printing user-friendly sheets - last chance to save me!

grand jojo webforumsuser@macromedia.com · grand jojo webforumsuser@macromedia.com

thanks to the help regarding my pdf printing question last month. i now know i can't do it...
i still have a job, tho, so ...

i have thought for a long time (hence the delayed response) over this problem.

what i have is a scrollable table of ten products (in the same scrolled window) each product has a picture, a code and some prices in a tabbed list (so it's not just text, you see) - under each product section there needs to be a button, that, when clicked, activates the print window and prints a sheet of A4 out with only the relevant product info and a company logo at the top.

ok. i'll have to create 10 different documents in dreamweaver, drop the info and logo on and name them differently: "product_01.html" "product_02.html" etc. - that's fine - i can do that.

SO, the 'main' document (with the list on) is open in the browser - the client wants the customer to press a 'print info' button under the first product info and "product_01.html" prints out of printer WITHOUT THE CLIENT OPENING OR SEEING THIS DOCUMENT - that's the important thing and one that's got me stuck (the default browser's 'print window box' can come up on screen - that is not a problem).

i am not good at HTML (so please forgive the incorrectness of the codes etc but hopefully someone could tidy it up or say i'm on the right lines: (or not)

this is route one: each button on 'main ' document has code. something like:

Onclick=print.doc ("product_01.html") it targets the document and prints it. Voila!

now that code seems simple but i don't think its possible. so what about: (route two);

button on 'main' document does open the document "product_01.html" but BEHIND main document (unseen), prints it and closes it. viewer non-the-wiser.

so the code may look a BIT like: (no laughing, OK?)
main document has a button under first product with the code:
Onclick= Openbrowserwindow ("product_01.html")

the document "product_01.html" has some code that reads:
beforeOnload=focus(behind)
Onload=print.thiswindow
Onprint=close.thiswindow

it's a bit long winded this message but i wanted to be a bit specific. if you are still reading this i hope you are the one with the answer!

many thanks

Le Grand jojo
"GOD CREATED THE UNIVERSE - BUT DIED IN THE EXPLOSION"

darrel · darrel

Does the client have a real reason for using a print button on the web page?
'PRINTING' is a standard feature of pretty much any program that may be on
the end-user's computer. They know how to print things. If the issue is
formatting, look into using Print Style Sheets. This will allow you to
selectively choose which page elements are sent to the printer and how they
will look without having to create separate print pages.

As for getting this to work without the pop-up print dialogue, I don't think
there is anything you can do. This is an application/OS level function...not
a web page function.

-Darrel

Sir Sixx · Sir Sixx

I think i understand what you want to do.... this
[url]http://www.billowsprotocol.com/html_contact.htm[/url]
but I cant find the source code at the moment.

Will post it when i find it.

"grand jojo" <webforumsuser@macromedia.com> wrote in message
news:bfh1fl$7sr$1@forums.macromedia.com...

> thanks to the help regarding my pdf printing question last month. i now

know i can't do it...

> i still have a job, tho, so ...
>
> i have thought for a long time (hence the delayed response) over this

problem.

>
> what i have is a scrollable table of ten products (in the same scrolled

window) each product has a picture, a code and some prices in a tabbed list
(so it's not just text, you see) - under each product section there needs to
be a button, that, when clicked, activates the print window and prints a
sheet of A4 out with only the relevant product info and a company logo at
the top.

>
> ok. i'll have to create 10 different documents in dreamweaver, drop the

info and logo on and name them differently: "product_01.html"
"product_02.html" etc. - that's fine - i can do that.

>
> SO, the 'main' document (with the list on) is open in the browser - the

client wants the customer to press a 'print info' button under the first
product info and "product_01.html" prints out of printer WITHOUT THE CLIENT
OPENING OR SEEING THIS DOCUMENT - that's the important thing and one that's
got me stuck (the default browser's 'print window box' can come up on
screen - that is not a problem).

>
> i am not good at HTML (so please forgive the incorrectness of the codes

etc but hopefully someone could tidy it up or say i'm on the right lines:
(or not)

>
> this is route one: each button on 'main ' document has code. something

like:

>
> Onclick=print.doc ("product_01.html") it targets the document and prints

it. Voila!

>
> now that code seems simple but i don't think its possible. so what about:

(route two);

>
> button on 'main' document does open the document "product_01.html" but

BEHIND main document (unseen), prints it and closes it. viewer
non-the-wiser.

>
> so the code may look a BIT like: (no laughing, OK?)
> main document has a button under first product with the code:
> Onclick= Openbrowserwindow ("product_01.html")
>
> the document "product_01.html" has some code that reads:
> beforeOnload=focus(behind)
> Onload=print.thiswindow
> Onprint=close.thiswindow
>
> it's a bit long winded this message but i wanted to be a bit specific. if

you are still reading this i hope you are the one with the answer!

>
> many thanks
>
> Le Grand jojo
> "GOD CREATED THE UNIVERSE - BUT DIED IN THE EXPLOSION"
>
>

grand jojo webforumsuser@macromedia.com · grand jojo webforumsuser@macromedia.com

hello darrel

the pop-up to print window box to appear is fine. that's not an issue.

problem is the list on the page. each listed product has its own print button (that's ten buttons on the same page - each button printing out a related product - it's like a MORE INFO button that opens a seperate browser except that the client doesn't WANT it to open another window just print it out!). so as you scroll down looking at the products - you can say "ok i'll print that out and have a look at it later" but you can continue looking at the main stuff on screen

using the print button on the browser is no good neither is 'command_p' it will print

but i can use CSS style sheets to isolate these ten different sections? is that complicated?

many thanks
grand jojo

Julian Roberts · Julian Roberts

You might want to try something like

<link href="page2.htm" media="print">

Although, it'll probably only work in IE

--
Jules
-----
Charon Cart 3
[url]http://www.charon.co.uk/charoncart[/url]

grand jojo wrote:

> thanks to the help regarding my pdf printing question last month. i
> now know i can't do it...
> i still have a job, tho, so ...
>
> i have thought for a long time (hence the delayed response) over this
> problem.
>
> what i have is a scrollable table of ten products (in the same
> scrolled window) each product has a picture, a code and some prices
> in a tabbed list (so it's not just text, you see) - under each
> product section there needs to be a button, that, when clicked,
> activates the print window and prints a sheet of A4 out with only the
> relevant product info and a company logo at the top.
>
> ok. i'll have to create 10 different documents in dreamweaver, drop
> the info and logo on and name them differently: "product_01.html"
> "product_02.html" etc. - that's fine - i can do that.
>
> SO, the 'main' document (with the list on) is open in the browser -
> the client wants the customer to press a 'print info' button under
> the first product info and "product_01.html" prints out of printer
> WITHOUT THE CLIENT OPENING OR SEEING THIS DOCUMENT - that's the
> important thing and one that's got me stuck (the default browser's
> 'print window box' can come up on screen - that is not a problem).
>
> i am not good at HTML (so please forgive the incorrectness of the
> codes etc but hopefully someone could tidy it up or say i'm on the
> right lines: (or not)
>
> this is route one: each button on 'main ' document has code.
> something like:
>
> Onclick=print.doc ("product_01.html") it targets the document and
> prints it. Voila!
>
> now that code seems simple but i don't think its possible. so what
> about: (route two);
>
> button on 'main' document does open the document "product_01.html"
> but BEHIND main document (unseen), prints it and closes it. viewer
> non-the-wiser.
>
> so the code may look a BIT like: (no laughing, OK?)
> main document has a button under first product with the code:
> Onclick= Openbrowserwindow ("product_01.html")
>
> the document "product_01.html" has some code that reads:
> beforeOnload=focus(behind)
> Onload=print.thiswindow
> Onprint=close.thiswindow
>
> it's a bit long winded this message but i wanted to be a bit
> specific. if you are still reading this i hope you are the one with
> the answer!
>
> many thanks
>
> Le Grand jojo
> "GOD CREATED THE UNIVERSE - BUT DIED IN THE EXPLOSION"

darrel · darrel

> it's like a MORE INFO button that opens a seperate browser except that the
client doesn't

> WANT it to open another window just print it out!).

But what if the end-user doesn't want to print it, but just view it? Or save
the file to their computer? Or email the information to someone? Or link to
it? Or maybe print it, but needs the print dialogue to choose the proper
network printer? Or needs the dialogue to choose the appropraite tray in the
printer, or orientation, or print style, or...well, you get my point.

Yea, the client is 'always right' but sometimes you really need to try as
hard as you can to educate the client.

Like I said, most people know how to print something, so they'd naturally
just click MORE INFO then print it.

> using the print button on the browser is no good neither is 'command_p' it

will print

Well, if the client is beligerant, what can you do? ;o)

> but i can use CSS style sheets to isolate these ten different sections? is

that complicated?

Well, I don't think that will address your specific issue, unfortunately.
The issue here is that your client wants to bend the rules of how web
browsing is supposed to work, so I'm not sure what the solution would be.

-Darrel

Sir Sixx · Sir Sixx

Hi,

Okay here we go.
On your print button, your link needs to be javascript:print()

Then in your header you need this:
<Link rel=alternate media=print href="doc_name.html">

Just change the doc_name to your file name and your away.

FYI - If the user presses the print button in their browser they will get
the same document you specify in the header.

Hope this helps

Mark

"grand jojo" <webforumsuser@macromedia.com> wrote in message
news:bfh1fl$7sr$1@forums.macromedia.com...