Q221780: PRB: Printer Properties Show Incorrect Values

Article: Q221780
Product(s): Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows
Version(s): 4.0,5.0,6.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbprint kbPrinting kbVBp kbVBp400 kbVBp500 kbVBp600 kbGrpDSVB kbDSupport
Last Modified: 11-SEP-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual Basic Learning Edition for Windows, versions 5.0, 6.0 
- 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 
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SYMPTOMS
========

When you read a printer property, such as Mycopies = Printer.Copies, before you
print anything, the results are incorrect. Specifically, the values that are
returned do not match what you see when you examine the printer's properties
directly.

CAUSE
=====

This behavior occurs because the printer object is not initialized.

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

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

1. Start a new Standard EXE project. Form1 is created by default.

2. Add a CommandButton, a ComboBox, and four TextBox controls to Form1.

3. In the code window of Form1, paste the following code:

  Option Explicit
  Dim MyX As Printer

  Private Sub Combo1_Click()
      For Each MyX In Printers
          If MyX.DeviceName = Combo1.Text Then
              Set Printer = MyX
              Exit For
          End If
      Next
      
      Text1.Text = Printer.Copies
      Text2.Text = Printer.DeviceName
      Text3.Text = Printer.Orientation
      'Text4.Text = Printer.CurrentX
  End Sub

  Private Sub Command1_Click()
      Unload Me
  End Sub

  Private Sub Form_Load()
  Dim x As Integer

      For x = 0 To Printers.Count - 1
          Combo1.AddItem Printers(x).DeviceName
      Next x
      
      Combo1.Text = Printer.DeviceName

      Text1.Text = Printer.Copies
      Text2.Text = Printer.DeviceName
      Text3.Text = Printer.Orientation
      'Text4.Text = Printer.CurrentX
  End Sub

4. Make sure that you have more than one printer installed on the computer, and
  that the default number of copies and orientation are different for both
  printers.

5. Save and run the project. When you change selections with Combo1, the value
  in Text2 changes, but Text1 and Text3 do not change and are therefore
  incorrect. Text4 is not being used yet.

6. Click Command1 to stop the project.

WORKAROUND
----------

1. Under Combo1_Click and Form1_Load in the preceding code, uncomment the lines
  that read "Text4.Text = Printer.CurrentX".

2. Save and run the project again. When you change selections with Combo1, the
  values for the first three TextBoxes change to the correct values. Text4
  simply receives the same value each time.

Additional query words:

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Keywords          : kbprint kbPrinting kbVBp kbVBp400 kbVBp500 kbVBp600 kbGrpDSVB kbDSupport 
Technology        : kbVBSearch kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword6 kbZNotKeyword2 kbVB500Search kbVB600Search kbVBA500 kbVBA600 kbVB500 kbVB600 kbVB400Search kbVB400
Version           : :4.0,5.0,6.0
Issue type        : kbprb

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