.NET MAUI Scan Barcode in Windows Apps with a Powerful Barcode Scanner Library

How Do You Create a .NET MAUI App for Barcode Scanning?

Setting up a .NET MAUI project in Visual Studio Code or Visual Studio is straightforward, for this tutorial, we'll be using Visual Studio. Launch Visual Studio 2022 or later, select Create a new project, and choose the .NET MAUI App template. Enter your project name and select your target platforms, for this tutorial, we're focusing on Windows deployment.

Unlike solutions such as Scanbot SDK that require complex initialization in MauiProgram.cs with var builder configurations and camera preview setup, IronBarcode requires no special registration. The public static class MauiProgram remains unchanged from the default template, making integration remarkably simple for .NET MAUI apps.

To install the IronBarcode NuGet package, you can use the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P in VS Code) or run the following command in the Package Manager Console in Visual Studio:

Install-Package BarCode

This single NuGet package installation provides everything needed for barcode scanning, multi barcode scanning, and QR codes recognition. The latest version supports all major barcode formats without additional dependencies, unlike camera-based scanners that often require permission handlers and CameraView control configurations.

To use IronBarcode in a production environment, you will need to apply a license key. You can set this in your MauiProgram.cs or within the App.xaml.cs constructor:

IronBarCode.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_IRONBARCODE_LICENSE_KEY";

IronBarCode.License.LicenseKey = "YOUR_IRONBARCODE_LICENSE_KEY";

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What Interface Design Works Best for a MAUI Barcode Scanner?

A clean, functional interface enables users to select an image file containing barcodes and view the scanning results. The following XAML creates a simple but effective barcode scanner UI for your .NET MAUI application:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             x:Class="BarcodeScanner.MainPage">
    <ScrollView>
        <VerticalStackLayout Spacing="20" Padding="30">
            <Label Text="MAUI Barcode Scanner"
                   FontSize="24"
                   HorizontalOptions="Center" />
            <Button x:Name="SelectImageBtn"
                    Text="Select Image File"
                    Clicked="OnSelectImage" />
            <Image x:Name="SelectedImageDisplay"
                   HeightRequest="250" />
            <Label x:Name="ResultsLabel"
                   Text="Barcode results will display here" />
        </VerticalStackLayout>
    </ScrollView>
</ContentPage>

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             x:Class="BarcodeScanner.MainPage">
    <ScrollView>
        <VerticalStackLayout Spacing="20" Padding="30">
            <Label Text="MAUI Barcode Scanner"
                   FontSize="24"
                   HorizontalOptions="Center" />
            <Button x:Name="SelectImageBtn"
                    Text="Select Image File"
                    Clicked="OnSelectImage" />
            <Image x:Name="SelectedImageDisplay"
                   HeightRequest="250" />
            <Label x:Name="ResultsLabel"
                   Text="Barcode results will display here" />
        </VerticalStackLayout>
    </ScrollView>
</ContentPage>

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This layout provides a button for image file selection, an area to display the selected image, and a label for barcode detection results. The design works across all .NET MAUI target platforms while maintaining native performance on Windows.

How Do You Implement Barcode Detection from Image Files?

In your MainPage.xaml.cs, you can use lifecycle methods like async void OnAppearing to initialize settings or check if the user has provided the necessary file access.

The public partial class MainPage contains the scanning logic. IronBarcode's BarcodeReader.Read method handles all the complexity of barcode detection, supporting scanning barcodes from JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, and BMP formats. Here's the complete implementation:

using IronBarCode;
namespace BarcodeScanner;
public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
{
    public MainPage()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }
    private async void OnSelectImage(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        try
        {
            // Open file picker for image selection
            var result = await FilePicker.PickAsync(new PickOptions
            {
                FileTypes = FilePickerFileType.Images,
                PickerTitle = "Select a barcode image"
            });
            if (result != null)
            {
                // Display the selected image
                var stream = await result.OpenReadAsync();
                SelectedImageDisplay.Source = ImageSource.FromStream(() => stream);
                // Read barcodes from the image file
                var barcodes = BarcodeReader.Read(result.FullPath);
                // Display all detected barcode values
                if (barcodes.Count > 0)
                {
                    string output = string.Join("\n",
                        barcodes.Select(b => $"{b.BarcodeType}: {b.Value}"));
                    ResultsLabel.Text = output;
                }
                else
                {
                    ResultsLabel.Text = "No barcodes detected in image";
                }
            }
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            ResultsLabel.Text = $"Error occurred: {ex.Message}";
        }
    }
}

using IronBarCode;
namespace BarcodeScanner;
public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
{
    public MainPage()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
    }
    private async void OnSelectImage(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        try
        {
            // Open file picker for image selection
            var result = await FilePicker.PickAsync(new PickOptions
            {
                FileTypes = FilePickerFileType.Images,
                PickerTitle = "Select a barcode image"
            });
            if (result != null)
            {
                // Display the selected image
                var stream = await result.OpenReadAsync();
                SelectedImageDisplay.Source = ImageSource.FromStream(() => stream);
                // Read barcodes from the image file
                var barcodes = BarcodeReader.Read(result.FullPath);
                // Display all detected barcode values
                if (barcodes.Count > 0)
                {
                    string output = string.Join("\n",
                        barcodes.Select(b => $"{b.BarcodeType}: {b.Value}"));
                    ResultsLabel.Text = output;
                }
                else
                {
                    ResultsLabel.Text = "No barcodes detected in image";
                }
            }
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            ResultsLabel.Text = $"Error occurred: {ex.Message}";
        }
    }
}

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private async void ProcessResults(BarcodeResults barcodes)
{
    if (barcodes.Count > 0)
    {
        string msg = $"Found {barcodes.Count} barcodes.";
        // Use await DisplayAlert to show results to the user
        await DisplayAlert("Scan Success", msg, "OK");
    }
    else
    {
        await DisplayAlert("No Results", "No barcodes were found in the image.", "OK");
    }
}

private async void ProcessResults(BarcodeResults barcodes)
{
    if (barcodes.Count > 0)
    {
        string msg = $"Found {barcodes.Count} barcodes.";
        // Use await DisplayAlert to show results to the user
        await DisplayAlert("Scan Success", msg, "OK");
    }
    else
    {
        await DisplayAlert("No Results", "No barcodes were found in the image.", "OK");
    }
}

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How Can You Scan Multiple Barcodes and Configure Detection Options?

When your image file contains multiple barcodes, IronBarcode automatically detects them all. For optimized performance when you know the expected barcode types, use BarcodeReaderOptions:

using IronBarCode;
// Configure options for scanning multiple barcodes
var options = new BarcodeReaderOptions
{
    ExpectMultipleBarcodes = true,
    ExpectBarcodeTypes = BarcodeEncoding.QRCode | BarcodeEncoding.Code128,
    Speed = ReadingSpeed.Balanced
};
var barcodes = BarcodeReader.Read(imagePath, options);
// Process each detected barcode
foreach (var barcode in barcodes)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Found: {barcode.Value}");
}

using IronBarCode;
// Configure options for scanning multiple barcodes
var options = new BarcodeReaderOptions
{
    ExpectMultipleBarcodes = true,
    ExpectBarcodeTypes = BarcodeEncoding.QRCode | BarcodeEncoding.Code128,
    Speed = ReadingSpeed.Balanced
};
var barcodes = BarcodeReader.Read(imagePath, options);
// Process each detected barcode
foreach (var barcode in barcodes)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Found: {barcode.Value}");
}

IRON VB CONVERTER ERROR developers@ironsoftware.com

Why Choose Image-Based Barcode Scanning?

Image-based barcode scanning offers distinct advantages for .NET MAUI scan barcode development. While Scanbot SDK and similar tools focus on live camera preview functionality, IronBarcode's approach provides more straightforward integration, consistent behavior across platforms, and the ability to process existing image files from any source, including scanned documents, email attachments, or user uploads.

For Android and iOS deployments, the same code works without modification, no camera permissions or platform-specific configurations required.

Conclusion

Building a .NET MAUI barcode scanner with IronBarcode requires minimal code while delivering robust barcode detection capabilities. The image file-based approach simplifies development by eliminating camera permissions, device-specific configurations, and complex initialization. You focus on your application logic while IronBarcode handles the scanning.

The complete API documentation covers additional features, including PDF barcode reading, batch processing, and advanced image filters. Ready to implement barcode scanning in your cross-platform .NET MAUI project? Purchase a license for production use, or explore the full feature set with a free trial.

Get stated with IronBarcode now.

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