Question

print HTML without printer selection from bat

Asked by: steviedeehook

Hi,
I have a bat that is run whenever an html file is created in a directory and prints it.
The problem is that whenever it prints, it pops up a dialog that asks what printer to use.
How can I stop this dialog box from showing? I need them to printo without intervention.
Steven

rundll32.exe C:\WINNT\System32\mshtml.dll,PrintHTML "%WD_FILE%" "1022n"

                                  
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Asked On
2008-08-25 at 00:30:32ID23674667
Tags

bat

Topics

Windows Batch Scripting

,

Windows XP Operating System

,

Scripting Languages

Participating Experts
4
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Comments
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Answers

 

by: WanaBRichPosted on 2008-08-25 at 03:16:58ID: 22304333

You can not do this as it a windows fuction.

 

by: steviedeehookPosted on 2008-08-25 at 03:31:49ID: 22304364

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

 

by: WanaBRichPosted on 2008-08-25 at 03:37:25ID: 22304380

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.  

 

by: steviedeehookPosted on 2008-08-25 at 03:46:20ID: 22304403

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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by: WanaBRichPosted on 2008-08-25 at 03:49:20ID: 22304414

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

 

by: steviedeehookPosted on 2008-08-25 at 06:04:53ID: 22305095

Does anyone else have any ideas?
Steven

 

by: WanaBRichPosted on 2008-08-25 at 08:34:22ID: 22306345

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

 

by: steviedeehookPosted on 2008-08-27 at 09:18:24ID: 22326542

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

 

by: WanaBRichPosted on 2008-08-27 at 09:29:13ID: 22326656

Yes but that would probally involve buying some flavor of Adobe

 

by: steviedeehookPosted on 2008-08-27 at 23:20:31ID: 22332026

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

 

by: b0lsc0ttPosted on 2008-08-28 at 14:16:59ID: 22340010

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

 

by: b0lsc0ttPosted on 2008-08-28 at 14:21:01ID: 22340043

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

 

by: b0lsc0ttPosted on 2008-08-28 at 14:25:01ID: 22340073

It looks like there is a method to print without dialog at http://www.robvanderwoude.com/printfiles.html#PrintHTM2 .  I had found the page when I was checking my suggestion for Notepad and it made me realize my mistake.  It looks like the ver 2.0 of the Print.htm will do what you want.

Let us know how that helps or if you have a question about using it.

bol

 

by: jmcgPosted on 2008-08-28 at 15:48:59ID: 22340683

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.

 

by: BillDLPosted on 2008-08-28 at 17:11:30ID: 22341092

Bly te kenne, Stevie, hoe gaan dit met u?
Ek sal my bes doen om jou to help.

Another idea along the same lines as AutoHotKey would be AutoIT:
http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/

You have a user interface that helps you create the script as you go through the File > Print dialogs and select the printer.  Say for example that the first part of the batch file just creates a temporary copy of the newly created *.htm file to a file of the same name each time.

You seem to already have a variable for the target file in place, so just create another (say %NEWFILE%) for the path to the new file name (say Temp_Print.htm).

Create the AutoIT Script to open that renamed temporary *.htm file and do a File > Print, then close the file.  This will allow you to create a universal *.exe file that can be called from a batch file.  I've used the name PrintHTM.exe in the example below:

@echo off
copy "%WD_FILE%" "%NEWFILE%"
start /b /wait PrintHTM.exe
del "%NEWFILE%" > nul
exit

Rob van der Woude's solution (as suggested earlier) is a good one if you really don't want to have to use any third party programs.

Alles van die beste. Tot siens.
Bill

 

by: steviedeehookPosted on 2008-08-29 at 04:38:56ID: 22344331

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

 

by: BillDLPosted on 2008-08-29 at 05:10:23ID: 22344531

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 :-)

 

by: steviedeehookPosted on 2008-08-29 at 05:21:28ID: 22344604

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

 

by: BillDLPosted on 2008-08-29 at 15:32:37ID: 22349739

No problem Steven.

 

by: BillDLPosted on 2008-08-29 at 15:35:08ID: 22349750

.... and yes, I do miss Boerewors, Biltong, and Castle Lager by the poolside :-(

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