HOWTO: Make Word Print Duplex Using OLE Automation

ID: Q194306

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 5.0a, 6.0

SUMMARY

This article demonstrates how to use OLE automation from Visual FoxPro to Microsoft Word for Windows 97 to print a document duplex.

MORE INFORMATION

Since the dialog box that sets duplex printing is part of the printer setup, there is not a direct command that you can issue that causes a document to print duplex. However, there are three ways that do work allowing you to print documents duplex.

The printer used in this test is a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printer, which supports duplex printing.

Method 1

Use the PRINT field in Word to send the printer escape code that puts the printer in duplex mode. The following code demonstrates this:


   oWord=CREATEOBJECT("Word.Application")
   WITH oWord
      .Visible=.T.
      .Documents.Add

      .Activewindow.View.ShowFieldCodes=0   && Don't view field codes.
      * Insert PRINT field & Hewlett-Packard escape code for duplex, long-
      * edge binding.
      * It is an ampersand, lower-case L, numeric 1, and upper-case S.
      .Selection.Fields.Add(.Selection.Range,-1,"PRINT 27 &l1S")
      .Selection.Moveright

      .Selection.Insertafter("Page 1")
      .Selection.Moveright

      odlog=oWord.Dialogs(159) && Insert page break w/ Dialogs collection.
      odlog.Execute

      .Selection.Insertafter("Page 2")
      .Selection.Moveright

      .Printout(0)                   && 0 turns off background printing.

      .Application.Quit(0)           && Quit, don't save & don't prompt.
   ENDWITH

This code does not work if the Word document contains mixed orientation, that is portrait and landscape sections.

NOTE: This code only works with the Service Release-1 (SR-1) for Word 97. Prior versions of Word 97 do not duplex print using this code.

For the Word document to print correctly, it should not contain headers or footers on every page. However, it should print duplex if the document is setup to have a different first page header or footer only and the PRINT field is inserted on the first line of the header followed by a carriage return.

Method 2

Use the SendKeys command to send keystrokes to Word, which simulates using keystrokes to open the Print dialog box.


   oWord=CREATEOBJECT("Word.Application")
   WITH oWord
      .Visible=.T.
      .Documents.Add

      * This code creates a two page document to print.
      .Selection.Insertafter("Page 1 - With SendKeys")
      .Selection.Moveright
      odlog=oWord.Dialogs(159) && Insert page break w/ Dialogs collection.
      odlog.Execute
      .Selection.Insertafter("Page 2 - With SendKeys")
      .Selection.Moveright
      * End of document creation.

      .Application.Activate
      .Wordbasic.Sendkeys("%fp%p%d{enter}{tab}{enter}", -1)
      =INKEY(2)   && May need to wait couple seconds before quitting.
      .Application.Quit(0)           && Quit, don't save & don't prompt.
   ENDWITH

In the Sendkeys command, the % sign represents using the ALT key to access Windows menus. The INKEY() command allows Word to process the keystrokes before Visual FoxPro for Windows processes the Quit. This may need to be adjusted up, down, or removed depending on the application.

To use Sendkeys, Word must be visible, not minimized, since the keystrokes must go to an active window. You can move Word off screen by using the AppMove command, so that Word does not show, but the dialog box still displays. Also, using Sendkeys can be disconcerting because the menus and dialog boxes open and process as if you were in Word and pressed the ALT+F keys to open the File menu.

Method 3

Create a Word macro that issues the Sendkeys. If the macro is named SendKey, then run the macro from Visual FoxPro using the following command:


     oWord=CREATEOBJECT("Word.Application")
       WITH oWord
       .Visible=.T.
       .Documents.Add
       .Application.Activate
       .Run("SendKey")
       .Application.Quit(0)           && Quit, don't save & don't prompt.
    ENDWITH

The minimum code for the Word macro to send the keys for duplex printing follows:


   Sub SendKey()
      SendKeys "%fp%p%d{enter}{tab}{enter}"
   End Sub

NOTE: Please see the NOTE in Method 2 for problems you may encounter using SendKeys.

REFERENCES

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q69939 How to Use Percent, Caret, and Plus SendKeys in WinWord

Q135569 WD: PCL Escape Codes to Use with the PRINT Field

For more information about obtaining Word for Windows 97 Service Release 1 (SR-1), please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q172475 OFF97: How to Obtain and Install MS Office 97 SR-1

Additional query words: kbVFp600 kbole kbInterOp kbvfp500a


Keywords          : 
Version           : WINDOWS:5.0a,6.0
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: July 30, 1999