no input files message from printer file

[Brian K. White]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fairlight" <fairlite at fairlite.com>
To: "FilePro Mailing List" <filepro-list at lists.celestial.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2008 1:10 PM
Subject: Re: no input files message from printer file


> Simon--er, no...it was Barry Wiseman--said:
>> That message is generated when filepro closes the pipe to lp to direct
>> print output instead to your file.  I believe if you first issue a
>> "printer reset", then the "printer file" command, that will prevent the
>> message.
>
> I'm still not getting it.  I may not be the OP, but I don't see how any of
> the answers concerning "what has to be done to get lp to stop printing 
> that
> message" have been relevant so far to his problem.
>
> FROM the docs:
>
>     PRINTER FILE "filename"
>                        Send output to file "filename".
>
> I have used this feature myself on Windows 2003 Server with fP 5.0.14 to
> send output directly to a file, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.  It's
> then handled by PrintWiz to convert to PDF for download.
>
> Key thing being, it does not even -attempt- to print anywhere but to that
> file, nor should it.  No spoolers, no programs--nothing except the file.
>
> So far, I'm failing to see where `lp` or any other print spooler should
> even remotely be in play while using PRINTER FILE.  Emphasis: ***FILE***.

Probably by now this is answered but I assure you, if you don't go out of 
your way to prevent it, the the sequence of events is:

1) rreport starts
2) rreport reads environment and config file and arrives at default printer, 
which is likely some real printer spooler command in the config file.
3) rreport opens the lp command as specified by the default print 
destination found above.
4) rreport start processing records
5) rreport encounters "printer file foo" processing command for the first 
time while processing the first selected record. (unless it was placed in 
sort/select processing? or auto? I never tried that, definitely @once is 
still not early enough to prevent the spooler from getting opened.)
6) rreport closes the lp command, which generates the error because it never 
received any data.
7) rreport opens the specified file

My usual answer is using -fp form instead of -f form, and/or adding -pc 
nocodes and/or -p /dev/null to the rreport command line for this kind of 
processing. PFPRTC and/or PFPRINTER in the environment would work too but I 
think would generally not be as handy.

Brian K. White    brian at aljex.com    http://www.myspace.com/KEYofR
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