Working with Encode Options

Each barcode symbology in Aspose.BarCode FOSS for Python has a dedicated options class that controls encoding behavior. All option classes inherit from EncodeOptions, which provides gs1_enabled and eci_assignment_number properties shared across symbologies.

Code128Options

Code128Options controls which Code 128 character sets the encoder selects. The encode_mode property accepts a Code128EncodeMode enum value.

Mode	Description
`AUTO`	Selects the most compact encoding automatically
`CODE_A`	Uppercase, digits, and control characters
`CODE_B`	Uppercase, lowercase, and digits
`CODE_C`	Digit pairs — optimized for numeric-only data
`CODE_AB`	Switches between Code A and Code B
`CODE_AC`	Switches between Code A and Code C
`CODE_BC`	Switches between Code B and Code C

import aspose_barcode_foss as barcode
from aspose_barcode_foss import Code128Options, Code128EncodeMode

# AUTO mode — library picks the most compact encoding
bc_auto = barcode.code128("ABC123", encode=Code128Options(encode_mode=Code128EncodeMode.AUTO))

# CODE_C mode — compact encoding for digit-only data
bc_c = barcode.code128("9876543210", encode=Code128Options(encode_mode=Code128EncodeMode.CODE_C))

# CODE_B mode — full alphanumeric support
bc_b = barcode.code128("Hello World", encode=Code128Options(encode_mode=Code128EncodeMode.CODE_B))

Code39Options

Code39Options controls whether the encoder uses the base 43-character set or the Full ASCII extension.

Property	Type	Default	Description
`full_ascii`	`bool`	`None`	Enable Full ASCII mode (128-character range via shift pairs)
`add_check_digit`	`bool`	`None`	Append a modulo-43 check digit

from aspose_barcode_foss import Code39Options

# Base mode — uppercase letters, digits, and a few special characters
bc_base = barcode.code39("CODE 39")

# Full ASCII mode — encodes the full 128-character ASCII range
bc_full = barcode.code39(
    "Hello, World!",
    encode=Code39Options(full_ascii=True, add_check_digit=True),
)

QrOptions

QrOptions has the most configuration surface among all symbologies.

Property	Type	Values
`error_correction_level`	`QrErrorCorrectionLevel`	`L` (7%), `M` (15%), `Q` (25%), `H` (30%)
`encoding_mode`	`QrEncodeMode`	`AUTO`, `NUMERIC`, `ALPHANUMERIC`, `BYTE`, `KANJI`
`version`	`int`	1–40 (controls symbol dimensions)
`mask`	`int`	0–7 (manual mask pattern selection)

from aspose_barcode_foss import QrOptions, QrErrorCorrectionLevel, QrEncodeMode

# High error correction with byte encoding
bc = barcode.qr(
    "https://example.com",
    encode=QrOptions(
        error_correction_level=QrErrorCorrectionLevel.H,
        encoding_mode=QrEncodeMode.BYTE,
    ),
)

# Numeric mode for digit-only data — most compact QR
bc_num = barcode.qr(
    "0123456789",
    encode=QrOptions(encoding_mode=QrEncodeMode.NUMERIC),
)

# Explicit version and mask
bc_v5 = barcode.qr(
    "TEST",
    encode=QrOptions(version=5, mask=3),
)

Ean13Options

Ean13Options controls check digit handling for EAN-13 barcodes.

Property	Type	Default	Description
`allow_check_digit_input`	`bool`	`None`	Accept 13-digit input with pre-computed check digit

from aspose_barcode_foss import Ean13Options

# 12 digits — library computes the 13th check digit
bc = barcode.ean13("590123412345")

# 13 digits — library validates the provided check digit
bc2 = barcode.ean13(
    "5901234123457",
    encode=Ean13Options(allow_check_digit_input=True),
)

Ean8Options

Ean8Options works identically to Ean13Options but for 8-digit EAN barcodes. Supply 7 payload digits (library computes the 8th), or set allow_check_digit_input=True for 8-digit input.

from aspose_barcode_foss import Ean8Options

bc = barcode.ean8("1234567")
bc2 = barcode.ean8("12345670", encode=Ean8Options(allow_check_digit_input=True))

UpcaOptions and UpceOptions

UpcaOptions and UpceOptions follow the same allow_check_digit_input pattern as EAN options. UpceOptions also has a number_system property.

from aspose_barcode_foss import UpcaOptions, UpceOptions

# UPC-A: 11 digits, library adds check digit
bc_a = barcode.upca("01234567890")

# UPC-E with pre-computed check digit
bc_e = barcode.upce(
    "01234565",
    encode=UpceOptions(allow_check_digit_input=True),
)

EncodeOptions Base Properties

All option classes inherit these properties from EncodeOptions:

Property	Type	Description
`gs1_enabled`	`bool \| None`	Enable GS1 encoding for the symbology
`eci_assignment_number`	`int \| None`	Set ECI metadata for character set identification

Tips and Best Practices

Use Code128EncodeMode.AUTO unless you have a specific reason to restrict character sets — it produces the shortest barcode for any input.
Set QrErrorCorrectionLevel.H for QR codes that will be printed on surfaces prone to damage.
Let the library compute check digits by default — only set allow_check_digit_input=True when receiving pre-validated data from another system.
Use QrEncodeMode.NUMERIC for digit-only QR data to minimize symbol size.

Common Issues

Issue	Cause	Fix
`InvalidInputError` on Code 39	Input contains lowercase letters	Set `full_ascii=True` in `Code39Options`
QR code too large	Version set too low for the data length	Remove explicit `version` or increase it
Wrong check digit on EAN-13	13-digit input without `allow_check_digit_input=True`	Pass 12 digits (auto) or set the option to `True`
`SymbologyNotFoundError`	Misspelled symbology name in `generate()`	Use one of: `code128`, `code39`, `ean13`, `ean8`, `qr`, `upca`, `upce`

Working with Encode Options