Print current record as default

[Raschelle]

Ok, let's start with the basics. FMD 6.0.3 for both Win 98-XP and Mac 9. I want to suppress the print dialog box (it occurs several times in the script and only want to show it the first time) in certain scripts, but I want current record to be the default. Regularly, when you print from the File menu or the icon on the Toolbar, it will remember the last choice you made (current record or records browsed). But whenever I call up the script it always defaults back to records browsed (both on Mac and PC).

I need to know if there is a way around this (I'm almost willing to take an illegal hack at this point - I'm so frustrated). Let me take a minute to explain my setup.

I am making a run-time for a client that stores images of MSDS for chemicals they have on-site at their facility. There are 12 layouts (one for each page of the MSDS). I have one script that is for printing one MSDS. It will print page one, go to page two, print, etc. It has a test in it to exit the script when it comes to an empty container field (not all MSDS are 12 pages). My hope was that they would see the dialog at the beginning, choose current record and that the setting would stay for the other pages printed with the script.

I've tested this several times. If I use a regular print command, current record comes up in the dialog box. But if I hit the button on Page 1 to print the MSDS, it goes back to records browsed. So they can choose current record for the first page, but then following pages will print records browsed. They have to choose current record for all pages that print! I would simply create one layout with all the container fields, but there are 12 and only 11 pages per layout. Plus, some MSDS have more than 12 so there may be two records for one MSDS.

The other script I have is for printing multiple records. It's basically a duplicate of the print one script that prints all pages of the first, moves to the next records, prints and stops when it reaches the last record. It also relies on have current record as the default. I would have made this a regular print, but because of the layouts, print records browsed causes all page 1s to print, then page 2s, etc. Having dialog boxes come up in this one is impractical because if they print 100 records (for example) with an average of 4 pages, that would be 400 times that they would have to see the dialog box, choose current record, and print!!!

If anyone has any suggestions to solve either problem, you would be saving me much heart ache. I haven't found any plug-ins and FM tech support had no ideas.

Thanks.

Raschelle

[Fitch]

1. Set the Page Setup the way you want.

2. Print, making sure it's set to Current Record.

3. Create a one-line script "Tall-One" that is simply:

Page Setup [Restore, no dialog]

Now, in your other scripts, before each Print step, call the above script:

Perform Script ["Tall-One"]. Get rid of the other Page Setup lines in your script.

[Raschelle]

You don't know how much I love you right now! Thank you sooooo much! That was sooo easy!

I think I'll be using forums a lot more than tech support from now on.