zint/README

Zint and libzint
----------------
Zint is a suite of programs to allow easy encoding of data in any of the wide range of public domain
barcode standards and to allow integration of this capability into your own programs.

Zint is able to encode data in the following formats:

Code 11, Standard Code 2 of 5, IATA Code 2 of 5, Industrial Code 2 of 5, Interleaved Code 2 of 5,
Code 2 of 5 Data Logic, ITF-14, Deutche Post Leitcode, Deutche Post Identcode, UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN-2,
EAN-5, EAN-8, EAN-13, UK Plessey, MSI Plessey, Telepen Alpha, Telepen Numeric, Code 39,
Extended Code 39, Code 93, PZN, Code 23, LOGMARS, Codabar, Pharmacode, Code 128, EAN-128, NVE-18,
Code 16k, PDF417, MicroPDF417, Two-Track Pharmacode, PostNet, PLANET, Australia Post 4-State Symbols,
RM4SCC, USPS OneCode, GS1 DataBar, DataBar-14, DataBar Limited, DataBar Extended, DataBar Stacked,
Composite Symbology, Data Matrix, QR Code, Maxicode, Aztec Code, EAN-13, Micro QR,
Korea Post Barcode, HIBC Code 128, HIBC Code 39, HIBC Data Matrix, HIBC PDF417, HIBC MicroPDF417,
HIBC QR Code, HIBC Aztec Code, Japanese Postal Code, Code 49, Channel Code, Code One, Grid Matrix,
FIM and Flattermarken.

          ******************************************************************************
          *     PLEASE NOTE: This is just a simple guide to getting Zint working.      *
          *     More complete documentation is available from the project website:     *
          *                      >>>  http://www.zint.org.uk  <<<                      *
          ******************************************************************************

PROJECT STATUS
--------------
Version 2.3.0:
This release features a complete rebuild of QR Code and Micro QR Code functionality which now:

* Automatically detects and adjusts to Japanese characters
* Supports GS1 encoding
* Does not require the qrencode library.

Also new in this release is Grid Matrix support which similarly supports Chinese character encoding.

Version 2.3.1:
Correction of some minor bugs in Code 128 and Data Matrix, addition of --notext option to CLI and
better operation of --scale option which now scales human readable text and MaxiCode.

SPECIAL NOTE: Codablock-F has now been REMOVED from this project because of problems implimenting
this standard. For full details see the project website.

Version 2.3.2:
More bug corrections including important corrections to RSS Expanded, Maxicode and ISBN.

Version 2.4:
Simplified GUI. Addition of "render" functions provides an API for glabels. Corrections to 4-state codes.
Simplification in QR code. Added --dump option.

COMPILING THE CODE
------------------
The CMake Method:
The easiest way to configure compilation is to take advantage of the CMake utilities. You will
need to install CMake first. If no Qt libraries are installed then CMake will not attempt to
build the Zint Barcode Studio GUI. Similarly if libpng is not detected then CMake will not attempt
to compile PNG image support. This method is recommened in most cases, the notable exception
being MinGW.

Once CMake is installed follow these steps:

	cd build
	cmake ..
	make
	make install

The command line program can be accessed by typing

	zint {options} -d {data}

Notice that the data needs to be entered after all other options. Any options given after the
data will be ignored. The GUI can be accessed by typing

	zint-qt

The MakeFile Method:
MakeFiles are provided for some systems although this method is now deprecated. It compiles
and installs the library and CLI only. If you have installed Zint using this method before please
note that the binaries will now install to a different location than version 2.3.0 or earlier
(/usr/bin rather than /usr/local/bin and /usr/lib rather than /usr/local/lib). This makes
installation easier on Red Hat based systems (RHEL, CentOS, Fedora etc.) and on BSD-like systems
(FreeBSD, OpenBSD etc.) and is more correctly in line with the LSB.

 *** UNINSTALL ANY PREVIOUS VERSION OF ZINT BEFORE USING THIS METHOD ***

To compile using this method simply run:

	make
	make install

If compiling on MinGW substitute the Makefile.mingw files for the default Makefiles in both the
/frontend and /backend folders.

MS Windows:
Compiling on Cygwin and MinGW are covered above. Compiling with MS Visual Studio is more involved!
Full instructions are currently not ready for publication but will be placed on the project website
as soon as possible.

Mac OSX:
Efforts are currently under way to ease compiling on OSX using the CMake method. It may be possible
to compile Zint using methods similar to those given above, but this has not been thoroughly tested
yet. If you have any success with compiling Zint on OSX then please get in touch. An install binary
for OSX is also in development.

THINGS TO DO
------------
If you are interested in improving this package then here are a few ideas.

Backend
-------
	* Create filters for more output file formats.
	* Add ECI character support to allow encoding in more languages than are covered
	  by the Latin-1 character set.
	* The code was developed to be easy to understand rather than efficient so may benefit
	  from some memory optimisation for embedded systems.

GUI Frontend
------------
	* Allow copying of generated barcodes to the clipboard with a "Copy" button.
	* Allow dragging and dropping to external apps.

Packaging
---------
	Binary packages are needed for distribution in the following formats
	* RPMs for various Linux distros (.spec file now available thanks to Radist)
	* Install binaries for Mac OSX

Translations
------------
	Documentation is currently only in English. If you have the knowledge and the
	time please consider translating into other languages.

Research
--------
	The following standards would be welcomed in Zint but the full documentation has
	not yet been found.
	* DPD Code
	* Italian Postal Code


CONTACT ME
----------
The home of libzint is:

	http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/zint

and the home for Zint documentation is:

	http://www.zint.org.uk

For feature requests or bug reports please join the mailing list at

	https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/zint-barcode

or send an e-mail to

	zint-barcode@lists.sourceforge.net

BEFORE POSTING TO THIS LIST
---------------------------
Please note the following points...
* You do not need to join the list to post messages, although joining the list will usually
  mean your request is answered more promptly.
* Zint is primarily developed for Linux. If you are using another platform then we will be
  less able to help you, although we will do so if we can. We cannot provide support for
  commercial packages such as MS Office or Crystal Reports.
* Always ensure you are using the latest version of Zint before posting bug reports - the bug
  you are reporting may have been fixed already.
* Please remember to state what operating system you are using and include enough information
  to allow us to reproduce the error - including input data if appropriate.
* Please DO NOT post messages asking for us to change the license arrangements. You will be
  ignored. If you want a barcode encoder with a different license then please look elsewhere.
* Please remember that Zint is developed by volunteers - don't be surprised if we are unable
  to help you or if it takes a long time to answer your questions.

Thanks for your interest in libzint.
Happy encoding.

Robin.