Clipper 5.2 Printing Issue on Windows 2008 Server

[John Ward]

Has anyone encountered an issue running Clipper application in Windows 2008 32 bit server?

Error TERM/0 Print error
Severity: Error : Corrective Action Needed For Further Processing
GenCode: EG_PRINT

We are trying to print to the LPT1 port which is mapped to a network printer, and no matter what we try, clipper does not seem to see it.

Yet, I can copy a PCL file to LPT1 from the command line, and that works.

Would anyone have a clue what to try?

Thanks in advance!

John

[dlzc]

Dear John Ward:

On Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 2:31:30 PM UTC-7, John Ward wrote:
...

Post by John Ward
We are trying to print to the LPT1 port which is mapped
to a network printer, and no matter what we try, clipper
does not seem to see it.

Clipper is a DOS program, that runs inside a COMMAND.COM session. Did you do the printer network mapping in the batch file just before you call your executable?

David A. Smith

[i***@wautersit.com]

Hi,

If your printer is connected on the physical LPT1 port, your application prints directly to the port. Notice that some printers don't allow DOS printing direclty, then you need to go "trough the Windows driver" using a redirection as show.


You need to run this once on the machine:

NET USE LPT1: \\computer\printer /PERSISTENT:YES [ /USER:userid thePassword ]

Userid and password are optional if the printer configured on the same computer. Be sure the printer is shared -> Properties of the Printer -> Sharing.

I never had a problem printing to a Windows printer this way and I never need to set up printerpooling.

Regards,
Frans

[John Ward]

For everyone who asked... Yes, I properly mapped the LPT1 port to the printer, which is why copying a PCL file to LPT1 works.

This only seems to happen on the Windows 2008 server. It works fine on XP, Windows 7, and Windows 2003 servers.

It seems to be something specific to the Windows 2008 server, where my Clipper application is not recognizing the LPT1 port properly.

[dlzc]

Post by John Ward
For everyone who asked... Yes, I properly mapped
the LPT1 port to the printer, which is why copying
a PCL file to LPT1 works.

Did you do it in the same COMMAND.COM session that ran the Clipper program, via a batch file? "Properly" is something that Micro$haft changes routinely.

Does the hardware actually have an LPT1 port?

Can always take your code base and compile with (x)Harbour, and not have to mess around with port mapping. Only 3rd party libraries are the major stumbling blocks.

David A. Smith

[l***@gmail.com]

Post by dlzc

Post by John Ward
For everyone who asked... Yes, I properly mapped
the LPT1 port to the printer, which is why copying
a PCL file to LPT1 works.

Did you do it in the same COMMAND.COM session that ran the Clipper program, via a batch file? "Properly" is something that Micro$haft changes routinely.
Does the hardware actually have an LPT1 port?
Can always take your code base and compile with (x)Harbour, and not have to mess around with port mapping. Only 3rd party libraries are the major stumbling blocks.
David A. Smith

I print using PCL Esc to a file and then copy that file to a PCL enabled printer. Don't know if that is a solution anymore as I have gone down the XHarbour path