What is FNC1 and how does it work?
FNC1 stands for Function 1 and is a control character used in GS1-based barcodes to separate one Application Identifier (AI) from another when multiple AIs are used in a single barcode.
The FNC1 code is integrated as an invisible character in the barcode and serves as a delimiter between different AIs. The FNC1 code consists of a hexadecimal value of ASCII 202 and is represented as "[". The FNC1 code is usually placed at the beginning of an AI, indicating that the following numeric value is part of the AI.
An example of the use of FNC1 can be found in the GS1-128 barcode, where multiple AIs can be used to encode different information. The FNC1 code is used here to differentiate between the individual AIs and ensure that the information is read correctly and unambiguously.
Overall, the FNC1 code can help improve the effectiveness and accuracy of GS1-based barcodes by ensuring that the correct information is read and processed accurately.