PPT: How to Use the Shell Function to Print a Presentation

ID: Q169995

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft PowerPoint 97 for Windows
Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 95, version 7.0

SUMMARY

This article provides a sample Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications procedure that uses the Shell function to print one or more Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language being demonstrated and the tools used to create and debug procedures. Microsoft Support professionals can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to contact the Microsoft fee-based consulting line at (800) 936-5200. For more information about the support options available from Microsoft, please see the following page on the World Wide Web:

   http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/refguide/default.asp

You can print one or more PowerPoint presentations from the command prompt or a shortcut using the /p switch. When printing multiple presentations, this method allows you to apply print-setting changes to all the presentations using a single dialog box.

PowerPoint 97 has added even more flexibility by providing the following options when printing more than one presentation with the /p switch:

Show print dialog once and apply settings to all documents.
Show print dialog for each document.

NOTE: PowerPoint 7.0 shows the Print dialog box once and applies the settings to all documents that follow the /p switch. To mimic the "Show print dialog for each document" option, use separate Shell function calls.

The following sample demonstrates the use of the Shell function and the /p switch to print one or more presentations.

Sample Visual Basic Procedure

   Sub ShellPrint()

      Dim strPath As String
      Dim strShellStatment As String
      Dim dRetVal As Double

      ' Get the path to Powerpnt.exe.
      strPath = PowerPoint.Application.Path

      ' Start building the first Shell function argument.
      strShellStatment = strPath & "\Powerpnt.exe /p "

      ' Use this to print a single presentation called C:\Test.ppt.
      strShellStatment = strShellStatment & "C:\Test.ppt"

      ' Use the following syntax to print more than one presentation.
      ' strShellStatment = strShellStatment & "C:\Test.ppt C:\Test2.ppt"

      ' Execute the Shell function.
      dRetVal = Shell(strShellStatment, 1)

      ' If the Shell function call fails, 0 is returned.
      If dRetVal = 0 Then
         ' The Shell function failed. Enter error-trapping code here.
         MsgBox "The Shell command failed!", vbCritical
      End If

   End Sub

REFERENCES

For additional information about getting help with Visual Basic for Applications, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q163435
   TITLE     : VBA: Programming Resources for Visual Basic for
               Applications

Additional query words: ppt97 8.0 vba statement option

Keywords          : kbcode kbmacro kbprg kbdta kbdtacode 
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: May 17, 1999