!!! This is the 4.0d package containing the bug fix. !!! Thanks. Thomas Heil (Author) ============================================================================= WLPRSPL 4.0d, a Windows Sockets based print spooler for transparent printing to LPD print servers from Windows Applications WLPRSPL 4.0d allows you to print transparently from any Windows application to network printers. All that is needed is a Protocol DLL that implements an API for sending print jobs to such a remote printer. Included the following two Protocol DLLs: o WLPR2.DLL which implements the LPD protocol (RFC1179) and allows printing to LPD print servers (typically some UNIX hosts). o WJETDIR.DLL which allows printing two HP printers attached to the net through HP JetDirect interfaces. Key Features of Windows LPR Spooler 4.0d ======================================== o Windows LPR Spooler allows transparent printing from Microsoft Windows applications to network printers that are driven by a LPR based print server. o Windows LPR Spooler allows to install substantially more network printers simultaneously than it is possible just with redirected LPT1-3 ports. Beyond that it does not interfere with directly attached printers (no LPTx ports are abused for network printing). o Windows LPR Spooler queues print files locally before they are sent over the net. The user has the chance to delete locally queued jobs before they are sent. o Windows LPR Spooler allows querying the status of a remote printer queue as well as removing print jobs from it. o In case of spool failures (e.g. due to the server or the net being down) Windows LPR Spooler can retry to send print jobs after a user-definable amount of time. o Windows LPR Spooler has a so-called "unattended mode" in which errors that occur during a spool attempt are not reported to the user with a dialog box which would block the spooler. Instead the status display indicates that an error occured, and the user may check the cause for this error later. This allows, for example, over-night high volume batch printing. o Printing to network printers from DOS applications running under Windows is also possible in some limited fashion (the DOS app must be able to write its printer output to a file). o The included Protocol DLL WLPR2.DLL which handles the LPR/LPD protocol allows various queue-specific settings like - selection of file type according to RFC 1179 - specification of job name, job title, job class for print jobs - specification of include files which are pre- and/or appended to print jobs o Windows LPR Spooler can print to network printers over protocols different from LPR/LPD by supplying an appropriate Protocol DLL. One example is the included WJETDIR.DLL which allows direct printing to HP LaserJet printers that are attached to the Ethetnet with a HP JetDirect interface. Requirements: ============= o Microsoft Windows 3.1 o A Protocol DLL like the included WLPR2.DLL. o Networking software that offers a Windows Sockets 1.1 DLL if the included WLPR2.DLL is used as Protocol DLL (that's the normal case for printing to LPR/LPD (RFC 1179) based printers). New/fixed in Windows LPR Spooler Version 4.0d: ============================================== o Package includes WLPR2.DLL Version 2.0d and WSOCKAID.DLL Version 2.0c as well as the new WJETDIR.DLL 2Version 2.0. o The preferences option "Warn if Print Manager is deactivated" has been added. o The preferences option "Do not prompt when spooler is closed" has been added. o Code was added to make sure that new print jobs are recognized even if Print Manager is deactivated under Windows 3.x. o Now the spooler's main window can be hidden on startup as well as per menu option. o Fixed a bug that caused new jobs that came in while a dialog/message box was displayed to stay in queue. Now the job is sent as soon as the dialog/message box is closed. o In the "Select Spool Directory" dialog the creation of a new directory has been moved to a sub-dialog which can be reached by clicking the new "New dir..." button. o Fixed a bug in the memory allocation algorithm for the queue management. o Now under Windows 3.x the printer setup dialog of the Control Panel is automatically opened. Previously only the Control Panel was loaded, and the user had to manually open this dialog. New/fixed in WLPR2.DLL Version 2.0d: ==================================== o The Queue Properties dialog has been cleaned up a bit. Some options have been moved to an "Adcanced..." sub dialog. o The column in a "Query queue status" listing where scanning for a job number starts (used by the "Remove job" function when prompting the user for job numbers) can now be set individually for short and long listings. This is to account for servers that do not report the job number of a print job as the first whole number in a line. o If the DLL cannot find out the PC's host name the user is informed of this fact once, and a fake hostname made up with the PC's IP address in dotted decimal form is used. o Authentication for print jobs using a "B" record in the control file has been added (this feature needs an LPD that supports this non-standard control file instruction). o HP JetDirect printers seem to close the connection of an LPQ request with a reset, not gracefully. This is no longer handled as a real error condition, and no error message is shown. New/fixed in WSOCKAID.DLL Version 2.0c: ======================================= o Sometimes the username retrieved with WSAIDGetUsername had trailing blanks. They are now removed. o Username and hostname are now correctly returned under Windows NT. The ZIP file contains the program and necessary DLLs as well as documentation in form of PostScript and plain ASCII files. For installation and operating instructions please refer to this documentation and the included file README.TXT. The program is Shareware.