I have a customer that's using some gw-basic programs.  He's moved to an NT
Server for file/print services.  When he prints reports using LPrint to a
re-directed LPT1, the report is held for a minute or so before it prints.  I
have tweaked the server to no end until I realized that it's gw-basic that's
the problem.  If he exits the gw-basic program, the print occurs
immediately, or if the program "ends", it also prints immediately.  However,
he has a menu handler which keeps the program running.  Is there an LPrint
switch or command to "end" the print output so that the server sends the
report to the printer immediately?

Thank you for your courtesy,

Richard Micko
Clipper Computer, Inc.

NT sees your menu handler as the running program, so it doesn't print anything
until the virtual printer device times out.

Have you tried opening the printer as a file (OPEN "O", #n, "LPT1") and writing
to it?  When you close this 'file', NT should recognize this as the end of the
print job.

Of course, I don't know NT, so it could be something as easy as LPRINTing two
consecutive null characters.

**********************************************************************
If it's spam, it's a scam.  Don't do business with Net abusers.

-CB

We had a similar problem with both DOS-BASIC variants and also with
PrtScr outputs where I worked a few years ago.  The spooling system
looks for an end-of-job character which this class of client does not
provide.

IIRC we had to add a LPRINT command to shove a form feed at the end of
print to cause it to see EOJob.  Particularly when the BASIC client
wants to send multiple jobs in rapid succession, having them
nose-to-tail was a proper pain in the butt.  With the screen print we
never solved it.

Try a form feed, or maybe the nulls suggested elsewhere may work
better.

LOL

Peter
PERTH - WESTERN AUSTRALIA
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