>>>>In the Dos days, I always used the systems variables _pepage, _pbpage, _pcopies, etc to control my report output. In VFP, I found out that only _pcopies works.
>>>>
>>>>Can anybody suggest anything? The system I'm developing involves lengthy reports that are likely to get interrupted and therefore needs to selectively print specific pages only.
>>>>
>>>>Is there anyway to access other Microsoft products' (Excel or Word) printer setup dialog boxes from VFP?
>>>
>>>I believe that if you issue PROMPT with the REPORT command that a dialog box (which one depends on printer driver) comes up which may have the boxes in which you can select a page range to print.
>>>
>>>Steve Despres
>>>EZ Data Inc
>>>sdespres@erols.com
>>
>>Hi Steve:
>>
>>Actually, I'm already using a =SYS(1037) command before all my printing job and I get the printer setup dialog box. But it's the generic type where the only options are the choice of printers and device settings (resolution, memory, etc) but not the pages to print.
>>
>>I'm still at a dead end.
>
>i haven't seen this option available since fpw 2.6. for some reason, m$ dropped it...

Since this has been a constant problem for us also we have been looking for ways to handle it. The issue may arise because whereas Word and Excel contain "inherent" internal parameters relating to the net effect of "page setup" and related "page contents" - ie: no facility for creating discrete, specific data content "Report Forms" per se - that therefore page breaks are predictable therein, however VFP has relatively so many "user dependent" external parameters adjustable through the "report form" process including variables changeable at print time - eg: possible "scope" adjustments, etc. - that "reliable" page break prediction becomes relatively impossible ahead of actually printing and thus even "preview" does not necessarily translate into page breaks correctly.
So the only apparent option for selectively printing specific pages at "Print Time" is to "know" the record range for the pages you want printed - often no small challenge at best (g) - and thus specify the "scope" to be printed using that option from the "print" prompt menu. What we have been meaning to try therefore is first printing the report to a disk file and then selecting the pages to print from that file. What do you think, Dave? /psb.