Hmmm...now I'm perplexed. Isn't it truism that the most difficult problems are those that should be easily resolved?

This is the code I always used. I haven't done this type of printing in VFP but I don't see why the behavior would not be the same.

I'm going to test this when I get back to my office and have access to VFP. I'll let you know what results I get (under NT Server).


>I can't win. This doesn't work in command window or in form code. However, if I remove the SET PRINTER TO (printer name), it works in the commmand window, but that's it.
>
>>You're missing the SET PRINTER commands that set and reset the printer, creating a print job. Try the following instead:
>>
>>SET PRINTER TO LPT1: (or windows printer name)
>>SET DEVICE TO PRINT
>>@ 2,46 SAY 'test'
>>SET DEVICE TO SCREEN
>>SET PRINTER TO
>>
>>In a PRG, by the way, you would want to add SET CONSOLE OFF before SET PRINTER... and SET CONSOLE ON after the last SET PRINTER.
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>>I tried this in the command window and a PRG:
>>>
>>>SET DEVICE TO PRINT
>>>@ 2,46 SAY 'test'
>>>SET PRINT TO
>>>SET DEVICE TO SCREEN
>>>
>>>and it sends output to printer as I would expect in both cases. However, if I call this PRG from another PRG or even place this code within a form method, nothing happens when this code fires. I traced it through the debugger, the code is being executed, but no output is sent to the printer. I then issue the above commands in the command window and I get my output correctly. What am I missing here?
>>>
>>>>Hiya Jim ----
>>>>
>>>>It has more to do with the way Windows and/or the network works. The entire print job is released to the printer at once. It makes sense when you think about the way a network has to manage resources.
>>>>
>>>>So, the practical solution is to SET PRINTER TO {whatever} before the @..SAYs and SET PRINTER TO {blank} afterward and the entire job spools to the network. You're not going to find a way to do it line by line and that would, indeed create some messy situations if someone else sent something to that printer.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>I'm not an old dbase guy (just happen to have an old dbase report I'm rewriting), so I'm asking this out of ignorance. When I run dbase 3 in windows I can issue SET DEVICE TO PRINT and immediately see output directed to the printer line by line with @...SAY (Output is not spooled). Am I forced to spool output with VFP? I guess there's nothing wrong with that, I just assumed I'd see the same output behavior as DBASE.
>>>>>
>>>>>>Hiya Rich ---
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>You sort of answered your own question here.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>SET PRINT ON redirects @...SAY to the printer. (SET DEVICE TO PRINT redirects ? commands to the printer. Or did I get them backwards?)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>You've got them backwards but, hey, not bad for memory of old stuff.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>SET PRINTER TO [anything] flushes the printer buffer. FoxPro buffers direct output to the printer until you change printers (or pretend to).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Eloquently stated.