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Q198712: PRB: CommonDialog Changes System Wide Printer Properties

Article: Q198712
Product(s): Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows
Version(s): 4.0,5.0,6.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbCmnDlg kbCmnDlgPrint kbVBp kbVBp400 kbVBp500 kbVBp600
Last Modified: 14-MAY-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual Basic Standard Edition for Windows, version 4.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows, versions 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows, versions 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 
- Microsoft Visual Basic Learning Edition for Windows, versions 5.0, 6.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

When you use the Printer CommonDialog from a Visual Basic application under
Windows 95 or Windows 98, changes made may be shared with other applications. If
you look at the properties of the printer being used, it may also reflect your
selections. This can include, but is not limited to, attributes such as Copies,
PaperSize, Default Source, Duplex and Orientation.

CAUSE
=====

The Common Dialog itself does not normally effect global default settings.
However, the implementation in the Visual Basic Common Dialog control does. This
is how changes made in the dialog are made known to the Printer object, which
reads the new global default settings.

NOTE: With Windows NT, this is not a problem. Windows NT security features
prevent the Common Dialog Control from changing the printer's global default
settings. This also means that the Printer object is not updated with the user's
selections in the Common Dialog. Please see the article in the REFERENCES
section for more information.

RESOLUTION
==========

The workaround for this behavior is to substitute another dialog box for the
Printer Common Dialog. Here are two basic ways to do this:

1. Use the Win32 API function PrintDlg or PageSetupDlg to open a printer dialog
  box. Changes made through this dialog are stored in a DEVMODE structure.
  These settings can then be assigned directly to the Printer object's
  properties. The article in the REFERENCES section includes an example of
  using the PrintDlg API for this purpose.

2. The second way, is to create and use your own dialog box rather than the
  CommonDialog control. The changes made through this dialog can then be
  assigned directly to the Printer object's properties.

STATUS
======

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION
================

As you work through the following steps, please note that when the Printer
Common Dialog is first displayed from a Visual Basic application, it always
defaults to Copies = 1, regardless of what the printer driver's current default
setting may be.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior
---------------------------

1. Create a new Visual Basic Project. Form1 is created by default.

2. From the Project menu, choose Components, and then select the "Microsoft
  Common Dialog Control". Click OK.

3. Add a command button and a Common Dialog control to Form1.

4. Paste the following code into the form's module:

        Private Sub Command1_Click()
        Debug.Print "Before: CommonDialog Copies = " & CommonDialog1.Copies _
           & ", "; "Printer Object Copies = " & Printer.Copies
        CommonDialog1.ShowPrinter
        Debug.Print "After:  CommonDialog Copies = " & CommonDialog1.Copies _
           & ", "; "Printer Object Copies = " & Printer.Copies
        End Sub

5. Check the Copies property of your default printer driver; set it to 1.

6. Run the Project and click Command1.

7. In the Printer Dialog box, change Copies to 4, and then click OK. The
  Immediate Window will contain the following:

  Before: CommonDialog Copies = 1; Printer Object Copies = 1
  After:  CommonDialog Copies = 4; Printer Object Copies = 4

8. Close the Project and check the Copies property of your default printer
  driver. You will see that the Copies property also contains the value 4.

9. Open a text editor, like Wordpad and select Print. The dialog box that opens
  also shows Copies = 4. If you change Copies from here, it remembers the
  change, but does not affect the printer driver.

REFERENCES
==========

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article
in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q173981 PRB: Behavior Differences of Print Dialog Box on Different Platforms

NOTE: This article includes an example of the first workaround.

MSDN Library CD

WIN32 Software Development Kit (SDK) Programmer's Guide, search on: "DEVMODE".

Additional query words: comdlg32

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbCmnDlg kbCmnDlgPrint kbVBp kbVBp400 kbVBp500 kbVBp600 
Technology        : kbVBSearch kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword6 kbZNotKeyword2 kbVB500Search kbVB600Search kbVB500 kbVB600 kbVB400Search kbVB400
Version           : :4.0,5.0,6.0
Issue type        : kbprb

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