Command: print

Syntax

print {<file>,... }

Description

Print the contents of a text file, or window.

Parameters

• <file>
  The file or files to be printed.

Switches

• -a
  Combined with the -of switch, use append mode to add to an existing text file.

• -c
  Combined with the -of switch, if <file> exists, prompt for confirmation before it is replaced.

• -ch=<channel>
  Send the output to a channel currently open for output.

• -err
  Send the output to the error log.

• -h
  Precede each file with a header line, giving the file name, current date and time.

• -key=<string>
  Via an index file, use the value of <string> to locate text within <file> and begin listing at that position. The listing then finishes at the next line beginning with non-white space. The index file used will have the same name as the file being listed but with an extension .fhx.

• -log=<panel>
  Send the output to a log sub-panel.

• -m
  Send the output to the monitor.

• -n
  Precede each output line with a line number, starting at 1.

• -of=<file>
  Send the file output to another file, similar to a copy.

• -pau
  When listing to the monitor window, pause on each page full.

• -pr
  Send the output to the printer. This is the default behavior unless one of the -ch, -err, -log, -m, -of or -uof options is used.

• -uof=<string>
  Send the output to a unix filter process.

• -x=<num>
  Send multiple copies of the output. <num> is an integer expression.

Windows ONLY

The following switches are available for the interactive printing of window contents (Windows Operating System only). When used, all previously described switches are ignored.

• -all
  This directs prints of graphic windows to display all graphics displayable in the window. When a graphic window has scrollbars, all includes the graphics which are currently scrolled out. This is the default option unless the -las switch is present. See -b and -vis.

• -b
  By default, when graphic window contents are printed, the graphics currently visible in the window are printed. Use of the -b switch will print graphics which lie within the window’s orthogonal box. This may be different to the visible contents depending on how the aspect ratio of the box compares to that of the window.

• -bit=<n>
  The number of bits-per-pixel to be used when dumping images to a print spool file. On some operating systems (e.g. Windows NT4) setting this can drastically reduce the size of spool files when large images are being printed. <n> can have a value 0,1,4,8,16 or 24. 0 will use the pixel depth of the display. Omitting this switch will use the value of the system identifier print_bits.

• -bor=<1|0>
  Enclose (or do not enclose) the print of a graphic window in a border. The default action is to omit a border, unless the -las switch is present.

• -def
  Use the default printer for the Operating System. Without this switch, the printer will be that invoked by the last print command, and may not be the Operating System default.

• -dia
  When combined with the -iw switch, a print dialogue is displayed to enable tailoring of the output. Without this switch no dialogue is displayed.

• -iw=<window>
  Print the contents of a window. When combined with the -dia switch, a Print Window Contents dialogue is displayed for the purposes of printer selection and output configuration, otherwise the window contents are printed using the default printer settings.

• -las
  When the -dia switch is omitted, printing will occur in batch, i.e. without any user interaction. In this case certain defaults will be assumed. Use of the -las switch will use the current interactive settings instead of the normal defaults. Interactive settings are those which were used during the last use of the print dialogue.

• -ma=<nums[4]>
  Margins in millimeters within which the window image is to be displayed on the paper. The values should indicate left, right, top and bottom respectively. The default values are four zeros, unless the -las switch is present.

• -of=<file>
  Direct the output to a spool file, rather than print immediately.

• -or=<P|L>
  Display the print in Portrait or Landscape. The default is Portrait, unless the -las switch is present.

• -per=<n>
  Display the print in a percentage of the available paper (after margin selection). The default value is 100, unless either the -ts (true scale) switch is present, or the -las switch.

• -res=<R|V>
  Display the print of a graphic window in Raster or Vector form. By default, Vector is used, unless the -las switch is present. Vector printing is permitted for normal or iconic but not invisible windows.

• -rot=<angle>
  Rotate the contents of a graphic window before being printed. <angle> should have the value 0, 90, 180 or 270 measured anticlockwise. The default value is 0, unless the -las switch is present.

• -set
  Invoke a Print Setup dialogue window so configure default printer settings. These settings then apply for the duration of the session.

• -syn
  Wait until the print spool file is completed before continuing. This can be a useful switch if the print command is followed by an operation to delete the window. It ensures that all spooling is complete. The default behavior is not to wait which can cause problems when followed by a window deletion.

• tit=<string>
  This provides a title line to be printed above the window contents. If string is an empty string then no title is printed. If title is the string "default", then the current screen window title is printed. The default is for no title to be printed unless the -las switch is present.

• -ts=<n>
  Display the print of a graphic window at a specified scale. When present this overrides any setting specified by the -per switch. A value of 0.1 indicates a scale of 1:10. By default this option is not used, unless invoked by the -las switch.

• -vis
  This directs prints of graphic windows to display the graphics currently visible in the window. When a graphic window has scrollbars, this excludes the graphics which are currently scrolled out. See -all and -vis.

Notes

When a dialogue is invoked, the system numeric found is set to 1 when the user closes the dialogue successfully, or 0 when the user cancels the dialogue.

This command is very similar to the type command, but the default destination is the printer rather than the monitor.

Text index files, to be used with the -key switch above, are created via the makefhx utility program.

On Windows systems, the window which currently has focus may be printed by typing Control P in the window. This will invoke the print dialogue.

The position of the print (or print setup) dialog window is determined by the value of menu_position.

Examples

Send one file to the printer.

print a.cmd

Send 2 files to the printer with header and line numbers. Print two copies of each.

print file1.dat,file2.dat,-n,-h,-x=2

On Windows, display a print dialog to control the printing of a graphic window (mywin).

print -dia,-iw=mywin,-bit=8,-syn

See Also