How to Send Two-Character Printer Control Codes in Version 1.x
PSS ID Number: Q37885 Article last modified on 02-13-1991
1.07 1.10 1.12 MS-DOS
Summary: The program below shows how to send two-character printer control codes to the printer from programs compiled in Microsoft COBOL Versions 1.x. Please refer to your printer manual for a listing of the control codes for your printer.
More Information: The value sent to the printer must be the decimal equivalent of the concatenated hexadecimal number representing the sequence of control codes. ESC+E is the standard Epson printer control code to turn on boldface type. In hexadecimal representation, ESC is 1B hex, and the letter E is 45 hex. When you concatenate these hexadecimal codes, you get 1B45 hex. 1B45 hex is equal to a decimal value of 6981. When using two-character control codes, you should assign this decimal value (6981) to a COMP-0 variable (an integer of two bytes) in the WORKING-STORAGE SECTION. A COMP-4 variable should be used for three-character control codes, because the three-character control sequence requires an integer of 4 bytes. The example below, plus examples for later versions, are included in an application note entitled “Cobol 1.x-4.00 Printer Control Codes,” which can be obtained from Microsoft Product Support Services. The following is a code example:
identification division.
program-id. print.
*
* COBOL VERSION 1.X: sending two-character control codes
* to the printer
environment division.
configuration section.
special-names.
printer is printer-device.
input-output section.
file-control.
select print-file assign to printer.
*
data division.
file section.
fd print-file
label records omitted
linage is 56 lines.
01 print-rec pic x(80).
*
working-storage section.
* Epson printer reset = ESC+@ = hex 1B40 = 6976 decimal
01 reset-code pic 9(4) value 6976 comp-0.
* Epson printer boldface on = ESC+E = 1B45 hex = 6981 decimal
01 twochr-code pic 9(4) value 6981 comp-0.
*
procedure division.
s000-mainline.
open output print-file.
display ' program "print" now beginning'
upon printer-device.
display ' ' upon printer-device.
display reset-code upon printer-device.
* Turn boldface on by sending ESC+E (1B45 hex) to Epson printer:
display print-code upon printer-device.
move "this is line 1" to print-rec.
write print-rec.
move "this is line 2" to print-rec.
write print-rec.
move "this is line 3" to print-rec.
write print-rec.
move "this is line 4" to print-rec.
write print-rec.
move "this is line 5" to print-rec.
write print-rec.
*
* Reset printer, thus turning boldface off, by
* sending ESC+F (1B46 hex) to Epson printer:
display reset-code upon printer-device.
*
move "this is line 6" to print-rec.
write print-rec.
close print-file.
stop run.
Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1991.
