← Plugins  /  1D Barcode Scanner

iOS Android 📦 npm ⚖️ MIT

An open-source Cordova plugin that scans 1D linear barcodes on iOS and Android using each platform's native, offline decoder — no cloud service and no account required. Android uses CameraX with bundled Google ML Kit; iOS uses AVFoundation's built-in AVCaptureMetadataOutput.

Supported formats

The full list is also available at runtime on cordova.plugins.barcodeScanner.FORMATS.

Requirements

Installation

Add the plugin from the npm registry:

cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-1d-barcode-scanner

On iOS you can override the camera usage description shown to the user at install time:

cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-1d-barcode-scanner \
  --variable CAMERA_USAGE_DESCRIPTION="We use the camera to scan product barcodes."

On Android the CAMERA permission and the runtime request are handled automatically — you don't need to add anything.

API

The plugin is exposed as cordova.plugins.barcodeScanner.

scan(success, error, options)

Options

Result object passed to success:

{
  "text": "4006381333931",
  "format": "EAN_13",
  "cancelled": false
}

When the user dismisses the scanner, success is still called with { "text": "", "format": "", "cancelled": true }.

Usage example

Scan a barcode after deviceready and handle the result:

document.addEventListener("deviceready", onReady, false);

function onReady() {
  cordova.plugins.barcodeScanner.scan(
    function (result) {
      if (result.cancelled) {
        console.log("User cancelled the scan");
        return;
      }
      console.log("Barcode: " + result.text + " (" + result.format + ")");
    },
    function (error) {
      console.error("Scan failed: " + error);
    },
    {
      prompt: "Scan the product barcode",
      formats: ["EAN_13", "EAN_8", "UPC_A", "CODE_128"],
      beep: true
    }
  );
}

How "no QR" is enforced

• Android (ML Kit): the scanner is built with BarcodeScannerOptions.setBarcodeFormats(...) listing only 1D formats. 2D formats such as FORMAT_QR_CODE are never enabled, so they are never decoded.
• iOS (AVFoundation): AVCaptureMetadataOutput.metadataObjectTypes is set to only 1D AVMetadataObjectType values, and a defensive check additionally drops any QR result.

Troubleshooting

• "Camera permission was denied" — the user declined camera access. Send them to the OS app settings to re-enable it.
• Android build fails on an old compileSdk — make sure you're on cordova-android >= 12 (CameraX / ML Kit require compileSdk 33+).
• iOS can't find the camera usage string — confirm NSCameraUsageDescription is present in your *-Info.plist (added automatically on install).
• Nothing is detected — linear barcodes need to be reasonably large, well lit and roughly aligned with the on-screen guide. The camera only works on a physical device.