Printing bar codes in Microsoft Excel workbooks

This section assumes you have added the Visual Basic module to your workbook. See Importing our Visual Basic module in to a workbook.

Functions in the new module are used in Excel, just like existing Excel functions. For each type of bar code, there is a specific function and a specific font you should use in Excel.

Using bar code functions in formulas

Example: To print cell A1 as an automatic Code 128 bar code cell B1, do the following;

- In cell A1, enter some sample data. This will be the source data for the bar code. The source data can be a fixed value, or the result of a formula involving other cells;

Note: For each type of bar code, there is a specific function to use. For Code 128 the function is CIA_CODE128( ).

See: Bar code functions.

- In cell B1, we will use function CIA_CODE128( ) and cell reference A1. Enter the following formula;

  =CIA_CODE128(A1)

- Press enter the result appears automatically as 'strange' text characters in cell B1, like this;

  >l1l8[NY9]#

This is an example, your result may differ.

Note: The result of bar code functions only appears as a bar code, when you select the correct bar code font. For each bar code function, there is a font and font size to use.

See: Bar code font name and font size to use to discover the font and font size to select.

Format cell, font and alignment

- Select the cell which contains the bar code function.

- Choose menu Format | Cells...

- Click the Font tab

- Select the font and font size for the bar code function you are using.

For example, if you are producing Code 128 bar codes, using function CIA_CODE128( ), you would select;

Font	CIA Code 128 Medium
Size	14 points

If you are using a different bar code type, you will use a different function and you select a different font and font size.

On the Alignment tab select;

Vertical

Top

Row height

Select the row which contains the bar code, choose menu Row | Height... and set the height so the complete bar code is displayed.

The cell now appears as an industry standard Code 128 bar code.