The Challenge and the Solution

While preparing a poster for a conference, I wanted to include a QR code to allow attendees to quickly access the references I listed. Unfortunately, many online QR code generators require a fee, and even the free ones often come with expiration dates. This made it difficult to reuse my poster for future presentations.

As it turns out, generating QR codes can be straightforward with Python. After some research, I discovered a Python module called "qrcode" that simplifies this process. Let’s dive into how you can use it to create your own QR codes in just five easy steps.

Step 1: Import the QRCode Library

To begin, we will utilize the qrcode Python module. This module allows you to create QR codes for any link with minimal code. First, you need to install the qrcode module via pip. You can do this by running the command below in your terminal or notebook.

pip install qrcode

After installation, import the module into your script.

import qrcode

Step 2: Define Your Link

Next, you need to set up a variable for the link you want the QR code to point to. For example, I will use my academic website:

Step 3: Create a QR Code Instance

Now, let’s create a QR code instance using the QRCode function. You will need to define four parameters:

1. version
2. error_correction
3. box_size
4. border

Feel free to customize these settings to fit your needs.

qr = qrcode.QRCode(

version=1,

error_correction=qrcode.constants.ERROR_CORRECT_L,

box_size=10,

border=4

)

Step 4: Add Data to Your QR Code

You need to add data to your QR code instance. This step connects your link to the QR code.

qr.add_data(link)

qr.make(fit=True)

Step 5: Create the QR Code Image

Finally, you can create the image from your QR code instance using the make_image function. Here, I opted for the classic black and white colors.

qr_image = qr.make_image(fill_color="black", back_color="white")

Step 6: Save Your QR Code Image

To save your QR code image, choose a name for the file.

qr_image.save("qr_code.png")

And that’s all it takes! Running this code will generate your QR code image using Python.

To enhance reusability, consider defining a function as shown below, which takes two parameters: the link and the desired QR code name.

import qrcode

def generate_qr_code(link: str, qr_name="qr_code.png"):

"""

Generate a QR code for the given link and save it as an image.

Parameters:

• link (str): The link for which the QR code will be generated.
• qr_name (str): The file name where the QR code image will be saved. Default is "qr_code.png".

"""

# Create QR instance

qr = qrcode.QRCode(

version=1,

error_correction=qrcode.constants.ERROR_CORRECT_L,

box_size=10,

border=4

)

# Add data

qr.add_data(link)

qr.make(fit=True)

# Create Image

qr_image = qr.make_image(fill_color="black", back_color="white")

# Save QR image

qr_image.save(qr_name)

# Example usage:

Now it's your turn to create your own QR code!