

	            !DirPrnt
	  
	     (Authored using Dr Wimp)
	  
	   Version 1.31 (20th February 2007)
	  

PURPOSE

!DirPrnt is basically a utility application which automatically sends
files to a printer.

So, what might you want that for? Well, normally, you wouldn't.....

....... but if you have a network with more than one computer and a
printer which does not have a suitable printer driver for all of the
computers on the network, then !DirPrnt should help.

For example, a LaserDirect printer will work with a RiscPC
but not with an Iyonix - so !DirPrnt would make it easier to print
files produced on the Iyonix on the RiscPC printer.

Similarly, if you have VirtualRPC using UniPrint to print on a Windows
driven printer, you can more easily use that printer to print files
from a RISC computer - if the Windows and RISCOS computer are
networked.


OVERVIEW

!DirPrnt needs a designated target directory in order to work - and
you set this during the simple initial configuration process.

Once this target directory is known, the running application
periodically looks into this directory (typically every second,
user-changeable) and if it finds any *file* there it will send it to
the printer which is currently configured on the computer which is
running !DirPrnt.

So, by arranging to share the target directory with all computers on
your network, files from any computer on the network can be printed on
the desired printer merely by dragging the files to the (shared)
target directory.



OPERATION & FIRST USE

Decide which printer you wish to use and ensure that it is active and
selected on the iconbar of one of your networked computers.

Copy the !DirPrnt application to a convenient place on the hard disc
of *this same computer* and run it in the usual way by double-clicking
on the application icon.

If you are starting !DirPrnt for the first time you will get a warning
message to tell you that you'll need to use the Set-up window - and
then the Set-up window opens for you. You will also get an icon on the
iconbar - which, at this point, will be a 'grey' version with
"NoConfig" written beneath it.

Now, in a convenient place on the hard disc of the computer running
!DirPrnt, create a new directory with a meaningful name (PrintIt, for
instance) - and drag it to the Set-up window. (Alternatively, you can
type in the full directory path if you wish - no trailing '.'). This
is then the 'target' directory and you now need to make it a shared
directory on your network.

Then use the radio icons in the Set-up window to choose whether, after
printing them, you want the files to be deleted from the target window
or stored. (If the latter, then a *locked* directory called
"PrintDone" will be created automatically as a sub-directory inside
your target directory.)

If you wish, you can also change the number of seconds of the periodicity
that you require - but if this is the first time you've tried !DirPrnt
it is probably best to leave it 'as supplied' until you have had a
chance to see how it goes.

Finally, by ticking/unticking the 'Paused' option icon, decide whether
you want the application to start working (unticked) or to stay in a
paused state (ticked) after you have taken the next step.

Then click either 'Use settings' or 'Use and save settings' and the
application will start with shown settings. The iconbar icon will
change to a brighter version, indicating that it is in a validly
configured state. The text beneath will change to either "Working" or
"Paused" to reflect your choice.

If you choose 'Use and save settings' the settings will be saved as
your new default file which will be loaded on future start-ups.

If you choose 'Use settings' the settings will remain in force for the
rest of the session but the application will revert to the default
settings after a quit and re-start.

Hence the normal procedure on first use would be to choose 'Use and
save settings' after making your initial settings. This will ensure
that subsequent start-ups will show the brighter iconbar icon from the
start.

You can revisit the set-up window at any time to change things for the
current session or 'permanently' - as above - but don't forget that
you always need to end up by click either 'Use settings' or 'Use and
save settings' for the window settings to be used.

At any time, using the iconbar menu (or clicking on the iconbar icon
with <select> ) brings up the Set-up window.

When the application is either "Working" or "Paused" you can use the
iconbar menu to toggle the Working/Paused state (or clicking on the
iconbar icon with <adjust> will do the same thing). The iconbar text
then toggles between "Paused" and "Working" correspondingly - and the
menu item text similarly changes between "Resume" and "Pause". This
action also toggles the option icon in the set-up window so that it
always shows the current pause state. (You can, of course, also change
the pause state during a session by opening the set-up window
selecting the required state and pressing 'Use settings')

The 'as supplied' time setting is 1 second. It can be changed between
1-60 seconds.

You can now drag files into the target directory from any of the
networked computers - and, provided that !DirPrnt is not in the Paused
state, the files will be sent to your configured printer one by one.
After printing, each file will either be deleted from the target
directory or saved (moved) to the locked PrintDone sub-directory
according to your currently configured choice.

WHAT HAPPENS IN MORE DETAIL

When it is not in a paused state, the application looks inside your
target directory at the specified periodicity - every 1 second, 'as
supplied'. If it finds any *file* there it will take the 'first' one
and send it to the currently-configured printer (just as if you had
dragged the file to the printer's iconbar icon) - and then either
delete that file or move it to the "PrintDone" sub-directory,
according to your current operating settings.

Because the action is the same as dragging the files to the printer's
iconbar icon, any application needed to print the file will also be
loaded automatically, as necessary. For example, dragging a drawfile
to the target directory will cause !Draw to be loaded before the
printing of that file takes place. [It therefore follows that the
computer with the configured printer must have all the necessary
applications for the file-types to be printed and they must have been
'seen'. This is not normally a practical problem.]

By the same token, if a file takes several seconds to be processed for
printing then the next file will not be taken until after that time -
so the '1 second' really applies to the 'delay' after the previous
file has been dealt with. But as the process is fully automatic the
user is not normally aware of this.

!DirPrnt will ignore any sub-directories and applications that you may
have put in the target directory. (Note, in particular, that this
makes the target directory a safe haven for the "PrintDone"
sub-directory.)

The application only takes one file at each peek. It takes only the
'first' file - which depends how the Filer is seeing them. When there
are several files in the directory, the once-per-period peek will
therefore progressively take each file in turn, print it and then
delete/move it - until there are none left.

You can drag new files into the set-up directory at any time - singly
or in a bunch.

Because it takes only the 'first' file (as seen by the Filer, which
appears to be always alphabetical) the printing sequence may well not
be in the order that you send the files to the directory. So, dragging
in more files before a previous batch has been completed - or changing
the sort order - may present a new order.


CAUTIONS

!DirPrnt assumes you have a printer driver loaded and does not warn if you
haven't.

Don't forget that some printers do not support 'text printing' so you
need to check this out first if you intend to drag text-files to the
target directory. [To check this simply drag a text-file to the
printer icon on the iconbar. It will tell you if it will not accept
text-files directly.]


CONTACTS

Please let me know how you get on with !DirPrnt - particularly if you run into any problems or wish to suggest improvements.

Email: ray@rayfavre.me.uk

Web-site: www.rayfavre.me.uk

Post: 26 West Drayton Park Avenue, West Drayton, Middx., UB7 7QA, U.K.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Jeremy Nicoll for pointing out wimp-poll coding weaknesses
etc. in Version 1.20.

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RELEASE HISTORY

------------------------------
Version 1.00 (14 Feb 2004)

Limited distribution

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Version 1.10 (29 Feb 2004)

Limited distribution

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Version 1.20 (15 May 2005)

First freeware distribution.

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Version 1.30 (01 Dec 2005)

Changed wimp-poll coding.

Upgraded to use Dr Wimp 4.40


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Version 1.31 (20 Feb 2007)

Upgraded to use Dr Wimp 4.70, which also cured reported minor bug with
persistent hourglass.

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