fleming@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (01/10/89)
I have a problem with my networks (PC LAN and Token Ring) being able to properly handle WordPerfect when it prints a document to the server's printer. When I give the print command to the program, the file immediatly spools to the server, but will not print until I exit all the way out of WP to DOS. There is a net version of WP that is supposed to handle this, but there has to be a cheaper solution! So, what's the secret? How do I send an EOF to the server? Sorry if this has been covered before - I'm new here. Declan J. Fleming U of Ill.
norm@cfctech.UUCP (Norm Meluch) (01/11/89)
In article <11000005@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu> fleming@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu writes: > I have a problem with my networks (PC LAN and Token Ring) > being able to properly handle WordPerfect when it prints > a document to the server's printer. When I give the print > command to the program, the file immediatly spools to the > server, but will not print until I exit all the way out of > WP to DOS. > > So, what's the secret? How do I send an EOF to the server? > I have been working on STARLAN networks for about the past 2 years. The same problem is exhibited there too. The solution that i have found buried deep in the manuals is: Ctrl-Alt-PrtScrn (Note: the program on the PC must think that it is DONE printing). This will release the print spooling job. MS Word is the only application (other than direct copies to the lpt port from DOS) that does not need this key sequence. I personally find it minorly annoying, but livable. Any people at AT&T and or MS that can enlighten me/us as to why we need to do this? |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Norman J. Meluch ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| | Mail:uunet!umix!cfctech!norm Voice: (313) 244-1809 | |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| | Note: The opinions expressed here are in no way to be confused with valid | |_______ideas or corporate policy._____________________________________________|
walt@sixwbn.UUCP (Walt Novinger) (01/12/89)
in article <11000005@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu>, fleming@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu says: > Nf-ID: #N:uxh.cso.uiuc.edu:11000005:000:565 > Nf-From: uxh.cso.uiuc.edu!fleming Jan 9 22:29:00 1989 > I have a problem with my networks (PC LAN and Token Ring) > being able to properly handle WordPerfect when it prints > a document to the server's printer. When I give the print > command to the program, the file immediatly spools to the > server, but will not print until I exit all the way out of > WP to DOS. > Try the oddball key combination Ctrl-Alt-PrtScn -- as I recall from our PC Lan installation, that should tell the LAN program to close the spool file on your server and release the file for printing. This combination *is* documented, but you'll have to browse through the manual to find it. =============================================================================== Walt Novinger | ...!sun!plx!walt | Plexus Computers, Inc. | ...!sun!plx!sixwbn!walt | Joke 'em if they can't 3833 N. First St. |------------------------------| take a f**k! San Jose, CA 95134 | Disclaimer: You mean my | 408-943-2406 (w) | boss might read this? | Robin Williams 415-964-9377 (h) | Nah - he forgot his password!| ==============================================================================
rnicovic@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Ralph Nicovich) (01/12/89)
We have Word Perfect 5.0 on our network and it will print properly to the network printer. I believe the printer must be installed as though it was LPT1 on the local workstation. It appears that when the printer is installed as com1: and then redirected to the server the file is not closed properly. Also there is a device driver called PRTSC that can be installed via your autoexec.bat file. This driver watches for a ctrl-alt-prtsc and then will issue the EOF when you hit this keystroke. It is different for various keyboards and does not work for all applications although it does work with Word Perfect. There is a hitch since WordPerfect spools the file itself and allows you to go on and edit a different file. If you do this crtl-alt-prtsc before WP is done you may only get half the file out on the printer.
bob@rel.eds.com (Bob Leffler) (01/12/89)
In article <1924@cfctech.UUCP>, norm@cfctech.UUCP (Norm Meluch) writes: > In article <11000005@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu> fleming@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu writes: > > I have a problem with my networks (PC LAN and Token Ring) > > being able to properly handle WordPerfect when it prints > Ctrl-Alt-PrtScrn > > Any people at AT&T and or MS that can enlighten me/us as to why we > need to do this? The problem is really with the application not the network. An older technique used by most vendors, is to keep all files open at all times on a PC to increase preformance. This was fine on a single user, single tasking operating system. The problem that you find on Lans, that since the file isn't closed, it isn't released to the print queue. Your Ctrl-Alt-PrtScrn sequence forces this to occur. The easiest way to get this feature in your favorite application, is to mandate LAN compatability in all your applications. For obvious reasons, Microsoft was one of the first vendors to make their product LAN compatable with most NETBIOS and MSNET compatable LANs. -- Bob Leffler - EDS, GM Truck & Bus Account (313)456-5375 bob@rel.eds.com or {uunet!edsews, rutgers, umix}!rel!bob Opinions expressed may not be those of my employer.
reh@ccd700.UUCP (reh) (01/14/89)
In article <11000005@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu>, fleming@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu writes: > I have a problem with my networks (PC LAN and Token Ring) > being able to properly handle WordPerfect when it prints > a document to the server's printer. When I give the print > command to the program, the file immediatly spools to the > server, but will not print until I exit all the way out of > WP to DOS. > So, what's the secret? How do I send an EOF to the server? > Declan J. Fleming > U of Ill. Just hold down Control and Alt and hit the "*" on the numeric keypad to tell the server that the print job should be closed and printed. WP opens LPT1 but does not close it till you exit to DOS, so the print server cannot tell if the job is done until you exit or hit the Control-Alt-keypad*. ...................................................................... Bob Harold 313-845-5404 Ford Motor Co., DPTC room B-206 ...!ihnp4!mibte!ccd700!eed090!bob 17000 Rotunda Drive Disclaimer: The views expressed might Dearborn, MI 48121-6010 not be those of my employer or myself Have questions about life? Read the original design manual - the Bible. ......................................................................
spero@hposdl.HP.COM (Spero Koulouras) (01/14/89)
An application writes to the printer in the same way that it writes to a disc file (simplified example): 1. It opens the file 2. It then writes to the opened file 3. And, if well-behaved, it closes the file The problem is with point 3 above. In the pre-network world there was no need to close the print file. Data sent to the printer would pop out of the print head. With the advent of network print spoolers, however, the file close became very important. The spooler uses the close message to know that the complete file has been received. In many spooler implementations data is not sent from the spooler to the printer until either a close is received or a timeout occurs. The CTRL-ALT-PRTSC forces the file close message and causes the file to be printed. Spero Koulouras Hewlett-Packard
les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell) (01/14/89)
In article <6954@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU> rnicovic@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Ralph Nicovich) writes: >We have Word Perfect 5.0 on our network and it will print >properly to the network printer. I believe the printer >must be installed as though it was LPT1 on the local workstation. If you have the network version of WP it will close each job properly so the server will despool it, and it will work for LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3. As another message mentioned you can sometimes fool non-network programs by telling them to output to a disk file instead of a device, but give a filename of LPT1 (or LPT2 or LPT3). Dos will happily write to the device instead (unless the application checks) and when the application closes the output stream the network will despool the output. Now, considering that this is a solved problem, why doesn't it work with VP/IX? Les Mikesell