Barcode generator for a CSV catalog

You add barcodes to a catalog by uploading the CSV. Each row comes back with an image address, or with the reason it cannot be a barcode, and every other column stays as it was. The upload does not draw pictures. It writes the address of each barcode, which Excel, Google Sheets, a web shop, or a label tool can show later.

What do I need before the upload?

1. Sign in. The upload form on the homepage uses your sign-in, so it needs no key.
2. Create a picture key on the Account page if you want the addresses ready to show.
3. Export the catalog as a UTF-8 CSV with a header row.
4. Name the code column value, or v, and format it as text before export so leading zeros survive.
5. Add a symbology column, or s, only for rows that need a fixed type, such as code128 for SKUs.
6. Upload the file, with the picture key in its field, and open the file that comes back.

What file do I send?

This file has a GTIN, a code with a wrong check digit, and a SKU:

value,name,symbology
4006381333931,Tea,
4006381333932,Wrong digit,
SKU 44,Shelf,code128

What file do I get back?

Two columns are added: image_url and error. With a picture key, a third column, image_formula, holds a ready IMAGE formula. The file starts with a byte-order mark so Excel reads the headers correctly.

value	image_url	error
4006381333931	https://beepable.app/b/ean13.png?v=4006381333931&k=…
4006381333932		Check digit is invalid for this GTIN. Name code128 to encode it anyway.
SKU 44	https://beepable.app/b/code128.png?v=SKU%2044&k=…

If you uploaded without a picture key, add it in the sheet instead. In this file image_url is column D, so put your picture key in Z1 and use:

=IF(D2="","",IMAGE(D2&"&k="&$Z$1))

The IF skips rows with an error. Their reason is already in the error column as text, which is easy to filter.

What if the file or a row is refused?

Message	Why	What to do
The CSV needs a value column.	No header is named value or v.	Rename the code column.
A CSV can contain at most 10,000 rows.	The file is too long.	Split it into several files.
This file is larger than 5 MB. Split it into smaller files.	The file is too big.	Split it.
Use a picture key, not an All routes key, in image addresses.	An All routes key was typed in the picture key field.	Use a picture key there.
Check digit is invalid for this GTIN. Name code128 to encode it anyway. (in a row)	The last digit of that GTIN is wrong.	Fix the code at its source.
This is neither a valid GTIN, an Amazon FNSKU, nor a URL. Name a symbology, such as code128. (in a row)	A SKU without a symbology.	Set symbology to code128 on that row.

A refused file comes back as the single sentence, not as a partial CSV. A refused row leaves the rest of the file untouched. Quote any field that contains a comma.

What happens after the download?

Keep the returned file. Beepable does not store your catalog or the pictures. Each address draws the same barcode every time, and a barcode drawn once is saved for a year, so a sheet with 10,000 rows can be reopened without waiting. Do not put a private link in the value column, because it becomes part of a public address.

For automated imports, a program can send the same file to https://beepable.app/csv with an All routes key. The API reference has the details.

Frequently asked questions