The PHP programming language (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely used general-purpose programming language that is especially suited to web development. PHP code may be embedded into HTML code and executed by web servers.
Most of the web applications that you use on a daily basis are created using the PHP scripting language. This means that it is the programming language of WordPress, Facebook, and Twitter.
PHP is excellent for web development, creating APIs, and building interactive websites. It is also useful for developing command line tools and desktop applications. In this article, we will explain why to use a bar code API in PHP to generate bar codes, starting with an explanation of what bar codes are and why you should consider using them in your business.
What Are Barcodes?
A barcode is a machine-readable representation of data that can be read by scanning it with various types of scanners (for example, with a mobile phone or a camera). This representation is made up of bars and spaces of varying lengths arranged in a unique sequence. The data encoded by these sequences can be text, numbers, or even a URL.
In 1970, Norman Joseph Woodland and David Russell invented the first barcode in the form of a bull’s eye. Its purpose was to automatically identify grocery items in stores. In 1973, the two inventors founded the company Symbol Technologies to develop their invention. Today there are many different types of barcodes used in industry and commerce to label products or materials.
The most common type of barcode is the UPC or EAN code (which stands for “Universal Product Code”). This type of barcode consists of several vertical lines that intersect forming boxes which contain alphanumeric characters. Depending on the type of scanner used, barcodes can be read by either laser or camera scanners.
The principle behind this technology is simple: each product has a unique identifier that is written on it as a sequence of bars and spaces. The process starts with the scanning or imaging of this pattern by a sensor or camera. A decoding process will reveal the encoded data and translate it into the format chosen by the user, such as alphabetic or numerical characters, or even sound waves.
What Is An API?
Generate over 30 types of barcodes on the fly quickly and use in your application.
You can check Bar Code Generator API for free here.
