Skip to content

README.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
164 lines (121 loc) · 5.09 KB

README.md

File metadata and controls

164 lines (121 loc) · 5.09 KB
Raw

pyzxing

English | 简体中文

CI Documentation PyPI Python Conda-forge Coverage Downloads License

Reliable Python bindings for the ZXing barcode decoder. pyzxing exposes a stable Python API while delegating decoding to a versioned, checksum-verified Java Runner.

Features

  • Decode one image or a glob of images into one consistent result list.
  • Read QR Code, Data Matrix, PDF417, Aztec, and common one-dimensional formats.
  • Accept file paths and NumPy arrays.
  • Preserve binary payloads, byte segments, result points, metadata, and orientation.
  • Control ZXing with explicit format, charset, multi-code, and effort hints.
  • Run on Linux, macOS, and Windows with Python 3.8–3.14 and Java 17+.
  • Install a pinned Runner automatically, or receive it directly from conda-forge.

Requirements

Component Supported versions
Python 3.8–3.14
Java 17 or newer
Operating systems Linux, macOS, Windows
ZXing runtime 3.5.4 in pyzxing 1.2.x

Java must be available as java on PATH. The Python package downloads the matching Runner on first use and verifies its SHA-256 checksum. The conda-forge package installs that Runner inside the environment.

Installation

Install from PyPI:

python -m pip install pyzxing

Or install from conda-forge:

conda install -c conda-forge pyzxing

Quick start

from pyzxing import BarCodeReader

reader = BarCodeReader()
results = reader.decode("/path/to/qrcode.png")

for result in results:
    print(result["format"], result["text"])

Globs return the same flat list[dict] shape:

results = reader.decode("/path/to/images/*.png")

Pass decode hints explicitly when needed:

results = reader.decode(
    "/path/to/barcode.png",
    multi=True,
    try_harder=True,
    character_set="UTF-8",
    possible_formats=["QR_CODE", "DATA_MATRIX"],
)

NumPy arrays

Install OpenCV and pass an RGB or grayscale array:

python -m pip install opencv-python
results = reader.decode_array(image)

Results

Every decoded barcode is represented by a dictionary. The most commonly used fields are:

Field Type Purpose
text str Decoded display text.
format bytes ZXing barcode format.
raw_bytes bytes | None Raw ZXing result bytes.
byte_segments list[bytes] Lossless QR byte-mode segments.
points list[tuple[float, float]] Result points reported by ZXing.
orientation int | None Clockwise image rotation.
metadata dict Stable ZXing result metadata.

The legacy byte-valued raw and parsed fields remain available for backward compatibility. Use byte_segments for binary QR payloads instead of re-encoding text.

Documentation

The complete guide is available on Read the Docs:

Command-line examples

Scan a file:

python scripts/scanner.py -f /path/to/barcode.png

Sample frames from a webcam:

python -m pip install opencv-python
python scripts/webcam_demo.py --camera 0 --interval 0.5

The webcam example uses the existing one-shot decode_array() API. It does not keep a persistent Java process running.

Development

python -m pip install -e '.[dev]'
./mvnw -f java-runner/pom.xml clean verify
python -m pytest tests/

Use mvnw.cmd instead of ./mvnw on Windows. See the development guide for documentation builds and release checks.

Project links