A-Shell/Windows relies on the Print Manager to handle the physical spooling operation. Immediately after it hands the file off to the Print Manager, you should be able to see the file in the Print Manager’s queue, and from that point forward, it can be manipulated exactly like any other Windows report.

The way in which the report file created by your application is handed off to the Print Manager depends on the PASSTHROUGH parameter in the spooler init file. With PASSTHROUGH=ON, the print file is sent in raw form, which is similar to the way traditional AMOS applications sent files to the spooler. This method, however, may not be supported by "Windows-only" printers. If PASSTHROUGH=OFF, A-Shell reprocesses your print file through the Windows GDI system, which is similar to the way 99% of typical Windows applications work. This method gains you more flexibility (via the FONT, PITCH, ORIENTATION, and MARGIN printer init file statements, as well as the ability to use A-Shell’s Print Directive List), but doesn’t allow you to embed ESC sequences into the print file. (Instead of, for example, using an ESC sequence to select 17 pitch, you would instead use the FONT or PITCH statements in the printer init file, or the SETFONT directive within the print file.

Notes

Support for PASSTHROUGH mode varies from printer to printer. If you have trouble getting printouts to work at all, try toggling the PASSTHROUGH option in your printer init file.

If PASSTHROUGH doesn’t work with your particular printer driver, you may want to try using the "Generic / Text Only" driver.

See Print Directive List for details on embedding GDI directives in your print files.

History

2009 May, A-Shell 5.1.1150:  Whenever a printer is selected from the printer selection dialog, that printer becomes the default, for this user, for any subsequent A-Shell printer selection dialogs. Previously, the printer selection dialog always started at the global Windows default printer for this workstation. Besides being more convenient and intuitive for the user, this also means that any special configuration saved for the printer in the printer driver properties will be used as the default configuration (rather than the default printer's configuration).