For TS/Citrix, why might it "be helpful" to use env. vars?

[sjohns]

Our client in a Citrix environment has trouble on his initial attempt to use the BlackIce TS Monochrome print driver to convert his .tif images to .DCX (initial attempts to use the BlackIce driver on other file types is successful). With the initial attempt to convert a .tif file, the .GRP file and image file are generated, but I don't see that our application (using named pipe interface) ever receives the STARTDOC message. However, if the client changes anything in the BlackIce print driver preferences, the application works properly (.tif image is converted, files are generated, STARTDOC message is received, our application processes image correctly). And it continues to work properly thereafter. Our client, understandably, does not feel his users should be modifying the print driver preferences, and would like everything to work upon initial installation.

We use a common output directory for all users, and I'm wondering if on initial installation the output directory is not set correctly so that all users can access it. In your discussion "[u]Usage of the output environment variables[/u]", you say that for a Citrix enviroment "it may be helpful if you set the printer’s default settings to use the environment variable." Can you elaborate or at least venture an opinion on whether we should be using this method to set the output directory?

[TechnicalSupportTeam]

Most likely one or more settings in your custom installation are incorrect, which would cause such a symptom. If you are modifying the printer driver INI file to define your default settings the we would recommend verifying that you are correctly specifying the settings, or use the INIFileGenerator Utility included in the RTK to generate the custom INI file for you.

In the case where you are using one folder for all print jobs, you would not need to use an environment variable in the output folder field. Environment variables are useful when you want each user to have their own, specific output folder.

[sjohns]

I agree it is likely that the settings in our custom installation are incorrect. We are modifying the INI file, so I checked it against a file generated by the INIFileGenerator Utility, but did not see much difference. We leave most settings set to the BlackIce defaults, and the ones we change were the same in the generated file as they are in our modified INI file, with the exception of Dithering, which was DCX in the generated file, and is set to 1 in our modified INI file. (i don't think this is the problem, however, because the client's image appears to be converted correctly.)

The client's application works correctly with our application and the BlackIce driver in a non-Citrix environment, so I am guessing the problem lies in the way a session variable/setting is set. But I am not sure which one.

Are there any print driver settings which should differ in a Citrix environment (monochrome TS driver) from the settings used for a non-citrix environment (monochrome NT driver)? Do you have any ideas about what settings would cause the STARTDOC message to "misfire" in a Citrix environment? Our application receives the STARTDOC message 100% of the time for all the client's other Citrix applications, and the NT driver is working fine in their non-Citrix environment (also a named pipe interface).

[TechnicalSupportTeam]

While the terminal and non terminal server printer drivers are similar, they are different internally.

Make sure that you are using the files contained in the RTK received with the terminal server version of the printer driver, especially make sure that you are using the terminal server version of the Message Capture OCX (both versions have the same name, however they are different).

[sjohns]

We don't use the OCX control, but we are using different .dlls depending on the environment:

Citrix
---------------------
BiMProTS.dll
BiImg.dll
BiMAppTS.exe
BiMDrvTS.dll
BiMiniTS.ini
BiMMonTS.dll
BiMProTS.dll
BiMResTS.dll
BiMRmvTS.dll
BiMUifTS.dll
blicectr.dll
Distribution.txt
JPEG32.dll
ReadMe.tst
Tiff32.dll

non-Citrix
------------------------
BiMPront.dll
BiImg.dll
BiMAppNT.exe
BiMDrvnt.dll
BiMiniNt.ini
BiMMonNT.dll
BiMPront.dll
BiMResNT.dll
BiMRmvNT.dll
BiMUifnt.dll
blicectr.dll
Distribution.txt
JPEG32.dll
ReadMe.tst
Tiff32.dll

Our .ini file is the same in both environments; is that O.K.?

[TechnicalSupportTeam]

If you are able to reproduce this issue using one of the provided message capture sample applications, please let us know which sample you are using and provide us with a detailed step by step description which we can use to reproduce the issue in house.

Also, please make sure that you are not testing using the Test Page option, since test pages are printed on the system account for terminal server systems.