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From: josephc@tybalt.caltech.edu (Joseph I. Chiu)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: HELP! MS-DOS interception of data to PRN
Keywords: printer MS DOS MS-DOS code intercept help
Message-ID: <1990May4.235545.5569@laguna.ccsf.caltech.edu>
Date: 4 May 90 23:55:45 GMT
References: <1990May4.054639.19766@laguna.ccsf.caltech.edu>
Sender: news@laguna.ccsf.caltech.edu
Distribution: comp
Organization: California Institute of Technology
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This is a preliminary followup to my article asking for help with the way
MS-DOS intercepts a EOF going to the printer.

First, thanks to those of you who have started sending suggestions. 

A few people mentioned that the FILE stream had to be opened as a binary
stream.  That is, in fact, the way I have been running it.  It works almost
perfectly EXCEPT for the fact that it intercepts a EOF character.

By the way, most C implementations open the stdprn as a binary stream, so
that wasn't it.  ( By the way, it is almost always a good idea to freopen
the three std-streams.  That way, you can redirect your programs' output
to a file as an added bonus!)

A few more people mentioned COPYing the file to the printer.  Most were quick
to point out that you had to use COPY /B FILE PRN.  THIS WORKS.  (I was 
thinking about COPY, but I forgot all about the /B, so I had gibberish
there, too).

Finally, someone mentioned using the ioctl function.  Hmmm..  Seems to me,
from what information I have currently, it would work.  I'll try it and give you
guys a holler later about this...  The gist of it is that you have to tell DOS
to stop treating the PRN device in "cooked mode".

Thanks guys.  I LOVE the net...  You are wonderful.  (Try getting this fast
support/service with Borland or Microsoft...  Ugh.)

-Joseph

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 JosephC @ Romeo.Caltech.Edu   My opinions, all mine, and you can't have them!
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