QR Code Generator for .NET – simple, compact and with many examples.
Core features:
- Supports encoding all 40 versions (sizes) and all 4 error correction levels, as per the QR Code Model 2 standard
- Output formats: Raw modules/pixels of the QR symbol, SVG, XAML path, PNG and BMP files. For other raster bitmap formats, see project home page.
- Encodes numeric and special-alphanumeric text in less space than general text
- Open source code under the permissive MIT License
- Built for .NET Standard 2.0 and therefore runs on most modern .NET platforms (.NET Core, .NET Framework, Mono etc.).
- Example code for WinForms, WPF, ASP.NET, ImageSharp, SkiaSharp and many more
Manual parameters:
- You can specify the minimum and maximum version number allowed, and the library will automatically choose the smallest version in the range that fits the data.
- You can specify the mask pattern manually, otherwise library will automatically evaluate all 8 masks and select the optimal one.
- You can specify an error correction level, or optionally allow the library to boost it if it doesn't increase the version number.
- You can create a list of data segments manually and add ECI segments.
Optional advanced features:
- Long text can be split into multiple linked QR codes (aka Structured Append)
- Encodes Japanese Unicode text in Kanji mode to save a lot of space compared to UTF-8 bytes
- Computes optimal segment mode switching for text with mixed numeric/alphanumeric/general/kanji parts
Open-source library for generating QR codes from text strings and byte arrays.
The library is built for .NET Standard 2.0 and therefore runs on most modern .NET platforms (.NET Core, .NET Framework, Mono etc.) including .NET 6 on all platforms.
It is mostly a translation of project Nayuki's Java version of the QR code generator. The project provides implementations for
many more programming languages, and the Project Nayuki web site has additional information about the implementation.
Features
Core features:
Supports encoding all 40 versions (sizes) and all 4 error correction levels, as per the QR Code Model 2 standard
Output formats: Raw modules/pixels of the QR symbol, SVG and XAML path. For raster bitmaps, additional code is provided. See below.
Encodes numeric and special-alphanumeric text in less space than general text
Open source code under the permissive MIT License
Available as a NuGet package (named Net.Codecrete.QrCodeGenerator)
Example code for WinForms, WPF, ASP.NET, ImageSharp, SkiaSharp etc.
Manual parameters:
You can specify the minimum and maximum version number allowed, and the library will automatically choose the smallest version in the range that fits the data.
You can specify the mask pattern manually, otherwise library will automatically evaluate all 8 masks and select the optimal one.
You can specify an error correction level, or optionally allow the library to boost it if it doesn't increase the size (version).
You can create a list of data segments manually and add ECI segments.
Optional advanced features:
Encodes Japanese Unicode text in Kanji mode to save space compared to UTF-8 bytes
Computes optimal segment mode switching for text with mixed numeric/alphanumeric/general/kanji parts
Getting started
Create a new Visual Studio project for .NET Core 3.1 (or higher) (File > New > Project... / Visual C# > .NET Core > Console App (.NET Core))
Add the library via NuGet:
Either via Project > Manage NuGet Packages... / Browse / search for qrcodegenerator / Install
Or by running a command in the Package Manager Console
using Net.Codecrete.QrCodeGenerator;
namespace Examples
{
class SimpleOperation
{
static void Main()
{
var qr = QrCode.EncodeText("Hello, world!", QrCode.Ecc.Medium);
string svg = qr.ToSvgString(4);
File.WriteAllText("hello-world-qr.svg", svg, Encoding.UTF8);
}
}
}
Manual operation
using Net.Codecrete.QrCodeGenerator;
namespace Examples
{
class ManualOperation
{
static void Main()
{
var segments = QrSegment.MakeSegments("3141592653589793238462643383");
var qr = QrCode.EncodeSegments(segments, QrCode.Ecc.High, 5, 5, 2, false);
for (int y = 0; y < qr.Size; y++)
{
for (int x = 0; x < qr.Size; x++)
{
... paint qr.GetModule(x,y) ...
}
}
}
}
}
Requirements
QR Code Generator for .NET requires a .NET implementation compatible with .NET Standard 2.0 or higher, i.e. any of:
.NET Core 2.0 or higher
.NET Framework 4.6.1 or higher
Mono 5.4 or higher
Universal Windows Platform 10.0.16299 or higher
Xamarin
Raster Images / Bitmaps
Starting with .NET 6, System.Drawing is only supported on Windows operating system and thus cannot be used for multi-platform libraries like this one. Therefore, ToBitmap() has been removed and three options are now offered in the form of method extensions.
To use it:
Select one of the imaging libraries below
Add the NuGet dependencies to your project
Copy the appropriate QrCodeBitmapExtensions.cs file to your project
Using these extension methods, generating PNG images is straight-forward:
using Net.Codecrete.QrCodeGenerator;
namespace Examples
{
class PngImage
{
static void Main()
{
var qr = QrCode.EncodeText("Hello, world!", QrCode.Ecc.Medium);
qr.SaveAsPng("hello-world-qr.png", 10, 3);
}
}
}
Examples
Several example projects are provided:
Demo-QRCode-Variety: Demonstrates how QR codes with different encodings, error correction and masks can be generated. All QR codes are saved as SVG files.
Demo-WinForms: Demonstrates how QR codes can be used in Windows Forms applications (incl. copying to the clipboard).
Demo-ASP.NET-Core: Demonstrates how to create QR codes in a web application implemented using ASP.NET Core.
Demo-VCard: Demonstrates how contact data (similar to business cards) can be saved in a QR Code using the VCard standard.
Demo-System-Drawing: Demonstrates how a QR code can be saved a PNG file, using the System.Drawing classes, which have become a Windows only technology starting with .NET 6.
Demo-SkiaSharp: Demonstrates how a QR code can be saved a PNG file, using the SkiaSharp multi-platform raster image library.
Demo-ImageSharp: Demonstrates how a QR code can be saved a PNG file, using the ImageSharp raster image library. Additionally, a QR code with an image in the center is created.