Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!lethe!yunexus!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!adobe!heaven!glenn From: glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us (Glenn Reid) Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript Subject: Re: Problems with serial drivers (and postscript printer) Message-ID: <406@heaven.woodside.ca.us> Date: 25 Jan 91 05:05:18 GMT References: <405@heaven.woodside.ca.us> Reply-To: glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us (Glenn Reid) Organization: RightBrain Software, Woodside, CA Lines: 36 In article <405@heaven.woodside.ca.us> I wrote: >% define a string with two backspaces (octal \008) and use it as >% the name of a procedure: > >(\008\008) { > % do something to indicate that the procedure was actually > % called. If it works, delete this code: > 10 10 moveto > /Times-Roman findfont 24 scalefont setfont > (double-backspace handled) show > showpage >} def Henry McGilton from Sun was kind enough to point out to me through Email (rather than embarrassing me publicly) that there is no such thing as octal \008. That's what I get for counting up to "H" on my fingers :-) If you use the same program with (\010\010) instead of (\008\008) it might even work! I tested it this time, and defining a procedure with this name indeed gets invoked when you type (or send) two backspaces. HOWEVER (and this may be a big however), this relies on the two backspaces being followed by an EOF or a newline or a space or some token delimiter, or the scanner will probably hang waiting to finish scanning the token. I'm not sure exactly what your host is sending to the printer, and whether it sends a newline after the backspaces, but it's still worth a try, I guess. Sorry about that. And thanks, Henry :-) Glenn -- Glenn Reid RightBrain Software glenn@heaven.woodside.ca.us NeXT/PostScript developers ..{adobe,next}!heaven!glenn 415-851-1785 (fax 851-1470)