Australian Post Parameters

AustralianPost parameters

Aspose.BarCode for Java provides dedicated settings for AustralianPost barcodes that control how the Customer Information field is encoded and interpreted.

This article shows how to:

generate AustralianPost barcodes with specific encoding tables
read them with matching customer information interpreting types
choose between C_TABLE, N_TABLE, and OTHER depending on your payload

All examples in this article are based on the sample class:

com.aspose.barcode.guide.recognition.special_parameters.AustralianPostParametersExample

You can find the full source code on GitHub:

AustralianPostParametersExample.java

Customer information interpreting types

AustralianPost barcodes contain a Customer Information field whose content can be interpreted in different ways. Aspose.BarCode exposes this via the CustomerInformationInterpretingType enumeration, used in both generator and reader APIs.

The three main modes are:

Interpreting type	Enum value	Payload characteristics	Typical usage
C table	`CustomerInformationInterpretingType.C_TABLE`	Alphanumeric (letters, digits, space, `#`)	Customer IDs, short codes, labels
N table	`CustomerInformationInterpretingType.N_TABLE`	Numeric-only digits	Account numbers, postal references
Other	`CustomerInformationInterpretingType.OTHER`	Raw data, 0–3 symbolic characters, no semantic interpretation	Special/custom integrations, binary tags

When generating barcodes, you configure the encoding table on the generator:

BarcodeGenerator barcodeGenerator =
        new BarcodeGenerator(EncodeTypes.AUSTRALIA_POST, "5912345678ABCde");
barcodeGenerator.getParameters()
        .getBarcode()
        .getAustralianPost()
        .setAustralianPostEncodingTable(CustomerInformationInterpretingType.C_TABLE);

When reading barcodes, you configure how the engine interprets the customer information:

BarCodeReader barCodeReader =
        new BarCodeReader(imagePath, DecodeType.AUSTRALIA_POST);
barCodeReader.getBarcodeSettings()
        .getAustraliaPost()
        .setCustomerInformationInterpretingType(CustomerInformationInterpretingType.C_TABLE);

Always keep the encoding table on the generator and the interpreting type on the reader in sync.
A mismatch (for example, encoding with C_TABLE but reading with N_TABLE) may lead to incorrect or failed decoding.

Example 1. Reading AustralianPost with C table (alphanumeric)

The C_TABLE mode supports a subset of ASCII characters: uppercase letters, digits, space, and #. This is convenient for compact alphanumeric identifiers such as customer codes.

In the example class, the test readAustralianPostCTable() uses:

Generator: C_TABLE encoding with mixed letters and digits
Reader: C_TABLE interpreting type to correctly decode the payload

Generating an AustralianPost barcode with C table

private void generateCTable(String fullPath) throws IOException {
    BarcodeGenerator barcodeGenerator =
            new BarcodeGenerator(EncodeTypes.AUSTRALIA_POST, "5912345678ABCde");

    barcodeGenerator.getParameters()
            .getBarcode()
            .getAustralianPost()
            .setAustralianPostEncodingTable(CustomerInformationInterpretingType.C_TABLE);

    barcodeGenerator.save(fullPath, BarCodeImageFormat.PNG);
}

Reading with C table interpreting type

String imagePath = ExampleAssist.pathCombine(FOLDER, "australian_post_ctable.png");

BarCodeReader barCodeReader =
        new BarCodeReader(imagePath, DecodeType.AUSTRALIA_POST);

// Interpret customer information as C table (alphanumeric)
barCodeReader.getBarcodeSettings()
        .getAustraliaPost()
        .setCustomerInformationInterpretingType(CustomerInformationInterpretingType.C_TABLE);

// Expect exactly one AustralianPost barcode in this sample
ExampleAssist.assertRecognized(barCodeReader,
        "australian_post_ctable.png", 1, DecodeType.AUSTRALIA_POST);

Key points:

The payload 5912345678ABCde follows C table rules (digits + letters).
Both generator and reader are aligned to C_TABLE.
Use this mode whenever you need compact alphanumeric customer information.

Example 2. Reading AustralianPost with N table (numeric)

The N_TABLE mode is restricted to digits only. This is suitable for purely numeric customer data such as account numbers, shipment IDs, or internal numeric references.

The test readAustralianPostNTable() demonstrates this alignment.

Generating an AustralianPost barcode with N table

private void generateNTable(String fullPath) throws IOException {
    BarcodeGenerator barcodeGenerator =
            new BarcodeGenerator(EncodeTypes.AUSTRALIA_POST, "59123456781234567");

    barcodeGenerator.getParameters()
            .getBarcode()
            .getAustralianPost()
            .setAustralianPostEncodingTable(CustomerInformationInterpretingType.N_TABLE);

    barcodeGenerator.save(fullPath, BarCodeImageFormat.PNG);
}

Reading with N table interpreting type

String imagePath = ExampleAssist.pathCombine(FOLDER, "australian_post_ntable.png");

BarCodeReader barCodeReader =
        new BarCodeReader(imagePath, DecodeType.AUSTRALIA_POST);

// Interpret customer information as numeric-only table
barCodeReader.getBarcodeSettings()
        .getAustraliaPost()
        .setCustomerInformationInterpretingType(CustomerInformationInterpretingType.N_TABLE);

ExampleAssist.assertRecognized(barCodeReader,
        "australian_post_ntable.png", 1, DecodeType.AUSTRALIA_POST);

Notes:

Use N_TABLE when you know the customer information is strictly numeric.
If non-digit characters appear in the payload, decoding in this mode may fail or produce invalid results.

Example 3. Reading AustralianPost with OTHER (raw data)

The OTHER mode disables semantic interpretation and treats the customer information as raw data. According to the AustralianPost specification, this mode allows 0–3 symbolic characters and is intended for special-purpose use cases.

In the test readAustralianPostOther():

The generator uses OTHER as encoding table and a longer payload.
The reader uses OTHER as interpreting type to read the barcode without applying C/N table rules.

Generating an AustralianPost barcode with OTHER

private void generateOther(String fullPath) throws IOException {
    BarcodeGenerator barcodeGenerator =
            new BarcodeGenerator(EncodeTypes.AUSTRALIA_POST,
                    "59123456780123012301230123");

    barcodeGenerator.getParameters()
            .getBarcode()
            .getAustralianPost()
            .setAustralianPostEncodingTable(CustomerInformationInterpretingType.OTHER);

    barcodeGenerator.save(fullPath, BarCodeImageFormat.PNG);
}

Reading with OTHER interpreting type

String imagePath = ExampleAssist.pathCombine(FOLDER, "australian_post_other.png");

BarCodeReader barCodeReader =
        new BarCodeReader(imagePath, DecodeType.AUSTRALIA_POST);

// Do not apply C/N tables; interpret payload as raw customer information
barCodeReader.getBarcodeSettings()
        .getAustraliaPost()
        .setCustomerInformationInterpretingType(CustomerInformationInterpretingType.OTHER);

ExampleAssist.assertRecognized(barCodeReader,
        "australian_post_other.png", 1, DecodeType.AUSTRALIA_POST);

When to use OTHER:

You need to carry special-purpose data that does not fit neatly into C or N tables.
The receiving side knows how to interpret the raw customer information.
You want full control over how the payload is parsed at the application level.

Summary

AustralianPost barcodes in Aspose.BarCode for Java provide flexible configuration for the Customer Information field via CustomerInformationInterpretingType:

C table (C_TABLE) — alphanumeric (letters, digits, space, #), good for IDs and short labels.
N table (N_TABLE) — digits only, suitable for numeric codes and references.
Other (OTHER) — raw data mode, intended for specialized integrations.

To use these options effectively:

Configure the encoding table on the generator:

barcodeGenerator.getParameters()
        .getBarcode()
        .getAustralianPost()
        .setAustralianPostEncodingTable(CustomerInformationInterpretingType.C_TABLE);

Configure the interpreting type on the reader to match:

barCodeReader.getBarcodeSettings()
        .getAustraliaPost()
        .setCustomerInformationInterpretingType(CustomerInformationInterpretingType.C_TABLE);

Keep both sides in sync (same mode) to ensure stable and predictable decoding.

Use the patterns from AustralianPostParametersExample as a reference when integrating AustralianPost barcodes into your Java applications.

Allow incorrect barcodes Checksum validation