camera-lifecycle:$camerax_version"
         implementation "androidx.camera:camera-view:$camerax_version"
    }
    

    Note:

    DCE 4.x is based on Android CameraX, so you need to add the CameraX dependency manually.

  4. Click Sync Now. After the synchronization is complete, the SDK is added to the project.

Add the Libraries via Maven

  1. Open the file [App Project Root Path]\app\build.gradle and add the Maven repository:

    repositories {
         maven {
            url "https://download2.dynamsoft.com/maven/aar"
         }
    }
    
  2. Add the references in the dependencies:

    dependencies {
       implementation 'com.dynamsoft:dynamsoftcapturevisionrouter:2.0.21'
       implementation 'com.dynamsoft:dynamsoftbarcodereader:10.0.21'
       implementation 'com.dynamsoft:dynamsoftcameraenhancer:4.0.3'
       implementation 'com.dynamsoft:dynamsoftcore:3.0.20'
       implementation 'com.dynamsoft:dynamsoftlicense:3.0.30'
       implementation 'com.dynamsoft:dynamsoftimageprocessing:2.0.21'
       implementation 'com.dynamsoft:dynamsoftutility:1.0.21'
    }
    
  3. Click Sync Now. After the synchronization is complete, the SDK is added to the project.

Build Your First Application

In this section, we are going to explain how to create a Hello World implementation similar to our simple DecodeWithCameraEnhancer app for reading barcodes from camera video input.

Note:

Create a New Project

  1. Open Android Studio, select File > New > New Project.

  2. Choose the correct template for your project. In this sample, we use Empty Views Activity.

  3. When prompted, set your app name to ‘DecodeWithCameraEnhancer’ and set the Save location, Language, and Minimum SDK (we use 21 here).

    Note:

    • With minSdkVersion set to 21, your app is compatible with more than 99.6% of devices on the Google Play Store (last update: October 2023).

Include the Libraries

Add the SDK to your new project. Please read Add the Libraries section for more details.

Initialize License

  1. Initialize the license in the file MainActivity.java.

    • Java
    • Kotlin
    1. import com.dynamsoft.license.LicenseManager;
      public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
         @Override
         protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
            super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
            setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
            if (savedInstanceState == null) {
               LicenseManager.initLicense("DLS2eyJvcmdhbml6YXRpb25JRCI6IjIwMDAwMSJ9", this, (isSuccess, error) -> {
                  if (!isSuccess) {
                     error.printStackTrace();
                  }
               });
            }
         }
      }
      
    2. import com.dynamsoft.license.LicenseManager
      class MainActivityKt : AppCompatActivity() {
         override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
            super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
            setContentView(R.layout.activity_main_kt)
            if (savedInstanceState == null) {
               LicenseManager.initLicense("DLS2eyJvcmdhbml6YXRpb25JRCI6IjIwMDAwMSJ9", this) { isSuccess: Boolean, error: Exception ->
                  if (!isSuccess) {
                     error.printStackTrace()
                  }
               }
            }
         }
      }
      

    Note:

    • The license string here grants a time-limited free trial which requires network connection to work.
    • You can request for a 30-day trial license via the Customer Portal. Offline trial license is also available by contacting us.
    • If you download the Installation Package, it comes with a 30-day trial license by default.

Initialize Camera Module

  1. In the Project window, open app > res > layout > activity_main.xml and create a DCE camera view section under the root node.

    <com.dynamsoft.dce.CameraView
       android:id="@+id/camera_view"
       android:layout_width="match_parent"
       android:layout_height="match_parent"/>
    
  2. Import the dynamsoft camera module, initialize the camera view and bind to the created Camera Enhancer instance in the file MainActivity.java.

    • Java
    • Kotlin
    1. import com.dynamsoft.dce.CameraView;
      import com.dynamsoft.dce.CameraEnhancer;
      import com.dynamsoft.dce.utils.PermissionUtil;
      public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
         CameraEnhancer mCamera;
         @Override
         protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
            ...
            // Add camera view for previewing video.
            PermissionUtil.requestCameraPermission(this);
            CameraView cameraView = findViewById(R.id.camera_view);
            mCamera = new CameraEnhancer(cameraView, this);
         }
      }
      
    2. import com.dynamsoft.dce.CameraView
      import com.dynamsoft.dce.CameraEnhancer
      import com.dynamsoft.dce.utils.PermissionUtil
      class MainActivityKt : AppCompatActivity() {
         private lateinit var mCamera: CameraEnhancer
         override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
            ...
            PermissionUtil.requestCameraPermission(this)
            val cameraView: CameraView = findViewById(R.id.camera_view)
            mCamera = CameraEnhancer(cameraView, this)
         }
      }
      

Initialize Capture Vision Router

  1. Import and initialize the CaptureVisionRouter and set the previously created CameraEnhancer instance as its input.

    • Java
    • Kotlin
    1. import com.dynamsoft.cvr.CaptureVisionRouter;
      import com.dynamsoft.cvr.CaptureVisionRouterException;
      public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
         ...
         private CaptureVisionRouter mRouter;
         @Override
         protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
            ...
            mRouter = new CaptureVisionRouter(this);
            try {
               mRouter.setInput(mCamera);
            } catch (CaptureVisionRouterException e) {
               throw new RuntimeException(e);
            }
         }
      }
      
    2. import com.dynamsoft.cvr.CaptureVisionRouter
      import com.dynamsoft.cvr.CaptureVisionRouterException
      class MainActivityKt : AppCompatActivity() {
         ...
         private lateinit var mRouter: CaptureVisionRouter
         override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
            ...
            mRouter = CaptureVisionRouter(this)
            try {
               mRouter.setInput(mCamera)
            } catch (e: CaptureVisionRouterException) {
               throw RuntimeException(e)
            }
         }
      }
      
  2. Create a CapturedResultReceiver and register with the CaptureVisionRouter instance to get recognized barcode results.

    • Java
    • Kotlin
    1. import com.dynamsoft.core.basic_structures.CapturedResultReceiver;
      import com.dynamsoft.dbr.DecodedBarcodesResult;
      public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
         @Override
         protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
            ...
            mRouter.addResultReceiver(new CapturedResultReceiver() {
               @Override
               public void onDecodedBarcodesReceived(DecodedBarcodesResult result) {
                  runOnUiThread(() -> showResult(result));
               }
            });
         }
      }
      
    2. import com.dynamsoft.core.basic_structures.CapturedResultReceiver
      import com.dynamsoft.dbr.DecodedBarcodesResult
      class MainActivityKt : AppCompatActivity() {
         override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
            ...
            mRouter.addResultReceiver(object : CapturedResultReceiver {
               override fun onDecodedBarcodesReceived(result: DecodedBarcodesResult) {
                  runOnUiThread { showResult(result) }
               }
            })
         }
      }
      
  3. Override the MainActivity.onResume and MainActivity.onPause functions to start/stop video barcode scanning. After scanning starts, the sdk will automatically decode the video frames from the Camera Enhancer, then send the recognized barcode results to the callback.

    • Java
    • Kotlin
    1. import com.dynamsoft.cvr.EnumPresetTemplate;
      import com.dynamsoft.dce.CameraEnhancerException;
      public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
         ...
         @Override
         public void onResume() {
            // Start video barcode reading
            try {
               mCamera.open();
            } catch (CameraEnhancerException e) {
               e.printStackTrace();
            }
            mRouter.startCapturing(EnumPresetTemplate.PT_READ_BARCODES, new CompletionListener() {
               @Override
               public void onSuccess() {}
               @Override
               public void onFailure(int errorCode, String errorString) {
                  runOnUiThread(() -> showDialog("Error", String.format(Locale.getDefault(), "ErrorCode: %d %nErrorMessage: %s", errorCode, errorString)));
               }
            });
            super.onResume();
         }
         @Override
         public void onPause() {
           // Stop video barcode reading
           try {
              mCamera.close();
           } catch (CameraEnhancerException e) {
              e.printStackTrace();
           }
           mRouter.stopCapturing();
           super.onPause();
         }
      }
      
    2. import com.dynamsoft.cvr.EnumPresetTemplate
      import com.dynamsoft.dce.CameraEnhancerException
      public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
         ...
         public override fun onResume() {
            // Start video barcode reading
            try {
               mCamera.open()
            } catch (e: CameraEnhancerException) {
               e.printStackTrace()
            }
            mRouter.startCapturing(EnumPresetTemplate.PT_READ_BARCODES, object : CompletionListener {
               override fun onSuccess() {}
               override fun onFailure(errorCode: Int, errorString: String?) =
                  runOnUiThread { showDialog("Error", "ErrorCode: $errorCode ErrorMessage: $errorString") }
            })
            super.onResume()
         }
         public override fun onPause() {
            // Stop video barcode reading
            try {
               mCamera.close()
            } catch (e: CameraEnhancerException) {
               e.printStackTrace()
            }
            mRouter.stopCapturing()
            super.onPause()
         }
      }
      

Display Barcode Results

Display the barcode result(s) in a dialog box.

  • Java
  • Kotlin
  1. ...
    import android.app.AlertDialog;
    import com.dynamsoft.dbr.BarcodeResultItem;
    import com.dynamsoft.dce.Feedback;
    public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
       private AlertDialog mAlertDialog;
       ...
       private void showResult(DecodedBarcodesResult result) {
          StringBuilder strRes = new StringBuilder();
          if (result != null && result.getItems() != null && result.getItems().length > 0) {
             mRouter.stopCapturing();
             for (int i = 0; i < result.getItems().length; i++) {
                BarcodeResultItem item = result.getItems()[i];
                strRes.append(item.getFormatString()).append(":").append(item.getText()).append("\n\n");
             }
             if (mAlertDialog != null && mAlertDialog.isShowing()) {
                return;
             }
             Feedback.vibrate(this);
             showDialog("Results:", strRes.toString());
          }
       }
       private void showDialog(String title, String message) {
          if(mAlertDialog == null) {
             mAlertDialog = new AlertDialog.Builder(this).setCancelable(true).setPositiveButton("OK", null)
                .setOnDismissListener(dialog -> mRouter.startCapturing(EnumPresetTemplate.PT_READ_BARCODES, null))
                .create();
          }
          mAlertDialog.setTitle(title);
          mAlertDialog.setMessage(message);
          mAlertDialog.show();
       }
    }
    
  2. ...
    import android.app.AlertDialog
    import com.dynamsoft.dbr.BarcodeResultItem
    import com.dynamsoft.dce.Feedback
    class MainActivityKt : AppCompatActivity() {
       private var mAlertDialog: AlertDialog? = null
       ...
       private fun showResult(result: DecodedBarcodesResult?) {
          val strRes = StringBuilder()
          if (result?.items != null && result.items.isNotEmpty()) {
             mRouter.stopCapturing()
             for (i in result.items.indices) {
                val item: BarcodeResultItem = result.items[i]
                strRes.append(item.formatString).append(":").append(item.text)
                   .append("\n\n")
             }
             if (mAlertDialog != null && mAlertDialog!!.isShowing) {
                return
             }
             Feedback.vibrate(this)
             showDialog("Results:", strRes.toString())
          }
       }
       private fun showDialog(title: String, message: String?) {
          if (mAlertDialog == null) {
             mAlertDialog = AlertDialog.Builder(this).setCancelable(true).setPositiveButton("OK", null)
                .setOnDismissListener { mRouter.startCapturing(EnumPresetTemplate.PT_READ_BARCODES, null) }
                .create()
          }
          mAlertDialog!!.setTitle(title)
          mAlertDialog!!.setMessage(message)
          mAlertDialog!!.show()
       }
    }
    

Build and Run the Project

  1. Select the device that you want to run your app on from the target device drop-down menu in the toolbar.

  2. Click the Run app button, then Android Studio installs your app on the connected device and launches it.

You can also download the full source code of all the steps above:

Next Steps

From this page, you have learned how to create a simple video barcode decoding app. In the next steps, the following pages will help you on adding configurations to enhance your barcode reader.

Explore Features

If you want to explore the many features of the SDK and learn how to use them to best process the images you read in your application, read the articles in Explore Features.

Check Use Cases

If you want to check how the SDK works in popular use cases, read the articles in Use Cases.

Using CameraX with DBR

If you use the Android CameraX SDK, DecodeWithCameraX will guide you on how to add barcode scanning to your app.

Other platforms

This page is compatible for:

Version 7.5.0

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