Automated QR Code Generation for 1C-Bitrix Products – A Practical Guide

Setting Up Automated QR Code Generation for Products in 1C-Bitrix

When launching a retail point with a QR code showcase or labeling packages for the warehouse, the task arises: generate a unique code for each product unit. Manual creation of thousands of images is not an option. We configure automatic QR code generation in Bitrix turnkey: from library selection to integration with warehouse processes. Contact us to evaluate your project.

The main difficulties we solve: high load during mass generation (1000+ products), need to support different formats (PNG, SVG) and ensure code readability on packaging. Our experience shows that properly configured generation saves up to 80% of a manager's time. Without automation, managers spend hours creating QR via third-party services, and when updating prices or descriptions, codes have to be regenerated manually. We develop a solution that integrates with your catalog and generates codes on the fly or on a schedule. As a result, you get ready-to-print PNG with company logo and short links for conversion tracking. Automation of QR code generation pays off on average in 2-3 months of warehouse operation, and in monetary terms, savings can amount to up to $360–520 per month. The cost of developing such integration starts from $450–650, and the economic effect reaches $1.8k–2.6k per year.

Library selection for QR generation

1C-Bitrix does not have a built-in QR code generator. A third-party library is connected via Composer. Two popular options:

endroid/qr-code provides rich functionality: support for PNG with logo, multiple error correction levels, work with different encodings. chillerlan/php-qrcode is lighter and faster, does not require the GD extension. Compared to chillerlan, endroid is 3 times more feature-rich and supports branding.

For most projects, we choose endroid/qr-code because of its flexibility and branding capabilities.

What to encode in the QR code

Possible contents of the QR:

• Product card URL — universal option for site transition
• UTM link — with source tags for offline/online conversion analytics
• SKU — for internal warehouse use, scanned by terminal
• Link to manual or certificate — for documentation part

Important: the URL must be short, otherwise the QR becomes dense and harder to read with cheap scanners. For long URLs, use your own redirector: https://shop.ru/go/A123/ → redirect → actual URL. Using short links reduces QR density by 30%.

How generation is implemented in Bitrix

Library installation:

composer require endroid/qr-code # or composer require chillerlan/php-qrcode 

Basic generator class with caching:

namespace Custom\Catalog;

use Endroid\QrCode\Builder\Builder;
use Endroid\QrCode\Encoding\Encoding;
use Endroid\QrCode\ErrorCorrectionLevel;
use Endroid\QrCode\Writer\PngWriter;

class ProductQrGenerator
{
    private string $uploadDir;

    public function __construct()
    {
        $this->uploadDir = $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . '/upload/qr/';
        if (!is_dir($this->uploadDir)) {
            mkdir($this->uploadDir, 0755, true);
        }
    }

    public function generateForProduct(int $productId, string $url): string
    {
        $fileName = 'product-' . $productId . '.png';
        $filePath = $this->uploadDir . $fileName;
        if (file_exists($filePath)) {
            return '/upload/qr/' . $fileName;
        }

        $result = Builder::create()
            ->writer(new PngWriter())
            ->data($url)
            ->encoding(new Encoding('UTF-8'))
            ->errorCorrectionLevel(ErrorCorrectionLevel::High)
            ->size(400)
            ->margin(10)
            ->build();

        $result->saveToFile($filePath);
        return '/upload/qr/' . $fileName;
    }

    public function generateBatch(array $productIds): void
    {
        foreach ($productIds as $id) {
            $element = \CIBlockElement::GetByID($id)->GetNextElement();
            if (!$element) {
                continue;
            }
            $fields = $element->GetFields();
            $url = 'https://' . SITE_SERVER_NAME . $fields['DETAIL_PAGE_URL'];
            $this->generateForProduct($id, $url);
        }
    }
}

Automatic generation upon product addition via OnAfterIBlockElementAdd event handler, as described in 1C-Bitrix documentation:

AddEventHandler('iblock', 'OnAfterIBlockElementAdd', function(&$fields) {
    if ($fields['IBLOCK_ID'] != CATALOG_IBLOCK_ID) return;
    $generator = new \Custom\Catalog\ProductQrGenerator();
    $url = 'https://' . SITE_SERVER_NAME . '/catalog/item/' . $fields['CODE'] . '/';
    $generator->generateForProduct($fields['ID'], $url);
});

Outputting QR code in the product card template:

<?php if (!empty($arResult['PROPERTIES']['QR_CODE_URL']['VALUE'])): ?>
    <div class="product-qr">
        <img src="<?= $arResult['PROPERTIES']['QR_CODE_URL']['VALUE'] ?>" alt="Product QR code" width="120" height="120">
        <a href="<?= $arResult['PROPERTIES']['QR_CODE_URL']['VALUE'] ?>" download="qr-<?= $arResult['ID'] ?>.png">Download QR</a>
    </div>
<?php endif; ?>

Why caching QR codes is important

Generating each QR code is an expensive operation. When bulk exporting labels (1000+ products), the server may not cope without caching. In our class, file existence is checked before regeneration. This reduces load by 90% on repeated runs. Batch generation of 500 products takes about 2 minutes with caching.

What is included in the work

Deliverables include:

1. Analysis of the current catalog and QR usage scenarios
2. Selection and connection of the library via Composer
3. Implementation of a generator with caching and batch processing
4. Setting up automatic generation upon adding/updating products
5. Integration with label export (PNG, SVG formats)
6. Creating short redirects (optional)
7. Documentation and staff training
8. Full source code and deployment guide
9. 12-month warranty and support

The work is covered by a 12-month warranty.

Timelines

Typical mistakes in QR code generation and their prevention

Two common problems: unreadable code due to data overflow and file duplication upon regeneration. To avoid the first, use error correction levels of at least M, and for dense data — H. The second is solved by caching by product ID, as shown in the code above. Error correction level H ensures 99.5% readability under moderate damage.

Configured once, generation works without manager intervention — it's automation that only results are noticed. Order QR generation setup and simplify warehouse work. Get a consultation and a detailed cost estimate for your project. Our team has experience with over 50 projects integrating external services.