UBI EasyCoder 301 User manual

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UBI EasyCoder 301 Direct Protocol – Programmer's Guide Ed. 1
Contents
Contents
Contents
UBI EasyCoder 301
Direct Protocol
Programmer's Guide
Edition 1, July 1997
Part No. 1-960419-00
1. Introduction 1. Introduction.......................................................................... 4
2. Getting Started 1. Computer Connection .......................................................... 5
2. Check Paper Supply ............................................................. 6
3. Turn on the Printer ............................................................... 6
4. Serial Communications Test................................................. 6
3. Principles of Operation 1. UBI Direct Protocol Special Features ................................... 8
2. Sending Commands ............................................................. 8
3. Fields ................................................................................. 10
4. General Formatting Commands.......................................... 10
5. Field-Related Formatting Commands ................................. 10
6. Layout Commands ............................................................. 11
7. Printable Data Commands .................................................. 11
8. Feeding and Printing Commands........................................ 12
9. Setting Up the Printer ......................................................... 12
10. Reading Printer's Status ...................................................... 12
11. File-Handling Commands .................................................. 13
12. Syntax Descriptions ........................................................... 13
13. File Storage Devices and File Names ................................. 14
4. Label Design 1. Introduction........................................................................ 15
2. General Formatting Commands.......................................... 16
3. Text Field........................................................................... 19
4. Bar Code Field ................................................................... 23
5. Image Field ........................................................................ 28
6. Box Field ........................................................................... 30
7. Line Field........................................................................... 31
8. Layout Commands ............................................................. 32
9. Printable Data Commands .................................................. 33
5. Feeding and Printing 1. Paper Feed ......................................................................... 39
Commands 2. Label Printing..................................................................... 41
3. Batch Printing .................................................................... 42

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UBI EasyCoder 301 Direct Protocol – Programmer's Guide Ed. 1
Contents
Contents, cont'd.
6. Setting Up the Printer 1. Layout Mode/Immediate Mode .......................................... 44
2. IN/OUT Channel Setup ...................................................... 44
3. Date and Time.................................................................... 45
4. Date and Time Format........................................................ 46
5. Separators .......................................................................... 47
6. Counters............................................................................. 48
7. Label-Taken Sensor ........................................................... 49
8. Feed Key............................................................................ 49
9. Memory Formatting ........................................................... 50
10. Input Data Preprocess......................................................... 50
11. Character Set Selection....................................................... 51
12. Printer Reboot .................................................................... 52
13. Verbosity Level.................................................................. 53
14. Error Message Types.......................................................... 53
15. Error Handling ................................................................... 53
16. Break in Batch Printing ...................................................... 55
17. Printer Setup ...................................................................... 55
7. Reading the Printer's 1. Introduction........................................................................ 58
Status 2. Date and Time.................................................................... 58
3. Memory ............................................................................. 58
4. Printhead ............................................................................ 59
5. System Counters ................................................................ 59
6. Sensors............................................................................... 60
7. Printer's Status.................................................................... 60
8. Software and Hardware Versions ....................................... 60
8. File Handling 1. Reading the Printer Memory .............................................. 61
2. Removing Images, Files and Fonts ..................................... 61
3. Copying Files ..................................................................... 62
4. Downloading Binary Files.................................................. 62
5. Downloading Image Files................................................... 63
9. Advanced Features 1. Specifying Complex Bar Codes.......................................... 64
2. Using International Character Sets...................................... 65
3. Font Scaling ....................................................................... 69

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UBI EasyCoder 301 Direct Protocol – Programmer's Guide Ed. 1
Contents
Information in this manual is subject to change without prior notice and does not represent a commit-
ment on the part of UBI Printer AB.
© Copyright UBI PTC AB, 1997. All rights reserved. Published in Sweden.
EasyCoder is a trademark of United Barcode Industries (UBI).
Centronics is a registered trademark of Centronics Data Computer Corp.
Microsoft, MS, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Speedo is a trademark of Bitstream, Inc.
TrueType are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
Unicode is a trademark of Unicode Inc.
Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
10. Firmware Upgrade 1. Software and Fonts............................................................. 70
11. Character Set, Fonts 1. Character Sets .................................................................... 71
and Bar Codes 2. Resident Fonts.................................................................... 98
3. Resident Bar Code Fonts .................................................... 99
12. Error Messages 1. Error Messages in Numerical Order ................................. 100
13. Commands and 1. Commands (Alphabetical)................................................ 102
Functions 2. Command Syntax............................................................. 106
3. Function Syntax ............................................................... 108
Contents, cont'd.

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UBI EasyCoder 301 Direct Protocol – Programmer's Guide Ed. 1
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 1
Introduction
UBI Direct Protocol is an easy-to-use printer programming lan-
guage that has been developed for use with the computer-control-
led direct thermal and thermal transfer printers manufactured by
United Barcode Industries (UBI).
UBI Direct Protocol can be used in two ways:
• To create label layouts consisting of fields with fixed or variable
information. A layout can then be selected and provided with
variable input from the host computer in the form of a simple
string of data.
• To send input data and formatting commands as a continuous
string of data directly from the host computer.
Inbothcases, UBI DirectProtocolprovidesa flexibleerrorhandler,
which allows you to compose your own error messages in any lan-
guage.
UBI Direct Protocol has been created with two main types of appli-
cation in mind:
• Applicationswheretheend-userrequiresasimpleprintercontrol
program, but needs a versatile error handler.
• Applicationswhichhaveacomprehensiveprintercontrolprogram
in the host computer.
Referto chapter13in this manualfor listsofthe variouscommands
in UBI Direct Protocol.
We recommend that you have the following manuals accessible:
• EasyCoder 301 Installation and Operation Manual
• This Programming Manual.

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UBI EasyCoder 301 Direct Protocol – Programmer's Guide Ed. 1
Chapter 2 Getting Started
Chapter 2
UBI Direct Protocol is stored in two Flash EPROM packages fitted
as standard on the printer's CPU board. No floppy disks or operat-
ing system, e.g. MS-DOS, are required. The printer only needs to
be connected to a mains supply and to a device capable of transmit-
ting characters inASCII format, which can be anything from a non-
intelligent terminal to a mainframe computer system.
For running the printer, we recommend a computer with a screen,
an alphanumeric keyboard, and a communication program which
provides two-way communication via an RS 232C serial port. A
Centronics parallel port can also be used, but it will provide one-
way communication only: no data or messages can be returned to
the screen of the host.
Connect the printer and host as described in the EasyCoder 301
Installation and Operation Manual.
Itispossibleto set upthe printer's communication protocol tofitthe
host computer, as described in the EasyCoder 301 Installation and
Operation Manual. However, until you have become familiar with
UBI Direct Protocol, it may be easier to adapt the host to the print-
er's default setup parameters. There is no communication setup for
the Centronics parallel interface.
Default serial communication setup on "uart1:"
• Baud rate.................... : 9600
• Parity ......................... : None
• Character length ......... : 8
• No. of stop bits ........... : 1
• Flow control............... : Disabled
• New line .................... : CR/LF(CarriageReturn+LineFeed)
Getting Started
1. Computer
Connection

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UBI EasyCoder 301 Direct Protocol – Programmer's Guide Ed. 1
Chapter 2 Getting Started
Check that the printer has an ample supply of paper or other receiv-
ing material and, where applicable, of thermal transfer ribbon. Re-
fer to the EasyCoder 301 User's Guide or Installation and Opera-
tion Manual for loading commands.
Checkthattheprintheadislowered.Turn onthemainsswitch,which
is fitted on the printer's rear plate, and check that the Power LED
comes on.
Check that you have a working two-way serial communication by
sendingasimple command fromthehosttothe printer. Onthe host,
type:
? VERSION$ ↵
Providedyouhaveserialtwo-waycommunication, theprintershould
respond by immediately returning the version of the installed UBI
Direct Protocol software to the screen of the host, e.g.:
D6.1
Ok
This indicates that the communication is working both ways.
If the communication does not work, turn off the printer and check
the connection cable.Also check if the communication setup in the
host corresponds to the printer's setup and if the connection is made
between the correct ports. Then try the communication test again.
Once you know that the communication is working, you may go on
and send a line of text to make sure that characters transmitted from
the terminal are interpreted as expected by the printer's software:
PP 10, 10 ↵
FT "Swiss 721 BT" ↵
PT "ABCDEFGHIJKLM" ↵
PF ↵
2. Check Paper
Supply
3.Turn on the
Printer
4. Serial
Communications
Test
(↵= Carriage Return)

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UBI EasyCoder 301 Direct Protocol – Programmer's Guide Ed. 1
Chapter 2 Getting Started
Each line will be acknowledged by “Ok” on the screen, provided it
has been entered correctly. When you press ↵ (Carriage Return)
the third time, the printer will feed out a label, ticket, tag or piece of
strip with the text printed in the lower left corner of the printable
area.
You can try using other characters between the quotation marks in
thethirdline,especiallytypicalnationalcharacterslikeÅÄÖÜ¿¢¥ç,
etc. If any unexpected characters are printed, you may need to se-
lect another character set (see chapter 6.11), or change the commu-
nication setup from 7-bit to 8-bit character length.
4. Serial
Communications
Test, cont'd.
ABCDEFGHIJKLM

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UBI EasyCoder 301 Direct Protocol – Programmer's Guide Ed. 1
Chapter 3 Principles of Operation
Chapter 3
Principles of Operation
Thereisabuilt-inerrorhandler,thatcan indicateselectederrorcon-
ditions and produce error-messages of your own creation in any
language you like.
Variable input data (in a special format) can be inserted into fields
in a predefined layout.
You can create counters without extensive programming.
You can easily enable the Feed key to produce printouts.
By default, verbosity is turned on in UBI Direct Protocol1.
UBI Direct Protocol allows you to send commands to the printer in
two ways:
• Immediate Mode
• Layout Mode
•Immediate Mode
You send commands that the printer will act upon immediately.
This method is used for setting up the printer, for returning
information from the printer back to the host and for managing
files, fonts and images.
Examples:
PRINT KEY ON ↵(enable Feed key)
? DATE$ ↵(read printer's calendar)
KILL "LAYOUT1" ↵(delete a layout or file)
Immediate Mode can also be used for creating label layouts
including all the printable data as illustrated below.
•Layout Mode
Layout Mode is only intended for creating labels. Firstly, create
a layout containing formatting commands for a number of fields
andsuchprintabledatathatyoudonotneedtochange.Secondly,
send a string of printable data to the empty fields plus a print
command. You can create a number of different layouts, select
the one you need, add the variable data and print out the labels.
1. UBI Direct
Protocol Special
Features
2. Sending
Commands
1/. While you are experimenting
with UBI Direct Protocol, we
recommend that you retain the
default verbosity setting (ON).
Later you should change it to
OFF, since this will produce
optimum printer performance.

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UBI EasyCoder 301 Direct Protocol – Programmer's Guide Ed. 1
Chapter 3 Principles of Operation
Letus create the simplelabelshownonthe left usingbothmethods:
Immediate Mode:
BF ON:BF "Swiss 721 BT",10,0:PP 10,20:
PX 400,300,10:PP 25,25:PM "ROM:UBI.1":
PP 75,250:BT "CODE39":PB "UBI":PP 75,200:
FT "Swiss 721 BT",10,0:PT "My FIRST label!":
PF ↵
You can also send the same string line by line:
BF ON ↵(enable bar code interpretation)
BF "Swiss 721 BT",10,0 ↵(select bar code interpr. font)
PP 10, 20 ↵(insertion point for box field)
PX 400,300,10 ↵(create a box)
PP 25,25 ↵(insertion point for image field)
PM "ROM:UBI.1" ↵(select image)
PP 75,250 ↵(insertion point for bar code field)
BT "CODE39" ↵(select bar code type)
PB "UBI" ↵(input data to bar code field)
PP 75,200 ↵(insertion point for text field)
BF "Swiss 721 BT",10,0 ↵(select font for text field)
PT "My FIRST label!" ↵(input data to text field)
PF ↵(print one label)
Layout Mode:
First, create a layout:
LAYOUT INPUT "LABEL1" ↵(start layout recorder)
BF ON ↵(enable bar code interpretation)
BF "Swiss 721 BT",10,0 ↵(select bar code interpr. font)
PP 10,20 ↵(insertion point for box field)
PX 400,300,10 ↵(create a box)
PP 25,25 ↵(insertion point for image field)
PM "ROM:UBI.1" ↵(select image)
PP 75,250 ↵(insertion point for bar code field)
BT "CODE39" ↵(select bar code type)
PB VAR1$ ↵(variable input data to bar code field)
PP 75,200 ↵(insertion point for text field)
BF "Swiss 721 BT",10,0 ↵(select font for text field)
PT VAR2$ ↵ ( variable input data to text field)
LAYOUT END ↵(save layout)
Note:
If a label has been printed using
apredefinedlayoutandyouwant
toreturntoImmediateMode,the
predefined layout must first be
cleared from the printer's
working memory using the
following command:
LAYOUT RUN ""
2. Sending
Commands, cont'd.

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UBI EasyCoder 301 Direct Protocol – Programmer's Guide Ed. 1
Chapter 3 Principles of Operation
Then add the variable input data and a print command:
LAYOUT RUN "LABEL1" ↵(select layout)
<STX> (start of input data, ASCII 02 dec)
UBI ↵(variable input data to VAR1$)
My FIRST label! ↵(variable input data to VAR2$)
<EOT> (end of input data, ASCII 04 dec)
PF ↵(print one label)
The printable information on a label, ticket, tag or piece of strip
consists of various types of field. A field can consist of:
• A single line of text
• A bar code with or without human readable interpretation
• An image, i.e. a picture, logo or sign in .PCX format
• A box, i.e. a hollow square or rectangle
• A line
Any type of field should be specified with regard to:
• Position
• Alignment
• Direction
Refer to chapter 4.2 for more information.
Depending on the type of field, additional formatting commands
can be used:
•Text Field:
- Font (typeface)
- Font Size (in points)
- Font Slant (in degrees)
- Magnification
- Normal Image/Inverse Image
•Bar Code Field1:
- Bar Code Type
- Height (height of bar pattern)
- Ratio (wide bars/narrow bars)
- Magnification (bar pattern)
- Bar Code Interpretation On/Off
- Bar Code Interpretation Font
- Bar Code Interpretation Font Size
- Bar Code Interpretation Font Slant
3. Fields
2. Sending
Commands, cont'd.
4. General
Formatting
Commands
5. Field-Related
Formatting
Commands
1/.Thisreferstoone-dimensional
bar codes only. Complex two-
dimensional bar or dot codes
may have other formatting
parameters.