PrintPanel

PrintPanel

Inherits From: Panel : Window : Responder : Object

Declared In: appkit/PrintPanel.h

Class Description

PrintPanel is a type of Panel that queries the user for information about a print job, such as which pages and how many copies to print. The PrintPanel is created, displayed, and run (in a modal loop) when a printPSCode: message is sent to a View or Window, provided that the sender of the message doesn't implement the shouldRunPrintPanel: method to return NO (if the method isn't implemented, or if it returns YES, the Panel is brought up).
Each application can have but one PrintPanel object. If you're creating a subclass of PrintPanel, you should send your subclass' class object a new message (without invoking alloc or allocFromZone:) before any printPSCode: messages are sent to ensure that an instance of your subclass is the unique PrintPanel object for your application.
Short of subclassing PrintPanel, you can augment it's display by adding a custom View through the setAccessoryView: method. The Print panel is automatically resized to accommodate the View that you add. Note, however, that you don't have to create controls for special printer features. If a printer includes features in the "OpenUI" field of its PostScript Printer Description (PPD) table, these features will be displayed in a separate panel that's brought up when the user clicks the Print panel's Options button.
The Print panel lists the names of the printers that are available for printing. If only one printer is available, the list isn't displayed.

Instance Variables

id appIcon;
id pageMode;
id firstPage;
id lastPage;
id copies;
id ok;
id cancel;
id preview;
id save;
id printers;
id feed;
id resolutionList;
id name;
id note;
id status;
int exitTag;
id accessoryView;
id buttons;
id optionsButtons;

appIcon The Button containing the application's icon.

pageMode The Matrix of radio buttons indicating whether to print all pages or a subset.

firstPage The Form indicating the first page to print.

lastPage The Form indicating the last page to print.

copies The TextField indicating how many copies to print.

ok The Print Button.

cancel The Cancel Button.

preview The Preview Button.

save Save Button.

printers The Matrix of available printers.

feed The PopUpList of paper feed options.

resolutionList The PopUpList of resolution choices.

name The TextField for the name of the currently chosen printer.

note The TextField for the note for the currently chosen printer.

status The TextField for the status of the requested operation.

exitTag The tag of the button the user clicked to exit the panel.

accessoryView The optional View added by the application.

buttons The Matrix of Print panel buttons.

optionsButton The Matrix of Options panel buttons.

Method Types

Creating and freeing a PrintPanel

+ new

+ newContent:style:backing:buttonMask:defer:
free

Customizing the PrintPanel setAccessoryView:

accessoryView

Running the panel runModal

pickedButton:

Updating the panel's display pickedAllPages:

textWillChange:

Communicating with the PrintInfo object

updateFromPrintInfo
finalWritePrintInfo

Class Methods

alloc

Generates an error message. This method cannot be used to create PrintPanel instances; use new instead.

allocFromZone:

Generates an error message. This method cannot be used to create PrintPanel instances; use new instead.

new

+ new

Returns the application's sole PrintPanel object, creating it if necessary. You rarely need to invoke this method directly; the PrintPanel object is created automatically when printPSCode: is sent to a View or Window.

newContent:style:backing:buttonMask:defer:

+ newContent:(const NXRect *)contentRect

style:(int)aStyle
backing:(int)bufferingType
buttonMask:(int)mask
defer:(BOOL)flag

Initializes the PrintPanel object. You never invoke this method; use new instead.

Instance Methods

accessoryView

accessoryView

Returns the PrintPanel's accessory view.
See also: setAccessoryView:

finalWritePrintInfo

finalWritePrintInfo

Writes the values of the PrintPanel's printing attributes to the application's PrintInfo object.
See also: updateFromPrintInfo

free

free

Frees the PrintPanel object and its contents, including the accessory view.

pickedAllPages:

pickedAllPages:sender

The target of the Pages radio buttons, this method updates the text that's displayed in the From and To (pages) fields. By default, the fields are empty if the All radio button is clicked and set to "first" and "last" if the From/To button is clicked. These strings can only be changed by overriding this method.

pickedButton:

pickedButton:sender

The target of the Print, Cancel, Preview, Save, and Fax buttons, this method ends the Print panel's modal run. If a button other than Cancel inspired this method, then the Print panel's Copies field and the From and To (pages) fields must be acceptable (they must hold positive numbers), otherwise the unacceptable entry is selected and the panel isn't stopped. If the panel is being cancelled, it's stopped regardless of the entries' acceptability. Upon successful dismissal, the exitTag instance variable is set to the tag of the button that the user clicked to dismiss the panel (NX_OKTAG, NX_CANCELTAG, NX_PREVIEWTAG, NX_SAVETAG, or NX_FAXTAG).

runModal

(int)runModal

Reads the pertinent data from the PrintInfo object into the PrintPanel object and then runs the Print panel in a modal loop. When the user clicks one of the buttons at the bottom of the panel (Print, Cancel, Preview, Save, or Fax), the modal loop is broken (by the pickedButton: method) and, if user didn't cancel the panel, the new Print information is written to the PrintInfo object. This method returns the tag of the button that the user clicked to dismiss the panel (NX_OKTAG, NX_CANCELTAG, NX_PREVIEWTAG, NX_SAVETAG, or NX_FAXTAG).
This method is normally invoked from Window or View's printPSCode: method. You should note that the feat that's requested by the user (printing, faxing, etc.) is performed by printPSCode:. Furthermore, this method doesn't hide the Print panel after the modal loop is broken; that, too, is left to printPSCode:.

setAccessoryView:

setAccessoryView:aView

Adds aView to the PrintPanel's view hierarchy. Applications can invoke this method to add a View that contains their own controls. The panel is automatically resized to accommodate aView. This method can be invoked repeatedly to change the accessory view depending on the situation. If aView is nil, then the panel's current accessory view, if any, is removed. Returns the old accessory View.
See also: accessoryView

textWillChange:

(BOOL)textWillChange:textObject

Inovoked when the user types in the From or To (pages) fields, this method ensures that the correct Pages radio button is selected (From/To rather than All). If the To value is greater than the From value, the PrintInfo object will be set to print pages in reverse order.

updateFromPrintInfo

updateFromPrintInfo

Reads the application's PrintInfo object, setting the initial values of this panel. This method is invoked automatically when the PrintPanel receives a runModal message.
See also: finalWritePrintInfo

	Inherits From:	Panel : Window : Responder : Object

	Declared In:	appkit/PrintPanel.h

	appIcon	The Button containing the application's icon.

	pageMode	The Matrix of radio buttons indicating whether to print all pages or a subset.

	firstPage	The Form indicating the first page to print.

	lastPage	The Form indicating the last page to print.

	copies	The TextField indicating how many copies to print.

	ok	The Print Button.

	cancel	The Cancel Button.

	preview	The Preview Button.

	save	Save Button.

	printers	The Matrix of available printers.

	feed	The PopUpList of paper feed options.

	resolutionList	The PopUpList of resolution choices.

	name	The TextField for the name of the currently chosen printer.

	note	The TextField for the note for the currently chosen printer.

	status	The TextField for the status of the requested operation.

	exitTag	The tag of the button the user clicked to exit the panel.

	accessoryView	The optional View added by the application.

	buttons	The Matrix of Print panel buttons.

	optionsButton	The Matrix of Options panel buttons.