Version 1.0 Release Announcement

Version 1.0 was released June 16, 2016.

This is the first version of bwipjs to use an optimizing cross-compiler (included in the github repo) that statically analyzes the postscript code and converts it to equivalent javascript. The emitted code is very human readable and more javascript-like than postscript. There are still lots a places where postscript semantics must be followed and the postscript operand stack is still very visible, but overall, the code is much simpler to understand and easier to debug.

But most important of all, it is fast - in some cases, over an order of magnitude faster. See the tables below for performance comparisons between version 0.16 and 1.0.

And not to be lost by the speed gains is the new code size. The old cross-compiled code was bloated. So large that it had to be asynchronously loaded to keep performance from suffering. The new code is compact. The entire BWIPP code, along with all the supporting postscript logic, is a single file, 1/8 the size of the old code. There is no more need to asynchronously load the scripts; it can be downloaded (or require()'d) in one shot.

The following tables shows performance comparisons between version 0.16 and version 1.0 encoders. The data was compiled using benchmark.js file included in the develop branch. The times include the BWIPP renderers but do not include the time required to convert to a PNG image.

Overall run times for the benchmark were as follows:

• version 0.16: 678.4 seconds
• version 1.0: 78.4 seconds

The first table is sorted slowest to fastest for each version. The msecs columns show the average time required to generate one bar code. These times may not correspond to what you experience as the benchmark is designed to push the encoders and generates bar codes that contain more data than typical.

version 0.16	msecs		version 1.0	msecs
qrcode	828		maxicode	63
maxicode	471		qrcode	53
hanxin	457		code39	40
azteccode	328		sscc18	36
databarexpandedstackedcomp.	320		hanxin	36
datamatrix	255		ean13composite	35
databarexpandedstacked	225		databarexpandedstackedcomp.	35
databarstackedomnicomposite	195		gs1-128composite	31
pdf417	173		databarexpandedcomposite	28
databarexpandedcomposite	156		code128	26
gs1-128composite	155		azteccode	25
ean13composite	122		databarexpandedstacked	25
databarstackedcomposite	112		datamatrix	24
upcacomposite	104		pdf417	22
databaromnicomposite	103		upcacomposite	22
databarstackedomni	103		upca	21
databartruncatedcomposite	99		databarstackedomnicomposite	20
databarlimitedcomposite	98		ean8composite	19
ean8composite	97		databarexpanded	17
upcecomposite	95		itf14	17
databarexpanded	72		databaromnicomposite	16
code39	49		ean13	16
sscc18	48		code93	16
ean13	48		upcecomposite	16
code128	48		databarstackedcomposite	14
onecode	40		ean8	13
code93	36		databartruncatedcomposite	12
upca	32		databarstackedomni	12
itf14	30		databarlimitedcomposite	11
databarstacked	29		upce	9
ean8	27		databaromni	7
databaromni	26		onecode	5
databarlimited	20		japanpost	5
japanpost	18		planet	4
upce	18		databartruncated	3
planet	14		royalmail	3
royalmail	14		databarstacked	3
databartruncated	13		databarlimited	3
postnet	12		postnet	3

This next table is the same data, but sorted by encoder name to show the performance gains side by side.

encoder	version 0.16 (msecs/per)	version 1.0 (msecs/per)
azteccode	328	25
code128	48	26
code39	49	40
code93	36	16
databarexpanded	72	17
databarexpandedcomposite	156	28
databarexpandedstacked	225	25
databarexpandedstackedcomposite	320	35
databarlimited	20	3
databarlimitedcomposite	98	11
databaromni	26	7
databaromnicomposite	103	16
databarstacked	29	3
databarstackedcomposite	112	14
databarstackedomni	103	12
databarstackedomnicomposite	195	20
databartruncated	13	3
databartruncatedcomposite	99	12
datamatrix	255	24
ean13	48	16
ean13composite	122	35
ean8	27	13
ean8composite	97	19
gs1-128composite	155	31
hanxin	457	36
itf14	30	17
japanpost	18	5
maxicode	471	63
onecode	40	5
pdf417	173	22
planet	14	4
postnet	12	3
qrcode	828	53
royalmail	14	3
sscc18	48	36
upca	32	21
upcacomposite	104	22
upce	18	9
upcecomposite	95	16

This is just the initial release of bwipjs with its new cross-compiler. There are still many opportunities to improve both speed and code size. But I could use your help. The test cases for many of the bar code symbols are incomplete and many branches of code have never been run. If you are a javascript developer and want to help, please see Code Coverage.