Swift Requires Chilkat v11.7.0+

QR Code with Non-English Text (UTF-8 and ECI)

See more QR Code Examples

Demonstrates text outside ASCII. QrCode always stores text as UTF-8 bytes, which is what phones expect. A QR code can also say so explicitly with an ECI header: setting encoding.eci to 26 declares the bytes to be UTF-8, for readers that would otherwise assume another character set. The header costs a little space, and a few older readers do not understand it, so it is off by default. Swift

func chilkatTest() {
    var success: Bool = false

    //  This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
    //  See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

    //  The text is "Gruesse aus Muenchen" written with u-umlaut and sharp s.  It is given here with
    //  JSON escapes only so that this source is plain ASCII.  Decode turns the escapes into characters.
    let sbText = CkoStringBuilder()!
    sbText.append(value: "Gr\u00fc\u00dfe aus M\u00fcnchen")
    sbText.decode(encoding: "json", charset: "utf-8")

    let json = CkoJsonObject()!
    json.updateSb(jsonPath: "payload.text", sb: sbText)
    json.updateString(jsonPath: "output.path", value: "qa_output/qr_utf8.png")
    json.updateBool(jsonPath: "output.overwrite", value: true)
    json.updateString(jsonPath: "output.return", value: "none")

    let fmt = CkoFormats()!
    let jsonOut = CkoJsonObject()!
    success = fmt.qrCode(op: "generate", jsonIn: json, jsonOut: jsonOut)
    if success == false {
        print("\(fmt.lastErrorText!)")
        return
    }

    //  17 characters, three of which take two bytes in UTF-8.
    print("characters: \(sbText.length.intValue)")
    print("bytes encoded: \(jsonOut.int(of: "symbols[0].payloadBytes").intValue)")
    print("ECI header: \(jsonOut.hasMember(jsonPath: "symbols[0].selectedEncoding.eci"))")

    //  Without an ECI header (qa_output/qr_utf8.png):

    //  

    //  The same text with an ECI header declaring UTF-8.
    json.updateInt(jsonPath: "encoding.eci", value: 26)
    json.updateString(jsonPath: "output.path", value: "qa_output/qr_utf8_eci.png")
    success = fmt.qrCode(op: "generate", jsonIn: json, jsonOut: jsonOut)
    if success == false {
        print("\(fmt.lastErrorText!)")
        return
    }

    print("with encoding.eci = 26, ECI header: \(jsonOut.hasMember(jsonPath: "symbols[0].selectedEncoding.eci")), value \(jsonOut.int(of: "symbols[0].selectedEncoding.eci").intValue)")

    //  With the ECI header (qa_output/qr_utf8_eci.png).  Both scan as the same text:

    //  

    //  Sample output:

    //  characters: 17
    //  bytes encoded: 20
    //  ECI header: False
    //  with encoding.eci = 26, ECI header: True, value 26

}