Printer Selection Failure

[bruceR]

It seems that FileMaker 10 has broken scripted printer selection.

You can even use the FileMaker command, get( PrinterName). But it doesn't mean anything.

I'm addressing MacOS here but I think this might also occur in Windows.

In previous versions, I could use an applescript to cause Print Setup Utility to select a specific printer as default; and FileMaker would print to it; and then I could reset the default printer.

This does not work anymore.

But you don't need applescript prove this or to experience this problem.

In FileMaker, choose Print from the File menu, note what printer is selected, then cancel the print.

Go to System Preferences, Print & Fax

Set as default printer a different printer than what FileMaker is currently using.

Go back to FileMaker. Run a show-message script in FileMaker with the message get( printerName)

It will display your newly-selected default printer; such as a label printer in my case.

Now choose Print from the File menu.

Note that the selected printer is NOT the one you just chose.

The value displayed by get(PrinterName) has absoutely no connection to where your print job will take place.

[bruceR]

OK, figured it out. Ugh.

To allow scripted printer selection to work, you must save print settings but point them to a bogus printer name. To do this, temporarily rename your printer. Modify the print script to point to that printer name and save the script. Set the printer name back to the original printer name.

Unfortunately if you print the script to PDF the name of the printer is never shown; you can only see this in the XML version of the DDR