How can you set a different printer than default one ?

What I would like to do is to change the default printer by another one before calling the ShowPrinter.
Here is my code, but when I call the printer dialog box, the printer specified is the default printer but not the one I selected.

Printer_Name is a global which contains the printer I want to select (\\SERVER\PRINTERNAME)

Dim prt As Printer
For Each prt In Printers
If LCase(prt.DeviceName) = LCase(Printer_Name) Then
Set Printer = prt
GoTo PrintDialog
End If
Next prt
MsgBox "Printer not define: " & Printer_Name, vbCritical
Exit Sub
PrintDialog:
CMDialog.ShowPrinter


Thanks for your help !...
Thierry

[email protected]

This should get you started on iterating the printers collection - it is a little specific to our setup but you should get the idea

Code:

---

Public Function GetPrinters()
 
    '------------------------------
    'Function Description
    'Set up printers _
    Use Printers collection _
    to loop through and add the printer _
    to the list in dlgPrinters.
   
    'When this is done then loop the new list _
    and identify the current printer and select it _
    so then the user sees their currently defaulted _
    printer.
   
   

 
 Dim iList%, obj As Printer, iSLen%, sPrint$, iIndex%
     
   
    'Loop the printers collection
    For Each obj In Printers
       
        iSLen = InStr(UCase(Printer.DeviceName), "PPMA")
        sPrint = UCase(obj.DeviceName)
             
        dlgPrinters.lstPrint.AddItem UCase(Mid(sPrint, iSLen, 9)) 'Add to the listbox
       
    Next
     
    'Loop the list box to find the current printer
    For iList = 1 To dlgPrinters.lstPrint.ListCount
        dlgPrinters.lstPrint.ListIndex = iList - 1
        If UCase(dlgPrinters.lstPrint.Text) = Mid(UCase(Printer.DeviceName), iSLen, 9) Then
            iIndex = dlgPrinters.lstPrint.ListIndex 'Bookmark the current printer
            Exit For
        End If
    Next
       
        If dlgPrinters.lstPrint.ListCount > 0 Then
            dlgPrinters.lstPrint.ListIndex = (iIndex) ' Set the current item in the listbox
        Else
            Exit Function
        End If
       

End Function

---

This next bit sets the printer you require - if it already in the collection - research the API call AddPrinterConnection to see how to add a printer to the collection.

Code:

---

Private Sub cmdSet_Click()
   
    Dim obj As Printer, sPrinter$, sNewPrinter$, iInd%

    sOldPrinter = Printer.DeviceName
   
    sPrinter = lstPrint.Text
   
    iInd = 0
    Dim iLen%, iSLen%, sPrin$
    For Each obj In Printers
        sPrin = obj.DeviceName
        iSLen = InStr(UCase(sPrin), "PPMA")
       
       
        'if PPMA present then use this in the list
        If Mid(UCase(sPrin), iSLen, 9) = UCase(sPrinter) Then
            'Debug.Print obj.DeviceName
            sNewPrinter = Mid(UCase(sPrin), iSLen, 9)
            Set Printer = obj
            Exit For
            GoTo Update
        End If
    Next
   
Update:
       
    Set obj = Nothing
   
    Unload Me
   
End Sub

---

Again tweaked to suit the setup here but the necessaries are all there.

First of all, before changing anything, if I display the 'Printer.DeviceName', I got for example :

\\SERVER1\Default Printer Name

Then, after executing my code and setting the printer I want to select as follow :

Set Printer = prt

Then, if I display the 'Printer.DeviceName', I got for example :

\\SERVER2\Selected Printer Name

And this is correct !...
But at this moment, if I type the command :

CMDialog.ShowPrinter

The dialog box is set on \\SERVER1\Default Printer Name instead of \\SERVER2\Selected Printer Name

In fact, I would like to change the default printer of the printer dialog box without calling it.

====================================

I have created a procedure which allows me to determine the correct font to print a file depending on the number of lines per page and a number of characters per lines.
For this, I call the CMDialog box to select the printer, then I use the different API CreateFontIndirect, GetExtentPoint32 and GetTextMetrics to do so.

And it works perfectly !... But I had to use the hDc property of the CMDialog to make it works.

Now, I just want to perform the same code without CMDialog box. Then I used the Printer.hDc but it does not work !....