I need to get the LPTx for a network printer that has been captured to a printer port. The following code only works if local printer.

Which field in Default will give me the LPTx I need.

I am not at a network site at the moment to do a 'debug'.

Thank you

Barry

here is the code*

GetPrivateProfileString(DFT_SECTION$, DFT_KEY$, \00\, Default, Len(Default), INI_FILE$)

Default=Default 1, \00\

Lptr=field(Default,',',3)

Lptr-1,1='

code ends***

Barry,

I assume the code you list checks the device entry of the windows section of Win.ini.

(equ INI_FILE$ to "win.ini": \00\

equ DFT_SECTION$ to "windows": \00\

equ DFT_KEY$ to "device" : \00\)

I'm on a network, with no local printer. My entry is

device=4.etg via gandalf,PSCRIPT,\\GANDALF\etg4

with not a hint of which port is used. (The 3rd field \\GANDALF\etg4 refers to our print server (GANDALF) instead. "etg4" means 4th floor, i.e the printer on the 4th floor, where my office is.) So you won't find it there.

I've scanned the rest of my Win.ini file for "LPT", but cannot find anything useful. But of course you can have a look at yours.

I run Win98. I suspect you'll have to look in the Registry to find what you need if you run Windows post 3.x.

- Oystein -

PS. Before you say "oh no, not another Tolkien fan" I must haste to tell that Gandalf is also a character in one of Ibsen's plays.

Barry,

We adapted the code found in the PRINTSETUP routine to find printers and ports without any problems (95, 98, and NT). I can't look at your code close enough to discover any problems but I know it can be done. Also remember that in Win9x/NT printers can be directed directly to resource locaters and therefore won't return LPTx at all.

[email protected]

SRP Computer Solutions

]]printers can be directed directly to resource locaters and therefore won't return LPTx at all.«

Thats what I mean, but, if the capture printer port is used to direct to LPTx, where can I get that LPTx.

Barry

If you have the windows scripting host then

you can write something that will list all the printer connections.

The following code should create a file listing all of the network printer connections. OI can then parse the file.

You can also use the AddPrinter ans SetDefaultPrinter method to force the printer you want.

Hope this helps

Bob

'VbScript

'Compiled from Microsoft Samples

'msdn.microsoft.com/scripting

Set fso=CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

Set MyFile= fso.CreateTextFile("c:\testfile.txt", True)

Set WshNetwork=WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network")

Set oPrinters=WshNetwork.EnumPrinterConnections

MyFile.WriteLine("About to List Printers")

MyFile.WriteLine("Printer Count= & oPrinters.Count())

For i=0 to oPrinters.Count -1

MyFile.WriteLine(oPrinters.Item(i))

WScript.Echo oPrinters.Item(i)

Next

MyFile.WriteLine("Listed Printers")

MyFile.Close

Hi Barry,

I'm not sure I am understanding your question. Hopefully Bob did and his response is more helpful than mine.

If the LPTx port has been captured, then you should just get LPTx returned. If the printer is not capturing a LPTx port but has it's port directly printing to a network resource locater then that resource name will be returned. Consequently, if the latter is true then there is no LPTx port at all that this printer is associated with.

[email protected]

SRP Computer Solutions

(Thanks Bob and Don)

Don

Thanks for you continued interest (as usual)

My fault for not explaining fully

]]port directly printing to a network resource locater codes correctly if I select, printer on, print,printer off.

Barry

Barry,

Aha, I think we are tracking now. The problem you are having is that even though you have captured the LPTx port as you described, this LPTx port is still not being assigned to the printer you are using. Your method still leaves the network resource as the direct port. Yes, LPT3 is captured but LPT3 is not the port assigned to your printer. Therefore GetPrivateProfileString won't return LPT3. AFAIK, there is no (easy) way to get the LPTx port that has been captured unless you assign a specific printer that LPTx port first.

So, for instance, given your example this is what I would do:

In the properties of the printer - Details tab, at the 'Print to the following port' (select) LPT3

Then click 'Capture printer port' - make 'Device' LPT3 and make 'Path' \\fileserver\dotmatrixprinter. Now your code should return LPT3 and the printer is truly printing to a capture LPT3 (so AREV can use it) rather than printing directly to a network resource.

[email protected]

SRP Computer Solutions

Hi Barry,

I had the same problem with my system last year. I need to print multi-part forms on dot-matrix printers quite a bit and the generic text driver was awful.

What I ended up doing was to always print to LPT1 (in my case.Obviously it can be any LPT port). I would re-direct LPT1 to the dot-matrix printer at (the PC's) startup time using either "net use" on MS networks or "capture" on Novell. What that would do is let any DOS or direct LPT printing to go to the dot-matrix printer whereas the default Windows printer could be a network shared laserjet or anything else.

So far it has worked really well, and users know that their forms always come out on the dot-matrix whereas they can change between a variety of Windows printers for SLIST/Reporter reports.

Hope this helps a bit

Dave

Don

I went to the client site to-day to try and get it all working, find the printer, get the port, print to the port.

The capture printer port wasn't set to the lptx that I knew arev was using, now that was strange.

Debug after GetProfileString - nope - no LPTx.

Back to the printer properties - found in the drop down for the 'Print to the following port' - there was also a LPT3:\\server\dotmatrix - changed it to that - it all worked (the printer appear where it should.

Appears a 'connection' script is run at logon - it has the LPTx capture assignments in it.

I had to print directly to the dotmatrix because there was no NT driver for it, (it has to be dot matrix - 3part paper). Selecting the printer, printer on, print…,print off (via spooler) - would not format the codes correctly. It was setup with a 'Generic text' driver.

Funny -I just looked across to my dot matrix that I was using to test here - and it is a Star , the same as the client's.

Anyway, made converting the print programs a breeze, replaced print ……. with dosprint(………) and @(Boldon$) with (Boldon$)

Barry

David

Thank you for your confirmation that I am not nuts.

See my last posting in the 'Need help wirh …..' subject for a progress update .

]]direct LPT printing «

I assume 'oswrite Pline to Lptr'

Barry

]]See my last posting in the 'Need help wirh …..«

I am going nuts….sorry, didn't realise this was part of the chain.

Barry

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