Driver's License Software Products for Developers

IDecode^® Parser DLL (patent pending)

Positive Access three IDecode DLL products are: The IDecode ActiveX DLL, the IDecode.Net DLL and the IDecode Mobile DLL.

"The innovative integration of our SDK into a wide variety of proprietary platforms is being driven by our customers needs and creativity in reaching their markets. Our role is to keep supplying our customers with the best available technical support, upgrades and research and development in decoding driver's licenses, a complex niche market at which we excel.", states Fred Zimmerman, Positive Access CEO.

While there is a national standard (AAMVA) for encoding digital information on a driver's license, many states do not fully implement the standard. Also, the states are often changing the format of the information stored on the card. For these reasons Positive Access does not expect states to meet any standard, but empirically creates a template for each state format that is used to properly parse bar code or magnetic stripe ID data. Positive Access is committed to continuously research and monitor the format of the United States and Canadian drivers' licenses in order to keep the logic of the IDecode Parser DLL current. Periodic updates (two to three updates per year) are available to developers that purchase the update subscription service.

How IDecode Parser Works

The IDecode Parser DLL is a processing engine that has no direct user interface or direct device interface. Information from a card reading device (magnetic stripe or 2D bar code reader) is sent by the application software to the DLL. The DLL then returns the information parsed into various fields as requested by the application software.

The following block diagram shows how the IDecode Parser DLL can fit into a typical Windows-based application software program:

A free trial software development kit (SDK) for the IDecode Parser DLL is available from Positive Access for qualified developers.

The IDecode Parser DLL SDK contains the IDecode Parser DLL and a fully functional sample application program that uses the DLL. All the project files for the sample application, including source code, are included. A software developer could use the sample application project to start development of a new application by making the appropriate modifications to the source code and user interface. The sample application includes interface software for a magnetic stripe card reader and a 2D bar code scanner.

Also, included with the SDK are test files containing input data from some sample driver's licenses. These input files can be used to exercise the software without actually having a scanning device attached.

Input Device Requirements

At least one input device (magnetic stripe reader and/or 2D bar code scanner) will be required to scan driver's licenses. The software developer can choose any appropriate scanning device and write the required interface software driver. Positive Access can suggest devices that have been tested and are known to perform well with the Positive Access Windows software; however Positive Access does not sell hardware.

Supported States and Provinces

Currently the IDecode DLL can recognize and parse digital information from the driver's licenses of at least 64 states, territories, provinces and other issuers. Positive Access is continuously enhancing the IDecode DLL logic so that it can handle both new driver's license issues and the many variances discovered within each jurisdiction.

A list of states and provinces that issue drivers' licenses supported by the IDecode Parser software is shown on our "Where it Works" page.