The PrintClient can be started using the desktop icon. It's also easy to create an iNEWS button to open the PrintClient from within iNEWS. In both cases the PrintClient GUI opens and the queue to print from has to be dragged in. But how can the PrintClient be started containing the currently opened queue so that the user has to chose the printstyle only?

If the PrintClient should be started in GUI mode containing the current queue than this queue must be known to the PrintClient. Because the PrintClient cannot interact with iNEWS directly it can read the system name and queue it should print from the Windows clipboard. So if you want the PrintClient to start in GUI mode containing the current iNEWS queue you have to copy the system name and the current queue into the Windows clipboard and start the PrintClient with the command line argument -c. The system and queue name in the Windows clipboard must have the following syntax:

[system_name]queue_name

the queue name is being separated by dots.

1. To copy the current queue into the Windows clipboard create an iNEWS button or keyboard macro containing the following macro for german iNEWS clients:

   {alt fa}{home}[NRCS]{home}{shift {end}}{ctrl c}{esc}

   or for english iNEWS clients

   {alt wo}{home}[NRCS]{home}{shift {end}}{ctrl c}{esc}

   NRCS has to be replaced by your iNEWS system name.

2. To start the PrintClient reading the system name and queue from the Windows clipboard create another button containing the following line in the Command Line field:

   {your_printclient_program_dir}\printclient.exe

   and the following line in the Options field:

   -c

   Where {your_printclient_program_dir} has to be replaced by the directory your PrintClient is installed in.

To print the current queue the user now

• Sets the cursor into the queue view.
• Presses the button or starts the keyboard macro created in step 1.
• Clicks the button created in step 2.

Sebastian Lorenz, 07.08.2008 10:12: