Print script to control each layout

[David Melville]

A little help will go a long way and be very much apprciated!

I need to make a script that can be used as a sub-script to control the print output from the chosen layout. I have a number of different printers and want to dirrect the printing to a specific printer, designating the paper drawer, number of copies etc.

My main scripts are in place and I have used them for 'years', but never managed to control the individuak output. FOR EXAMPLE ~ I need to print a layout of a confirmation of order thru' my Brother Laser's tray 2, followed by a printing my label layout through the Dymo LabelWriter.

Individual scripts work perfectly, but the moment I make them 'perform without dialogue' they seem to set the print deafult to the last print operation and ignore the script print setup.

If I had one print control script I would be able to use it as a subscript and adapt for various scripts and printers.

Hope someone can guide me!

Thanks guys! David Melville ([email protected])

[transpower]

"Perform without dialogue" results in "Restore" (previous setting). Set up each script to use the proper print setup, rather than trying to use print control script. Then put the resulting scripts on a report menu layout.

[David Melville]

I am afraid it won't work, it is the same problem but with the added disadvantage that it no longer is automated. Being on a Mac I suspect that printing operations are different ~ there is a difference between the two platforms!

I have altered just two working scripts, the first sends a letter to tray 2 of a laser printer, the second produces a label on a Dymo. When running the second script it always restores back the previous run script ( the new printing instructions are not held or activated in a newly run script).

It is a pig! I have been fidling with this for so long!

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Ender]

Are your Print script steps all in separate scripts or are there some scripts with more than one Print step?

[David Melville]

There is one script, called "Print IFOR Media Pack Letter"

Go to Layout [ "IFOR Media Pack Letter" (SelfBuild) ]

Print [ ]

Go to Layout [ "Letters Index" (SelfBuild) ]

The Print [] command specify box is ticked and the usual print proceedure followed to printer, tray etc.

Thanks for the interest,

David

[David Melville]

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my posted problem on printing within a script.

I need to find someone who can solve my problem, will I find the answer within a forum? Or will I have to go to a professional? I know the answer is simple, amybe I am not asking the right question or asking in the wrong place.

I have used Filemaker since the early days on my Macs (since ver 3.0). I am a very small business and designed my own database which control;s all my business. As I have grown and writen more scripts the one problem I have never overcome is directing print output to different sources (controling which printer and where relevant which tray and also whether to print current record or found set).

The problem is getting the script to direct the output to the chosen printer and not to either the last printer or a default setting. I need the script ot reset the print options required.

Can I dialogue with you or can you suggest a way to proceede.

Any help is appreciated,

David

[AFK]

i consider myself a beginner with no formal training in filemaker, and have had the same problem (in windows though) for the last year. I am trying to print different reports to different printers with the print setup with different size papers, landscape and portait, i have a seperate script for each report and trying to direct it to one specfic printer in each script. Some suggested that i place the print setup command in the script which i did, and manual change the print setup in the main setup, exit the sciptmaker and click on "replace" in the print setup box to save this setting in the future for the script to remember next time it is run. However, i haven't been able to get this to work correctly, it keeps going back to whatever the last printer setup was, however the script does remember the portait or landscape setting corectly using the print setup command, I would greatly be interested if you can find a answer to your problem, as it would help me out greatly also, let me know if inserting this print setup step helps you in any way, i am not sure i explained it correctly. and hope some advance user will respond this this tread.

Corey

[Yelena]

Take a look at this web site

http://www.softtechsolution.com/change-my-printer/

[dkemme]

In FM7, the print script step without dialog acts differently. It will always default to the previously used printer and print method, such as Preview, Save As PDF... So if you need to choose between different printers or use Preview or Save As PDF, you cannot use print without dialog.

[David Melville]

Thanks for the input BUT having looked at the site it is for Windows not for MAC. Nowhere does the site mention that this is workable on a MAC ~ do you have anymore infor different to this please?

[David Melville]

Hi Doug,

That is a bit 'double dutch' to me. The bottom line is can I get the default printer to alter so that I can print to different printers within a script.

Thanks,

[Larry Schroeder]

I too am serching for automated blind scripting control of printers at least like we had in fmp6. I was going to force all my customers to print to .pdf and automate the page setup for them but I could not get it to work with fmp 7v3 on the windows platform. I would hope you would be doing better in the mac world but probably not since you now are unixing around...

I saw on this form another user with the problem and it was verified by another the there is not yet a solution for this feature yet.

I went to fmp site and reported it as a bug and requested they fix it.

Until then I changed my layout to be landscape and printable at 100% and told the user to make sure they are printing as such. Then they will have to do their own manual print.

I have put my fmp 7 development/migration on hold until the blind printing problem is fixed.

I did read in the migration documentation that if you did an unusal page setup in fmp 6 script and then transulated to fmp 7 that it would work until you open it up. Then you would have to revise it and it would no longer work due to the above feature/bug.

Hope FMP gets this fixed soon...

[J__]

Here's a wacky idea... maybe not.

elsewhere in this site - i believe it's the pdf forum. There was a posting and this fellow mentioned how you could use Apple Script to configure your print for pdf ....

Since Filemaker can do apple script commands, perhaps you could write an apple script, which would be generic in that you could pass the printer name in and then your script would switch over to that and then you would print your report or whatever and you could reset the printer or leave it.

Each layout you have would then call this sub script (apple script) to set the printer to what it needs.

Just an idea.

hope that helps,

Sincerely,

J__

[David Melville]

So what you are saying is that in FMP 7 it is impossible to make a script that will send the output to a differnt printer with using a user dialogue box, in otherwords there has to be user input.

This is the conclusion I have come to.

I have now written and included an applescript that I have put into the Filemaker script to alter the default. That works if you don't finsih the running of the script and cancel without printing. But the moment you actually print it alters the deault for next time.

Does nobody in this world usuing Mac ever want to script a proceedure to print to different printers!

[David Melville]

The print steps are in seperate scripts. Typical script would be:-

Go to layout [confirmation]

Perform Applescript [change printer default]

Print []

Go layout [form]

I await with baited breath to see if you have the solution. I do get the firm impression that there is a bug in 7.0 that makes the script default the previous printer and it ingores script Printer Setup and Applescripts.