tyc@cbnewse.att.com (felix.a.lugo) (04/28/91)
Request for comments .... MULTIPLE-DOCUMENT PRINT APPLICATION! The NeXT requires a means of printing multiple documents created by different applications (i.e. Edit, WriteNow, FrameMaker, etc.) without having to launch the respective applications and "mousing" around through their interfaces! For example, say you want to print all the files in a directory. Now, in the directory you have files from WriteNow, source code, and some tiff files. It would be great if you could drag the icon of the directory into some application and have it print all the files in the directory filtering each one through it's respective (parent) application. Ever wonder why the Workspace application doesn't have a Print item in its menu? A Print item in Workspace could be used to implement multiple-document printing. In the File Viewer, you select the files you want to print and then click on the Print menu item. What could be simpler and NeXTStep friendly? Every application could provide a filter program (or interface module) that would be used by Workspace when it required to print a file created by an application. Well NeXT, how about providing this capability in your "next" release (pun intended 8^). NeXT, you are listening, right? Any comments? Let's start a formal discussion! We could gather up ideas and forward them to the development staff at NeXT. =============================================================================== Felix A. Lugo E-Mail: (NeXTmail preferred) AT&T Bell Laboratories, Naperville, IL Felix_A_Lugo@ATT.COM coco@ihcoco.att.com AT&T NeXT User Group nug@ihcoco.att.com T.Y.C. Software, Lisle, IL coco@ihtyc.att.com ===============================================================================
mikec@wam.umd.edu (Michael D. Callaghan) (04/28/91)
In article <1991Apr28.083232.12277@cbnewse.att.com> tyc@cbnewse.att.com (felix.a.lugo) writes: [stuff deleted] > > For example, say you want to print all the files in a directory. Now, > in the directory you have files from WriteNow, source code, and some > tiff files. It would be great if you could drag the icon of the > directory into some application and have it print all the files in > the directory filtering each one through it's respective (parent) > application. Can't one just open a Terminal window and type: open -p ~/* I'm not sure how long that would take, but it should do what he wants. However, you still could not pick, say, eight arbitrary files from the browser window and print them. [lots more stuff deleted] > >Felix A. Lugo MikeC -- --------------------------------------------------------- Michael D. Callaghan, MDC Designs, University of Maryland --------------------------------------------------------- - Celibacy is a curable condition -
cmacaskl@sport (Chris McAskill) (04/29/91)
In article <1991Apr28.083232.12277@cbnewse.att.com> tyc@cbnewse.att.com (felix.a.lugo) writes: > NeXT, you are listening, right? Yes, and we're always interested in good ideas. Thanks for the input.
tyc@cbnewse.att.com (felix.a.lugo) (04/29/91)
In article <1991Apr28.133907.20546@wam.umd.edu> mikec@wam.umd.edu (Michael D. Callaghan) writes: | | Can't one just open a Terminal window and type: | open -p ~/* | | I'm not sure how long that would take, but it should do what he wants. | However, you still could not pick, say, eight arbitrary files from the | browser window and print them. | ... | --------------------------------------------------------- | Michael D. Callaghan, MDC Designs, University of Maryland | --------------------------------------------------------- Having to launch the application that created a file just for the purpose of printing it seems like a waste of resources. If every application implemented a filter program (let's say the filter for WriteNow would be located in /NextLibrary/Filters/WriteNow), then it would be ideal to have a printing application that would invoke the filter when it required to print the file. For example, Workspace could pipe a file through the WriteNow filter without having to launch WriteNow itself. The filter program would contain only as much code as required to convert from the WriteNow file format to PostScript. "open -p <files>" provides a means for printing multiple files but it does have some disadvantages/limitations: 1. It requires the file's creator application to execute to print it, 2. It doesn't understand "directory" documents. Try opening a WriteNow directory with open -p; nothing will happen! 3. It's only available from the command line interface (although a NeXTStep interface could be written for it.) An application's filter could be implemented as an interface module, similar to the ones used in Preferences (see /usr/lib/Preferences). They could also implement Inspectors (to be used in Workspace's Inspector Panel under a Print submenu, for example). Everything fits perfectly in this architecture. All that is required is for NeXT, Inc. to define how the interface works and provide the "glue" to make other applications behave properly. Hey NeXT, if you need some help on this let me know. Would anyone else like to volunteer? =============================================================================== Felix A. Lugo E-Mail: (NeXTmail preferred) AT&T Bell Laboratories, Naperville, IL Felix_A_Lugo@ATT.COM coco@ihcoco.att.com AT&T NeXT User Group nug@ihcoco.att.com T.Y.C. Software, Lisle, IL coco@ihtyc.att.com ===============================================================================
hardy@golem.ps.uci.edu (Meinhard E. Mayer (Hardy)) (04/29/91)
In article <1991Apr28.133907.20546@wam.umd.edu> mikec@wam.umd.edu (Michael D. Callaghan) writes: >> >> Can't one just open a Terminal window and type: >> open -p ~/* >> >> I'm not sure how long that would take, but it should do what he wants. >> However, you still could not pick, say, eight arbitrary files from the >> browser window and print them. Does not seem to work for me -- the document never shopw up in the print queue, except with Edit documents. (Neither Writenow, Improv, nor Wordperfect documents made it, though Improv and Wordperfect were launched). Greetings, Hardy -------****------- Meinhard E. Mayer (Hardy); Department of Physics, University of California Irvine CA 92717; (714) 856 5543; hardy@golem.ps.uci.edu or MMAYER@UCI.BITNET