barcode-qrcode-scanning.mdx

title	iOS Barcode and QR code scanning
description	Inject barcode and QR code data into any iOS app to test scanning workflows without a physical camera.
sidebarTitle	iOS

This feature works with any app, regardless of whether it uses Apple's built-in scanning or a third-party library like ZXing or Google ML Kit.

Examples

Inject a QR code:

// Inject QR Code
import { device } from "@qawolf/flows/ios";

const { bundleId } = await driver.execute("mobile: activeAppInfo");

const cleanup = await device.injectBarcode(driver, bundleId, {
  value: "https://qawolf.com/qr-code",
});

// ... assert that the app handled the scanned QR code ...

await cleanup();

Inject a barcode:

// Inject EAN-13 Barcode
import { device } from "@qawolf/flows/ios";

const { bundleId } = await driver.execute("mobile: activeAppInfo");

const cleanup = await device.injectBarcode(driver, bundleId, {
  type: "org.gs1.EAN-13",
  value: "1234567890123",
});

// ... assert that the app handled the scanned barcode ...

await cleanup();

When to use

• Your app scans QR codes to trigger navigation, deep links, or actions.
• Your app scans barcodes for product lookups, ticketing, or payments.
• You need to test scanning flows without a physical code or camera setup.
• You need to run the same scanning scenario repeatedly with consistent results.

Supported formats

2D Codes:

• QR Code (org.iso.QRCode)
• Aztec Code (org.iso.Aztec)
• PDF417 (org.iso.PDF417)
• Data Matrix (org.iso.DataMatrix)
• Micro QR Code (org.iso.MicroQRCode)

1D Barcodes:

• EAN-13/EAN-8 (org.gs1.EAN)
• UPC-A/UPC-E (org.gs1.UPC)
• Code 128 (org.gs1.Code128)
• Code 39 (org.gs1.Code39)
• Code 93 (org.gs1.Code93)
• ITF-14 (org.gs1.ITF14)
• Interleaved 2 of 5 (org.gs1.Interleaved2of5)
• Codabar (org.gs1.Codabar)

Advanced: Multiple objects

Some apps expect the camera to detect multiple codes simultaneously. To inject multiple detections in a single call:

// Inject Multiple Barcodes (delivered to the delegate in one batch)
import { device } from "@qawolf/flows/ios";

const cleanup = await device.injectBarcode(driver, bundleId, [
  { type: "org.iso.QRCode",  value: "https://example.com/qr-deep-link" },
  { type: "org.gs1.EAN",     value: "1234567890123" },
  { type: "org.gs1.Code128", value: "PRODUCT-SKU-12345" },
 ]);

// ... assert that the app handled all scanned codes ...

await cleanup();

Advanced: Custom bounds and corners

Some apps use the position of the detected code in the view. To include position data:

// Inject QR Code with Custom Bounds and Corners
import { device } from "@qawolf/flows/ios";

const cleanup = await device.injectBarcode(driver, bundleId, {
  type: "org.iso.QRCode",
  value: "https://example.com",
  bounds: {
    x: 0.3, // normalized coordinates (0.0 - 1.0)
    y: 0.2,
    width: 0.4,
    height: 0.6,
  },
  corners: [
    { x: 0.3, y: 0.2 }, // top-left
    { x: 0.7, y: 0.2 }, // top-right
    { x: 0.7, y: 0.8 }, // bottom-right
    { x: 0.3, y: 0.8 }, // bottom-left
  ],
});

// ... assert that the app handled the scanned QR code at the expected position ...

await cleanup();

Advanced: Raw binary data

To include raw binary data alongside the decoded value:

// Inject QR Code with Raw Binary Data (iOS 13+)
import { device } from "@qawolf/flows/ios";

const cleanup = await device.injectBarcode(driver, bundleId, {
  type: "org.iso.QRCode",
  value: "https://example.com",
  rawValue: Buffer.from("custom binary data"), // also accepts a base64-encoded string
});

// ... assert the app received the raw payload ...

await cleanup();

Default values

If not specified, the following defaults apply:

• type: org.iso.QRCode
• bounds: { x: 0.38, y: 0.27, width: 0.32, height: 0.57 }
• corners: Calculated automatically from bounds
• rawValue: UTF-8 encoding of the value string

Full sample test

import Sample from '/snippets/flows/qr-code-injection.mdx';