print HTML without printer selection from bat

so is there then another way of automatically printing HTML files?

Not That I know of when ever you call the print API you will get the printer selection dialog, this is by design other wise some one could write a program that would print "BOO" on 500 pages of a printer with out intervention.  

I use the code below to print and then move tiff files (faxes) and it works great.
But for HTML it asks for a printer selection.
Steven

rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\System32\shimgvw.dll,ImageView_PrintTo "%WD_FILE%" "Drivers"
move "%WD_FILE%" "e:\network shares\bureau\Perm\Bowens Inhouse\Fax Archive\Done\"

                                              

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The FAX API might be different. I'm not sure how you would would bypass the printer selection in a batch file.

Does anyone else have any ideas?
Steven

You might ask the question (You can just give me a few points :) )again as people seam to not answer stuff in progress.

Maybe there's an automated way to create a pdf frm an HTML file?
Steven

Yes but that would probally involve buying some flavor of Adobe

I hae acrobat professional on the macine...
But again - I don't know how to automate it - I can't print it to PDF as the printer problem
Steven

I am going to look for a better solution, which I feel is out there, but you can do this with ...

Notepad /p filename.txt

With that command it will print, without prompting, the file called filename.txt.  Notepad does open briefly but is quickly closed.  Let me know how this works and I will post if I can find a better option.

bol

Actually as I looked at this closer I see you are trying to probably print the web page as a web page.  That would explain the dll (D'oh!).  If that is the case then my solution won't work.  It would have to be supported by the dll and I am not sure that is the case.

bol

When I tried something like this a few years ago, I finally had to resort to invoking Netscape for each .html file. Back then, there was a command-line flag that would allow Netscape to print without popping up the print dialog.

If I was doing it again today, I would probably look at keystroke macro scripts, such as AutoHotKey, to simply push the buttons on the unavoidable dialogs. That seems to be the approach in Rob van der Woude's batch programs, mentioned above.

Hi.
I think http://www.robvanderwoude.com/printfiles.html#PrintHTM2 is the best solution so far, and I will try an impliment it as an interim solution, but if anyone is up to it, I'd much prefer someting a lot more solid. People will sometimes need to work on the server, so I dont want them to interfere in any way with the print process.
I use WatchDirectory to launch the bat and pass it the variables, if the document can be converted to PDF or to tiff without intervention, it will print fine also.
BTW.
How did you know I can speak Afrikaans?
Steven

Hi Steven
Your question shows your time zone, and the dee Hook sounded like a play on Afrikaans "de Hoek", like Windhoek.  I learned Afrikaans for 2 years at secondary school in Rhodesia (now your ill-fated border country Zimbabwe).

There are a number of pdf "printers" that will print open documents of most types to *.pdf files, and the command line switch /p normally prints to the default printer eg. the free Foxit PDF Reader would probably accept:
foxit.exe e:\path-to\doc.pdf /p
I would have to try.

So, I suppose it depends on whether the PDF conversion virtual printer would accept a call to convert a named document from the command line, preferably without opening it.  Most tend to work by a process similar to a PrintScreen command, although the whole document is converted rather than just visible screen area, but the document has to actually be opened for that.

I use an old version of Broadgun pdfMachine for that type of thing, but it's basic and was very much cheaper than its most recent version.  I'm pretty sure there will be Open Source alternatives that might work from the command line without opening the target file, but I haven't tested any.

Cheers
Willem :-)

ah - lol.
I have lots of "Rhodesian" friends - people too attached to the old way to aknowledge the new government.

Watch Directory will print the PDFs for me... (using acrobat reader) no problem - I use it to print all our job tickets and delivery notes. it's just a pain that for HTML pops up that stupid window.
So if I could convert to PDF (or even tiff) in the background - it would be fine.
Thanks for the help and advice!

Steven

No problem Steven.