Thanks Ed. This works beautiful! I also checked out a bunch of your API examples in the Faq area. Most intresting. I have used the WNetAddConnection API before. On the Topic of API is the API Bible worth getting or is there a better book? Is there a "Dictionary" of API Calls anywhere?

Thanks again.


>>Well.. I'm still stumped. I do have LPT1 captured on those win95 machines. As a matter of fact I have yet to find a Win95 PC that will do it. If anybody else knows the secret syntax please let me know.
>>
>
>See my FAQ entry on copying a file to a printer port here on UT; it shows a mechanism to copy to a port or UNC-based network device unambiguously using an API call, CopyFile(); it works consistently and identically on all Win32 platforms.
>
>>Thanks for the help Al.. So far you have saved me a ton of time. This is one great place to get valuable information.
>>
>>
>>
>>>The ... TO LPTx.DOS setting depends on which DOS printer port is "captured" on each particular machine. Make sure that "MS-DOS" print jobs can be sent to the printer you choose, from the W95 PC.
>>>
>>>You could also try just LPTx on the W95 machine.
>>>
>>>>Thanks!
>>>>The below works Great. Except:
>>>>COPY FILE Outputfile TO LPT1.DOS
>>>>I get "Can not create File" when usign a WIN95 Machine.
>>>>using NT4.0 Works great. Any other Ideas.
>>>>
>>>>>The cause of your problems is indeed Windows' control of the printer.
>>>>>
>>>>>Generally, your best bet is to create a single file which you then dump to the appropriate printer. First, create a file containing your printer initialization codes. I haven't tested this, but you can probably SET ALTERNATE TO a file, then run your ??? commands, to place them in that file.
>>>>>
>>>>>****************************************
>>>>>SET ALTERNATE TO InitFile
>>>>>??? your printer init commands
>>>>>???
>>>>>???
>>>>>SET ALTERNATE TO &&closes the InitFile
>>>>>* If your Init commands are always the same, you could manually
>>>>>* create the Initfile and not bother with the above.
>>>>>
>>>>>*You then need to combine this init file with your text file. A single DOS *command can do this, so you could RUN it from within VFP e.g.
>>>>>RUN COPY InitFile+TextFile OutputFile
>>>>>
>>>>>*You then issue a native VFP COPY command to dump the result to the printer:
>>>>>COPY FILE OutputFile TO LPTx.DOS
>>>>>****************************************
>>>>>
>>>>>Since you've been printing using FPD, you probably already have DOS printer ports captured appropriately, so the above should work.
>>>>>
>>>>>>Hope someone can help with this. I have some txt files that get loaded onto my network from a main frame. These files are ment to be printed on 11x17 paper. In the past using 2.6 Dos I have used PCl Commands to set the printer up before issuing the Type myfile.txt to printer. The time finally came to port this App over to VFP6.0... well to make a long story end. Why does the following not work in VFP 6/5:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ???
>>>>>> ???
>>>>>>ETC.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I assume its because windows wants to control the printer.. Is there a way around it?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>As Always
>>>>>>Thanks in advance and
>>>>>>Thanks for everyone that has helped in the past.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Bob Buske

I can't believe I get paid to write code..... Its like doing crossword puzzels