check for installed printer

[Keith G Hicks]

Is there some sort of command line tool that will let me check for the
existence of an installed printer? I knwo I can use Prnmngr.vbs and related
tools but they give me too much information. I'm hoping there's something
simpler that will just confirm if a printer is installed or not.

 

[Keith G Hicks]

I'm doing this in a clunky sort of way because I don't have any idea how
else to do it just yet.

I can run the following in a command window and it works fine. The results
go to the specified text file.

C:\>c:\windows\system32\cscript c:\windows\system32\prncnfg.vbs -g -p
"Ghostscript PS" > "c:\GSPrinterInfo.txt"

But I'm trying to run this from inside an Inno setup. The ShellExec command
in Inno requires me to split up the thing into the command and the command's
parameters. So I tried this:

FileString := 'c:\windows\system32\cscript';
ParamString := ' c:\windows\system32\prncnfg.vbs -g -p "Ghostscript PS" >
"c:\GSPrinterInfo.txt"';
ShellResult := ShellExec('', FileString, ParamString, '', SW_SHOW,
ewWaitUntilTerminated, ErrorCode);

The problem is that the part that sends the results to the text file:

"c:\GSPrinterInfo.txt"';

is not actually a parameter, it's a DOS command apart from cscript. So I get
an error.

I was looking for some switch for cscript that sends the results to a file
but I don't see one. I'm not getting faste enough help in the Inno newsgroup
so I'm asking here if there's a way to do cscript to file other than >
"c:\GSPrinterInfo.txt"';

 

[Greg Russell]

In

Is there some sort of command line tool that will let me check for the
existence of an installed printer? I knwo I can use Prnmngr.vbs and
related tools but they give me too much information. I'm hoping
there's something simpler that will just confirm if a printer is
installed or not.

Part of the power of Unix/Linux is its ability to redirect input/output
using pipes, which allows one to take the output of one command and use it
as input for another, etc. M$ has at least learned to do that to a very
limited extent, certainly nowhere near the functionality of such simple
tools as grep, awk and sed.

The M$ "find" command will let you search the Prnmngr.vbs output for the
item of interest, which can be assigned to a variable, compared and used for
further processing. A simple illustration will suggest a solution for your
needs, since by implication you seem competent at scripting:

D:\> dir /s
.... (lengthy file listing expunged)
Total Files Listed:
100930 File(s) 15,387,877,309 bytes
24543 Dir(s) 18,508,480,512 bytes free

D:\> dir /s | find "well"
09/04/2001 20:31 153,540 wellington_gateway_1.jpg
09/04/2001 20:35 186,802 wellington_gateway_2.jpg
09/04/2001 20:38 152,034 wellington_gateway_3.jpg
09/04/2001 20:45 181,920 wellington_gateway_4.jpg
09/04/2001 20:48 185,854 wellington_gateway_5.jpg
09/04/2001 20:51 208,789 wellington_gateway_6.jpg

 

[Ronin]

Paste the following code into a new text file (Notepad) document. Save it,
then rename it Installed_Printers.vbs. Copy *between* the dotted lines, do
not include the lines. You can probably run the script by double-clicking.
If so, I'd recommend changing the file association for VBS to "Edit" instead
of "Open". This is because of potential security risks. No biggy, just one
of those "rules". If the file doesn't run using double-click, right-click it
and "Open". If you have a lot of printers and don't want to go through the
whole list, I can either have it produce a single list, or I can include an
Input box where you can enter the name of the printer to list, if installed,
or I can make individual scripts for each printer (and include instructions
for adding more.) Another option is to list the port along with the printer
name. Anything else?

'-------------------------------------------------------------------

strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
& "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")

Set colInstalledPrinters = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
("Select * from Win32_Printer")

For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters
wscript.echo objPrinter.name
Next

'-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Keith G Hicks]

Ronin,

Thanks. That helps a lot. And while I was reading your post it occurred to
me taht I could have even created a very simple bat file to run my previous
code and then run the batch file inside of Inno so as not to worry about
params.

THanks again.

 

[Ronin]

You're welcome. It's simple to change the file to get the output you want.
Writing it all to a file, for instance. Just ask.

 

[Keith G Hicks]

I feel pretty silly. I was sitting there staring at this Inno script trying
to figure out how to get the ShellExec to spit out a text file. It didn't
occur to me to go back to the old days and write a batch file that I could
call from ShellExec. And I didn't know I could execute vb script like that
either. I never bothered opening up the built in vbs files in an editor to
see what was going on. Calling a vbs file from the command line in Windows
is not something I was aware of being able to do. I got all buried in the
code i was working on and couldn't see the forest!

 

[Peter]

In

Part of the power of Unix/Linux is its ability to redirect input/output
using pipes, which allows one to take the output of one command and use it
as input for another, etc. M$ has at least learned to do that to a very
limited extent, certainly nowhere near the functionality of such simple
tools as grep, awk and sed.

The M$ "find" command will let you search the Prnmngr.vbs output for the
item of interest, which can be assigned to a variable, compared and used
for
further processing. A simple illustration will suggest a solution for your
needs, since by implication you seem competent at scripting:

D:\> dir /
... (lengthy file listing expunged)
Total Files Listed:
100930 File(s) 15,387,877,309 bytes
24543 Dir(s) 18,508,480,512 bytes free

D:\> dir /s | find "well"
09/04/2001 20:31 153,540 wellington_gateway_1.jpg
09/04/2001 20:35 186,802 wellington_gateway_2.jpg
09/04/2001 20:38 152,034 wellington_gateway_3.jpg
09/04/2001 20:45 181,920 wellington_gateway_4.jpg
09/04/2001 20:48 185,854 wellington_gateway_5.jpg
09/04/2001 20:51 208,789 wellington_gateway_6.jpg

Who gives a flying whoop about linux? And what does the dir command have to
do with finding installed printers? What is it with you ignorant linux
trolls that makes you believe that others want to listen to your
proselytizing linux cr@p? Guys like you give linux a bad name. Get a life
or get lost, we don't need another ignorant linux nutcase in these groups!

 

[Greg Russell]

what does the dir command have to do with finding installed printers?

Unfortunately, your feeble mind is unable to use the example to "connect the
dots" of the prnmngr.vbs output being piped into the find command to extract
the required printer information the OP was looking for from the command
line.

Cheer up though, there's still hope for you.

 

[Ronin]

Happens to all of us.... All the time!

--
Ronin

I feel pretty silly. I was sitting there staring at this Inno script trying
to figure out how to get the ShellExec to spit out a text file. It didn't
occur to me to go back to the old days and write a batch file that I could
call from ShellExec. And I didn't know I could execute vb script like that
either. I never bothered opening up the built in vbs files in an editor to
see what was going on. Calling a vbs file from the command line in Windows
is not something I was aware of being able to do. I got all buried in the
code i was working on and couldn't see the forest!

 

[John John - MVP]

wmic printer list status

John

 

[Ronin]

I have seven printers that are all installed and functioning, all listed as
"Ready" in the printers folder. (Only three are actually printers, if you
know what I mean.) Your command shows the status for all of them as
"Unknown". Any ideas?

 

[John John - MVP]

Yes, I've noticed that also. It's the command that I found to produce
the least verbiage. I couldn't find a verb or switch to list the
printers only. Your WMI script has greater flexibility and allows you
to select the InstalledPrinters column only. If you work your script to
include the status column I think it would probably reports the same
thing. Can you add the column to the script so that we can try it?

We might have to go down into the WMI bowels to figure this one out...

John

 

[John John - MVP]

Yes, I've noticed that also. It's the command that I found to produce
the least verbiage. I couldn't find a verb or switch to list the
printers only.

wmic printer list instance

John

 

[Keith G Hicks]

ooh. I like that. Thank you.

wmic printer list status

John

 

[John John - MVP]

You're welcome. Are all your "Ready" printers showing an "Unknown" status?

John

 

[Keith G Hicks]

Yes. They all show as unkown. But for my purposes right now I don't think
that matters.

 

[Ronin]

I could add it, but it comes up the same: "Unknown". I don't know where the
disconnect is, but it is.

If you don't need or can't get the printer status, your wmic command is
ideal, though if you want that limited output you have to add the "instance"
parameter. Otherwise, the output is voluminous.

 

[Keith G Hicks]

Any reason it's not okay just do read the subkeys?

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Print\Printers subkeys

I recoded my Inno project to do that and it's MUCH easier than the other way
I was working on.

 

[John John - MVP]

WMI script reports it correctly:

----------------------------------------------------------------------
strComputer = "."
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _
& "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
Set colInstalledPrinters = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
("SELECT * FROM Win32_Printer")
For Each objPrinter in colInstalledPrinters
Wscript.Echo "Name: " & objPrinter.Name
Select Case objPrinter.PrinterStatus
Case 1
strPrinterStatus = "Other"
Case 2
strPrinterStatus = "Unknown"
Case 3
strPrinterStatus = "Idle"
Case 4
strPrinterStatus = "Printing"
Case 5
strPrinterStatus = "Warmup"
End Select
Wscript.Echo "Printer Status: " & strPrinterStatus
Wscript.Echo
Next

--------------------------------------------------------



Note:
Possible Win32_Printer Class for PrinterStatus are:
(inherited from CIM_Printer)

1 (0x1) Other

2 (0x2) Unknown

3 (0x3) Idle

4 (0x4) Printing

5 (0x5) Warming Up

6 (0x6) Stopped printing

7 (0x7) Offline

(6 & 7 not used in above script)

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa394363(VS.85).aspx
Win32_Printer Class

John