Foxpro Printing

FoxPro Printing Guide
http://www.programatica.com/fpage52.html
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A Guide to FoxPro - Windows Printing Behavior

All results are the same in both FPW versions and Visual FoxPro, except
where indicated.
Page Contents
Other things that they occur when printing
graphically in FPW
Print in character mode in FPW and
Visual FoxPro
GENERIC GENPD
How To Change the Default Source of
Printer Programmatically
Printing Two Reports in One Duplexed
Report
"PDSETUP being
active"
SET PRINTER
FONT command
TO FILE or TO
PRINTER clause
?/?? and @SAY
command
EJECT command
"PDSETUP being active"

This refers to a Printer Driver Setup created through the FoxPro/DOS
GENPD.APP. There are several ways a PDSETUP can be active:
1.
2.
3.
4.
You choose a PDSETUP through the File Menus Prin

You type SET PDSETUP TO {something} (where (wher
You type _PDSETUP= (where is not "").
Your CONFIG.FP has a line in it that says PDSETUP
you start FoxPro (where {something} is not "" or
5. Your CONFIG.FP has no PDSETUP line in it when you
but you have in a prior FoxPro session set up one
to be the default.
6. You issue a REPORT or LABEL command with the PDSE
had checked the "[ ] Printer Driver Setup" checkPDSETUP when you designed the Report or Label lay
Please note what happens, though, when you execute the following:
SET PDSETUP TO "My LaserJet Setup"

*
* After the above, you are ready to print in CG Time
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*
REPORT FORM {report with no PDSETUP defined} TO PRIN
*
* Since the Report has no PDSETUP defined, issuing t
* above will make FoxPro assume you want no PDSETUP
* printing the report, so it "closes" your LaserJet
* PDSETUP is active during (or after) the report
SET PRINTER FONT command

There is an undocumented FPW command that was added too late to be
included in any printed or on-line documentation:
SET PRINTER FONT {expC1} [,{expN1}] [STYLE {expC2}]
where {expC1} is the font name, {expN1} is the font size in points (default is 10
points), and {expC2} is the font style (default is standard style). Once you issue
this command, any subsequent printed output to your printer will use that font
definition (unless overridden by a FONT/STYLE clause that some commands
offer. Also note that Reports/Labels with Windows objects will print their objects
as defined in the Report/Label definition and not use the SET PRINTER FONT).
So, for example:
SET PRINTER FONT "Arial",14
LIST STATUS TO PRINTER
The above will do a print in 14-point Arial. If no SET PRINTER FONT is in

effect, then FPW prints in 10-point FoxPrint. A SET PRINTER FONT command
stays in effect until either another SET PRINTER FONT command is issued or a
SET PRINTER TO command is issued (which sets it back to the default of
10-point FoxPrint).
TO FILE or TO PRINTER clause

LIST... DISPLAY... TYPE...
The above commands offer a TO FILE or a TO PRINTER clause. Lets use
the LIST command in the following examples. All of the other commands
above will behave the same way:
LIST TO FILE {destination}
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FPW prints to the {destination} in character mode. If a PDSETUP is active, then

it takes effect.
Examples:
LIST TO FILE LPT1
Outputs directly to the parallel port.
LIST TO FILE C:\SUBDIR\LPT1.DUM
Does the same thing.
LIST TO FILE E:\TEST\MYFILE.TXT
Outputs to that filename.
The same happens in FoxPro/DOS. It should be noted, though, that you can get
nice fast character-based output to your printer in FPW by using the command
LIST TO FILE LPT1.
SET PRINTER TO {destination}
LIST TO PRINTER
or
SET PRINTER ON
LIST
FPW prints to the {destination} in character mode, using the PDSETUP.

However, if a PDSETUP is *not* active, then what happens depends on the
{destination}. If starts with the characters "PRN" or "LPT", then FPW ignores
the destination and instead prints to the port defined for the currently- active
Windows Printer Driver using the current SET PRINTER FONT. Otherwise, it
prints to the in character mode. The following pseudo-code will illustrate this
more clearly:
IF PDSETUP Active
Print to {destination} in character mode using th
ELSE
IF {destination} starts with "PRN" or "LPT"
Ignore the destination and instead print to th
defined for the currently-active Windows Print
with the output being printed in the current S
(In other words, the output is graphically cre
ELSE
Print to {destination} in character mode
ENDIF
ENDIF
Examples:
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SET PRINTER TO LPT2 with PDSETUP Active

Outputs to the LPT2 port in char mode using the
SET PRINTER TO LPT2 with no PDSETUP Active
Ignores the LPT2 port and instead prints to the
current Windows Printer Driver using the current
SET PRINTER TO E:\MYDIR\LPTTEST.DUM with PDSETUP act
Outputs to that filename using the PDSETUP
SET PRINTER TO E:\MYDIR\LPTTEST.DUM with no PDSETUP
Ignores the filename stipulated and instead prin
defined for the current Windows Printer Driver u
SET PRINTER FONT
SET PRINTER TO C:\TEST\TEST.TXT with PDSETUP Active
Outputs to that filename in char mode using the
SET PRINTER TO C:\TEST\TEST.TXT with no PDSETUP Acti
Outputs to that filename in character mode
If you have no PDSETUP active, then you cant print to a filename that starts
with "PRN" or "LPT". You also cannot print directly to a parallel port. However,
this obstacle can be overcome by using the TO FILE clause instead. FoxPro/DOS
(of course) does not have the same behavior: If you SET PRINTER TO PRN or
LPT1 or LPT2 or LPT3 then output goes to the parallel port no matter what and
destinations that start with "PRN" or "LPT" are considered legitimate filenames
and output goes to a file.
REPORT FORM... LABEL FORM...
The above commands behave exactly like the commands on the previous page
(LIST, DISPLAY, etc). Note that this is only because the Report/Label definition
contains DOS objects only. It should be mentioned once again that if the
Report/Label has no PDSETUP internally defined for it, and one issues the
REPORT/LABEL command with the PDSETUP clause, then Foxpro "turns off"
any PDSETUP that happens to be currently active and then FPW will print the
output using the currently-active Windows Printer Driver.
Well use the REPORT command as an example; the LABEL command behaves
the same way:
REPORT FORM reportdef TO FILE {destination}
FPW prints to the using the currently-active Windows Printer Driver, printing the
report and all its objects as designated in the Report definition (in other words,
graphical output). If the PDSETUP clause is included, it is ignored. If any
PDSETUP is active when the command is issued, it is ignored in favor of the
Windows Printer Driver.
Examples:
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REPORT FORM
Outputs
REPORT FORM
Outputs
windef TO FILE LPT3

directly to the parallel port.
windef TO FILE E:\TEST\MYFILE.TXT PDSETU
to that filename. The PDSETUP clause is

REPORT FORM windef TO PRINTER
or
SET PRINT ON
REPORT FORM windef
Acts the same as the TO FILE example stipulated above except for the fact that
the is ignored completely. FPW assumes that if you want to print TO PRINTER,
then its going to print to the printer that is defined by the currently-active
Windows Printer Driver. It will pay no attention to the you may have defined in
the SET PRINTER TO command.
Examples:
SET PRINTER
REPORT FORM
Ignores
SET PRINTER
SET PDSETUP
REPORT FORM
Ignores
Windows
TO LPT2
windef TO PRINTER
the LPT2 port and prints to the default
TO D:\MYDIR\REPOFILE.TXT
TO "My LaserJet Setup"
windef TO PRINTER
the SET PRINTER TO filename and instead
Printer Driver. The active PDSETUP is i
If you want to print a Report/Label definition that contains Windows objects,

then you cannot designate the destination of your output through the SET
PRINTER TO command. This can be overcome by using the TO FILE clause
instead or else defining all the appropriate Windows Printer Drivers you may
need for output to different ports so you can select the one you want. before
printing.
?/?? and @SAY command

The above commands exhibit the same behavior as the LIST TO PRINTER
command discussed earlier, except in the case of a PDSETUP being active:
IF PDSETUP Active
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IF this is the very first bit of output

IF printing with @SAY
IF SET PRINTER is ON
Print to in character mode
ELSE
Ignore the destination and instead print to t
defined for the currently-active Windows Prin
with the output being printed in the current
(In other words, the output is graphically cr
ENDIF
ELSE
Print to in character mode using the PDSETUP
ENDIF
ELSE
Continue printing in the mode designated by the f
If printing with ?/?? and printing in character m
then the PDSETUP is used
ENDIF
ELSE
IF starts with "PRN" or "LPT"
Ignore the destination and instead print to the p
defined for the currently-active Windows Printer
with the output being printed in the current SET
(In other words, the output is graphically create
ELSE
Print to in character mode
ENDIF
ENDIF
It is important to know that you will not see any output until you issue a SET
PRINTER TO command to close the print job.
It should be noted that if a PDSETUP is active, then the @SAY command does
not execute any of the PD functions (which is also true in FoxPro/DOS). The ?/??
command will execute the _PDRIVERs PDOBJECT() function with whatever
STYLE clause you may have stipulated being passed as a parameter to it. The
PDADVPRT() may also be called by a ?/?? command (and ? will cause
PDLINEEND() and PDLINEST() to execute also).
When printing in character mode, there is some strange behavior that goes on
when you mix output using *both* ?/?? and @SAY. It seems that all of the
output from the ?/?? commands get collected into a pool of some sort and the
output from the @SAYs get collected in a separate pool. When you issue the
SET PRINTER TO to close the print job, the pool of ?/?? output gets spit out,
followed by the pool of @SAY output. It seems that an attempt was made to fix
this "pooling" phenomenon in version 2.5a, but it still does not act as it should, as
you will see shortly.
It is interesting to note that even though this behavior is exhibited, the ?/??
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command will still update the values of PROW() and PCOL() correctly. Consider
the following program:
SET PRINTER TO MYFILE.TXT
SET PRINTER ON
SET DEVICE TO PRINTER
?
?? "This is on row "+LTRIM(STR(PROW()))
@ 3,3 say "Row 3 Column 3"
?? " Im on row "+LTRIM(STR(PROW()))
?
?? "Now Im on row "+LTRIM(STR(PROW()))
?? " This is on row "+LTRIM(STR(PROW()))
?
?? "Now Im on row "+LTRIM(STR(PROW()))
SET DEVICE TO SCREEN
SET PRINTER OFF
SET PRINTER TO
RETURN
The program will give the following (expected) output in FoxPro/DOS:

Actual Row
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
+--------------------------------------|
|This is on row 1
|
|
Row 3 Column 3 Im on row 3
|Now Im on row 4
|
|
Row 6 Column 10 This is on ro
|Now Im on row 7
|
Row 8 Column 12
+---------------------------------------
The same program run in FPW 2.5 will output the following garbage:
Actual Row
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
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+--------------------------------------|
|This is on row 1 Im on row 3
|Now Im on row 4 This is on row 6
|Now Im on row 7
|
| Row 3 Column 3
|
|
Row 6 Column 10
|
Row 8 Column 12
+---------------------------------------
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FPW Version 2.5a is different, but still not correct:

Actual Row
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
+--------------------------------------|
|This is on row 1 Im on row 3
|
| Row 3 Column 3
|Now Im on row 4 This is on row 6
|
|
Row 6 Column 10
|Now Im on row 7
|
Row 8 Column 12
+---------------------------------------
Actually, this can be solved by printing solely using @SAY statements. Just
substitute all instances of "?" with "@ PROW()+1,0 SAY" and all instances of
"??" with "@ PROW(),PCOL() SAY".
Dont mix ?/?? and @SAYs when printing in character mode!!! If you have no
PDSETUP active, then you cant print to a filename that starts with "PRN" or
"LPT" or print directly to a parallel port.
???
The ??? command was introduced into the FoxPro language so that you could
direct output directly to the printer without incrementing PROW() or PCOL(). In
fact, you dont even need SET PRINT to be ON in order for it to work.
Im afraid I still havent figured out all the weird things that this command does.
In general, what it seems to do is (sometimes) close whatever print job may
currently be going on and then starts its own, directing output to the SET
PRINTER TO in character mode. However, if youre printing to a file and if any
@SAY commands had been previously executed before the ???, then the ???
output and all subsequent ?/??/??? output will disappear.
For some examples, consider the following program, called TEST. By the way,
in case youre wondering about why the WAIT WINDOW command is in here,
its to give FPW time to (possibly) start printing the print job that the first ???
command may have closed.
PARAMETERS the_pdsetup,the_dest,atsay_flag
SET PDSETUP TO the_pdsetup
SET PRINTER TO &the_dest
SET PRINTER ON
IF atsay_flag
SET DEVICE TO PRINTER
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# 1,0 SAY "Here is an @SAY in row 1"

ENDIF
? "Test Line 1"
??? "Now printing a triple"
WAIT WINDOW "Just did the first ??? command.
? "Test Line 2"
??? "Another triple"
? "Test Line 3"
?
IF atsay_flag
# 6,0 say "Another @SAY in row 6"
SET DEVICE TO SCREEN
ENDIF
SET PRINTER OFF
SET PRINTER TO
RETURN
Press a
Now lets look at some examples using the above program (without
@SAYs):
DO TEST WITH "","LPT1",.F.

Will output the following:
+----------------------------------------------|
|Test Line 1
(Printed in 30-point
|***PAGE BREAK**********************************
|Now printing a triple
(Printed in raw chara
|Test Line 2Another triple
|Test Line 3
+----------------------------------------------DO TEST WITH "Epson-10cpi","LPT1",.F.
Will output the following in character mode:
+----------------------------------------------|
|Test Line 1Now printing a triple
|Test Line 3
+----------------------------------------------DO TEST with "","MYFILE1.TXT",.F.
DO TEST with "Epson-10cpi","MYFILE1.TXT",.F.
Will both output the following in character mode:
+----------------------------------------------|Another triple
|Test Line 3
+----------------------------------------------DO TEST with "","MYFILE2.TXT ADDITIVE",.F.
DO TEST with "Epson-10cpi","MYFILE2.TXT ADDITIVE",.F.
Will both output the following in character mode:
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+----------------------------------------------|
|Test Line 3
+-----------------------------------------------
Now lets introduce some @SAY commands:
DO TEST WITH "","LPT1",.T.

Will output the following:
+----------------------------------------------|
|Here is an @SAY in row 1
(Printed in 30-point
|Test Line 1
|***PAGE BREAK**********************************
|Now printing a triple
(Printed in raw chara
|Test Line 3
|
|
|
|Another @SAY in row 6
+----------------------------------------------DO TEST WITH "Epson-10cpi","LPT1",.T.
Will output the following in character mode:
+----------------------------------------------|
|Test Line 3
|
|Here is an #SAY in row 1
+----------------------------------------------DO
DO
DO
DO
TEST with "","MYFILE3.TXT",.T.

TEST with "Epson-10cpi","MYFILE3.TXT",.T.
TEST with "","MYFILE4.TXT ADDITIVE",.T.
TEST with "Epson-10cpi","MYFILE4.TXT ADDITIVE",.T.
Will all output the following in character mode in FP
+----------------------------------------------|
|Test Line 1
|
|
|
+-----------------------------------------------
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And will all output the following in character mode in FPW:

+----------------------------------------------|
|Test Line 1
|
|
|
+-----------------------------------------------
The only scenario in which the ??? command works correctly in concert with
*both* ?/?? and @SAY is when printing to a port (rather than a file) using a
PDSETUP. However, since printing using a PDSETUP is in character mode, the
?/?? and @SAYs do not print correctly in reference to each other (see ?/?? and
@SAY pages in this document). The ??? command *does* work correctly with
the ?/?? command alone in the scenario where you print to a File in ADDITIVE
mode or when you print to a port with a PDSETUP. Bottom line: It looks like
FPW treats the ??? command as a purely DOS feature.
EJECT Command
When _PADVANCE="FORMFEED", the EJECT command essentially just does
a ? CHR(12). Everything works fine with EJECT when running under a
Windows Printer Driver. However, when you have a DOS PDSETUP active and
an EJECT executed just prior to closing your print job, it gets lost. Actually, it
seems to sit around in an internal buffer somewhere and gets output next time
you start a new print job. Consider the following:
_PADVANCE="FORMFEED"
SET PDSETUP TO "Epson-10cpi"
SET PRINTER TO MYFILE1.TXT
EJECT
SET PRINTER TO
After executing the above, MYFILE1.TXT is empty. Now do the following:

SET
SET
?
SET
SET
PRINTER TO MYFILE2.TXT
PRINTER ON
PRINTER OFF
PRINTER TO
Now MYFILE2.TXT contains a formfeed, followed by the carriage return and
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line feed created by the ? command.

If you do an EJECT, it may be a good idea to execute the command ?? ""
immediately afterwards. This will force the form feed character to be output.
Since EJECT does a ? CHR(12), you shouldnt mix it with @SAY commands if
you are printing in character mode, because of the strange behavior exhibited by
mixing ?/?? and @SAY commands. What happens is that all the formfeed
characters get printed first and *then* all the #SAYs. I suggest you use a @ 0,0
in place of an EJECT when doing @SAY output.
When _PADVANCE="LINEFEEDS", then all bets are off if you are printing in
character mode. There have been times when Ive executed the following
statements 10 times in a row and gotten 10 different sets of file contents:
_PADVANCE="LINEFEEDS"
SET PDSETUP TO ""
SET PRINTER TO MYFILE.TXT
EJECT
SET PRINTER TO
It seems that sometimes the print job closes too fast for all the linefeeds to get
into the file.
Other interesting things that they occur when printing graphically in

FPW
Unlike FP/DOS, FPW will always give you the true values of PROW() and
PCOL(). If you output REPLICATE("*",200) to your printer in FP/DOS and then
look at the value of PCOL(), it will happily give you a value of 200, even though
your printer overflowed the output onto 2 or more lines. In FPW, on the other
hand, PCOL() will give you the *actual* print head column position. The same is
true with PROW(). If you output 100-or-so ? commands to your printer in FPD,
it doesnt know that youve overflowed onto a new page, but FPW *does* and
the PROW() will accurately reflect the row position on the new page.
Not only will PCOL() and PROW() return true values, but they can be translated
into different font measurements as well. Try the following:
SET PRINTER ON
SET PRINTER FONT "FoxPrint",10
? "This is a test"
prow_before=PROW()
&&Returns 1
pcol_before=PCOL()
&&Returns 14
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prow_after=PROW()
&&Returns 0.714
pcol_after=PCOL()
&&Returns 15.556
SET PRINTER OFF
SET PRINTER TO
The decimal portion of the PROW() and PCOL() values are dependent on the
resolution (dots/inch) of your printer. For example, lets look at 10-point
FoxPrint on a 300-dpi Laser Printer. This font has a 12 characters/inch pitch
horizontally, which comes out to 300/12=25 dots/character, so the most
horizontal precision you can achieve in column coordinates is 1/25=0.04. By the
same token, a 10-point character is 10/72 inches tall (1 point=1/72 inch). So
300*10/72=42 dots/character vertically, and vertical precision is 1/42=0.0238. If
we analyzed the same size character on a dot-matrix printer with 144x120
(vertical x horizontal) dots/inch resolution, you could get no more precise than
0.05 units vertically (20 dots) or 0.10 units horizontally (10 dots).
All that this precision stuff above means is that you can only place objects on the
printed page with a limited amount of accuracy, and that depends on your printer.
For example, if I attempt to position the 300-dpi laser print head by issuing the
command @ 12.03,15.03 the print head will *actually* be positioned at the
closest dot coordinate, which is actually 12.0238,15.04. On the 144x120
dot-matrix printer, the actual coordinates would end up being 12.05,15.00. You
can verify this by looking at the values of PROW() and PCOL() when
positioning your output via the @SAY command.
The ? command has an interesting property: It will always move the print head to
the next *integral* printer row. Try the following code:
SET PRINTER ON
? "Line 1"
&&Prints in 10-point Arial
? "Line 2"
? "Line 3"
? "Line 4" FONT "Arial",11
SET PRINTER OFF
SET PRINTER TO
Youll notice that the first 3 lines appear normal, but lines 4 through 6 are spread
apart vertically. This is because FPW is advancing the print head to the next
integral *10-point Arial* row (since that is the active SET PRINTER FONT).
Since 11-point Arial is slightly taller than 10-point Arial, the ? command is
forced to do a line-feed to the next available 10-point row, which ends up being 2
rows below the 11-point line.
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The same thing happens if you mix fonts on the same line. FPW somehow keeps
track of the tallest font and performs a line-feed far enough down for that tallest
font to be visible. Output the following to your printer:
?
??
??
??
?
"10" FONT "FoxPrint",10

REPLICATE("X",20) FONT "FoxPrint",10
You will notice that the line of Xs on that second line prints just below the
30-point characters of the first line.
By the way, this "integral row" with the ? command also occurs when outputting
to the screen.
Print reliably in character mode in FPW and Visual FoxPro

If you want to print reliably in character mode in FoxPro/Windows, follow
these rules:
1) Use a PDSETUP. If you dont use PDSETUPs, then e

else use my Generic GENPD that I outline at the e
2) Create and edit all your Reports and Labels in Fo

transport them. Of course, if you want to have y
graphically rather than character-based, then by
edit them in FPW and/or use the transporter.
3) Dont mix output with the ?/?? and @SAY commands.

your job or all @SAYs.
4) As far as EJECT is concerned, issue a ?? "" immed

sure that the formfeed character is output. If y
using #SAY commands, then do an @ 0,0 rather than
5) If you want to use the ??? command, then only iss

?/?? commands; dont use @SAY commands in the sam
6) Also with the ??? command, make sure you use the
SET PRINTER TO destination.
7) If youre outputting data to your printer via ?/?

sure you issue a SET PRINTER TO command so that F
and starts physically printing to your printer (o
In general, using a PDSETUP will solve the vast majority of your character14 of 27
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based printing problems.
GENERIC GENPD
If you dont usually use PDSETUPs, then outlined below is how to create a
whole GENPD application which you can use to force FPW to print
everything in character mode like FP/DOS. Although its essentially useless
(redundant) in FP/DOS, it will work in that environment also.
Step #1: Create a file called GENRICPD.PRG:
*
* GENRICPD.PRG - Generic Printer Driver Setup Prog
*
PARAMETERS calltype,pdname
PRIVATE retval
IF PARAMETERS()=0
&&Called from CONFIG.FP(W)
calltype=0
pdname=""
ENDIF
IF calltype=2
&&Called from FPD Report/Label
RETURN IIF(EMPTY(pdname),"Generic","")
&&Togg
ENDIF
retval=""
IF pdname="?"
&&Called from FPD File/Printer
retval=IIF(EMPTY(_PDSETUP),"Generic","") &&Togg
ELSE
retval="Generic"
ENDIF
_PDRIVER=""
&&Close current Printer Driver
IF NOT EMPTY(retval)
PUBLIC _PDPARMS[3]
_PDPARMS[1]="Generic"
_PDPARMS[2]=.F.
&&PdPageEnd() just executed
_PDPARMS[3]=.F.
&&PdLineEnd() just executed
_PDRIVER="GENRICDV.PRG" &&Open Printer Driver
(calls PDONLOAD if exists)
ENDIF
_PDSETUP="-"+retval
&&The "-" prevents a recurs
RETURN retval
Step #2: Create a file called GENRICDV.PRG:
*
* GENRICDV.PRG - Generic Printer Driver Procedures
*
PROCEDURE PdOnUnload
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RELEASE _PDPARMS
RETURN
FUNCTION PdDocSt
PARAMETERS height,width
_PDPARMS[2]=.F.
_PDPARMS[3]=.F.
RETURN ""
FUNCTION PdPageSt
PRIVATE ctlchars
ctlchars=IIF(_PDPARMS[2],CHR(12)+CHR(13),"")
_PDPARMS[2]=.F.
_PDPARMS[3]=.F.
RETURN ctlchars
FUNCTION PdPageEnd
_PDPARMS[2]=.T.
_PDPARMS[3]=.F.
RETURN ""
FUNCTION PdLineSt
PRIVATE ctlchars
ctlchars=IIF(_PDPARMS[3],CHR(13)+CHR(10),"")
_PDPARMS[2]=.F.
_PDPARMS[3]=.F.
RETURN ctlchars
FUNCTION PdLineEnd
_PDPARMS[2]=.F.
_PDPARMS[3]=.T.
RETURN ""
FUNCTION PdAdvPrt
PARAMETERS here,there
_PDPARMS[2]=.F.
_PDPARMS[3]=.F.
RETURN IIF(here>there,CHR(13)+SPACE(there),SPACE(t
FUNCTION PdObject
PARAMETERS theobj,objstyle
_PDPARMS[2]=.F.
_PDPARMS[3]=.F.
RETURN theobj
Step #3: Create a Project called GENRICPD.PJX that

contains the 2 programs GENRICPD.PRG and
GENRICDV.PRG, making GENRICPD.PRG the
"Main" Program. Then Build the Project into an APP
called GENRICPD.APP.
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You can put this Generic PDSETUP into place by executing the following two
commands:
_GENPD="GENRICPD.APP"
_PDSETUP="Generic"
You may need to fully qualify the GENRICPD.APP in the above _GENPD line
if the APP is in a different directory. You can either execute the above 2
commands from within FPW or put the following 2 lines into your
CONFIG.FPW so that the Generic PDSETUP is in effect every time you start
FPW:
_GENPD="GENRICPD.APP"
PDSETUP="Generic"
By the way, its interesting to note that only the _GENPD="GENRICPD.APP"

line is required in your CONFIG.FP if you are starting FoxPro/DOS.
FoxPro/DOS automatically executes the _GENPD application on startup;
whereas, FPW does not. That is why you must add the PDSETUP="Generic" to
your CONFIG.FPW.
Because of the way Ive written GENRICPD.PRG, you can put almost any string
into the _PDSETUP system variable and it will cause the PDSETUP to be in
effect (and will set the system variable _PDSETUP to "Generic" anyway). The
exceptions are:
_PDSETUP=""
&&Turns the PDSETUP off
_PDSETUP="?"
&&Toggles the PDSETUP on/off
_PDSETUP="-"+{any string} &&Does not actually exe
The reason for the "?" toggle is because of how FoxPro/DOS calls the _GENPD
application from its File Menus Printer Setup Option. And, as outlined in the
FoxPro Printer Driver documentation, setting _PDSETUP to any string that starts
with a dash ("-") will set the _PDSETUP system variable to the portion of the
string after the dash, but will not actually execute the _GENPD application.
Once you have the Generic PDSETUP active, then all printer output in FPW will
be just like printing without a PDSETUP in FoxPro/DOS, as long as you follow
the rules I stipulated in the "Print in character mode" section of this document.
How To Change the Default Source of Printer Programmatically

Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0, 3.0b, 5.0
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To set the default source (upper/lower tray) of a printer programmatically under

Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0, use the SetPrinter() Win32 API function.
Note that the SetPrinter() API call is platform-dependent and works only on
Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0. (It does not work on earlier versions of
Windows NT or on a 16-bit platform.)
To set or change the default source of printer under Windows 95 and Windows
NT 4.0, call the following:
SetPrinter(HANDLE hPrinter, DWORD dwLevel, LPBYTE lpbPrinter, DWORD
dwCommand)
Obtain the hPrinter parameter from OpenPrinter() as a handle that identifies the
desired printer. Set the dwLevel parameter to 2, and point lpbPrinter to the
PRINTER_INFO_2 structure. Set the dwCommand parameter to 0. Fill out the
PRINTER_INFO_2 structure appropriately.
There are few ways of changing the (upper/lower) printer tray dynamically. The
most common is to use PCL printer commands. To do this, insert the escape
sequence in the file, along with the content you are trying to print. Unfortunately,
this method makes it difficult to work with Visual FoxPro since you are limited
by the printers settings (you need to know the designated printer beforehand),
and the reports in Visual FoxPro use the printer driver internally once the
printing job is established.
The following sample program illustrates the contents of the .dll file written in
Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0. It shows a way to retrieve a handle identifying the
specified printer or print server.
NOTE: This sample program illustrates many Microsoft Visual C++ commands.
The use of these commands is beyond the scope of Microsoft FoxPro Product
Support. Users with substantial experience using API routines should be able to
write the following sample .dll file. For this sample to work, you need a .def file
to export the chgbin function.
Sample Program (DLL to Change the Default Source of Printer)
#include "stdio.h"
#include <windows.h>
BOOL APIENTRY DllMain(HANDLE hInst, DWORD ul_reason_being_called,

LPVOID lpReserved) {
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return 1;
UNREFERENCED_PARAMETER(hInst);
UNREFERENCED_PARAMETER(ul_reason_being_called);
UNREFERENCED_PARAMETER(lpReserved);
}
#define ErrReturn
if (GetLastError()) {ClosePrinter(hPrinter);
printf("error"); return -1;}

short FindID(LPPRINTER_INFO_2 pPrinter, int flg);
BOOL MyFreeMem(LPVOID pMem) {
return VirtualFree(pMem, 0, MEM_RELEASE);
}
#define UPPER_BIN 1
#define LOWER_BIN 2
int APIENTRY chgbin(char *ptrname, int flg)
{
HANDLE
DWORD
DWORD
LPTSTR
short
hPrinter = NULL;
cbBuf;
pcbNeeded = 0;
pPrintername;
nSource;
pPrintername = ptrname;
PRINTER_DEFAULTS pd;
ZeroMemory(&pd, sizeof(pd));
pd.DesiredAccess = PRINTER_ALL_ACCESS;
int result1 = OpenPrinter(pPrintername,&hPrinter, &pd);
ErrReturn;
int result = GetPrinter(hPrinter, 2, NULL, 0, &pcbNeeded);
DWORD Error = GetLastError( );
if( Error == ERROR_INSUFFICIENT_BUFFER )
{
BOOL bRet = FALSE;
HANDLE hMem = NULL;
LPPRINTER_INFO_2 pPrinter;
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hMem = GlobalAlloc(GHND, pcbNeeded);

if (hMem) pPrinter = (LPPRINTER_INFO_2)GlobalLock(hMem);
cbBuf = pcbNeeded;
DWORD cbNeeded;
if (GetPrinter(hPrinter, 2, (LPBYTE)pPrinter, pcbNeeded, &cbNeeded))
{
if ((nSource = FindID(pPrinter,flg)) < 0) return -1;
pPrinter->pDevMode->dmDefaultSource = nSource;
pPrinter->pDevMode->dmFields = DM_DEFAULTSOURCE;
DocumentProperties(NULL,hPrinter,pPrintername,pPrinter-
>pDevMode,pPrinter->pDevMode,
DM_IN_BUFFER|DM_OUT_BUFFER);
SetPrinter(hPrinter,2,(unsigned char *)pPrinter,0);
MyFreeMem(pPrinter);
ClosePrinter(hPrinter);
}
}
Error = GetLastError( );
return 0;
}
typedef struct _tagDevCaps {
TCHAR
pPrinterName[80];
TCHAR
pPort[80];
WORD wCurCap;
WORD
wCurPlatForm;
HINSTANCE hDriver;
//only used if on Win32s;
DWORD (CALLBACK* pfnDevCaps) (
LPTSTR
pDevice,
// address of device-name string
LPTSTR
pPort, // address of port-name string
UINT
fwCapability, // device capability to query
LPTSTR
pOutput,
// address of the output
LPDEVMODE pDevMode
// address of structure with device data
);
} DEVCAPS;
LPVOID MyAllocMem(DWORD cb) {
return VirtualAlloc(NULL, cb, MEM_RESERVE|MEM_COMMIT, PAGE_READWRITE
}
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#define MAX_AMOUNT
#define MAX_BINS
16
256
short FindID(LPPRINTER_INFO_2 pPrinter, int flg) {

DEVCAPS MyDevCaps;
MyDevCaps.hDriver = NULL;
MyDevCaps.pfnDevCaps = NULL;
BOOL bRet = FALSE;
lstrcpy(MyDevCaps.pPrinterName, pPrinter->pPrinterName);
lstrcpy(MyDevCaps.pPort, pPrinter->pPortName);
MyDevCaps.pfnDevCaps = (LPFNDEVCAPS)&DeviceCapabilities;
DWORD
BOOL
WORD FAR
dwBufSize = 0;
bResult = 1;
*pawBinList;
if (MyDevCaps.pfnDevCaps)
{
// get number of bins
dwBufSize = MyDevCaps.pfnDevCaps ((LPTSTR )MyDevCaps.pPrinterNam
(LPTSTR )MyDevCaps.pPort, (WORD)DC_BINS,

(LPTSTR )NULL, (LPDEVMODE)NULL);
pawBinList = (WORD FAR *)MyAllocMem(dwBufSize* (sizeof(WORD)));
// fill buffer with bin list
MyDevCaps.pfnDevCaps ((LPTSTR )MyDevCaps.pPrinterName, (LPTSTR
)MyDevCaps.pPort, (WORD)DC_BINS,
(LPTSTR )pawBinList, (LPDEVMODE)NULL);
// display bin info
// protects from bad drivers
if ((dwBufSize > 0) && (dwBufSize < MAX_AMOUNT))
{
for (int i=0; i< (int)dwBufSize;i++)
{
if (pawBinList[i] < MAX_AMOUNT)
{
if (pawBinList[i] < MAX_BINS)
{
if (flg == UPPER_BIN && pawBinList[i] == UPPER_BIN)
return (pawBinList[i]);
else if (flg == LOWER_BIN && pawBinList[i] == LOWER_BIN)
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return (pawBinList[i]);
}
}
}
}
// clean up
MyFreeMem(pawBinList);
return (-1);
}
return (-1);
}
In the FoxPro Application
DECLARE integer chgbin IN c:\bin.DLL STRING, INTEGER
** 1 = Upper
2 = Lower
retval = chgbin("HP LaserJet 4Si MX",2)
USE CUSTOMER
LIST TO PRINT
Sample Program (Notes)

To create a .dll file in Visual C++, please refer to Help in Microsoft Visual
C++ 4.0.
The Chgbin.dll should be in the same directory as your project, or should
be in the path of the Windows Win32 directory.
WARNING: Any use by you of the code provided in this article is at your own
risk. Microsoft provides this code "as is" without warranty of any kind, either
express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of
merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose.
The function chgbin takes two parameters. The first parameter takes the actual
printer name. You could get the printer name from FoxPro by using the
APRINTER() function, which retrieves all the existing drivers in the current
windows operating system. The second parameter is a flag that tells the chgbin
function how to set the upper/lower tray. The numeric value 1 indicates that the
upper tray should be used, and the numeric value 2 indicates that the lower tray is
being used.
This DLL does not work properly if the printer is a network printer. The network
22 of 27
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printer cannot be configured programmatically since multiple users need to

access the printer at the same time. In order to solve this problem, you need to
add a local printer driver and force the local driver to print to a file (where the
file is redirected to network printer address). In this way, the printer driver can
have its own settings, which can be used by a FoxPro application to refer to the
network printer.
It is highly recommended to change the setting back to its default (or previous
setting) once the program is terminated since other applications might use the
same driver.
Visual FoxPro stores the printer and bin to use inside the .frx file for reports. So
changing the paper source for the Printer Driver in Windows does not cause the
Report to print to a different paper source.
Printing Two Reports in One Duplexed Report

Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0, 3.0b, 5.0, 5.0a
Because FoxPro reports are sent as separate print jobs, they are also printed on
separate pages. So, if you have two one-page reports and you want to have them
printed as one duplex report, you would have to combine the reports into one, or
combine the output of the two reports--as the program code in this article
illustrates.
NOTE: The COPY FILE command used at the end of this program may not work
under Windows NT. This is another issue being researched at this time.
There are some cases where extra characters may be printed at the top of the two
pages, but adjustments can be made to the code to prevent this. Specifically, you
need to change the adjustment on the lines using the FSEEK() function so that
the file pointer is moved by fewer characters.
Please note the assumptions that this code makes:
You have a printer connected to a local printer port (LPT1 for this code to
work without modification), or you have captured a network printer to
LPT1.
You have only two reports to be printed together, and they print one page
each.
One additional note is that this program creates several files as temporary files in
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02/23/04 11:40
the default directory. Please take note of the names of the files so as not to
overwrite any files you may already have (since SAFETY is turned OFF). These
temporary files are not deleted, but could be with only a few additional lines of
code.
**=========================================**
** Begin program
**
**=========================================**
******* Environment Settings
** Printer Settings... this allows the user to
** choose which printer settings will be used in
** creating the file. But remember, the file
** will still be sent to the port indicated in
** the COPY FILE command at the end of the program.
SET PRINTER TO GETPRINTER()
** Safety should be off in case we have
** already run this procedure before
tmpsafe = SET("SAFETY")
SET SAFETY OFF
******* End environment settings
******* Create template file
** Create blank report
IF FILE("blank.frx")
DELETE FILE blank.frx
ENDIF
DEFINE WINDOW test FROM 0,0 TO 10,10
KEYBOARD "{CTRL+W}"
CREATE REPORT blank
RELEASE WINDOW blank
RELEASE WINDOW test
** Change the printer settings to ensure duplex printing is
** turned on and use selected settings. Please note that
** duplex printing will work only on printers that support it.
USE blank.frx
REPLACE expr WITH "DUPLEX=2" && turn duplex on
USE
** Create blank table to cover two pages
SELECT 0
IF USED("blank")
USE IN blank
ENDIF
IF FILE("blank.dbf")
DELETE FILE blank.dbf
ENDIF
CREATE TABLE BLANK (test C)
FOR nCnt = 1 TO 25
APPEND BLANK
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ENDFOR
** Create template print file from blank report
REPORT FORM blank TO template.prn
USE IN blank
** Create variables for each line of the template file
htemplate = FOPEN("template.prn")
linecnt = 0
DO WHILE !FEOF(htemplate)
linecnt = linecnt + 1
lnvar = "line" + ALLTRIM(STR(linecnt))
STORE FGETS(htemplate) TO &lnvar
ENDDO
=FCLOSE(htemplate)
******* End create
******* Process the individual reports

** Remove printer settings from the reports
** so they use the selected settings
&& First report
report1 = GETFILE("FRX","Please select first report")
IF EMPTY(report1)
=MESSAGEBOX("You did not specify a file for the first report," +
CHR(13) + "so this program cannot continue.")
RETURN
ENDIF
USE (report1) IN 0 ALIAS one
SELECT one
onetmp = one.expr
REPLACE expr WITH ""
USE IN one
&& Second report
report2 = GETFILE("FRX","Please select second report")
IF EMPTY(report2)
=MESSAGEBOX("You did not specify a file for the second report," +
CHR(13) + "so this program cannot continue.")
RETURN
ENDIF
USE (report2) IN 0 ALIAS two
SELECT two
rtmp = two.expr
REPLACE expr WITH ""
USE IN two
** Send reports to files
REPORT FORM (report1) TO one.txt NOCONSOLE
REPORT FORM (report2) TO two.txt NOCONSOLE
** Restore printer settings to the reports
&& First report
USE (report1) IN 0 ALIAS one
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SELECT one
REPLACE expr WITH rtmp
USE IN one
&& Second report
USE (report2) IN 0 ALIAS two
SELECT two
REPLACE expr WITH rtmp
USE IN two
** Determine the size of the input files
tmpdb4 = SET("COMPATIBLE")
SET COMPATIBLE ON
onesz = FSIZE("one.txt")
twosz = FSIZE("two.txt")
SET COMPATIBLE &tmpdb4
******* End process
******* Create final print file
** Delete the file, if it exists, and create
** a new file to contain the reports
IF FILE("final.prn")
DELETE FILE final.prn
ENDIF
hFinal = FCREATE("final.prn")
** Write header codes
totchar = 0 && this will contain the length of the header
FOR nCnt = 1 TO linecnt-2
lnvar = "line" + ALLTRIM(STR(nCnt))
totchar = totchar + FPUTS(hFinal,EVAL(lnvar))
ENDFOR
pgvar = "line" + ALLTRIM(STR(linecnt-1)) && page break line
ejvar = "line" + ALLTRIM(STR(linecnt)) && end of job line
** Write body of first report file
hOne = FOPEN("one.txt")
=FSEEK(hOne,totchar-(linecnt-2))
=FWRITE(hFinal,FREAD(hOne,onesz-totchar-LEN(EVAL(ejvar))))
** Write pagebreak codes
=FPUTS(hFinal,EVAL(pgvar))
** Write body of second report file
hTwo = FOPEN("two.txt")
=FSEEK(hTwo,totchar-(linecnt-2))
=FWRITE(hFinal,FREAD(hTwo,twosz-totchar-LEN(EVAL(ejvar))))
** Write end-of-job codes
=FPUTS(hFinal,EVAL(ejvar))
** Close all files
=FCLOSE(hFinal)
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=FCLOSE(hOne)
=FCLOSE(hTwo)
******* End create
******* Send the final file to the printer
** This line copies the file to the printer
** connected to LPT1: in Windows. You may also
** specify LPT1 or LPT2 instead of PRN.
COPY FILE final.prn TO PRN
******* End send
******* Restore Environment Settings
SET SAFETY &tmpsafe
******* End restore
**=========================================**
** End program
**
**=========================================**
Send email to webmaster@programatica.com for further assistance or call +507

260-6462.
Hosted By
Programatica WEBDesign
Copyright 1996-1997. Programatica WEB Design :.

All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
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FoxPro Printing Guide

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

A Guide to FoxPro - Windows Printing Behavior

"PDSETUP being active"

You choose a PDSETUP through the File Menus Prin

SET PDSETUP TO "My LaserJet Setup"

FoxPro Printing Guide

SET PRINTER FONT command

The above will do a print in 14-point Arial. If no SET PRINTER FONT is in

TO FILE or TO PRINTER clause

FoxPro Printing Guide

FPW prints to the {destination} in character mode. If a PDSETUP is active, then

FPW prints to the {destination} in character mode, using the PDSETUP.

FoxPro Printing Guide

SET PRINTER TO LPT2 with PDSETUP Active

FoxPro Printing Guide

windef TO FILE LPT3

SET PRINTER TO {destination}

If you want to print a Report/Label definition that contains Windows objects,

?/?? and @SAY command

FoxPro Printing Guide

IF this is the very first bit of output

FoxPro Printing Guide

The program will give the following (expected) output in FoxPro/DOS:

FoxPro Printing Guide

FPW Version 2.5a is different, but still not correct:

FoxPro Printing Guide

# 1,0 SAY "Here is an @SAY in row 1"

DO TEST WITH "","LPT1",.F.

FoxPro Printing Guide

Now lets introduce some @SAY commands:

DO TEST WITH "","LPT1",.T.

TEST with "","MYFILE3.TXT",.T.

FoxPro Printing Guide

And will all output the following in character mode in FPW:

After executing the above, MYFILE1.TXT is empty. Now do the following:

Now MYFILE2.TXT contains a formfeed, followed by the carriage return and

FoxPro Printing Guide

line feed created by the ? command.

Other interesting things that they occur when printing graphically in

FoxPro Printing Guide

SET PRINTER FONT "Arial",12

FoxPro Printing Guide

"10" FONT "FoxPrint",10

Print reliably in character mode in FPW and Visual FoxPro

1) Use a PDSETUP. If you dont use PDSETUPs, then e

2) Create and edit all your Reports and Labels in Fo

3) Dont mix output with the ?/?? and @SAY commands.

4) As far as EJECT is concerned, issue a ?? "" immed

5) If you want to use the ??? command, then only iss

7) If youre outputting data to your printer via ?/?

FoxPro Printing Guide

based printing problems.

Step #2: Create a file called GENRICDV.PRG:

FoxPro Printing Guide

Step #3: Create a Project called GENRICPD.PJX that

FoxPro Printing Guide

By the way, its interesting to note that only the _GENPD="GENRICPD.APP"

How To Change the Default Source of Printer Programmatically

FoxPro Printing Guide