Custom panel in status bar

Here's how to add a custom panel to the status bar to display the printer name you are assigning in a function key script:

First, modify the status bar by adding a new "panel" to show the printer name. Use Tools->Customize Menu to open the menu customization tool. You probably want to select "application" as the menu scope, then click Continue. Expand the StatusBar object and highlight StatusBar in the tree. Click the New... button and choose "normal panel". A new panel will be added to the status bar, and the right pane will display the panel properties. Custom "tool IDs" are numbers starting with 10001, and you can use the number that is automatically generated. Just write it down because you will need it later. Next, enter something for the caption, which will display before you assign it to the printer name. I just used "printer". You probably also should change the panel size to "auto fit". You can drag and drop the new panel to position it in the status bar. It probably makes sense to drag it before the printer status panel (caption is "idle"). Click OK. You should now have a status bar with an extra panel to display the printer name.

Now, in the script that assigns the printer, which is programmed into a function key, you can assign the printer name to the new status bar panel:

ActiveSession.Menu(10001).Caption = "HPLJ6P"

The number in the parens is the ID that you jotted down from when you created the panel. You can execute two statements in the function key script by separating them with a colon:

[ActiveSession.PrinterName = "HPLJ6P on LPT1:" : ActiveSession.Menu(10001).Caption = "HPLJ6P" ]

By choosing "application scope" for custom menu, you or anyone else who uses your PC, will get the custom menu. The application menu is saved in the menu.ini file in the ...\Program Files\Atwin folder. "User" scope menus are saved in the current user's profile: C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\Local Settings\Application Data\Asent\Atwin2k\menu.ini, and only affect the current user, and "session" menus are embedded in the session configuration (.atcf) file and only affect the specific session.

Thanks,

Pete