Hello Greg.

>Gunnar,
>
>I think you should really ask if the all the trouble will add real value to your application. First off there are lots of OS specific issues when installing printers and you need different drivers for different OS's.

if you use the api ConnectToPrinterDlg() (the "network..." button on some windows print forms), printers install just fine and automaticly between different operating systems (i've only tested between win98 and winxp sofar). but they have a user interface to select a printer. i could be wrong, but i think this function does not install the complete driver, but rather sets more like a shortcut which windows will use to send the work to be done to the printers hosting machine, which in return will use it's driver to process the print job.


>
>I'd also have to question the scale and scope of what you are doing and if the benefits could really pay off in small or large installations.
>
>For example, if you only have a few dozen workstations it would only take a few hours for a tech to go around and install the necessary printers. So it's not worth spending a lot of time trying to automate installing and removing printers from inside your application.
>
>If you have thousands of computers you need to provide this feature for it would be very compelling, but then the variety of printers, OS's, security, and sharing would make the scope of the problem quite large.


i am working on a MRP system, which i hope to sell internationaly. so, you can figure out the scale of the instalations. in my oppinion, anything i can automate (of course withing reason) will make sense to spend time on. if i have to tell the users to first install every network printer on each computer, and oh ja, if you exchange a printer add or remove one, you'll have go through each workstation and modify the printer list... ne you can't do that to your customer.


>
>I think it's reasonable and most common for a workstation to have the printer driver through traditional means.

i don't agree. actually my app (the 1st stage) addresses printers with their network address. there was no need to install the printer anywhere else but on the printers host machine.

in the stage 2 of my app, i included a very simple generic driver, so that the system would automaticly calculate for each report, depending on the printer choosen, if a landscape, portrait, and which fontsize was to be used. that worked also very well, exept it prints on blank page at the beginning of each report. well, i don't consider that a good selling point.

in stage 3 i am trying to first find out what the printer is capable of doing (orientation, scaling, etc.), based on that info calculate and set the exp field in the report before printing. in order to do that it seems that i need the 'driver' (or shortcut, or whatever it is) on the clients machine.

>
>Why do you need to remove the driver once it is installed?

in an office environment, lets say about 50 workstation, with printers in many different locations, the individual user does not need (for normal windows use like word, excell, etc.) all the printers. they would become a burdon. only the printers near by are needed.


>Are you working with a fixed number of printers that certainly have drivers that can be installed without UI?

no. as mentioned before people always buy and switch around printers.


>From a business cost-effective standpoint, what is your motivation for providing this functionality?
>Can you estimate how much money/time will be saved?


i can't give you numbers. but i think the bottom line is clear. anything to advance your app is a selling point. anything to take work away from the user is a selling point. anything to take away possible user-errors is a selling point.

so yes, i believe it's worth it.


>
>Greg
>
>>>AFAIK
>>>
>>>You can see the resources available on your network.. But, to go deeper you must have the properly printer driver installed in your machine
>>>
>>>HTH
>>>
>>>
>>>Claudio
>>
>>Hello Claudio
>>
>>Not realy. that is what i am trying to prevent, that the user (or programaticly) has to install the driver on the local machine. I was hoping that there is a way to get the resource from another machine on the net without having to install.
>>
>>my only thought at this time is to install in the backround (programaticly) get the info, and then remove the driver afterwards. i would have to find an api function which installs and removes drivers without user interface if the printer location is known.
>>
>>thanks for your help.