How To Create a Printer Device Context (DC) in MFC

• The Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC), included with:
  • Microsoft Visual C++ for Windows, 16-bit edition, version 1.52
  • Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Editions, versions 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2

SUMMARY

When you create a printer device context (DC) in Windows SDK programming, an application must retrieve ::CreateDC()'s parameters (such as driver name, device name and output port) from either a Win.ini file (16-bit) or a Windows registry (32-bit). In Microsoft Foundation Classes, this can be done via a call to functions CWinApp::GetPrinterDeviceDefaults() and CPrintDialog::CreatePrinterDC().

This article shows you a way to create a printer device context using the default selected printer without displaying the Print dialog box. To create a printer device context for a non-default printer, please refer to Chapter 15 of "Programming Windows 3.1" by Charles Petzold.

MORE INFORMATION

The CWinApp::GetPrinterDeviceDefaults() expects a PRINTDLG structure to be passed in such a way that the data retrieved can be stored in the DEVMODE and DEVNAMES handles of the structure. Those data are then used to create a printer DC in the CPrintDialog::CreatePrinterDC() function.

Since CreatePrinterDC() and m_pd (a PRITNDLG variable) are member function and member variable of the CPrintDialog class, a CPrintDialog variable is defined and used in the following sample code.

Sample Code

// Instantiate a CPrintDialog object.
CPrintDialog dlg(FALSE);

// Retrieve the current printer defaults from the Windows .ini file
// as necessary, or uses the last printer configuration set by the
// user in Print Setup.
CWinApp* app = AfxGetApp();
if (!app->GetPrinterDeviceDefaults(&dlg.m_pd))
    {
    // Fails to create a printer device context for printing because
    // no printer is being installed. Bring up dialog box to alert the
    // users that they need to install a printer.  This step is optional.
    if (app->DoPrintDialog(&dlg) != IDOK)
       return ;
    }

// Creates a printer DC from the DEVMODE and DEVNAMES structures.
if (dlg.CreatePrinterDC() == NULL)
    return ;

// A printer device context (DC) has been created.
// Attach it to a CDC object. The DC is deleted when the CDC
// object goes out of scope.
CDC PrintDC;
PrintDC.Attach(dlg.m_pd.hDC);

// ADD YOUR CODE HERE. 

REFERENCES

"Programming Windows 3.1," Charles Petzold, Chapter 15, Microsoft Press, 1992

Additional query words: 2.00 2.10 2.20 4.00 4.10 4.20 1.50 1.51 1.00 2.50 2.51 2.52 3.00 3.10 3.20

Keywords          : kbcode kbMFC kbPrinting kbVC 
Version           : 1.52 2.00 2.10 2.20 4.00 4.10 4.
Platform          : NT WINDOWS 
Issue type        : 

Last Reviewed: July 28, 1999