Java Print service

[Shivang Vyas]

Hi,
I am developing on Windows Xp with J2SDK1.4.2. I tried to print a text file using the following code. The code detects the printers, even allows selection of the printer to be used for printing, however when Print button is clicked, it does nothing at all. I do not know what is wrong with the code. My printer is otherwise working fine. Please help me if you can.

  
//Print1.java
import java.io.*;
import javax.print.*;
import javax.print.attribute.*;
import javax.print.attribute.standard.*;
import javax.print.event.*;
public class Print1 {
public Print1(){
// Input the file
FileInputStream textStream; 
try { 
textStream = new FileInputStream("text1.TXT");
if (textStream == null) { 
return; 
}
// Set the document type
DocFlavor myFormat = DocFlavor.INPUT_STREAM.PNG ;
// Create a Doc
DocAttributeSet das = new HashDocAttributeSet();
Doc myDoc = new SimpleDoc(textStream, myFormat, das); 
// Build a set of attributes
PrintRequestAttributeSet aset = new HashPrintRequestAttributeSet(); 
//aset.add((Attribute)new Copies(1)); 
//aset.add((Attribute)MediaSizeName.ISO_A4);
 aset.add(OrientationRequested.LANDSCAPE);
 aset.add(new Copies(1));
 aset.add(new JobName("My job", null));
//aset.add((Attribute)Sides.DUPLEX); 
// discover the printers that can print the format according to the
// instructions in the attribute set
PrintService[] services =PrintServiceLookup.lookupPrintServices(myFormat, aset);
PrintService defaultService =PrintServiceLookup.lookupDefaultPrintService();
// Create a print job from one of the print services
if (services.length > 0) { System.out.println("here1");}
else System.out.println("Probs again");
PrintService service = ServiceUI.printDialog(null, 200, 200,services, defaultService, myFormat, aset);
DocPrintJob job = (DocPrintJob)services[0].createPrintJob(); 
try { PrintJobWatcher pjDone = new PrintJobWatcher(job);
job.print(myDoc, aset); 
System.out.println("Here");

pjDone.waitForDone();
textStream.close();
} catch (PrintException pe) {System.out.println("Exception here");}
} catch (FileNotFoundException ffne) { System.out.println("Probs here");}
catch (IOException ie) { System.out.println("Probs here");}
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
Print1 p1=new Print1();
System.out.println("Done");
}
}

No Exceptions or error messages are thrown. But nothing is printed.
Thanks in advance,
shivang.

[Joe Ess]

I've never done printing in this fashion and since you didn't give us PrintJobWatcher I can't compile this code, but I'd say that starting out by opening a text file then setting the document type to an image (PNG) is probably a bad idea.

Originally posted by Shivang Vyas:

FileInputStream textStream; 
try { 
textStream = new FileInputStream("text1.TXT");
if (textStream == null) { 
return; 
}
// Set the document type
DocFlavor myFormat = DocFlavor.INPUT_STREAM.PNG ;

Have you looked over the Java Print Service API User Guide? There's some examples in there that may prove instructive.
[ December 31, 2003: Message edited by: Joe Ess ]

[Shivang Vyas]

Hi Joe,
Thanks for your reply. I had added the Print Job Watcher to ensure that the program doesnt end until printing has finished. However, Print job watcher is actually not required. You may do away with the 2 lines that use Print Job watcher and the code should still do printing. The two lines are the instantiation and initialisation of Print Jobwatcher and the call to the method wait till done method.
As regards your opinion about the use of png in the printing format, I have already tried using text_us_plain and so many other formats. But my printers get detected only get detected when I use png, otherwise the code returns null for printers deteced. I am using a Deskjet printer.
I have gone through Java Print Service API thoroughly and only after that I came up with the posting. I am totally clueless as to why my code wont work.
Please see if you could see any reason for it.
Thanks in advance,
Shivang.