Microsoft KB Archive/96797

= VB3: Obtain and Change the Paper Bins for the Default Printer =

Article ID: 96797

Article Last Modified on 12/12/2003

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Visual Basic 2.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Visual Basic 3.0 Professional Edition
 * Microsoft Visual Basic 2.0 Professional Edition
 * Microsoft Visual Basic 3.0 Professional Edition

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This article was previously published under Q96797



SUMMARY
By using the Windows API Escape function, an application can change the paper bin on the printer and obtain a list of available paper bins for the default printer.

To return a list of paper bin names and a list of corresponding of bin numbers, pass the ENUMPAPERBINS printer escape constant to the Escape function. You can use the first list to display the available paper bins for the user, and use the second list to change the paper bin.

To change the paper bin, pass the GETSETPAPERBINS printer escape constant along with the bin number to the Escape function. GETSETPAPERBINS returns the current bin and the number of bins supported by the default printer.



MORE INFORMATION
The example code listed below demonstrates how to use both ENUMPAPERBINS and GETSETPAPERBINS with the Windows API Escape function.

An Important Note
The Windows API Escape function is provided in Windows versions 3.0 and 3.1 for backward compatibility with earlier versions of Microsoft Windows. Applications are supposed to use the GDI DeviceCapabilities and ExtDeviceMode functions instead of the Escape function, but neither DeviceCapabilities nor ExtDeviceMode can be called directly from Visual Basic. This is because they are exported by the printer driver, not by the Windows GDI. The only way to use ExtDeviceMode or DeviceCapabilities in Visual Basic is to create a DLL and call them from there.

Step-by-Step Example
 Start Visual Basic or from the File menu, choose New Project (ALT, F, N) if Visual Basic is already running. Form1 is created by default. From the File menu, choose New Module (ALT, F, M). Module1 is created by default.  Add the following code to the general declarations section of Module1: Global Const MaxBins = 6 Type PaperBin        ' Used for EnumPaperBins BinList(1 To MaxBins) As Integer PaperNames(1 To MaxBins) As String * 24 End Type

Type BinInfo               ' Used for GetSetPaperBins CurBinNumber As Integer ' Current Bin NumBins As Integer      ' Number of bins supported by printer Reserved1 As Integer    ' Reserved Reserved2 As Integer    ' Reserved Reserved3 As Integer    ' Reserved Reserved4 As Integer    ' Reserved End Type 'Enter each of the following Declare statements on one, single line. Declare Function EnumPaperBinEscape% Lib &quot;GDI&quot; Alias &quot;Escape&quot; (ByVal hDC%, ByVal nEscape%, ByVal nCount%, NumBins%,        lpOutData As Any) Declare Function GetPaperBinEscape% Lib &quot;GDI&quot; Alias &quot;Escape&quot; (ByVal hDC%, ByVal nEscape%, ByVal nCount%, InBinInfo As Any,        OutBinInfo As Any)

Global Const ENUMPAPERBINS = 31 Global Const GETSETPAPERBINS = 29

 Add a command button (Command1) to Form1. Add a list box (List1) to Form1.  Add the following code to the Command1_Click event procedure: Sub Command1_Click Dim InPaperBin As PaperBin Dim InBinInfo As BinInfo ' Enter each of the following result% statements on one, ' single line: result% = GetPaperBinEscape(Printer.hDC, GETSETPAPERBINS, 0,           ByVal 0&amp;, InBinInfo) result% = EnumPaperBinEscape(Printer.hDC, ENUMPAPERBINS, 2,           MaxBins, InPaperBin)

List1.Clear For I% = 1 To InBinInfo.NumBins ' Fill list1 with available bins List1.AddItem InPaperBin.PaperNames(I%) List1.ItemData(List1.NewIndex) = InPaperBin.BinList(I%) Next I%

End Sub

  Add the following code to the List1_Click event procedure: Sub List1_Click Dim InBinInfo As BinInfo Dim NewBinInfo As BinInfo

NewBinInfo.CurBinNumber = List1.ItemData(List1.ListIndex) ' Enter the following result% statement on one, single line. result% = GetPaperBinEscape(Printer.hDC, GETSETPAPERBINS,           Len(NewBinInfo), NewBinInfo, NewBinInfo)

MsgBox &quot;Sending Sample Output to printer using Bin: &quot; + List1.Text Printer.Print &quot;This should of have come from Bin: &quot;; List1.Text Printer.EndDoc End Sub

</li> From the Run menu, choose Start (ALT, R, S) to run the program.</li> Choose the Command1 button to see a list of available paper bins for the default printer listed in the List1 box.</li> Select one of the paper bins listed in the List1 box. A message box appears to tell you that a sample printout is being sent to the printer using the paper bin you selected.</li></ol>

Keywords: kbprint KB96797

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