Subject: Printer Problem

From: [email-masked] (Robert Salasin)
Date: 17 Jul 1995 18:20:06 GMT

Sorry to bother you folks with such a newbie type problem, but
this has been considerable trouble for us.

We would like to be able to print locally, using the Y command
to print.  Since a lot of our folks are still using dumb terminals
with printer attached to the serial port in the back, I've written
a little shell script that: 1) passes a code to the terminal re-
directing all input to the (printer) serial port, then, 2) "cat"s
the input (cat $1  in unix), and then 3) echos a code which then
restores the terminal screen for input (and therefore ends transparent
print mode).

This works fine as a shell script, but when I set it up in printer
setup, Pine seems to be adding unprintable characters before each
line,l nicely  screwing up the printer.  I know these characters are
generated by Pine, because if I export the document, then apply my
shell script, it goes nicely to the printer.  So  the characters are
produced by the Y function, print.

Can anyone tell me what those characters are and how to remove them?
I have the feeling that this is a real comman problem and that many
others have had the same problem.  So what's the solution?

With many thanks in advance for your time and trouble.

Best,
Robert Salasin
[email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (Rick Troxel)
Date: Wed, 19 Jul 1995 16:33:03 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Robert
Salasin) writes:

This is the basic approach taken by Pine's attached-to-ansi printer
configuration option.  Since you're not using that, I assume that you
require different escape codes.  I further assume you're invoking Pine's
printer option 3: Personally selected print command.

I use a personally selected print command too, without problems.
Perhaps the problem is not Pine's after all.

Can your script handle input from stdin?  I.e. what happens when $1 is
undefined?  Does it work to 'cat myfile | myscript'?

Best regards,
-- 
Rick Troxel     [email-masked]     [email-masked]     301/496-4823
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
     All effort and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his
     heart is worship, if it  is prompted  by the  highest motives and
     the will to do service to humanity.                 --Abdu'l-Baha
--
Rick Troxel     [email-masked]     [email-masked]     301/496-4823
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
     All effort and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his
     heart is worship, if it  is prompted  by the  highest motives and
     the will to do service to humanity.                 --Abdu'l-Baha