DOCUMENT:Q257688 11-SEP-2001 [vbwin] TITLE :FIX: Printer Object Fails to Track Default Printer PRODUCT :Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows PROD/VER::6.0 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS:kbprint kbAPI kbCmnDlgPrint kbPrinting kbSDKWin32 kbVBp600bug kbGrpDSVB kbDSupport ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows, version 6.0 - Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows, version 6.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SYMPTOMS ======== When you try to select a printer in the Printer dialog box and then change a property of the Printer object, such as orientation, the Printer object does not retain the selected default printer setting. RESOLUTION ========== You can work around this problem by following either one of the two methods outlined here: Workaround #1 (for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me systems only) Use the GetProfileString function to obtain the default printer information. On Windows 9x and Windows Me systems, the default printer setting is stored in the Registry and in the [Windows] section of the win.ini file in the windows folder. The code line starting with "Device=" shows information about the default printer. The [Devices] section has information about all installed printers in the system. On Microsoft Windows NT and Microsoft Windows 2000, this information is stored in the Registry. The GetPrifileString function retrieves the default printer information on any of these systems because the win.ini file entries are remapped to the Registry. However, selecting a printer from the Common dialog box under Windows NT and Windows 2000 does not make it the default printer. See the "References" section of this article for more information. Workaround #2 Set Printer.TrackDefault=True after changing the printer in the Printer dialog box as follows: Private Sub Command1_Click() CommonDialog1.ShowPrinter Printer.TrackDefault=True MsgBox Printer.DeviceName End Sub STATUS ====== Microsoft has confirmed that this is a bug in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This bug was corrected in the latest service pack for Visual Studio 6.0. Microsoft has confirmed that this is a bug in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This bug was corrected in the latest service pack for Visual Studio 6.0. For additional information about Visual Studio service packs, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q194022 INFO: Visual Studio 6.0 Service Packs, What, Where, Why Q194295 HOWTO: Tell That a Visual Studio Service Pack Is Installed To download the latest Visual Studio service pack, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/downloads/updates.asp MORE INFORMATION ================ Steps to Reproduce Behavior --------------------------- 1. Create a new Standard EXE project in Visual Basic. Form1 is created by default. 2. From the Project menu, select Components, check Microsoft Common Dialog Control 6.0, and then click OK. 3. Add four Command buttons and a Common Dialog control to Form1. 4. Paste the following code into Form1's code window: Option Explicit Private Declare Function GetProfileString Lib "kernel32" Alias _ "GetProfileStringA" (ByVal lpAppName As String, _ ByVal lpKeyName As String, ByVal lpDefault As String, _ ByVal lpReturnedString As String, ByVal nSize As Long) As Long Private Sub Command1_Click() CommonDialog1.ShowPrinter MsgBox Printer.DeviceName End Sub Private Sub Command2_Click() Dim DeviceName As String Dim s As String Dim size As Long Dim p As Printer CommonDialog1.ShowPrinter size = 255 s = Space(255) size = GetProfileString("Windows", "Device", vbNullString, s, size) DeviceName = Left(s, InStr(1, s, ",") - 1) For Each p In Printers If p.DeviceName = DeviceName Then Set Printer = p Exit For End If Next p MsgBox Printer.DeviceName End Sub Private Sub Command3_Click() Printer.Orientation = vbPRORLandscape Printer.Print "x" Printer.EndDoc End Sub Private Sub Command4_Click() CommonDialog1.ShowPrinter Printer.TrackDefault = True MsgBox Printer.DeviceName End Sub Private Sub Form_Load() Command1.Caption = "Broken" Command2.Caption = "Fixed (Win 9x)" Command3.Caption = "Orientation" Command4.Caption = "Fixed" End Sub 5. Run the project and use the buttons named Fixed and Broken to display the Printer dialog box. Change the printer selection each time. Note that the message box displays the name of the printer that was selected. 6. Click the button named Orientation. Try using the Fixed and Broken buttons again. Notice that the message box displayed by the Broken button does not reflect the printer selected in the Printer dialog box. The message box displayed by Fixed reflects the printer selected in the Printer dialog box. On Windows 9x and Windows Me systems you can also see that the Fixed (Win 9x/Me) button works. REFERENCES ========== For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q198712 PRB: CommonDialog Changes System Wide Printer Properties Additional query words: ====================================================================== Keywords : kbprint kbAPI kbCmnDlgPrint kbPrinting kbSDKWin32 kbVBp600bug kbGrpDSVB kbDSupport Technology : kbVBSearch kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword6 kbZNotKeyword2 kbVB600Search kbVB600 Version : :6.0 Issue type : kbbug Solution Type : kbfix ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 2001.