Symbologies
GS1 Digital Link barcode
Paste a GS1 Digital Link and automatic mode returns a QR code. Or build the link from a GTIN.
A GS1 Digital Link is a web address that carries a product's GTIN, for example https://id.gs1.org/01/09506000134352. A phone opens it like any link, and a till that is ready for 2D codes reads the GTIN from it. Paste one into Beepable and you get a QR code of exactly that address. If you only have the GTIN, build the link on the Digital Link page first.
How do I barcode a Digital Link?
- Build the link from your GTIN on the Digital Link page, or copy the full https address you already have.
- Enter it on the barcode form. auto draws a QR code and checks the GTIN's check digit.
- For a column of links, put the address in A2, your picture key in Z1, and this formula in B2:
=IMAGE("https://beepable.app/i/qr.png?v="&ENCODEURL(A2)&"&k="&$Z$1) - For a column of GTINs instead, the GTIN column guide builds the link and the QR code in one formula.
- Scan the code with a phone. It should open the address you built, with the right domain and GTIN.
Anyone who scans the code can read the address, so do not add a private token to it.
Which addresses count as a Digital Link?
The path must contain a GS1 key followed directly by its value, on any domain. The most common keys:
| Key | Identifies | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | A trade item (GTIN) | 14 digits, check digit tested |
| 00 | A logistic unit (SSCC) | 18 digits, check digit tested |
| 414, 415, 417 | A location, an invoicing party, a party | 13 digits, check digit tested |
| 8006 | A component of a trade item | 18 digits, first 14 tested |
| 8003, 8004, 8010, 8013, 8017, 8018, 253, 255, 401, 402 | Returnable assets, service relations, and other GS1 keys | The format GS1 defines for each |
A key in the query string alone does not count, and a value in the wrong format does not count. Such an address is still a valid QR code, just not a Digital Link. The JSON lookup tells you which it is: digitalLink is true only for a real Digital Link.
What if the check digit is wrong?
For the keys marked as tested, a wrong check digit shows: The GS1 identifier in this Digital Link has an invalid check digit. Name qr to encode the URL anyway. Fix the GTIN, because a pack with a wrong GTIN in its link scans as another product. Write qr instead of auto only when you deliberately want to encode the address as it is.
| The cell shows | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The GS1 identifier in this Digital Link has an invalid check digit. Name qr to encode the URL anyway. | The GTIN inside the link has a wrong check digit. | Rebuild the link on the Digital Link page. |
| This barcode needs an API key. | Z1 is empty, or the formula does not point at it. | Paste your picture key in Z1, and keep both dollar signs in $Z$1. |
| This API key has been revoked. | The key was revoked on the Account page. | Create a new picture key and paste it in Z1. |
What else do I need on the pack?
The Digital Link QR code does not replace the retail barcode. Keep the EAN-13, UPC-A, or ITF-14 of the same GTIN and place the QR code within 50 mm of it, as the dual-coding guide explains. The Digital Link page downloads both pictures in one ZIP. Write datamatrix only if a specification asks for a plain Data Matrix of the address; it is not the retail carrier.
Frequently asked questions
Do I build the Digital Link here?
Yes. The Digital Link page builds it from a GTIN, plus an optional lot, serial, and dates, and checks the check digit first. You can also paste a link you already have.
Which barcode does a Digital Link get?
A QR code. That is the retail 2D code for Sunrise 2027.
Does Beepable check the GTIN inside the link?
Yes, with auto. A wrong check digit shows: The GS1 identifier in this Digital Link has an invalid check digit. Name qr to encode the URL anyway.
What is not a Digital Link?
An address without a GS1 key and its value next to each other in the path, such as /01/ and 14 digits. A key that only appears in the query string does not count. Such an address is still drawn as a plain QR code.
Which domain should the link use?
https://id.gs1.org works for every GTIN. Use your own https domain only when it answers for those GTINs.
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