topic Re: Printer Paper Sizes in .NET Forum

Printer Paper Sizes

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:33:57 GMT

I am trying to get the various sizes of paper for each printer. I can do this for Windows Printers.

But I also want to get the sizes of the .pc3 files.

So far I have this.

   Friend Function GetPaperSizes(ByVal Plotter As String) As StringCollection
      For i = 0 To PrinterSettings.InstalledPrinters.Count - 1
         ps.PrinterName = PrinterSettings.InstalledPrinters.Item(i)
         For j = 0 To ps.PaperSizes.Count - 1
            pz = ps.PaperSizes.Item(j)
            AcadEdt.WriteMessage(vbLf & pz.PaperName & " w=" & pz.Width * 0.254 & " h=" & pz.Height * 0.254)
         Next
      Next
      Dim p As PlotConfig = PlotConfigManager.SetCurrentConfig(Plotter)
      Dim t As String = p.Comment
      AcadEdt.WriteMessage(vbLf & t)
      Using tr As Transaction = CurDb.TransactionManager.StartTransaction()
         Dim lyMgr As LayoutManager = LayoutManager.Current                               '  Get the current layout
         Dim cLayout As Layout = tr.GetObject(lyMgr.GetLayoutId(lyMgr.CurrentLayout), OpenMode.ForRead)
         Dim cpInfo As PlotInfo = New PlotInfo()                                          '  Get the PlotInfo from the layout 
         cpInfo.Layout = cLayout.ObjectId                                                 '  Get a copy of the PlotSettings from the layout
         Dim cpSet As PlotSettings = New PlotSettings(cLayout.ModelType)
         cpSet.CopyFrom(cLayout)                                                          '  Update the PlotConfigurationName property of the PlotSettings object
         Dim s As String = pl.Comment
         '  Returns a list of media sizes that are supported for the current device or the PC3 files. (Acad Help)
         '  except that it always returns ""
         Dim cpVdr As PlotSettingsValidator = PlotSettingsValidator.Current
         Try
            Return cpVdr.GetCanonicalMediaNameList(cpSet)
         Catch ex As Exception
            Return Nothing
         End Try
      End Using
   End Function

So,

I am looking for the various sheet descriptions + width and height.

All help gratefully received.

Re: Printer Paper Sizes

SENL1362 — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:41:35 GMT

These (C#) samples may help you to find the answers.

1: QueryPlotters()

2: QueryMediaNames()

3: QueryPlotStyles()

4: QueryPaperSize()

5: QueryNamedPlotStyles()

6: QueryDetailedNamedPlotStyles()

Re: Printer Paper Sizes

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:01:53 GMT

Thanks for your help.

I've got a bit of this already, but you may well have found the missing bits for me.

Let me have a look and I'll get back to you.

Re: Printer Paper Sizes

SENL1362 — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:10:30 GMT

Watchout for the custom papersizes when creating NamedPlotStyles.

These custom papersizes are referenced by their internal id and those may alter when newley defined in a PC3 file or in the Printer.

Re: Printer Paper Sizes

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:23:46 GMT

OK. Converted to VB and tried the code

   Public Sub QueryDetailedNamedPlotStyles()
       Dim plSetVdr As PlotSettingsValidator = PlotSettingsValidator.Current
      CurDb.TileMode = False
      AcadEdt.SwitchToPaperSpace()
      Using tr As Transaction = CurDb.TransactionManager.StartTransaction()
         Dim plotDict As DBDictionary = DirectCast(CurDb.PlotSettingsDictionaryId.GetObject(OpenMode.ForRead), DBDictionary)
         AcadEdt.WriteMessage(vbLf & "{0} NamedPlotStyles", plotDict.Count)

etc.

plotDict.Count alwats returns 0, so I don't get the sizes etc.

I went to Page Setup, ensured I had a plotter set etc.

However, in reality the idea is to plot automatically so people don't have to setup Page.

Re: Printer Paper Sizes

SENL1362 — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:43:03 GMT

Propably an empty drawing -- no Named Plot Styles.

Try to add some from within paperspace: File/Page Setup Manager/New...

Enter Printer/Pc3, Papersize, PlotArea, PlotScale, Orientation and Pen Table

Re: Printer Paper Sizes

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:09:42 GMT

Sorry. Didn't look closely enough.

I think QueryMediaNames may do the trick.

Incidently, I didn't know you could do what you do with the WriteMessage function. Neat.

I'll get back

Re: Printer Paper Sizes

SENL1362 — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:30:23 GMT

Incidently, I didn't know you could do what you do with the WriteMessage function. Neat.

Do you referring to the Formatting of strings such as in:

ed.WriteMessage("\n\tPaper: {0:0.00} X {1:0.00} ({2})", ps.PlotPaperSize.X, ps.PlotPaperSize.Y, ps.CanonicalMediaName);

You can use that in any String operation, like

String myFormattedString =String.Format("{0:0.0}", TheValue); // "0.0"

String.Format("{0:0.0}", 0.0); // "0.0"
String.Format("{0:0.#}", 0.0); // "0"

Re: Printer Paper Sizes

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:07:09 GMT

I've got it working and it is just what I want.

PSizes is used elsewhere and is a global variable. It contains the Width and Height and I use the CanonicalMediaName as a key.

a_Paper.Suffix is read from an INI file and contains MM, or CM or INCHES etc.

So my code is this:

   Public Sub QueryMediaNames()
      PSizes = New Collection
      Dim layMgr As LayoutManager = LayoutManager.Current
      Dim plSetVdr As PlotSettingsValidator = PlotSettingsValidator.Current
      Using tr As Transaction = CurDb.TransactionManager.StartTransaction()
         Dim ly As Layout = DirectCast(tr.GetObject(layMgr.GetLayoutId(layMgr.CurrentLayout), OpenMode.ForRead), Layout)
         Dim np As New PlotSettings(ly.ModelType)
         np.CopyFrom(ly)
         Dim canMedNames As StringCollection = plSetVdr.GetCanonicalMediaNameList(np)
         Dim i As Integer, s As String
         For Each c As String In canMedNames
            If c.ToUpper.Contains(a_Paper.Suffix.ToUpper) Then
               i = InStr(c, "(")
               If i > 0 Then
                  Dim p As gs_Size
                  s = c.Substring(i)
                  s = s.Substring(0, s.Length - 4)
                  i = InStr(s, "_x_")
                  p.Width = CSng(s.Substring(0, i - 1))
                  p.Height = CSng(s.Substring(i + 2))
                  PSizes.Add(p, c)
               End If
            End If
         Next
      End Using
   End Sub

Thanks for your help.

I now need to use the paper sizes.

Re: Printer Paper Sizes

jeff — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:39:21 GMT

You can create a global variable using CIL but I do not think you can in VB.NET

Re: Printer Paper Sizes

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:14:42 GMT

we may be thinking of different things but I use Public

Re: Printer Paper Sizes

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:26:38 GMT

We may be a cross-purposes.

You can define variables as Public, in which case they can be accessed across different classes and modules.

Re: Printer Paper Sizes

jeff — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:20:22 GMT

What you are calling a variable still has to be accessed through a object.

In VB when you use a Module which is just a shared class it uses Type Promotion to promote the members to namespace scope, but create a class with the same name and you have to type module name.

The only declarations allowed at namespace level are module, interface, class, delegate, enumeration, and structure declarations.

Re: Printer Paper Sizes

Anonymous — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:31:10 GMT

We are sort of getting away from the point. Thanks anyway.

Re: Printer Paper Sizes

Anonymous — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 05:46:02 GMT

Sorry for necro post... How do this function on VBA? If it possible...