Tour of MBC4 - The Data Panel

The Data Panel

The Data Panel has controls for setting the type of data that can be entered and the method of handling the Check Digit.

Data Kind
For alphanumeric barcode types such as Code 39, it is possible to limit data entry to numbers only.

Fixed Length
When the Fixed Length box is checked, MBC4 will only allow you to create barcodes of the specified length. You can set the number of digits by using the up and down arrows or typing a value into the field. This feature is only relevant when the barcode type you are using allows variable length codes, e.g. Code 39, Code 128, ITF Variable and Codabar.

Check Digit
The last digit of many bar codes is a "Check Digit". It does not form part of the meaningful data, but is used as safety feature. It is derived from a calculation applied to all of the other digits in the barcode. See the About Barcodes section of this website for more information on how check digits are used within each code type.

There a 3 options under the Check Digit pull-down menu:

Verify - If this option is selected and an incorrect check digit is entered, an error will be displayed.

Auto Correct - If this option is selected and an incorrect check digit is entered, it will be automatically corrected. Use this option with care - it may not be the check digit that is wrong - it could be one of the other digits!

Ignore - Use this option only where the barcode does not use the standard check digit function.

Normally, there is only one type of check digit calculation that may be applied to a particular barcode type in MBC4. However, in a small number of cases, an alternate check digit calculation can be used. For such barcode types, the Check Algorithm menu becomes active and allows you to choose the type of calculation that is used