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Printer Driver Tips and Tricks – How to
generate the right file names for your project
The Black Ice
printer drivers provide developers with complete control
over the names of the file generated when printing. Seven
different filename generation methods are available, each of
which can be grouped into the following categories:
1. Prefix
and extension
2. Exact
filename
3. Use
document name
1. Prefix
and extension: the
output filename will be generated from random characters.
The first three characters of the file name will be the
characters specified in the ‘Filename Prefix’ edit box
followed by random numbers. The file extension will either
be the default format extension or can be a custom
extension.
Benefits
– The filename will
be random and unique for each print job. This method is
best used when the developer wants to ensure that files are
not overwritten
A. Use
this prefix and extension:
prefix and extension will be taken from the printer driver
devmode and can be set through either the BlackIceDEVMODE
controls or via the user interface
B.
Prefix and extension from the registry:
The file name prefix and the extension will be read from the
specified registry key. The registry path must be under the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE root key. Use the “File Name Prefix”
value name for the
file
prefix and the “File
Name extension” value name for the extension.
C.
Prefix and extension from the INI file:
In this case the filename and the prefix will be read from
the specified INI file. The driver will search in the INI
file for a section width the printer name. Use the “File
Name Prefix” entry for the
file
prefix and the “File
Name extension” entry for the
extension,
for example: [Black Ice Color Printer] File name prefix=ABC
File name extension=TIFF
2. Exact
filename: The
printed file will be generated with a specific name and
extension
Benefits
– The name of the
file to be generated can be explicitly controlled by the
developer or printing user. Additionally, using an “Exact
Filename” option in conjunction with the “Keep existing
files” checkbox allows multiple print jobs (documents) to be
merged together. When the “Keep existing files” option is
turned on, the printer driver will append the new pages to
the existing file, instead of overwriting the file. The file
format used must be a multi page format such as TIFF, PCX or
PDF.
A. Exact
filename: The
filename will be
read from the ‘Enter
the filename’ edit box. and can be set through either the
BlackIceDEVMODE controls or via the user interface.
B. Exact
filename from the registry:
The filename will be read
from the specified registry key. The registry path must be
under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE root key. The value name
containing the filename must be "File Name". The file name
can be specified with or without the path.
C. Exact
filename from the INI file:
In this case the filename will be read from the INI file
specified. The driver will search the INI file for a section
with the printer’s name. Use the “File Name” key for the
Filename.
The file name can be
specified with the path or without, for example:[Black Ice
Color Printer]
File name =C:\Output\page.tiff
Use the
document name: The
driver will use the document name supplied by the printing
application exactly as it is passed to the printer driver.
Each of the
file name generation methods can be used to programmatically
control the generated file name in one form or another.
Depending on the environment and scope of usage for the
Black Ice printer driver, it may be more suitable to write
to the registry as opposed to an INI file, or just write to
the devmode directly. By including seven file name
generation methods, Black Ice allows developers/users to
choose the method which best meets their particular needs. |