All transaction print templates are created using the Web Report Designer. If you wish to add a barcode or a QR code to any transaction PDF you send to your customer, you will have to do so in the Web Report Designer.

Note: You need to be an Admin in order to access the Web Report Designer in your Method account.

In the below example, we will create a barcode from the Sales Order Reference number within the Sales Order print template. The Web Report Designer will automatically create a barcode or a QR code from any existing value.

Note: This article covers how to display a barcode from an existing value or reference number. Scanning a barcode and having the value entered into Method will require advanced knowledge and customization and is beyond the scope of this article.

Create a copy of the transaction template

It is best practice to make a copy of the print template as opposed to altering the original. This document will walk you through that process, using the Sales Order transaction as an example.

From your profile menu in the upper right, select Account Settings.
Scroll down and click Reports & Print Templates.
Using the search bar, find the transaction template you wish to copy using the search bar. If you aren't sure which transaction to use, select it to see a thumbnail preview.
Click the vertical ellipsis [ ⋮ ] on the print template you want to edit, and then select Duplicate.
Fill out the name and description for your new copy. Do not change the Base nor the Detail table.
Click Launch Builder to start editing your new copy.

Edit the print template in the Web Report Designer

The Web Report Designer is a powerful platform best suited for advanced users. We will outline the steps to add the barcode, however you may wish to learn the basics of the Web Report Designer first.

Make space for the barcode

In this example, the Sales Order # will be used to encode the barcode. When we preview the existing template, there isn't much room to put the barcode itself.

Let's make space for it by making the header taller.

Select the green square in the margins called PageHeader (these sections are called bands). You must do this before you can resize the header. If you don't select this, you will find you cannot grab the header to resize it.
Hover your mouse over the bottom border of the PageHeader band. The mouse cursor will change into a down arrow to indicate you can resize it.
Click and drag the border downards.

Drag in a barcode object

Now that there's enough space, we can drag in the barcode object. Although it is called the barcode object, you can change it afterwards to a QR code. You will find it in the left menu.

Drag the barcode object on to your report. Red lines will appear to help you line it up to other elements on the report, and the blue bordered outline will show you the size of the barcode object.
When placed and selected, the Properties panel on the right will allow you to configure it. The Symbology dropdown will allow you to specify the type of barcode, or even change it to a QR code.
The next part is the important part: you will need to bind a value to the barcode. The barcode object will automatically convert the value you give it into a barcode. In our example, we will create a barcode out of the Sales Order reference number.
- Click the Data binding dropdown
- Expand the line with your Method account name (in the example it's best4youservice.
- Expand the line which says SalesOrder . Make sure you do not expand SalesOrderLine.
Within Data Binding, find and select RefNumber. Again, the trickiest thing here is making sure you select the proper field from the proper table.
Below Data Binding, is a checkbox to Show Text. This will display the value below the barcode. You can uncheck this box if you don't want to show the value.
Now that the data is bound, you can preview it. Click the preview button in the header.
You will notice the barcode is not aligned to the right like the text. To go back, click the Designer button (which was previously the Preview button.)
Make sure the barcode object is still selected, scroll down in the Properties panel and expand Appearance. Then, select Top Right for Alignment.
Now the barcode is aligned to the top right. Feel free to style it further.
Once satisfied with your barcode, click Save in the upper right, and then click the Close button.

Change preferences to use your new template

Now that you have created a transaction print template, you will need to have the app use the print template. Every transaction app has their own preferences where you can change them. In this example, we will continue with the Sales Order App.

On Sales Order app, click the vertical ellipsis [ ⋮ ], and then click Preferences.
Expand the dropdown for Print Template, and change it to the one you created.
Click Save & Back.