setting default printer in code (C#)

[pmarius]

Hi everybody!

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Does anyone have any idea how could I set the default printer from my C# code ?

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I would like to reach the same result as I would set the default printer from Control Panel/Printer !

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What classes should I use?

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Thanks in advance for replies

[Merrion]

You will need to use the Windows API as the SetPrinter functionality is not yet in the class library.

[HJB417]

I use the following to set the default printer on a win2k machine

using System;
using System.Threading;
using System.Collections;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Data;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using mshtml;
using Microsoft.Win32;

namespace HB.Stuff
{
/// <summary>
/// Summary description for RegistryPrinter.
/// </summary>
public class RegistryPrinter
{
	/// <summary>
	/// Creates a new instance of a <see cref="RegistryPrinter"/>.
	/// </summary>
	/// <param name="name">The name of the printer.</param>
	/// <param name="value">The registry value of the printer.</param>
	internal RegistryPrinter(string name, string value)
	{
		this.name = name;
		this.value = value;
	}

	public static RegistryPrinter[] InstalledPrinters
	{
		get
		{
			string subkey = @"Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PrinterPorts";
			RegistryKey key = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey(subkey, false);
			string[] printerNames = key.GetValueNames();
			RegistryPrinter[] printers = new RegistryPrinter[printerNames.Length];
			for(int i=0; i < printerNames.Length; i++)
				printers[i] = new RegistryPrinter(printerNames[i], (string) key.GetValue(printerNames[i]));
			key.Close();
			return printers;
		}
	}

	/// <summary>
	/// Gets the name of the printer.
	/// </summary>
	public string Name
	{
		get
		{
			return name;
		}
		set
		{
			string subkey = @"Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PrinterPorts";
			RegistryKey key = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey(subkey, false);
			key.SetValue(value, Value);
			key.DeleteValue(name);
			name = value;
			key.Close();
		}
	}

	/// <summary>
	/// Gets the registry value of the printer.
	/// </summary>
	public string Value
	{
		get
		{
			return value;
		}
	}

	/// <summary>
	/// Set this printer as the default printer for the <see cref="Registry.CurrentUser"/>.
	/// </summary>
	public void SetAsDefaultPrinter()
	{
		Hashtable printers = new Hashtable();
		string subkey = @"Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows";
		RegistryKey key = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey(subkey, true);
		string[] subvalues = value.Split(',');
		key.SetValue("Device", name + "," + subvalues[0] + "," + subvalues[1]);
		key.Close();
	}

	public static RegistryPrinter GetDefaultPrinter()
	{
		string subkey = @"Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows";
		RegistryKey key = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey(subkey, false);
		string defaultPrinter = ((string) key.GetValue("Device")).Split(',')[0];
		key.Close();
		foreach(RegistryPrinter printer in InstalledPrinters)
			if(printer.Name == defaultPrinter)
				return printer;
		return null;
	}

	private string name;
	private string value;
}

}

[pmarius]

Thank you for your early reply ! Thank you ver ymuch

But I still need your help !

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you use : using mshtml !!!!!! my question is what dll do I have to import(add references) . In which dll do I find this namespace ?

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You wrote

internal RegistryPrinter(string name, string value)

{

this.name = name;

this.value = value;

}

 

I can give my printer's name but it's quite difficult to get the printer's registry(value). Could you show me how did you manage to call this RegistryPrinter class !

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Tnaks in advance

[HJB417]

you can take out the line that says include mshtml

I don't know how it got there (probably copy/paste) but it's not needed for that class. It's from the ms html object library, a com object. I use it for html parsing.

 

RegistryPrinter.InstalledPrinters returns an array of RegistryPrinter objects. Each RegistryPrinter object in the array represents a printer that's available in the user's controlPanel->Printer. When u find the printer u want to set as the default, invoke RegistryPrinter.SetAsDefaultPrinter. Each RegistryPrinter also has a Name and Value property. The Value property is the registry value and the Name property is the name of the printer, as it is displayed in ControlPanel->Printers.

[pmarius]

Ohh my God I'm so stupid, I could have noticed that before (to use RegistryPrinter.InstalledPrinters).

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Imagine that I used PrinterSettings.InstalledPrinters where I got only the name and when I instantiated an object from RegistryPrinters class I didn't know what parameters to give.That's why I had difficulty in how to call from outside, to get a registry value !

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Your code is marvelous and now it works !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You almost saved my "life" because I had been working on it for 2 days and till you gave the answer I didn't manage with it !

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Thank you very much !

Bye

Pop Marius from Hungary