Sends data to the current printer (or spooler, if the user has a spooler set up). There are several syntaxes.
Required third-party software
You must install the FieldSoftware PrinterCE SDK before you
can use print methods in PocketBuilder applications deployed to
a device or emulator. An evaluation version of this software is
available from the FieldSoftware Web site.
For syntax for DataWindows or DataStores, see the Print method for DataWindows in the DataWindow Reference or the online Help.
To |
Use |
|---|---|
Include a visual object, such as a window or a graph control in a print job |
|
Send one or more lines of text as part of a print job |
|
Print the contents of an RTE control |
Includes a visual object, such as a window or a graph control, in a print job that you have started with the PrintOpen function.
Any object
objectname.Print ( printjobnumber, x, y {, width, height } )
Argument |
Description |
|---|---|
objectname |
The name of the object that you want to print. The object must either be a window or an object whose ancestor type is DragObject, which includes all the controls that you can place in a window. |
printjobnumber |
The number the PrintOpen function assigns to the print job. |
x |
An integer whose value is the x coordinate on the page of the left corner of the object, in thousandths of an inch. |
y |
An integer whose value is the y coordinate on the page of the left corner of the object, in thousandths of an inch. |
width (optional) |
An integer specifying the printed width of the object in thousandths of an inch. If omitted, PocketBuilder uses the object’s original width. |
height (optional) |
An integer specifying the printed height of the object in thousandths of an inch. If omitted, PocketBuilder uses the object’s original height. |
Integer. Returns 1 if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs. If any argument’s value is null, Print returns null.
PocketBuilder manages print jobs by opening the job, sending data, and closing the job. When you use Syntax 2 or 3, you must call the PrintOpen and PrintClose functions yourself to manage the process.
Print area and margins The print area is the physical page size minus any margins in the printer itself.
This example prints the CommandButton cb_close in its original size at location 500, 1000:
long Job
Job = PrintOpen( )
cb_close.Print(Job, 500,1000)
PrintClose(Job)
This example opens a print job, which defines a new page, then prints a title using the third syntax of Print. Then it uses this syntax of Print to print a graph on the first page and a window on the second page:
long Job
Job = PrintOpen( )
Print(Job, "Report of Year-to-Date Sales")
gr_sales1.Print(Job, 1000,PrintY(Job)+500, &
6000,4500)
PrintPage(Job)
w_sales.Print(Job, 1000,500, 6000,4500)
PrintClose(Job)
Sends one or more lines of text as part of a print job that you have opened with the PrintOpen function. You can specify tab settings before or after the text. The tab settings control the text’s horizontal position on the page.
Not object-specific
Print ( printjobnumber, { tab1, } string {, tab2 } )
Argument |
Description |
|---|---|
printjobnumber |
The number the PrintOpen function assigned to the print job. |
tab1 (optional) |
The position, measured from the left edge of the print area in thousandths of a inch, to which the print cursor should move before string is printed. If the print cursor is already at or beyond the position or if you omit tab1, Print starts printing at the current position of the print cursor. |
string |
The string you want to print. If the string includes carriage return-newline character pairs (~r~n), the string will print on multiple lines. However, the initial tab position is ignored on subsequent lines. |
tab2 (optional) |
The new position, measured from the left edge of the print area in thousandths of a inch, of the print cursor after string printed. If the print cursor is already at or beyond the specified position, Print ignores tab2 and the print cursor remains at the end of the text. If you omit tab2, Print moves the print cursor to the beginning of a new line. |
Integer. Returns 1 if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs. If any argument’s value is null, Print returns null.
PocketBuilder manages print jobs by opening the job, sending data, and closing the job. When you use Syntax 2 or 3, you must call the PrintOpen and PrintClose functions yourself to manage the process.
Print cursor In a print job, PocketBuilder uses a print cursor to keep track of the print location. The print cursor stores the coordinates of the upper-left corner of the location at which print will being. PocketBuilder updates the print cursor after printing text with Print.
Line spacing when printing text Line spacing in PocketBuilder is proportional to character height. The default line spacing is 1.2 times the character height. When Print starts a new line, it sets the x coordinate of the cursor to 0 and increases the y coordinate by the current line spacing. You can change the line spacing with the PrintSetSpacing function, which lets you specify a new factor to be multiplied by the character height.
Because Syntax 3 of Print increments the y coordinate each time it creates a new line, it also handles page breaks automatically. When the y coordinate exceeds the page size, PocketBuilder automatically creates a new page in the print job. You do not need to call the PrintPage function, as you would if you were using the printing functions that control the cursor position (for example, PrintText or PrintLine).
Print area and margins The print area is the physical page size minus any margins in the printer itself.
Using fonts You can use PrintDefineFont and PrintSetFont to specify the font used by the Print function when you are printing a string.
Fonts for multiple languages The default font for print functions is the system font, but multiple languages cannot be printed correctly using the system font. The Tahoma font typically produces good results. However, if the printer font is set to Tahoma and the Tahoma font is not installed on the printer, PowerBuilder downloads the entire font set to the printer when it encounters a multilanguage character. Use the PrintDefineFont and PrintSetFont functions to specify a font that is available on users’ printers and supports multiple languages.
This example opens a print job, prints the string Sybase
Corporation in the default font, and then starts
a new line:
long Job
// Define a blank page and assign the job an ID
Job = PrintOpen( )
// Print the string and then start a new line
Print(Job, "Sybase Corporation")
...
PrintClose(Job)
This example opens a print job, prints the string Sybase
Corporation in the default font, tabs 5 inches
from the left edge of the print area but does not start a new line:
long Job
// Define a blank page and assign the job an ID
Job = PrintOpen( )
// Print the string but do not start a new line
Print(Job, "Sybase Corporation", 5000)
...
PrintClose(Job)
The first Print statement below
tabs half an inch from the left edge of the print area, prints the
string Sybase Corporation,
and then starts a new line. The second Print statement
tabs one inch from the left edge of the print area, prints the string Directors:,
and then starts a new line:
long Job
// Define a blank page and assign the job an ID
Job = PrintOpen( )
// Print the string and start a new line
Print(Job, 500, "Sybase Corporation")
// Tab 1 inch from the left edge and print
Print(Job, 1000, "Directors:")
...
PrintClose(Job)
The first Print statement below
tabs half an inch from the left edge of the print area prints the
string Sybase Corporation,
and then tabs 6 inches from the left edge of the print area but
does not start a new line. The second Print statement
prints the current date and then starts a new line:
long Job
// Define a blank page and assign the job an ID
Job = PrintOpen( )
// Print string and tab 6 inches from the left edge
Print(Job, 500, "Sybase Corporation", 6000)
// Print the current date on the same line
Print(Job, String(Today()))
...
PrintClose(Job)
In a window that displays a database error message in a MultiLineEdit mle_message, the following script for a Print button prints a title with the date and time and the message:
long li_prt
li_prt = PrintOpen("Database Error")
Print(li_prt, "Database error - " &
+ String(Today(), "mm/dd/yyyy") &
+ " - " &
+ String(Now(), "HH:MM:SS"))
Print(li_prt, " ")
Print(li_prt, mle_message.text)
PrintClose(li_prt)
Prints the contents of a RichTextEdit control.
RichTextEdit controls
rtename.Print ( copies, pagerange, collate, canceldialog )
Integer. Returns 1 if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs.
