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Excluded and intentionally out-of-scope formats

An absent format ID is intentional. The SDK prefers a clear “not implemented” boundary over a detector that returns plausible-looking but wrong data. listFormats() is the authoritative way to discover what the current runtime can create and read.

DENSO-licensed formats

The following formats are deliberately not included in this MIT SDK:

Format Reason What the user would need
SQRC DENSO format with licensing and proprietary data rules outside this project’s MIT implementation. An appropriate DENSO licence and a separate licensed adaptation.
Face Authentication SQRC DENSO format with authentication semantics and licensing outside this SDK. An appropriate DENSO licence and a separate licensed integration.
Native DENSO FrameQR Proprietary format; the public material does not provide the complete interoperable implementation contract used here. DENSO’s licensed generation/reading software or a licensed adaptation.

The SDK’s frameqr entry is the separate non-certified sythos-canvas-qr/1 profile described in Sythos Canvas QR. It is not a fallback name for DENSO FrameQR.

Official DENSO references for the excluded SQRC formats:

These names do not appear as supported IDs in the current registry:

Format or feature Current status
QR Code Model 1 Deliberately unimplemented; the current evidence set lacks the complete placement figures and fixtures needed for a trustworthy writer and reader.
Data Matrix Rectangular Extension (DMRE) Not included; the implementation covers classic ECC 200 square and rectangular symbols.
GS1 DataBar Limited Physical writer/reader not shipped.
GS1 DataBar Stacked / Stacked Omnidirectional Physical writer/reader not shipped.
GS1 DataBar Expanded Physical writer/reader not shipped.
Micro QR ECI Outside the current Micro QR API scope.
Micro QR FNC1 / GS1 Outside the current Micro QR API scope.
Micro QR Structured Append Outside the current Micro QR API scope.
MaxiCode Not implemented.
DotCode Not implemented; separate detector and placement work is required.
Han Xin Code Not implemented; format and redistribution review remain outside the current scope.
GS1 Composite Not implemented; stacked composite geometry is separate from the shipped GS1 DataBar path.

These are scope statements, not claims that the formats are impossible to implement. A future implementation would need its own source audit, fixtures, interoperability checks, security review and licence/provenance entry before it could be added to the registry.

Proprietary or unclear-status formats

The root LICENSE deliberately excludes the following from the current distribution because they are proprietary, licence-encumbered or not sufficiently clear to redistribute with confidence:

  • Digimarc Barcode
  • VeriCode / VSCode
  • DataGlyphs
  • Snowflake Code
  • ShotCode
  • Microsoft Tag
  • Bokode
  • Softstrip
  • Ultracode

The list is maintained together with the legal-review notes in NOTICE.md and the per-format inventory under licenses/. Removing a format from this page requires the same evidence and documentation update as adding it to the runtime.

Unsupported variants are not “almost supported”

A format family can be present while a variant remains out of scope. Examples:

  • datamatrix does not mean DMRE;
  • gs1databar14 does not mean every GS1 DataBar layout;
  • microqr does not mean every Micro QR optional feature;
  • pdf417 does not mean Compact PDF417 or MicroPDF417;
  • frameqr does not mean DENSO FrameQR;
  • EAN-2/EAN-5 do not become standalone symbols merely because their registry entries are readable.

Keep the application’s formats allow-list narrow and validate decoded data at the application boundary. If a required format is not in listFormats(), the safe answer is to use a separately licensed/validated implementation rather than guessing from a similar-looking symbol.

Adding a future format

A future addition should update, in one atomic change:

  1. the JavaScript runtime and TypeScript declarations;
  2. listFormats() and the package exports;
  3. focused tests, black-box checks and real-device evidence where relevant;
  4. the per-format licence/provenance file and NOTICE.md;
  5. this catalogue, PLAN.md, the README and machine-readable release metadata.

Until all of those are green, the format belongs on this page rather than in the supported registry.