printer offline

How to alert the user with message box that tell them that printer they want to use is offline? I want to print on paper only the printer is online.

Code:

---

Private Sub Command1_Click()
Dim p As Printer
For Each p In Printers
If p.DeviceName = Combo1.Text Then Set Printer = p: Exit For
Next
Printer.Print "this is a test"  ' print something
Printer.EndDoc  ' finish
End Sub

Private Sub Form_Load()
'Add all the available printers to the combo box
For i% = 0 To Printers.Count - 1
    Combo1.AddItem Printers(i%).DeviceName
Next i%

'Display the default printer
For i% = 0 To Combo1.ListCount - 1
If Combo1.List(i%) = Printer.DeviceName Then
Combo1.ListIndex = i%
Exit For
End If
Next i%
End Sub

---

The method that would involve the least amount of code would be to error trap the printer routine.

How to do error trapping to aleat the user the user that the printer of their choice as offline?

Step 1: Take the printer off line, run your code, and see what error is generated.

Step 2: Take the error code that is generated and use it in your error trap.

Code:

---

Private Sub Command1_Click()
On Error GoTo PrintError
Dim p As Printer
For Each p In Printers
If p.DeviceName = Combo1.Text Then Set Printer = p: Exit For
Next
Printer.Print "this is a test"  ' print something
Printer.EndDoc  ' finish
Exit Sub
PrintError:
If Err.Number = xx Then
  Msgbox "The printer is off line.  Please try again."
Else
  Msgbox "An error has occurred.  It is " & Err.Number & " " & Err.Description
End If
End Sub

---

Where xx is error number that comes back when the printer is off line.

BTW: The Else is for any error that might occur not related to the printer being off line.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hack

The method that would involve the least amount of code would be to error trap the printer routine.

---

Yep.

Matrik, check this http://support.microsoft.com/kb/202480
see the lines of codes :eek:

Some other info

http://www.merrioncomputing.com/Prog...tchPrinter.htm

:wave:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zeezee

Matrik, check this http://support.microsoft.com/kb/202480see the lines of codes :eek:

---

:lol: Yeah, I'm familiar with that one which is why I always recommend just letting it blow up and trapping the error.

:D
Its much better your way, rather than all those APIs Declarations, Types ,etc ... :eek2:

One question though, would it be the same Error No for all printers :confused:

:wave:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zeezee

One question though, would it be the same Error No for all printers :confused:

---

Theoretically....I suspect that actual error will have something to do with being unable to connect to it. I'm not sure if it would be able to tell the difference between the various ways of not being able to connect to it, so I suspect the error would be the same.

If it isn't, then that should get covered with the Else statement in the error trap.

I have select the printer from combo box. When I select the printer, It not tell me that the printer is offline. I just pending. I also did not get error message so I did not get the error number. I not using printer common dialog

Code:

---

Dim p As Printer
For Each p In Printers
If p.DeviceName = Combo1.Text Then Set Printer = p: Exit For
Next
Printer.Print "this is a test"  ' print something
Printer.EndDoc  ' finish

---

@ Hack
Yep, you are right.
Even that KB article says its depending on the printer/ Driver.
Some status would depend on the Job que. And as it says, we cant directly querry the printer and tell its online or offline. So your method would work 100% since it captures the error either way. :thumb:

:wave:

Matrik, as I said, the Online Offline would depend on many things, take a look at the description on that article.

See the attached image. It shows the current printers in my PC. Only the Network printer shows unable to connect. All otheres are Ready. But actually only the Software Printers are there. I dont have any printer connected to my PC now. But it shows ready.

So it would depend on the Driver and Job Que I guess. :(

:wave:

Well, you could try the code in the link that zeezee posted. That does give a lot of information.

@ Matrik
I tried the code you have posted here. But when I print it, it goes to the que and waits there for a while. The Error is raised only if the document is canceled from the que. it occurs in line

Printer.Print "this is a test" ' print something

So, when you want to capture the error, you may have to cancel the document manually or set some interval to cancel that.

And that article's code, is giving same results in the image I posted. All printers are ready

:wave:

I got this sample from planetsourcecode but I don't know how to use and call it.

@Matrik02

Since its a class, create an object of it and call the methods or get properties. Explanation may be there in original article.

But that class is omewhat similar to the code in the article I gave. And that class doesnt have anything about printer status.

:confused:

the printer said ready when I on the printer, but when I switch off the printer power, it still said ready. I want to get the message box to alert the user the printer is ready, that mean the printer is in off from the power cable.

what ready mean?

Quote:

---

what ready mean?

---

I think it says the Job que is ready to accept any jobs? May be trying to set spooling off would do something. Not sure.
Is this printer going to be a specific one or could be any printer? If its only one kind of printer, you might be able to get it by using its driver. Or use its connected port to querry. But just a huntch.

:wave:

There must be a way to get printer status directly from querying the port without going through the spooler. Any ideas?

Magaero

try this
see this example from Allapi.net:
'Code generously provided by Merrion Computing
'Visit their website at http://www.merrioncomputing.com/
Private Const CCHDEVICENAME = 32
Private Const CCHFORMNAME = 32
Private Type DEVMODE
dmDeviceName As String * CCHDEVICENAME
dmSpecVersion As Integer
dmDriverVersion As Integer
dmSize As Integer
dmDriverExtra As Integer
dmFields As Long
dmOrientation As Integer
dmPaperSize As Integer
dmPaperLength As Integer
dmPaperWidth As Integer
dmScale As Integer
dmCopies As Integer
dmDefaultSource As Integer
dmPrintQuality As Integer
dmColor As Integer
dmDuplex As Integer
dmYResolution As Integer
dmTTOption As Integer
dmCollate As Integer
dmFormName As String * CCHFORMNAME
dmUnusedPadding As Integer
dmBitsPerPel As Integer
dmPelsWidth As Long
dmPelsHeight As Long
dmDisplayFlags As Long
dmDisplayFrequency As Long
End Type
Private Type PRINTER_INFO_2
pServerName As String
pPrinterName As String
pShareName As String
pPortName As String
pDriverName As String
pComment As String
pLocation As String
pDevMode As Long
pSepFile As String
pPrintProcessor As String
pDatatype As String
pParameters As String
pSecurityDescriptor As Long
Attributes As Long
Priority As Long
DefaultPriority As Long
StartTime As Long
UntilTime As Long
Status As Long
JobsCount As Long
AveragePPM As Long
End Type
Private Type PRINTER_DEFAULTS
pDatatype As String
pDevMode As DEVMODE
DesiredAccess As Long
End Type
Public Enum Printer_Status
PRINTER_STATUS_READY = &H0
PRINTER_STATUS_PAUSED = &H1
PRINTER_STATUS_ERROR = &H2
PRINTER_STATUS_PENDING_DELETION = &H4
PRINTER_STATUS_PAPER_JAM = &H8
PRINTER_STATUS_PAPER_OUT = &H10
PRINTER_STATUS_MANUAL_FEED = &H20
PRINTER_STATUS_PAPER_PROBLEM = &H40
PRINTER_STATUS_OFFLINE = &H80
PRINTER_STATUS_IO_ACTIVE = &H100
PRINTER_STATUS_BUSY = &H200
PRINTER_STATUS_PRINTING = &H400
PRINTER_STATUS_OUTPUT_BIN_FULL = &H800
PRINTER_STATUS_NOT_AVAILABLE = &H1000
PRINTER_STATUS_WAITING = &H2000
PRINTER_STATUS_PROCESSING = &H4000
PRINTER_STATUS_INITIALIZING = &H8000
PRINTER_STATUS_WARMING_UP = &H10000
PRINTER_STATUS_TONER_LOW = &H20000
PRINTER_STATUS_NO_TONER = &H40000
PRINTER_STATUS_PAGE_PUNT = &H80000
PRINTER_STATUS_USER_INTERVENTION = &H100000
PRINTER_STATUS_OUT_OF_MEMORY = &H200000
PRINTER_STATUS_DOOR_OPEN = &H400000
PRINTER_STATUS_SERVER_UNKNOWN = &H800000
PRINTER_STATUS_POWER_SAVE = &H1000000
End Enum
Private Declare Function OpenPrinter Lib "winspool.drv" Alias "OpenPrinterA" (ByVal pPrinterName As String, phPrinter As Long, pDefault As PRINTER_DEFAULTS) As Long
Private Declare Function GetPrinter Lib "winspool.drv" Alias "GetPrinterA" (ByVal hPrinter As Long, ByVal Level As Long, buffer As Long, ByVal pbSize As Long, pbSizeNeeded As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function ClosePrinter Lib "winspool.drv" (ByVal hPrinter As Long) As Long
Private Declare Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias "RtlMoveMemory" (Destination As Any, Source As Any, ByVal Length As Long)
Private Declare Function IsBadStringPtrByLong Lib "kernel32" Alias "IsBadStringPtrA" (ByVal lpsz As Long, ByVal ucchMax As Long) As Long
Public Function StringFromPointer(lpString As Long, lMaxLength As Long) As String
Dim sRet As String
Dim lret As Long
If lpString = 0 Then
StringFromPointer = ""
Exit Function
End If
If IsBadStringPtrByLong(lpString, lMaxLength) Then
' An error has occured - do not attempt to use this pointer
StringFromPointer = ""
Exit Function
End If
' Pre-initialise the return string...
sRet = Space$(lMaxLength)
CopyMemory ByVal sRet, ByVal lpString, ByVal Len(sRet)
If Err.LastDllError = 0 Then
If InStr(sRet, Chr$(0)) > 0 Then
sRet = Left$(sRet, InStr(sRet, Chr$(0)) - 1)
End If
End If
StringFromPointer = sRet
End Function
Private Sub Form_Load()
Dim SizeNeeded As Long, buffer() As Long
Dim pDef As PRINTER_DEFAULTS
'Get a handle to the printer
lret = OpenPrinter(Printer.DeviceName, mhPrinter, pDef)
'Initialize the buffer
ReDim Preserve buffer(0 To 0) As Long
'Retrieve the required size (in bytes)
lret = GetPrinter(mhPrinter, 2, buffer(0), UBound(buffer), SizeNeeded)
'Resize the buffer... Note that a Long is four bytes
ReDim Preserve buffer(0 To (SizeNeeded / 4) + 3) As Long
'Retrieve the Printer information
lret = GetPrinter(mhPrinter, 2, buffer(0), UBound(buffer) * 4, SizeNeeded)
'The data stored in 'buffer' corresponds with the data of a PRINTER_INFO_2 structure
ClosePrinter mhPrinter
'Show the data
PrintData "Server name", StringFromPointer(buffer(0), 255)
PrintData "Printer name", StringFromPointer(buffer(1), 255)
PrintData "Share name", StringFromPointer(buffer(2), 255)
PrintData "Port name", StringFromPointer(buffer(3), 255)
PrintData "Driver name", StringFromPointer(buffer(4), 255)
PrintData "Comment", StringFromPointer(buffer(5), 255)
PrintData "Location", StringFromPointer(buffer(6), 255)
Unload Me
End Sub
Sub PrintData(Name As String, Data As String)
If LenB(Data) > 0 Then
Debug.Print Name + ": " + Data
End If
End Sub

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isnoend07, again, please always use Code (or VBCode) tags when posting code.

If you do that, it is displayed in a more readable way, and keeps the indentation (which is very useful).