[RESOLVED] print out a list of text...

how do i print out a long list of data...

i know i need to use the printer. function.. but if i say have an sql query like: select Car, make, model, reg_num from table1

i want to print it out on the paper like:
Car & tab & make & tab & model & tab & reg_num

the header needs to have something like:
Avail Car's centered, and the date right aligned,

how do i do this?

thanks ppl

Look up the Tab() and Space() functions in VB.
The Tab() function will position the text to be printed at the
column you specify.
The two function will help you generate a formatted text report.
Although you may need to use an font that is evenly sized like Courier.

hey ya,

I haven't actually used the Printer. functions before, so im like totally lost as to how to go ahead with this...

what i need is simular to the thread here:
http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.p...1&referrerid=0

Any code samples of how to use the printer. code's would be great, if ne 1 has any...

thanks.

this may sound stupid.. but why not.. do the formatin using a rich text box.. and.. print it..

Well here is one simple way of doing it using one of my old print functions that I just dug up. There are better ways of doing it but I think this would suffice for you.

VB Code:

Private Sub PrintLine(ColOne As String, ColOnePos As String,_
 ColTwo As String, ColTwoPos As String, ColThree As String,_ 
ColThreePos As String, ColFour As String, ColFourPos As String,_ 
ColFive As String, ColFivePos As String, ColSix As String, ColSixPos As String)
    If ColOnePos <> "" Then
        Printer.CurrentX = ColOnePos
        Printer.Print ColOne;
        If ColTwoPos <> "" Then
            Printer.CurrentX = ColTwoPos
        End If
        Printer.Print ColTwo;
        If ColThreePos <> "" Then
            Printer.CurrentX = ColThreePos
        End If
        Printer.Print ColThree;
        If ColFourPos <> "" Then
            Printer.CurrentX = ColFourPos
        End If
        Printer.Print ColFour;
        If ColFivePos <> "" Then
            Printer.CurrentX = ColFivePos
        End If
        Printer.Print ColFive;
        If ColSixPos <> "" Then
            Printer.CurrentX = ColSixPos
        End If
        Printer.Print ColSix;
    End If
    Printer.Print
End Sub

Then to use this function for example the Avail's Cars centered

You'd have to first setup the printer's Scale

VB Code:

Printer.ScaleMode = VbCentimeters 'The one I commonly use

Then you would print your first line

VB Code:

PrintLine "Avails Cars", (Printer.ScaleWidth / 2) - (Printer.Textwidth("Avails Cars") / 2), "", "","","","","","","","",""

The Printer.scalewidt/2 and all there is finding the center of the page and setting the position of the text to start far enough left that the center of the text is in the center of the page :)

Then you would just run through your SQL query and print off the results...

VB Code:

For each result in SQL_Query 'Sorry never worked with SQL so not sure how youd run through the results
PrintLine Car, 1, Make, 5, Model, 10, Reg_Num, 15,"","","",""
Next

And finally tell the printer your finished so it actually prints

VB Code:

Printer.EndDoc

Now you can obviously better this code in many ways, like I said this is one of my old functions but the first one that I came accross that would work for you. For one you could set anything past the first column as optional in the printline sub so that you dont have to have all the extra "","".

And the positions of the columns I gave you might need to be adjusted, and the would not account for text being to long or anything like that so you might have overrun of text. But I think this is something simple enough to get you started on your path to printing :)

Hope it helps

hey ya.

i haven't got a printer installed on this machine, so i will need to wait till i get to college to test it.

it helps a quite a bit tho, TNX.

(BTW: im guessing .print = single like just like PRINT filenumber,text on files?)

and also:

do i need to manually change to new pages using the .NewPage, or does it automatically go to new pages?

and final question (for tonite at least) is there a way to preview how it will print, without using a third party object?


Thanks.

-- ok, that was not quite the last question:

i have tested out my code on a form1.print thing etc.

i have worked out that: imma need the printout to be in landscape (lots of data in the columns etc) so, i know i do it via:

printer.Orientation (SP?)

but what is the constant for landscape?

VB Code:

Printer.Orientation = vbPRORLandscape

By the way, use the object browser. Comes in very handy :)

Mega.

i searched for landscape in the object browser -- didnt return that the first time -- just searched again, and its there now (weird eh)

ok guys,

just wanted to say: it prints out fine now :)

however: there are a cpl of questions i need answering if ne one is sure of them?

1) Print Preview - Without any third party controls - Possible?

2) .NewPage -- need to add these manually, or should the printer deal with this? -- I can check later i guess by printing off a couple of 1-100 lines of text or dat, but rather have the knowledge w/o wastin the paper ;)

Thanks guys.

1. Replace the Printer. with Picture1 (PictureBox control, except for .EndDoc [or something close to that], etc)

2. If the printer doesn't handle it (I'm not quite sure if it does or not), you can use the TextHeight method of the Printer Object to check if it is greater than the Printer.Height property (some conversions may be necessary)

ASCII character 12 will add a new page. Its actually a form feed.

As for your actual question on if you have to add a new page or not. I believe you will. What I do most of the time is in the loop for printing stuff have do a check like this

VB Code:

If Printer.CurrentY > 23 then Printer.NewPage

Of course you can get a lot more complex and 23 is just a descent sized margine on a normal 8 1/2 x 11 paper with the scale mode in vbcentimeters (23 is actually measured down from the near top of the page.) If your in landscape that number is gonna need to be smaller.

Or like in some of my more complex print functions I have margins and all set up where I would actuall figure up based on the paper height and all where to stop for a margin.

Like I said it can get a lot more complex but for simplicity sake and you just starting a straight number (CM measured from top of whatever orientation your using) where you would want to start the next page would work.

If you dont do this I think it depends on your printer wether it has a default margin that it wont print past or not. I Know my old Dot matrix Panasonic KX would just keep printing even half of line on one page and half on the next.. but my HP Deskject 950c leaves about a cm and skips to the next page automatically.