Entering Function Characters

Function characters are characters in a barcode that perform a function rather than print a character.

For example, the FNC1 character can be used in GS1 barcodes to separate multiple data strings, especially when you combine multiple Application Identifiers (AIs) and their data strings into a single barcode. Sometimes, the specifications for an AI require that other function characters also be entered into the barcode data string. For more information, refer to GS1 Application Identifiers.

You can enter function characters by entering a combination of a caret (^) and another character anywhere in your data stream. These combinations are as follows.

Double-click the barcode that you want to modify to open the Barcode Properties dialog. Alternatively, right-click the barcode, and then click Properties.
On the Symbology and Size property page, select the symbology that you want.
In the navigation pane, select the data source that you want.
In the Embedded Data field on the Data Source tab, enter the characters for your data string. To specify the function character, enter a caret (^) followed by the number or symbol for the function character that you want. For example, enter ^1 for the FNC1 character.