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iosios7barcode-scanner

iOS7 barcode scanner API adds a Zero to UPCA barcode format


Scanning this (https://www.barcoderobot.com/static/bcgen/01026/478064310081_3b120.jpg?preview=True) barcode we should obtain the following result: 47806431008

Using the iOS7 api to read the barcodes, I have the following result: 047806431008

Any ideias how to deal with this?

part of the code:

CGRect highlightViewRect = CGRectZero;
AVMetadataMachineReadableCodeObject *barCodeObject;
NSString *detectionString = nil;
NSArray *barCodeTypes = @[AVMetadataObjectTypeUPCECode, AVMetadataObjectTypeCode39Code, AVMetadataObjectTypeCode39Mod43Code,
                          AVMetadataObjectTypeEAN13Code, AVMetadataObjectTypeEAN8Code, AVMetadataObjectTypeCode93Code, AVMetadataObjectTypeCode128Code,
                          AVMetadataObjectTypePDF417Code, AVMetadataObjectTypeQRCode, AVMetadataObjectTypeAztecCode];

for (AVMetadataObject *metadata in metadataObjects) {
    for (NSString *type in barCodeTypes) {
        if ([metadata.type isEqualToString:type])
        {
            barCodeObject = (AVMetadataMachineReadableCodeObject *)[_prevLayer transformedMetadataObjectForMetadataObject:(AVMetadataMachineReadableCodeObject *)metadata];
            highlightViewRect = barCodeObject.bounds;
            detectionString = [(AVMetadataMachineReadableCodeObject *)metadata stringValue];
            break;
        }
    }

    if (detectionString != nil)
    {
        [_session stopRunning];
        [self scanResult:detectionString];
        break;
    }

Solution

  • I found the problem. Apple just convert every UPC-A barcode to EAN13 just by adding a leading zero.

    The solution is to verify if the barcode is EAN13 and if the string result have a leading zero is safe to remove it and obtain a UPC-A barcode.

    if(detectionString!=nil){
        if([metadata.type isEqualToString:AVMetadataObjectTypeEAN13Code]){
            if ([detectionString hasPrefix:@"0"] && [detectionString length] > 1)
                detectionString = [detectionString substringFromIndex:1];
        }
    }
    

    Link to Apple technical note: https://developer.apple.com/library/content/technotes/tn2325/_index.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/DTS40013824-CH1-IS_UPC_A_SUPPORTED_

    More information in: http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=pos1R1002813

    According to the Uniform Code Council, an EAN-13 barcode that begins with a zero is, by definition, a 12-digit UPC-A barcode. To follow this rule, when a scanner device reads an EAN-13 barcode beginning with a zero, it drops the leading 0, truncates the barcode to 12 digits and appends the UPC-A (instead of EAN-13) indicator to the label, before passing the label to the Operating System. Therefore, the Operating System has no way to recognize that this UPC-A label that was passed to it by the scanner device was initially an EAN-13 label beginning with a zero.