Local Printer

Len,

If I understand you properly, you want to print on the user's local Windows Printer using a PICK BASIC program.

I routinely do this by making use of the slave print capabilities of AccuTerm. I don't know what version of Multi-value you are using, but if it's D3, you can pretty much do this by simply assigning your printer properly.

Somewhere in the user's logon - or before you get ready to print to the local slave printer, you have to issue:

SP-ASSIGN AS

Which tells D3 that you are going to print using the slave printer and it also enables D3 to send the proper escape sequences for you. I'm assuming you have properly set up whatever AccuTerm terminal emulation you use with the tools available to D3. (Hope that made sense.) Using the SP-ASSIGN AS method, you don't have to worry about the program issuing the proper escape sequences within your program.

When you set up the printer in AccuTerm, you will note that there are two sections, one for SCREEN PRINT and one for SLAVE PRINT. You probably want the screen print to be graphics, but maybe not. I think you want the SLAVE PRINT to be set up to print raw data - text only. I found out the hard way by sending PCL through the slave port and if it's set in the wrong way, it comes out looking like PCL, not a pretty form.

Larry Hazel

Len,

One of my clients has more than one facility. The remote facilities access the D3 server using a VPN over a DSL connection. All of the computers in one remote site have AccuTerm installed, and all have the same several printers defined under Windows - With the EXACT same name. Here's a list of the printers.

50,Epson LX-300
51,Epson Pick Labels
52,Epson Shipping Labels
53,Epson Packslip Printer
54,Epson Bill of Lading
55,Epson Invoice Printer
99,NOWHERE

The user has a menu system that lets the user assign a printer form number on which to print a given report - thus the 50, 51, etc. The names on the right are the EXACT windows computer names.

In the menu program, where we would be an SP-ASSIGN 50 since that is the printer number, we call this subroutine

SUBROUTINE ASSIGN.SLAVE( SPOOL.NO ) ! ! PURPOSE : EXAMINES PARAMETER FOR CERTAIN VALUES AND !        : ASSIGNES TO ASSIGNED PRINTER FOR ACCUTERM ! EQU ESC TO CHAR(27), STX TO CHAR(2), CR TO CHAR(13), EM TO CHAR(25)    !    OPEN "SYSCON" TO F.SYSCON ELSE RETURN    !    READ I.SLAVE FROM F.SYSCON, "SLAVE.PRINTER" ELSE RETURN    !    N.LI = DCOUNT( I.SLAVE, @AM )        ;! how many printers ??    !    FOR LI = 1 TO N.LI       ASSIGN.SPOOL.NO = FIELD( I.SLAVE<LI>, ",", 1 )       ASSIGN.PRT.NAME = FIELD( I.SLAVE<LI>, ",", 2 )       !       IF ASSIGN.SPOOL.NO = SPOOL.NO THEN         !         SCR   =      &n bsp;    ; 'INITSESSION.PRINTERCLOSE'         SCR = SCR : EM : 'INITSESSION.PRINTERNAME="' : ASSIGN.PRT.NAME : '"'         CRT ESC : STX : 'P' : SCR : CR :         SPOOL.NO = "AS"         !         RETURN       END    NEXT LI    !    RETURN    !~~~~~ END

I hope it came through okay since I don't know how to post code to this forum. I'll check it and try again if not.

Anyway, the subroutine looks for a match on the form # - using a brute force method and then - thanks to PJS - it uses a brief script to change the active printer on the accuterm session.

It works like a champ. Perhaps you could modify it for your needs.

I did not figure out how to make the code look spiffy, sorry. So, if you want the code, email me at homerlh@cox.net and I'll send you the subroutine.

Larry Hazel

Deech,

WOW! That's Splendid.

Thank you.

Larry Hazel

Len,

My pleasure. I got the basic idea from Peter, so I'm very happy to share his knowledge.

Larry Hazel