EFQRCode QR Code Generation Formats: PNG, SVG, GIF, PDF, Video, and More

EFQRCode supports twelve distinct QR code generation formats across four categories: static images (PNG, JPEG, SVG), animated images (GIF, APNG), documents (PDF), and video formats (MOV, MP4, M4V), plus native UIKit/AppKit image objects.

EFQRCode is a Swift library for generating and recognizing QR codes in iOS, macOS, and watchOS applications. Understanding the available QR code generation formats helps you choose the right output method for your specific use case, whether you need vector graphics for print scalability, raster images for UI display, or video formats for animated QR codes.

Supported QR Code Output Formats

The EFQRCode.Generator class in EFQRCode+Generator.swift defines the complete matrix of output capabilities. The implementation groups formats into four functional categories, with specific API methods for each type.

Static Raster Images: PNG and JPEG

For standard bitmap output, EFQRCode provides PNG and JPEG generation with compression quality control.

• toPNGData(width:height:insets:) – Returns lossless PNG Data (lines 322‑335 in EFQRCode+Generator.swift)
• toJPEGData(width:height:insets:compressionQuality:) – Returns JPEG Data with configurable compression quality 0.0‑1.0 (lines 370‑386)

Both methods accept width, height, and insets parameters to control the final render size and padding.

Vector Graphics: SVG

For resolution‑independent output suitable for print or web, EFQRCode generates SVG vector paths.

• toSVG() – Returns a String containing the complete SVG markup (lines 225‑232 in EFQRCode+Generator.swift)

The SVG output encodes the QR modules as vector rectangles, allowing infinite scaling without pixelation.

Animated Images: GIF and APNG

EFQRCode supports animated QR codes that cycle through different styles or colors. The generator produces two animated image formats:

• toGIFData(width:height:insets:) – Returns animated GIF Data (lines 95‑101)
• toAPNGData(width:height:insets:) – Returns animated PNG Data (lines 127‑133)

These methods rely on the EFAnimatedImageFormat enum defined in Source/Type/EFAnimatedImageFormat.swift, which maps format types to their CoreGraphics Uniform Type Identifiers.

Document Format: PDF

For document workflows and print‑ready output, EFQRCode generates PDF documents containing the QR code as a vector object.

• toPDFData(width:height:insets:) – Returns PDF Data suitable for saving or sharing (lines 572‑595 in EFQRCode+Generator.swift)

The PDF output maintains vector quality, making it ideal for high‑resolution printing on physical media.

Video Formats: MOV, MP4, and M4V

For applications requiring video‑based QR codes (such as animated watermarks or video overlays), EFQRCode supports three video containers:

• toMovData(width:height:insets:) – Apple QuickTime format (lines 51‑57)
• toMp4Data(width:height:insets:) – Cross‑platform MPEG‑4 format (lines 71‑77)
• toM4vData(width:height:insets:) – Apple‑specific MPEG‑4 variant (lines 65‑71)

These methods utilize the EFVideoFormat enum in Source/Type/EFVideoFormat.swift to map formats to their AVFoundation file type identifiers.

Native Platform Images: UIImage and NSImage

For direct UI integration without intermediate file I/O, EFQRCode provides platform‑specific image objects:

• toImage(width:) or toImage(height:) – Returns UIImage on iOS/tvOS or NSImage on macOS

These methods essentially wrap the PNG generation pipeline, returning rasterized image objects ready for display in UIImageView or NSImageView.

Implementation Details and Source Files

The format support matrix is implemented across several key files in the EFQRCode repository:

• Source/EFQRCode+Generator.swift – Contains the core Generator class with all toPNGData, toSVG, toGIFData, toPDFData, and video format methods (lines 78‑84 define the output format groups).
• Source/Type/EFAnimatedImageFormat.swift – Defines the EFAnimatedImageFormat enum mapping GIF and APNG to their Uniform Type Identifiers.
• Source/Type/EFVideoFormat.swift – Defines the EFVideoFormat enum mapping MOV, MP4, and M4V to AVFoundation file types.
• Source/EFQRCode.swift – Public entry point housing the Generator nested type.

Code Examples for Each Format

The following Swift examples demonstrate how to generate QR codes in each supported format. All examples assume you have initialized a EFQRCode.Generator instance:

import EFQRCode

// Initialize generator
let generator = try EFQRCode.Generator("https://example.com")

Generate PNG Data

let pngData = try generator.toPNGData(width: 300)
try pngData.write(to: URL(fileURLWithPath: "/tmp/qrcode.png"))

Generate JPEG with Compression Quality

let jpegData = try generator.toJPEGData(
    width: 300,
    compressionQuality: 0.85
)
try jpegData.write(to: URL(fileURLWithPath: "/tmp/qrcode.jpg"))

Generate SVG String

let svgString = try generator.toSVG()
try svgString.write(
    to: URL(fileURLWithPath: "/tmp/qrcode.svg"),
    atomically: true,
    encoding: .utf8
)

Generate Animated GIF

let gifData = try generator.toGIFData(width: 300)
try gifData.write(to: URL(fileURLWithPath: "/tmp/qrcode.gif"))

Generate Animated PNG (APNG)

let apngData = try generator.toAPNGData(width: 300)
try apngData.write(to: URL(fileURLWithPath: "/tmp/qrcode.apng"))

Generate PDF Document

let pdfData = try generator.toPDFData(width: 300)
try pdfData.write(to: URL(fileURLWithPath: "/tmp/qrcode.pdf"))

Generate Video Files

// QuickTime format
let movData = try generator.toMovData(width: 300)
try movData.write(to: URL(fileURLWithPath: "/tmp/qrcode.mov"))

// MPEG-4 format
let mp4Data = try generator.toMp4Data(width: 300)
try mp4Data.write(to: URL(fileURLWithPath: "/tmp/qrcode.mp4"))

// Apple MPEG-4 variant
let m4vData = try generator.toM4vData(width: 300)
try m4vData.write(to: URL(fileURLWithPath: "/tmp/qrcode.m4v"))

Direct UI Image Generation

#if canImport(UIKit)
let uiImage = try generator.toImage(width: 300)  // UIImage
#endif

#if canImport(AppKit)
let nsImage = try generator.toImage(width: 300)  // NSImage
#endif

Summary

EFQRCode provides comprehensive QR code generation format support through the EFQRCode.Generator class:

• Static raster images via toPNGData and toJPEGData with configurable compression and dimensions.
• Vector graphics via toSVG for resolution-independent output.
• Animated formats via toGIFData and toAPNGData for dynamic QR codes.
• Document output via toPDFData for print-ready vector documents.
• Video containers via toMovData, toMp4Data, and toM4vData for video-based codes.
• Native platform objects via toImage for direct UI integration without file I/O.

All format methods are implemented in Source/EFQRCode+Generator.swift, with supporting type definitions in EFAnimatedImageFormat.swift and EFVideoFormat.swift.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does EFQRCode support SVG output for QR codes?

Yes, EFQRCode generates resolution-independent SVG vector graphics through the toSVG() method defined in Source/EFQRCode+Generator.swift (lines 225‑232). This returns a String containing the complete SVG markup, which you can write to disk or embed directly in web content without pixelation at any scale.

How do I generate animated QR codes with EFQRCode?

EFQRCode supports animated QR codes in both GIF and APNG formats. Use toGIFData(width:height:insets:) for GIF output or toAPNGData(width:height:insets:) for Animated PNG. These methods are located in Source/EFQRCode+Generator.swift (lines 95‑101 and 127‑133) and rely on the EFAnimatedImageFormat enum to handle the underlying CoreGraphics encoding.

What video formats does EFQRCode support for QR code generation?

EFQRCode can export QR codes as video files in three container formats: MOV (QuickTime), MP4 (MPEG‑4), and M4V (Apple MPEG‑4). The corresponding methods are toMovData, toMp4Data, and toM4vData, implemented in Source/EFQRCode+Generator.swift. These methods utilize the EFVideoFormat enum to map formats to their AVFoundation file type identifiers.

Can I generate a UIImage directly without creating a file?

Yes, the toImage(width:) and toImage(height:) methods return native platform image objects—UIImage on iOS/tvOS or NSImage on macOS—without writing to disk. These methods essentially wrap the PNG generation pipeline and are useful for displaying QR codes directly in image views or sharing via UIActivityViewController without intermediate file I/O operations.

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