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Build a Camera Preview Web Component using Stencil.js for Barcode Scanning

Web Components are a set of features that provide a standard component model for the Web allowing for encapsulation and interoperability of individual HTML elements. 1 We can define a custom element to use in any HTML environment, with any framework, or with no framework at all.

Stencil is a compiler that generates Web Components. We can use TypeScript, JSX, and CSS to create standards-based Web Components with it. 2

In this article, we are going to build a camera preview web component using Stencil and write a barcode scanning demo using it.

Getting started with Dynamsoft Barcode Reader

Dynamsoft Barcode Reader  

Build a Camera Preview Web Component using Stencil.js

Start a New Project

Run the following command:

npm init stencil

You will be prompted to create a component project or an app project. Here, we choose component.

? Select a starter project.

Starters marked as [community] are developed by the Stencil
Community, rather than Ionic. For more information on the 
Stencil Community, please see github.com/stencil-community
› - Use arrow-keys. Return to submit.

❯   component          Collection of web components that can be
                       used anywhere
    app [community]    Minimal starter for building a Stencil 
                       app or website

Generate a Camera Preview Component

In the project, create a new component named camera-preview.

npx stencil g camera-preview

To test the component, we can modify the src\index.html:

-   <my-component first="Stencil" last="'Don't call me a framework' JS"></my-component>
+   <camera-preview>
+     <p>Inner elements</p>
+   </camera-preview>

Then run the following command to test it:

npm run start

Use getUserMedia to Open the Camera

Let’s modify the component so that it can open the camera.

  1. Add a video element in the render function:

    render() {
    return (
      <div class="camera-container full">
        <video class="camera full" ref={(el) => this.camera = el as HTMLVideoElement} onLoadedData={()=>this.onCameraOpened()} muted autoplay="autoplay" playsinline="playsinline" webkit-playsinline></video>
        <slot/>
      </div>
    );
  }

    The CSS:

    .camera-container {
  position: relative;
}
   
.camera {
  position: absolute;
  object-fit: cover;
}
   
.full {
  width:100%;
  height:100%;
  left:0;
  top:0;
}

    The video element fills the container.

  2. Add two props: desiredCamera and desiredResolution:

    @Prop() desiredResolution?: Resolution;
@Prop() desiredCamera?: string;

    Create a new definition.ts file and define a Resolution interface:

    export interface Resolution{
  width:number;
  height:number;
}

  3. Load the list of existing camera devices:

    devices!: MediaDeviceInfo[];
async loadDevices(){
  const constraints = {video: true, audio: false};
  const stream = await navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia(constraints) // ask for permission
  const devices = await navigator.mediaDevices.enumerateDevices();
  let cameraDevices:MediaDeviceInfo[] = [];
  for (let i=0;i<devices.length;i++){
    let device = devices[i];
    if (device.kind == 'videoinput'){ // filter out audio devices
      cameraDevices.push(device);
    }
  }
  this.devices = cameraDevices;
  const tracks = stream.getTracks();
  for (let i=0;i<tracks.length;i++) {
    const track = tracks[i];
    track.stop();  // stop the opened camera
  }
  context.emit("devicesLoaded", devices);
  console.log(this.devices);
}

  4. When the component is loaded, open the camera device whose name contains the desiredCamera or open the first device. If the desiredResolution prop exists, configure the resolution as well.

    componentDidLoad(){
  this.playWithDesired();
}
   
async playWithDesired(){
  if (!this.devices) {
    await this.loadDevices(); // load the camera devices list if it hasn't been loaded
  }
  let desiredDevice:string|null = this.getDesiredDevice(this.devices)
  if (desiredDevice) {
    if (this.desiredResolution) {
      this.play(desiredDevice, this.desiredResolution);
    }else{
      this.play(desiredDevice);
    }
  }else{
    throw new Error("No camera detected");
  }
}
   
getDesiredDevice(devices:MediaDeviceInfo[]){
  var count = 0;
  var desiredIndex = 0;
  for (var i=0;i<devices.length;i++){
    var device = devices[i];
    var label = device.label || `Camera ${count++}`;
    if (this.desiredCamera) {
      if (label.toLowerCase().indexOf(this.desiredCamera.toLowerCase()) != -1) {
        desiredIndex = i;
        break;
      } 
    }
  }

  if (devices.length>0) {
    return devices[desiredIndex].deviceId; // return the device id
  }else{
    return null;
  }
}
   
play(deviceId:string,desiredResolution?:Resolution) {
  stop(); // close before play
  var constraints = {};
   
  if (!!deviceId){
    constraints = {
      video: {deviceId: deviceId},
      audio: false
    }
  }else{
    constraints = {
      video: true,
      audio: false
    }
  }

  if (desiredResolution) {
    constraints["video"]["width"] = desiredResolution.width;
    constraints["video"]["height"] = desiredResolution.height;
  }
     

  let pThis = this;
  navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia(constraints).then(function(stream) {
    pThis.localStream = stream;
    // Attach local stream to video element
    pThis.camera.srcObject = stream;
  }).catch(function(err) {
    console.error('getUserMediaError', err, err.stack);
    alert(err.message);
  });
}
   
stop () {
  try{
    if (this.localStream){
      this.localStream.getTracks().forEach(track => track.stop());
    }
  } catch (e){
    alert(e.message);
  }
};

  5. In the disconnectedCallback, stop the camera.

    disconnectedCallback() {
  this.stop();
}

  6. Update index.html to have a test.

    <body>
  <camera-preview>
  </camera-preview>
  <script>
    const cameraElement = document.querySelector('camera-preview');
    cameraElement.desiredCamera = "back"; // use back-facing camera
    cameraElement.desiredResolution = {width:1280,height:720};
  </script>
</body>

Add an active Prop to Control the Camera

We can add an active prop to control the camera.

@Prop() active?: boolean;

When the component is loaded and the active prop is not false, open the camera.

componentDidLoad(){
  if (this.active != false) {
    this.playWithDesired();
  }
}

We can also watch the prop. If it is set to true, open the camera, otherwise, close the camera.

@Watch('active')
watchPropHandler(newValue: boolean) {
  if (newValue === true) {
    this.playWithDesired();
  }else{
    this.stop();
  }
}

Add Support for Frame Analysing like Barcode Scanning

  1. Add a public method to get the inner video element so that we can access the frame data.

    @Method()
async getVideoElement() {
  return this.camera;
}

  2. Add an opened event so that we can know when the camera is opened.

    @Event() opened?: EventEmitter<void>;
onCameraOpened() {
  if (this.opened) {
    this.opened.emit();
  }
}

  3. Draw overlays with SVG. The overlay highlights the position and content of frame analysing results like the barcodes. We can enable it using the drawOverlay prop.

    @Prop() drawOverlay?: boolean;
renderSVGOverlay(){
  if (this.drawOverlay === true && this.analysingResults) {
    return (
      <svg 
      preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid slice"
      viewBox={this.viewBox}
      xmlns="<http://www.w3.org/2000/svg>"
      class="overlay full">
      {this.analysingResults.map((result,idx) => (
        <polygon key={"poly-"+idx} xmlns="<http://www.w3.org/2000/svg>"
        points={this.getPointsData(result)}
        class="polygon"
        />
      ))}
      {this.analysingResults.map((result,idx) => (
        <text key={"text-"+idx} xmlns="<http://www.w3.org/2000/svg>"
        x={result.localizationResult[0].x}
        y={result.localizationResult[0].y}
        fill="red"
        font-size="20"
        >{result.text}</text>
      ))}
    </svg>
    )
  }
}
   
getPointsData = (result:AnalysingResult) => {
  let pointsData = "";
  for (let index = 0; index < result.localizationResult.length; index++) {
    const point = result.localizationResult[index];
    pointsData = pointsData + point.x + "," + point.y + " "
  }
  pointsData = pointsData.trim();
  return pointsData;
}

    The definition of AnalysingResult:

    export interface AnalysingResult{
  localizationResult: Point2D[];
  text: string;
  rawData?: any;
}
   
export interface Point2D{
  x: number;
  y: number;
}

    In the onCameraOpened event, update the viewBox based on the current resolution of the camera preview.

    onCameraOpened() {
  if (this.opened) {
    this.opened.emit();
  }
  this.updateViewBox();
}

updateViewBox(){
  this.viewBox = "0 0 "+this.camera.videoWidth+" "+this.camera.videoHeight;
}

We’ve now finished building the component. We can run the following to build the project.

npm run build

Use the Web Component in Vanilla JS or Web Frameworks

The camera preview web component can work with or without Web frameworks.

Use the Web Component in Vanilla

In the HTML file, include the ES modules of the component and add the camera-preview component.

<html>
  <head>
    <script type="module">
      import { defineCustomElements } from './dist/esm/loader.js';
      defineCustomElements();
    </script>
  </head>
  <body>
    <camera-preview>
    </camera-preview>
  </body>
</html>

We can modify its props and add event listeners in JavaScript.

const cameraElement = document.querySelector('camera-preview');

const onOpened = () => {
  console.log("opened");
}

cameraElement.addEventListener("opened",onOpened);
cameraElement.drawOverlay = true;
cameraElement.desiredCamera = "founder";
cameraElement.active = false;
cameraElement.desiredResolution = {width:1280,height:720};

Use the Web Component in Angular

  1. Open src\index.html, add the following in head so that we can use the camera-preview component.

    <script type="module">
  import { defineCustomElements } from './dist/esm/loader.js';
  defineCustomElements();
</script>

  2. In app.modules.ts, add the CUSTOM_ELEMENTS_SCHEMA schema so that we can use Web Components in an Angular project.

    import { CUSTOM_ELEMENTS_SCHEMA } from '@angular/core';
@NgModule({
  declarations: [
    AppComponent
  ],
  imports: [
    BrowserModule,
  ],
  providers: [],
  schemas: [ CUSTOM_ELEMENTS_SCHEMA ],
  bootstrap: [AppComponent]
})

  3. In app.component.html, we can use the camera-preview like this:

    <camera-preview 
  ngModel #cameraElement
  desired-camera="back"
  draw-overlay="true"
  (opened)="onOpened()" 
  [active]="active"
>
</camera-preview>

  4. In app.component.ts, define a cameraElement property to have a reference of the element.

    @ViewChild('cameraElement') cameraElement:any;

Use the Web Component in Vue

  1. Open index.html, add the following in head so that we can use the camera-preview component.

    <script type="module">
  import { defineCustomElements } from './dist/esm/loader.js';
  defineCustomElements();
</script>

  2. In the template, we can use the component like this:

    <camera-preview 
  ref="cameraElement"
  desired-camera="back"
  draw-overlay="true"
  v-on:opened="onOpened"
  :active="active"
>
</camera-preview>

  3. We also need to add a compilerOptions in vite.config.ts to treat elements with a dash as custom elements.

    export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [vue({
      template: {
        compilerOptions: {
          // treat all tags with a dash as custom elements
          isCustomElement: (tag) => tag.includes('-')
        }
      }
    })],
  resolve: {
    alias: {
      '@': fileURLToPath(new URL('./src', import.meta.url))
    }
  }
})

Use the Web Component in React

  1. Open index.html, add the following in head so that we can use the camera-preview component.

    <script type="module">
  import { defineCustomElements } from './dist/esm/loader.js';
  defineCustomElements();
</script>

  2. In the JSX, we can use the component like this:

    <camera-preview 
  ref={cameraElement}
  active={active}
  desired-camera="back"
  draw-overlay={true}
>
</camera-preview>

  3. Events emitted by a Web Component may not properly propagate through a React render tree. We need to manually attach event handlers to handle these events. 3

    For example, run the following to add the event listener for the opened event.

    cameraElement.current.addEventListener("opened",onOpened);

A Barcode Scanner Demo in Vue

Next, we are going to write a barcode scanner demo using Vue, with Dynamsoft Barcode Reader to read barcodes from the camera preview.

  1. New project.

    npm init vue@latest

    Then include the camera-preview component according to the previous part and add the following style:

    camera-preview {
  height:100%;
  width:100%;
  position: absolute;
  right:0;
  top:0;
}

  2. Install Dynamsoft Barcode Reader.

    npm install dynamsoft-javascript-barcode

  3. Open App.vue, initialize Dynamsoft Barcode Reader in onMounted.

    let reader:BarcodeReader;
onMounted(async () => {
  BarcodeReader.license = "DLS2eyJoYW5kc2hha2VDb2RlIjoiMjAwMDAxLTE2NDk4Mjk3OTI2MzUiLCJvcmdhbml6YXRpb25JRCI6IjIwMDAwMSIsInNlc3Npb25QYXNzd29yZCI6IndTcGR6Vm05WDJrcEQ5YUoifQ==";
  reader = await BarcodeReader.createInstance();
})

    You can apply for a trial license here.

  4. Add a start camera button, a stop camera button and a continuous scan checkbox.

    <template>
  <div :style="{display: active ? 'none' : '' }">
    <button v-on:click="startCamera">Start Camera</button>
    <label>
    <input type="checkbox" v-model="continuous" />
    Continuous Scan
    </label>
  </div>
  <camera-preview 
    ref="cameraElement"
    desired-camera="back"
    draw-overlay="true"
    v-on:opened="onOpened"
    :active="active"
    :style="{display: active ? '' : 'none' }"
  >
    <button id="close-btn" v-on:click="stopCamera">Close</button>
  </camera-preview>
</template>

    When users click the start camera button, start the camera and reveal the camera preview component. When a barcode is found with continuous scan disabled or users click the stop camera button, stop the camera and hide the camera preview component.

    const startCamera = () => {
  setActive(true);
}

const stopCamera = () => {
  stopDecoding(); // stop reading barcodes
  setActive(false);
}

  5. In the opened event, start decoding if the camera is opened.

    let scanned = false;
let decoding = false;
let interval:any = null;
const onOpened = () => {
  startDecoding();
}

const startDecoding = () => {
  scanned = false;
  stopDecoding();
  interval = setInterval(decode, 40);
}

const stopDecoding = () => {
  clearInterval(interval);
}

    The decode function:

    const decode = async () => {
  if (decoding === false && reader && cameraElement.value) { // if the previous decoding is completed, the reader and the camera element are initialized
    const video = await cameraElement.value.getVideoElement();
    decoding = true;
    try {
      let results = await reader.decode(video);
      if (results.length>0 && scanned === false && continuous.value === false) {
        scanned = true;
        stopDecoding();
        stopCamera();
        alert(results[0].barcodeText);
      }else{
        await cameraElement.value.updateAnalysingResults(wrapResults(results));
      }

    } catch (error) {
      console.log(error);
    }
    decoding = false;
  }
}

    The barcode results are wrapped as AnalysingResults to draw the overlay.

    const wrapResults = (results:TextResult[]) => {
  let analysingResults = [];
  for (let index = 0; index < results.length; index++) {
    const result = results[index];
    let analysingResult:any = {};
    analysingResult.text = result.barcodeText;
    analysingResult.localizationResult = [
      {x:result.localizationResult.x1,y:result.localizationResult.y1},
      {x:result.localizationResult.x2,y:result.localizationResult.y2},
      {x:result.localizationResult.x3,y:result.localizationResult.y3},
      {x:result.localizationResult.x4,y:result.localizationResult.y4}
    ];
    analysingResults.push(analysingResult)
  }
  return analysingResults;
}

The demo is now completed. You can try out the online demo.

Source Code

The Camera Preview Component:

https://github.com/xulihang/camera-preview-component

Demos:

https://github.com/xulihang/camera-preview-demo

References

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_Components ↩

  2. https://stenciljs.com/docs/introduction ↩

  3. https://reactjs.org/docs/web-components.html ↩