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Dynamsoft Barcode Reader for Your Website

Turn your web page into a barcode scanner with just a few lines of code.

version downloads jsdelivr

Once integrated, your users can open your website in a browser, access their cameras and read barcodes directly from the video input.

In this guide, you will learn step by step on how to integrate this library into your website.

GET THE LIBRARY

For back-end barcode reading with Node.js, see Dynamsoft Barcode Reader for Node.

Table of Contents

Popular Examples

You can also:


Hello World - Simplest Implementation

Let’s start with the “Hello World” example of the library which demonstrates how to use the minimum code to enable a web page to read barcodes from a live video stream.

Step One: Check the code of the example

The complete code of the “Hello World” example is shown below

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<body>
    <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/dynamsoft-javascript-barcode@8.8.7/dist/dbr.js"></script>
  <script>
        // initializes and uses the library
        (async () => {
            let scanner = await Dynamsoft.DBR.BarcodeScanner.createInstance();
            scanner.onFrameRead = results => {
                if (results.length > 0) console.log(results);
            };
            scanner.onUnduplicatedRead = (txt, result) => {
                alert(txt);
            };
            await scanner.show();
        })();
    </script>
</body>

</html>

Code in Github   Run via JSFiddle   Run in Dynamsoft   Download from Dynamsoft

About the code

  • createInstance(): This method creates a BarcodeScanner object. This object can read barcodes directly from a video input with the help of its interactive UI (hidden by default) and the MediaDevices interface.

  • onFrameRead: This event is triggered every time the library finishes scanning a video frame. The results object contains all the barcode results that the library have found on this frame. In this example, we print the results to the browser console.

  • onUnduplicatedRead: This event is triggered when the library finds a new barcode, which is not a duplicate among multiple frames. txt holds the barcode text value while result is an object that holds details of the barcode. In this example, an alert will be displayed for this new barcode.

  • show(): This method brings up the built-in UI of the BarcodeScanner object and starts scanning.

Step Two: Test the example

Open the example page in a browser, allow the page to access your camera and the video will show up on the page. After that, you can point the camera at a barcode to read it.

When a barcode is decoded, you will see the result text pop up and the barcode location will be highlighted in the video feed.

For first use, you may need to wait a few seconds for the library to initialize.

Note:

  • The library requires a license to work. However, when no license is specified in the code, a free 1-day public trial license will automatically be used during which you can make initial evaluation of the library to decide whether or not you want to evaluate it further. If you do, you can request a 30-day private trial license.

    Network connection is required for the free public trial license to work.

If the test doesn’t go as expected, you can check out the FAQ or contact us.


Building your own page

Include the library

Use a CDN

The simplest way to include the library is to use either the jsDelivr or UNPKG CDN. The “hello world” example above uses jsDelivr.

  • jsDelivr

    <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/dynamsoft-javascript-barcode@8.8.7/dist/dbr.js"></script>

  • UNPKG

    <script src="https://unpkg.com/dynamsoft-javascript-barcode@8.8.7/dist/dbr.js"></script>

Host the library yourself

Besides using the CDN, you can also download the library and host its files on your own website / server before including it in your application.

A few ways to download the library:

Depending on how you downloaded the library and where you put it, you can typically include it like this:

<script src="/dbr-js-8.8.7/dist/dbr.js"></script>

or

<script src="/node_modules/dynamsoft-javascript-barcode/dist/dbr.js"></script>

Read more on how to host the library.

Configure the library

Before using the library, you need to configure a few things.

Specify the license

The library requires a license to work, use the API license to specify it.

Dynamsoft.DBR.BarcodeReader.license =
  "YOUR-ORGANIZATION-ID or YOUR-HANDSHAKECODE or AN-OFFLINE-LICENSE or ANY-OTHER-TYPE-OF-SUPPORTED-LICENSE-STRING";

Or

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/dynamsoft-javascript-barcode@8.8.7/dist/dbr.js"
  data-license="YOUR-ORGANIZATION-ID or YOUR-HANDSHAKECODE or AN-OFFLINE-LICENSE or ANY-OTHER-TYPE-OF-SUPPORTED-LICENSE-STRING"></script>

Note:

  • When specified by YOUR-ORGANIZATION-ID or YOUR-HANDSHAKECODE, the license is an online license and a network connection to Dynamsoft License Server is required for it to work.
  • In most cases, online licenses are offered. If you want to use an offline license, you can contact us.
  • If nothing is specified like the above “hello world” example, a free 1-day public trial license will be automatically used. This license requires a network connection.

Specify the location of the “engine” files

If the engine files (*.worker.js, *.wasm.js and *.wasm, etc.) are not in the same location with the main library file (dbr.js), you can use the API engineResourcePath to specify the engine path, for example:

//The following code uses the jsDelivr CDN, feel free to change it to your own location of these files
Dynamsoft.DBR.BarcodeScanner.engineResourcePath = "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/dynamsoft-javascript-barcode@8.8.7/dist/";

This configuration is usually required with frameworks like Angular or React where dbr.js is compiled into another file.

Interact with the library

Create a BarcodeScanner object

You can use one of two classes ( BarcodeScanner and BarcodeReader ) to interact with the library. BarcodeReader is a low-level class that processes images directly. BarcodeScanner, on the other hand, inherits from BarcodeReader and provides high-level APIs and a built-in GUI to allow continuous barcode scanning on video frames. We’ll focus on BarcodeScanner in this guide.

To use the library, we first create a BarcodeScanner object.

let scanner = null;
try {
    scanner = await Dynamsoft.DBR.BarcodeScanner.createInstance();
} catch (ex) {
    console.error(ex);
}

Tip: When creating a BarcodeScanner object within a function which may be called more than once, it’s best to use a “helper” variable to avoid double creation such as pScanner in the following code

let pScanner = null;
document.getElementById('btn-scan').addEventListener('click', async () => {
    try {
        const scanner = await (pScanner = pScanner || Dynamsoft.DBR.BarcodeScanner.createInstance());
    } catch (ex) {
        console.error(ex);
    }
});

Configure the BarcodeScanner object

Let’s take a look at the following code snippets first:

// set which camera and what resolution to use
let allCameras = await scanner.getAllCameras();
await scanner.setCurrentCamera(allCameras[0].deviceId);
await scanner.setResolution(1280, 720);

// set up the scanner behavior
let scanSettings = await scanner.getScanSettings();
// disregard duplicated results found in a specified time period (in milliseconds)
scanSettings.duplicateForgetTime = 5000;
// set a scan interval in milliseconds so the library may release the CPU from time to time
scanSettings.intervalTime = 100;
await scanner.updateScanSettings(scanSettings);

// use one of the built-in RuntimeSetting templates: "single" (decode a single barcode, the default mode), "speed", "balance" and "coverage"
await scanner.updateRuntimeSettings("speed");

// make changes to the template. The code below demonstrates how to specify enabled symbologies
let runtimeSettings = await scanner.getRuntimeSettings();
runtimeSettings.barcodeFormatIds = Dynamsoft.DBR.EnumBarcodeFormat.BF_ONED | Dynamsoft.DBR.EnumBarcodeFormat.BF_QR_CODE;
await scanner.updateRuntimeSettings(runtimeSettings);

Try in JSFiddle

As you can see from the above code snippets, there are three types of configurations:

  • get/updateVideoSettings: Configures the data source, i.e., the camera. These settings include which camera to use, the resolution, etc. Learn more here.

  • get/updateScanSettings: Configures the behavior of the scanner which includes duplicateForgetTime, intervalTime and filter, etc.

  • get/updateRuntimeSettings: Configures the decode engine with either a built-in template or a comprehensive RuntimeSettings object. For example, the following uses the built-in “speed” settings with updated localizationModes.

Find the full list of these settings here.

  await barcodeScanner.updateRuntimeSettings("speed");
  //await barcodeScanner.updateRuntimeSettings("balance"); //alternative
  //await barcodeScanner.updateRuntimeSettings("coverage"); //alternative
  let settings = await barcodeScanner.getRuntimeSettings();
  settings.localizationModes = [
      Dynamsoft.DBR.EnumLocalizationMode.LM_CONNECTED_BLOCKS,
      Dynamsoft.DBR.EnumLocalizationMode.LM_SCAN_DIRECTLY,
      Dynamsoft.DBR.EnumLocalizationMode.LM_LINES, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
  ];
  await barcodeScanner.updateRuntimeSettings(settings);

Try in JSFiddle.

See also settings samples.

Customize the UI

The built-in UI of the BarcodeScanner object is defined in the file dist/dbr.scanner.html . There are a few ways to customize it:

  • Modify the file dist/dbr.scanner.html directly.

    This option is only possible when you host this file on your own web server instead of using a CDN.

  • Copy the file dist/dbr.scanner.html to your application, modify it and use the the API defaultUIElementURL to set it as the default UI.

    Dynamsoft.DBR.BarcodeScanner.defaultUIElementURL = "THE-URL-TO-THE-FILE";

    You must set defaultUIElementURL before you call createInstance() .

  • Append the default UI element to your page, customize it before showing it.

    <div id="div-video-container"></div>

    document.getElementById('div-video-container').appendChild(scanner.getUIElement());
document.getElementsByClassName('dce-btn-close')[0].hidden = true; // Hide the close button

  • Build the UI element into your own web page and specify it with the API setUIElement(HTMLElement).

    • Embed the video

      <div id="div-video-container" style="position:relative;width:100%;height:70vh;">
    <video class="dce-video" playsinline="true" muted style="position:absolute;left:0;top:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></video>
</div>
<script>
    (async () => {
        let scanner = await Dynamsoft.DBR.BarcodeScanner.createInstance();
        await scanner.setUIElement(document.getElementById('div-video-container'));
        scanner.onFrameRead = results => {
            console.log(results);
        };
        scanner.onUnduplicatedRead = (txt, result) => {
            alert(txt);
        };
        await scanner.show();
    })();
</script>

      The video element must have the class dce-video .

      Try in JSFiddle

    • Add the camera list and resolution list

      If the class names for these lists match the default ones, dce-sel-camera and dce-sel-resolution , the library will automatically populate the lists and handle the camera/resolution switching.

      <select class="dce-sel-camera" style="position:absolute;left:0;top:0;"></select>

      Try in JSFiddle

      <select class="dce-sel-resolution" style="position:absolute;left:0;top:20px;"></select>

      Try in JSFiddle

      By default, 8 hard-coded resolutions are populated as options. You can show only a custom set of options by hardcoding them.

      <select class="dce-sel-resolution" style="position:absolute;left:0;top:20px;">
    <option class="dce-opt-gotResolution" value="got"></option>
    <option data-width="1920" data-height="1080">1920 x 1080</option>
    <option data-width="1280" data-height="720">1280 x 720</option>
    <option data-width="640" data-height="480">640 x 480</option>
</select>

      Try in JSFiddle

      Generally, you need to provide a resolution that the camera supports. However, in case a camera does not support the specified resolution, it usually uses the nearest supported resolution. As a result, the selected resolution may not be the actual resolution used. In this case, add an option with the class name dce-opt-gotResolution (as shown above) and the library will then use it to show the actual resolution.

See also UI customization samples.


Requesting a Trial

You can request a 30-day free private trial via the customer portal. Or you can contact our support team to get a free trial license.

Since v8.2.5, a free public trial license is used by default if no license is specified.


System Requirements

This library requires the following features which are supported by all modern mainstream browsers:

  • WebAssembly, Blob, URL/createObjectURL, Web Workers

    The above four features are required for the library to work.

  • MediaDevices/getUserMedia

    This API is only required for in-browser video streaming. If a browser does not support this API, the Single Frame Mode will be used automatically. If the API exists but doesn’t work correctly, the Single Frame Mode can be used as an alternative way to access the camera.

The following table is a list of supported browsers based on the above requirements:

Browser Name Version
Chrome v57+ (v59+ on Android/iOS1)
Firefox v52+ (v55+ on Android/iOS1)
Edge2 v16+
Safari3 v11+

1 iOS 14.3+ is required for camera video streaming in Chrome and Firefox or Apps using webviews.

2 On Edge, due to strict Same-origin policy, you must host the library files on the same domain as your web page.

3 Safari 11.2.2 ~ 11.2.6 are not supported.

Apart from the browsers, the operating systems may impose some limitations of their own that could restrict the use of the library. Browser compatibility ultimately depends on whether the browser on that particular operating system supports the features listed above.


Hosting the library (optional)

Step One: Deploy the dist folder

Once you have downloaded the library, you can locate the “dist” directory and copy it to your server (usually as part of your website / web application).

Some of the files in this directory:

  • dbr.js // The main library file
  • dbr.mjs // For using the library as a module (<script type="module">)
  • dbr.scanner.html // Defines the default scanner UI
  • dbr-<version>.worker.js // Defines the worker thread for barcode reading
  • dbr-<version>.wasm.js // Compact edition of the library (.js)
  • dbr-<version>.wasm // Compact edition of the library (.wasm)
  • dbr-<version>.full.wasm.js // Full edition of the library (.js)
  • dbr-<version>.full.wasm // Full edition of the library (.wasm)

Step Two: Configure the Server

  • Set the MIME type for .wasm as application/wasm on your webserver.

    The goal is to configure your server to send the correct Content-Type header for the wasm file so that it is processed correctly by the browser.

    Different types of webservers are configured differently, for example:

  • Enable HTTPS

    Due to the browser security restriction on camera video streaming access, a secure HTTPS connection is required to use the library with camera.

    For convenience, self-signed certificates can be used during development and testing.

Step Three: Include the library from the server

Now that the library is hosted on your server, you can include it accordingly.

<script src="https://www.yourwebsite.com/dynamsoft-javascript-barcode/dist/dbr.js"></script>

Optionally, you may also need to specify the location of the “engine” files.


Advanced Usage

In addition to the above basic settings, the library has many more settings and options that you can adjust to best suit your usage. To read more, please see advanced usage.


How to Upgrade

If you want to upgrade the library from an old version to a newer one, please see how to upgrade.


FAQ

Can I open the web page directly from the hard drive?

Yes, for simple testing purposes, it’s perfectly fine to open the file directly from the hard drive. However, you might encounter some issues in doing so (like unable to access the camera, etc.). The recommendation is to deploy this page to your web server and run it over HTTPS. If you don’t have a ready-to-use web server but have a package manager like npm or yarn, you can set up a simple HTTP server in minutes. Check out http-server on npm.

Why can’t I use my camera?

If you open the web page as file:/// or http:// , the camera may not work and you see the following error in the browser console:

[Deprecation] getUserMedia() no longer works on insecure origins. To use this feature, you should consider switching your application to a secure origin, such as HTTPS. See https://goo.gl/rStTGz for more details.

  • In Safari 12 the equivalent error is:

Trying to call getUserMedia from an insecure document.

You get this error because the API getUserMedia requires HTTPS to access the camera.

  • If you use Chrome or Firefox, you might not get the error because these two browsers allow camera access via file:/// and http://localhost.

To make sure your web application can access the camera, please configure your web server to support HTTPS. The following links may help.

Accounting for newline characters in the barcode result

When it comes to HTML, newline characters ( \n ) are not interpreted as they normally would. Therefore, if a barcode result contains a newline character, and you display the result in an modal dialogue box or some other text elements, then the newline character will probably be ignored.

There are two ways in which you can resolve this:

  1. Wrap the element used to display the result in a <pre> element.
  2. Manually replace each \n character in the result with <br>

This page is compatible for:

Version 7.5.0

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