Decoding Code128 barcodes?

Question

I'm reading barcodes in an iOS app using the built-in barcode recognizer.

I scanned the barcode on a bottle of prescription medication. I'm expecting this barcode to resolve to a number that I can use to refer to a medication database. What iOS tells me is this:

type: org.iso.Code128
string value: xAAAJ5wEA

I checked the Wikipedia entry for "Code 128" but I'm still not sure how to decode the string further. I'm assuming it's a "Code Set C" value, but I don't see how to translate it into the series of decimal numbers I'm expecting.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Answer 1

Code 128 is a compact one-dimensional barcode primarily used for alphanumeric barcodes. All 128 characters in ASCII are encoded.

In this case, your result is almost certainly a barcode encoding "xAAAJ5wEA". That barcode looks like this Code 128 barcode:

Prescription medication tend to encode a great deal of information. Possibly the customer record number, how many refills, what medication, etc. It can be used to pull up all information about the customer in the pharmacy computers. Precisely how this data is encoded will likely be based on the pharmacy policies. Therefore you will need to customize your software for each pharmacy.