Using the "file" option with -PQ
Mike Schwartz
mike.appleton.wi at sbcglobal.net
Mon Sep 10 07:17:25 PDT 2007
> From: fp at casabellagallery.com [mailto:fp at casabellagallery.com]
> Mike wondered:
>
> > When I setup a *clerk or *report menu line with the -PQ option, on
> any
> >
> > Is there a PFxxx variable that I can use to change that subdir?
>
> I believe the variable that determines that is PFTMP
Thanks! I tried to change PFTMP on a Unix system, but it wasn't
working. I finally figured out that it was a Unix permissions problem on
the subdir I was attempting to write to.
>
> All that said, I have never used -pq. Almost in every environment I've
If you try -PQ, you will see that, before it allows you to select a
specific printer, -PQ pops up a little "Select Output Destination" menu. On
DOS systems, option #1 is "Printer", option #2 is "File" (which points to
the subdir listed in the PFTMP variable) and option #3 is "Display".
However, I seem to recall a 4th option on some machines (Unix boxes, I
think), which said "Local Printer". (Not sure what that option is for.
Maybe option #4 is only on newer versions of filePro.)
I wondered if this "Select Output Destination" menu was modifiable, or
whether this is hard-coded into filepro.
I was also thinking of other cosmetic things. For example, if the user
selects option #1, I would like to present the printers in a different order
for each user, with the closest printers to the user's desk presented first.
Hopefully I could do this without creating a separate config file for each
user, but if the #1 printer option presents printers in the order they are
listed in the config file, then I guess I'm stuck.
Just brainstorming: I suppose I could write a little shell script to
read the master config file, sort the printers, create a "user config" file,
and then launch filepro with that.
I've written several different filepro printer control schemes over the
past 20+ years, but I've never been really happy with any of them. The old
Softa/Fourgen printer control was fairly flexible, but I don't want to have
my customers locked into the old MenuMaster system...
Mike
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