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Product: CODESOFT

Version: Enterprise Only

 

OVERVIEW 
CODESOFT allows you to set up and program Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags – referred to simply as “RF tags” in CODESOFT – if you have a printer that supports this technology. When you print an RFID label, CODESOFT reads from and/or writes to the tag. Any data that is programmed into the tag is not visible on the printed label as it is with traditional printed labels.
The RF tag settings – tag model, placement on the label, height and width, number of reserved data blocks, etc. – are available on the Page setup dialog box RFTag tab.


PREREQUISITES
The following requirements must be met in order for the RFTag tab to appear as part of the Page setup dialog box: 

  • You must be running the CODESOFT Enterprise version of the label design software.
  • You need to have previously installed and selected a printer driver that supports printing to RFID tags.

PROCEDURE: CREATING AN RFID TAG

1. Create a new label or open an existing label. On the File menu, click Select printer. (In order to set up and RF tag you will need to select a printer that is capable of printing an RF tag. In this example we will add a printer driver that is capable of this.)

2. The Printer dialog box appears. Click Add.

3. In the Model list, select the Zebra R4M Plus, which is an RFID enabled printer. Click OK.

4. Make sure the RFID printer is selected, and then click OK again to return to the label design screen.

5. On the Creation toolbar, click the RF Tag generation tool. Alternatively, on the Object menu, click RFTag.

6. The Page setup dialog box appears with the RFTag tab.

7. Click the Model drop-down list and select an RF tag from the list of available tag types. For purposes of this example, select the EPC tag.

NOTE: The types of tags available in the Model list depend on the selected printer. If the RF tag type is changed on the RFTag tab after you have already programmed the data for the RF tag, any previously programmed data will be lost.

8. Review the properties in the RFTag tab.
  • Class: Allows you to select the Class of the RFTAG
  • Top: Specifies the vertical placement of the RF tag on the label.
  • Left: Specifies the horizontal placement of the RF tag on the label.
  • Height: The height of the RF tag.
  • Width: The width of the RF tag. 
         NOTE: The unit of measure (millimeters or inches) can be changed from the Tools menu > Options > Display tab > Units setting.
  • Picture name: If you have a graphic image that represents the appearance of the RF tag type you are using, you can use the Image namesetting to add the image to the label. The image will then appear as a “watermark” background image on the label design screen.
  • Picture brightness: If you are using a graphic image of the RF tag, this setting allows you to adjust the brightness of the image on the label design screen
  • Picture contrast: If you are using a graphic image of the RF tag, this setting allows you to adjust the contrast of the image on the label design screen.
  • Reserved Blocks: Some tag types are preprogrammed with a certain number of read-only blocks reserved for manufacturer information. The Reserved Blocks setting allows you to select the specific number of these blocks to reserve.
  • RFTag identifier: Allows you to select a predefined Free variable or Form variable to serve as a placeholder field for the unique identification code that CODESOFT reads from the tag (dependent on printer support of this feature). Depending on if you are using a Free or Form variable, you can then have CODESOFT write the RF tag identifier code to a history log file or print it on the label.
  • Read block retries: The number of times the application will attempt to read from the tag.
  • Write block retries: The number of times the application will attempt to write to the tag.

NOTE: The properties for the RFtag mentioned above are standard for most models. Depending on which RFID Tag printer selected, there may be more options to choose from.

9. Click OK to complete the setup for your RF tag and proceed to specify the data to be written to the tag. The RFTag : "EPC" dialog box appears.

The RFTag: "EPC" dialog box Blocks tab is arranged in a table format, with each row representing a block. The settings on the Blocks tab allow you to define the read/write access for each block, and specify the data to be written to each block on the tag.

NOTE: The title of the dialog box will change to reflect the currently selected tag type.
NOTE: If you want to return to the RFTag:"Philips I-Code" dialog box at a later time, you can right-click in the label
design area and select the RFTag Programming option.

10. Review the properties in the RFTag: "EPC" dialog box.
  • Type: Specifies the type of information required for the block. This setting is preprogrammed based on the tag type and cannot be changed.
  • Value: Allows you to manually enter a fixed value to be written to the block.
  • Access: Sets the block access to read or write mode.
  • Data source: Allows you to select an existing variable field to populate the block. The number of blocks occupied by a variable field depends on the maximum length set for the field.
  • Format: Allows you to define the input format for the data. The available format options (ASCII, Hex, Integer, or Structured) depend on the type of tag selected.
  • Locked: Double-click the icon to lock the block permanently, meaning that once the data is written to the tag, it can no longer be modified or updated.

NOTE: The Structured data format is available only with ultra-high frequency RFID tag configurations such as EPC, GTIN, and SSC. The Structured format allows you to use pre-configured templates to make it easier to encode these complex tag configurations.

11. When you have finished specifying the data to be written to your RF tag, click OK. A watermark image of your RF tag appears in the specified location on the label.

 

Keywords: RFID tag setup, RFID tag programming, RFID setup, RFID programming, setting up RFID tag in codesoft