How To Use STRTOFILE() to Send Output to a Printer

MORE INFORMATION

Visual FoxPro 6.0 has two new string/file functions. These are the STRTOFILE() function, which outputs a string to a file, and the FILETOSTR() function, which inputs a file to a string. The following sample uses each to output text to a file.

1. Run the following code from a program (.prg) file:

         LOCAL lcString_to_Output, laOutput[1]
         lcOutPut = ""
   
         * Get the version information for VFP6.exe, returned to an array.
         =AGETFILEVERSION(laOutput, HOME()+'vfp6.exe')
   
         * Convert the contents of that array to a string with the function
         * Array_to_String. Note that there must be a carriage return and line
         * feed after each line.
         lcString_to_Output = Array_to_String(@laOutput)
   
         * Print the string
         =Print_a_String(lcString_to_Output)
   
         * Make sure this .prg file is not open.
         CLOSE ALL
   
         * Print this PRG file after converting it to a string with
         * FILETOSTR().
         =Print_a_String(FILETOSTR(SUBSTR(SYS(16),1, LEN(SYS(16))-3) + 'prg'))
   
         RETURN
   
         PROC Print_a_String
            LPARAMETER tcStringToPrint
            LOCAL laPrinters[1,1], lnArrayRow, lcPrinter
            * Prompt the Select the printer.
            lcPrinter = GETPRINTER()
            * You could also use SET('printer', 2) to return Windows default
            * printer, or SET('printer', 3) to return the VFP default printer.
            IF LEN(lcPrinter) = 0
               RETURN .F.
            ENDIF
            =APRINTERS(laPrinters)
           lnArrayRow = ASUBSCRIPT(laPrinters, ASCAN(laPrinters, lcPrinter),1)
   
           * IIF uses second column of laPrinters array in Windows 95, and
           * the first in Windows NT.
           * Last argument of .T. passed to STRTOFILE() means ADDITIVE output.
            IF STRTOFILE(tcStringToPrint, ;
                  laPrinters[lnArrayRow,IIF('NT'$OS(), 1, 2)], ;
                  .T.) > 0
            * Succeeded, since bytes were written.
               RETURN .T.
            ELSE
               * Failed, since no bytes were written.
               RETURN .F.
            ENDIF
         ENDPROC
   
         PROC Array_to_String
            LPARAMETERS tcarray
            * Note: This would require modification for use with multicolumn
            * arrays
            LOCAL lni, lcOutPut
            lcOutPut = ""
   
            #DEFINE       CR_LF       CHR(13)+CHR(10)
   
            * Iterate through array and append a carriage return/line feed
            * to each line.
            FOR lni = 1 TO ALEN(tcarray)
               lcOutPut = lcOutPut + tcarray[lni] + CR_LF
            ENDFOR
            RETURN lcOutPut
         ENDFOR
   							

2. Select a destination for printing each time you are prompted.

This code prints the Visual FoxPro 6.0 version information and the contents of the program.

Anything you print in this manner must have each line terminated with carriage return and line feeds characters to ensure proper formatting. Window NT uses the printer name that is in the first column of the array created by APRINTERS(). Windows 95 uses the port that is in the second column of the array created by APRINTERS(). Code for this behavior accordingly. The third argument in the STRTOFILE() function, lAdditive, must be .T. for sending output to a printer.