Editing Code 128 (section)

===Using FNC4 to encode high (160–255) characters===

The special symbol FNC4 ("Function 4"), present only in code sets A and B, can be used to encode all the Latin-1 ([[ISO-8859-1]]) characters in a Code 128 barcode.<ref>Apparently ISO 15417 Annex F</ref> 

When a single 'FNC4' is present in a string, the following symbol is read like ASCII, but the value is incremented by +128, thus taking the higher range of the ISO-8859-1 table. If the following symbol is a 'SHIFT', then a second symbol will be used to obtain the character.

If two consecutive 'FNC4' characters are used, all following data characters are extended ASCII characters until two further consecutive 'FNC4' characters are encountered or the end of the symbol is reached. If during this sequence of extended encodation a single 'FNC4' character is encountered it is used to revert to standard ASCII encodation for the next data character only. 'SHIFT' and character subset characters shall have their normal effect during such a sequence.<ref>{{cite web |title=TBarcode1D_Code128 |publisher=Han-soft corporation |url=http://www.han-soft.com/releases/barcode1d/documents/b_code128.html |quote=If a single "FNC 4" character is used, indicates the following data character in the symbol is an extended ASCII character. A 'SHIFT' character may follow the 'FNC 4' character if it is necessary to change character subset for the following data character. Subsequent data characters revert to the standard ASCII character set. If two consecutive 'FNC4' characters are used, all following data characters are extended ASCII characters until two further consecutive 'FNC4' characters are encountered or the end of the symbol is reached. If during this sequence of extended encodation a single "FNC4" character is encountered it is used to revert to standard ASCII encodation for the next data character only. 'SHIFT' and character subset characters shall have their normal effect during such a sequence. |accessdate=2017-01-21}}</ref>

From Code 128A you can reach Latin-1 special characters from 160 (hex A0, non breaking space) up to 223 (hex DF, ß) via FNC4. The lower case characters from 224 (hex E0, à) to 254 (hex FE, þ) are available by FNC4+SHIFT B. The characters ÷ (247, hex F7) and ÿ (255, hex FF) are not available. 

The feature is not available for GS1-128.<ref>{{cite web |title=Code 128 Explained |publisher=Softmatic GmbH |url=http://www.softmatic.com/barcode-code-128.html |quote=In principle non-ASCII characters like German umlauts (e.g. ÄÖÜ) can be encoded in a Code 128 symbol by using a special character (FNC4). However, this feature is not widely supported. Using a 2D barcode symbology like Aztec or Datamatrix with dedicated support for non-ASCII data might be a better choice. |accessdate=2017-01-21}}</ref><ref>GS1 General Specifications (January 2006{{snd}}Version 7.0), section 5.3.1.1 GS1-128 Symbology Characteristics, stating, "Characters with ASCII values 128 to 255 may also be encoded in Code 128 Symbols. Characters with ASCII values 128 to 255 accessed by Function 4 Character (FNC4) are reserved for future use and are not used in GS1-128 Bar Code Symbols."</ref> Since the support of Code 128 Type B (and C) is not very common, it might be easier to use a [[QR Code]] instead for characters from the ISO-8859-1 code range.