Show Printer Dialog and use options when printing

I want to show the standard windows print dialog - allowing the user to set printer specific options (eg. Duplex, Paper Tray, Booklet Mode, Staple + Fold, etc.) and then use this when printing the PDF.

Something along the lines of below.   However, 'SetPrinterDevModeFromString'  requires a string...

Can I just create a std::wstring  and copy the 'DevMode' to it or is there a special way to do this ?

thanks

Kent.

----------------------------------------------------

PRINTDLG pd;

memset(&pd, 0, sizeof(pd));

pd.lStructSize = sizeof(PRINTDLG);

pd.Flags = PD_RETURNDC | PD_DISABLEPRINTTOFILE | PD_HIDEPRINTTOFILE;

if (PrintDlg(&pd) == TRUE)

{

pdf->SetPrinterDevModeFromString(pd.hDevMode);

int options = pdf->PrintOptions(0,0, L"Printing Test");

pdf->PrintDocument( L"Office", 0, 9999, options);

}

I'm not sure I understand your answer, sorry.

What I want, is to show the standard Printer dialog  (which I can do) - allow the user to specify settings  (which can be specific to the printer / copier)  and then use the selected settings for the resulting print jobs.

I could query the results from the print dialog, and try to set them using the SDK,  which will work for things like Duplex maybe -  but not the 1000's printer specific settings  (such as booklet, fold & staple, etc).

I figure the 'SetPrinterDevModeFromString' would be the way - but how ?

thanks

Kent.

 

In an application we have we use the following code snippets for getting the Printer Settings including Custom setings in a way that the QuickPDF function can use, this code is written in VB.NET so you may have to modify and extrapolate to your development environment and language:

 

Private printerName As String = ""
Private devModeBytes() As Byte

Sub SavePrinterSettings()
    If PrintDialog1.ShowDialog = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then
        printerName = PrintDialog1.PrinterSettings.PrinterName

        'Get Printer Setup as binary data Byte Array
        Dim hDevMode As IntPtr 'handle to the DEVMODE
        Dim pDevMode As IntPtr 'pointer to the DEVMODE
        Dim devMode As DEVMODE 'the actual DEVMODE structure

        Dim printerSettings As Drawing.Printing.PrinterSettings = PrintDialog1.PrinterSettings

        'Get a handle to a DEVMODE for the printer settings
        hDevMode = printerSettings.GetHdevmode()

        'Obtain a lock on the handle and get an actual pointer so Windows won't
        'move it around while we're futzing with it
        pDevMode = GlobalLock(hDevMode)

        'Marshal the memory at that pointer into our P/Invoke version of DEVMODE
        devMode = DirectCast(Marshal.PtrToStructure(pDevMode, GetType(DEVMODE)), DEVMODE)

        'Read the bytes into a Byte Array
        ReDim devModeBytes(devMode.dmSize + (devMode.dmDriverExtra - 1))
        For i As Integer = 0 To devMode.dmSize + (devMode.dmDriverExtra - 1)
            devModeBytes(i) = Marshal.ReadByte(pDevMode, i)
        Next

        'Unlock the handle, we're done futzing around with memory
        GlobalUnlock(hDevMode)

        'And to boot, we don't need that DEVMODE anymore, either
        GlobalFree(hDevMode)
       
        'Here we have a devModeBytes array which can be used directly in the QuickPDF function SetPrinterDevModeFromString
        'QuickPDF.SetPrinterDevModeFromString(printDevMode)
    Else
        printerName = ""
    End If
End Sub

'The above code needs some Window API definitions:
<Flags()> _
Enum DM As Integer
    Orientation = &H1
    PaperSize = &H2
    PaperLength = &H4
    PaperWidth = &H8
    Scale = &H10
    Position = &H20
    NUP = &H40
    DisplayOrientation = &H80
    Copies = &H100
    DefaultSource = &H200
    PrintQuality = &H400
    Color = &H800
    Duplex = &H1000
    YResolution = &H2000
    TTOption = &H4000
    Collate = &H8000
    FormName = &H10000
    LogPixels = &H20000
    BitsPerPixel = &H40000
    PelsWidth = &H80000
    PelsHeight = &H100000
    DisplayFlags = &H200000
    DisplayFrequency = &H400000
    ICMMethod = &H800000
    ICMIntent = &H1000000
    MediaType = &H2000000
    DitherType = &H4000000
    PanningWidth = &H8000000
    PanningHeight = &H10000000
    DisplayFixedOutput = &H20000000
End Enum

<StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, CharSet:=CharSet.Unicode)> _
Public Structure DEVMODE
    Public Const CCHDEVICENAME As Integer = 32
    Public Const CCHFORMNAME As Integer = 32

    <MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.ByValTStr, SizeConst:=CCHDEVICENAME)> _
    Public dmDeviceName As String
    Public dmSpecVersion As Short
    Public dmDriverVersion As Short
    Public dmSize As Short
    Public dmDriverExtra As Short
    Public dmFields As DM
    Public dmOrientation As Short
    Public dmPaperSize As Short
    Public dmPaperLength As Short
    Public dmPaperWidth As Short
    Public dmScale As Short
    Public dmCopies As Short
    Public dmDefaultSource As Short
    Public dmPrintQuality As Short
    Public dmColor As Short
    Public dmDuplex As Short
    Public dmYResolution As Short
    Public dmTTOption As Short
    Public dmCollate As Short
    <MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.ByValTStr, SizeConst:=CCHFORMNAME)> _
    Public dmFormName As String
    Public dmLogPixels As Short
    Public dmBitsPerPel As Integer ' Declared wrong in the full framework
    Public dmPelsWidth As Integer
    Public dmPelsHeight As Integer
    Public dmDisplayFlags As Integer
    Public dmDisplayFrequency As Integer
    Public dmICMMethod As Integer
    Public dmICMIntent As Integer
    Public dmMediaType As Integer
    Public dmDitherType As Integer
    Public dmReserved1 As Integer
    Public dmReserved2 As Integer
    Public dmPanningWidth As Integer
    Public dmPanningHeight As Integer
    'Public dmPositionX As Integer ' Using a PointL Struct does not work
    'Public dmPositionY As Integer
End Structure

<DllImport("kernel32.dll", ExactSpelling:=True)> _
Friend Shared Function GlobalFree(ByVal handle As IntPtr) As IntPtr
End Function

<DllImport("kernel32.dll", ExactSpelling:=True)> _
Friend Shared Function GlobalLock(ByVal handle As IntPtr) As IntPtr
End Function

<DllImport("kernel32.dll", ExactSpelling:=True)> _
Friend Shared Function GlobalUnlock(ByVal handle As IntPtr) As IntPtr
End Function

This code snippet has been put together from some other sample code on the QuickPDF forum and some code find using google.

 

The important parts is that the SetPrinterDevModeFromString function (at least in VB.NET) needs a byte array, and how to get this from the Printer Settings object.

 

Regards,

Jens

Thanks - that's the approach that I'm trying to take - but haven't yet got the magic touch happening.

Or, is it that Duplex has to be set via the API,  but the other settings via the DEVMODE.

This is what I'm trying to do  (I'll worry about different printer names later).  So far, it doesn't appear to be working.

thanks

Kent.

 

When I used this advanced functionality in our application it took some time, and I several times saved the DevMode structure to a binary file so I could compare the structure when trying different settings in the Printer settings dialog.

 

I have no experience with C++ and the QuickPDF interface, but just know that when using .NET the DevMode has to be handled as a raw array of bytes in the call to the QuickPDF function.

 

Regards,

Jens

This is where I've got to.  I'm getting the printer name okay - and am fairly certain I have the 'DEVMODE' string - but obviously missing something as it's not making a difference.

Ideas appreciated.

Kent.

 

I looked at my code and see one potential difference.

 

In my code the sequence is the following:

 

myPrintOptions = QP.PrintOptions(<some arguments here>)

 

QP.SetPrinterDevModeFromString(devModeString)

 

QP.PrintDocument(<some arguments here>)

 

In your sample the first two staments are switched, maybe the sequence is important?

 

The QP.PrintOptions() maybe modifies the devMode for the active printer?

 

Regards,

Jens

Hi All,

For anyone else that battles this like I have - I discovered today that the size of my DEVMODE was always 64 bytes smaller than the one returned by 'GetPrinterDevModeToString' returned.

After a bit of research, I discovered this was because I needed to use 'PRINTDLGEXW'  instead of 'PRINTDLGEX'  (ie.  the Unicode version).   (the main difference being 'dmDeviceName' and 'dmFormName ' - both 32 characters - which un unicode explain the extra 64 bytes).

Once I had changed this  (and adjusted my other code appropriately) - it now appears to be working :)

cheers

Kent.