ASN Barcode Generator

This Python script generates A4 sheets of ASN barcodes in PDF format. These barcodes can be used for archiving scanned documents, such as with paperless-ngx.

Features

• Automatically generates a series of barcodes based on user input.
• Flexible layout for defining the number of rows and columns per A4 page.
• Outputs a PDF with customizable barcodes, ideal for use in document archiving or labeling.
• Supports Code 128 barcodes.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.x installed on your system.
• The reportlab library to handle PDF generation and barcode creation.

Setup Instructions

1. Install Python

Make sure Python is installed on your machine. You can download it from python.org.

2. Install Dependencies

You need the reportlab package to generate PDFs and barcodes. Install it using pip:

pip install reportlab

3. Clone or Download the Repository

You can clone this repository using the following command or download it as a zip file:

git clone https://github.com/ke-ma-fi/asn-barcode-generator-a4

4. Run the Script

Run the Python script in your terminal or command prompt:

python barcodes.py

The script will prompt you for the following inputs:

• Starting number: The first number for the barcode sequence.
• Ending number: The last number for the barcode sequence.
• Number of columns: The number of columns on each A4 page.
• Number of rows: The number of rows on each A4 page.

Once you provide this information, a PDF file containing the barcodes will be generated.

Usage

When you run the script, it generates a PDF file named ASNLabels_<start>to<end>_<cols>x<rows>_barcodes.pdf. The PDF will contain barcodes arranged in the number of rows and columns specified by the user.

This is useful for:

• Creating barcode sheets for document management systems like paperless-ngx.
• Labeling archived documents with unique barcode identifiers.

Example

If you enter the following inputs:

• Starting Number: 1
• Ending Number: 100
• Number of Columns: 5
• Number of Rows: 10

The script will generate a PDF with 100 barcodes arranged 5 columns by 10 rows on each page.

Code Overview

Here’s a brief overview of how the code works:

import math
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import A4
from reportlab.lib.units import mm
from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
from reportlab.graphics.barcode import code128
from reportlab.lib import colors

1. get_user_input: Prompts the user for input and validates it.
2. calculate_sheets: Calculates how many sheets of labels are needed.
3. create_labels_pdf: Generates the PDF with barcodes based on the user's input.
4. main: The main function that ties everything together and runs the script.

The script formats the barcode values with leading zeros (e.g., ASN000001) and generates a barcode using the Code128 standard. Each label has a margin, and the barcode is scaled to fit within the label's size.

Example Usage of Functions

• get_user_input(): This function collects the starting and ending numbers, as well as the layout (rows and columns).
• create_labels_pdf(): This function generates the PDF output based on the input, creating barcodes and positioning them correctly within each label.

Output

The script outputs a PDF file with barcodes in a grid format (columns x rows) on A4 paper.

Customization

You can modify the script to adjust:

• Barcode formats.
• Font size for the text below the barcode.
• Page size (currently set to A4).
• Barcode margins and sizes.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues or pull requests if you'd like to improve this script.

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Happy barcoding!