Printing text files

[Mike Doty]

Is there a way to print a form feed
without advancing the print position
so the next page prints at the current position?

OPEN "LPT1" FOR OUTPUT As #1
PRINT #1, CHR$(12);
CLOSE #1

The code above form feeds, but the print head 
will be 1 position to the right.

Can't use PRINT #1, CHR$(12) because it
issues a carriage return/line feed and if
the file printing is at end of file some dot-matrix
printers advance an extra page because of the 
trailing chr$(13) and char$(10).

Do I have to PRINT #1, CHR(8)+Chr$(12);
each time a CHR$(12) is found in a file to print
that does not have a carriage return/line feed after
the form feed and characters follow the form feed?

I wrote a print manager that prints text files
and files can have embedded form feeds that sometimes
need to surpress advancing the print head to line-up
on the next page.

Should I be using another print mode?

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[This message has been edited by Mike Doty (edited September 26, 2000).]

[Michael Mattias]

Often the behavior "Form feed implies CRLF" is defined by the PRINTER, not the software.

You may need to count characters (or use LPOS) to track where you are on the line and advance there after issuing FF.

MCM

[Mel Bishop]

Another possibility would be to use

print #1;chr$(12);
instead of
print #1,chr$(12);

I have discovered that somewhere in the printing process, the
comma is sometimes interpretered as a CR/LF. Using the
semi-colon suppresses this.


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[Lance Edmonds]

Mel, I have no idea where/how you came up with that one... Can you give us a specific example or code that can prove this statement?

Mike, the best answer here is from Mr Mattias...

How are *you* counting your character positions? Remember that LPOS cannot decypher printer control codes from printable characters, so you have to allow for this in any code that needs to track the current "physical" position (rather than the "logical" position as reported by LPOS, etc).

The same problem can occur when using TAB() after sending control code(s).


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Lance
PowerBASIC Support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[Mike Doty]

MCM,
Now using:
CRFF$ = CHR$(13) + CHR$(12)
PRINT #1, CRFF$;
Works great.  Thanks all.

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