Full control over the generated file name
Black Ice Printer Drivers

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The Black Ice printer drivers provide developers with complete control over the names of the file generated when printing.  Seven different filename generation methods are available, which can be grouped into the following categories:

1. Prefix and extension
2. Exact filename
3. Use the document name

Developers also have full control over the output directory that the Black Ice printer driver generates files in

1. Prefix and extension: the output filename will be generated from random characters. The first three characters of the file name will be the characters specified in the ‘Filename Prefix’ edit box followed by random numbers.  The file extension will either be the default format extension or can be a custom extension.

Benefits – The filename will be random and unique for each print job.  This method is best used when the developer wants to ensure that files are not overwritten

1. Use this prefix and extension: prefix and extension will be taken from the printer driver devmode and can be set through either the BlackIceDEVMODE controls or via the user interface

2. Prefix and extension from the registry: The file name prefix and the extension will be read from the specified registry key. The registry path must be under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE root key.  Use the “File Name Prefix” value name for the file prefix and the “File Name extension” value name for the extension.

3. Prefix and extension from the INI file:  In this case the filename and the prefix will be read from the specified INI file. The driver will search in the INI file for a section width the printer name.  Use the “File Name Prefix” entry for the file prefix and the “File Name extension” entry for the extension, for example:
   
   [Black Ice Color Printer]
   File name prefix=ABC
   File name extension=TIFF

2. Exact filename:  The printed file will be generated with a specific name and extension.  The extension can be any series of characters, allowing developers to hide the true file format used, if desired.

Benefits – The name of the file to be generated can be explicitly controlled by the developer or printing user.  Additionally, using an “Exact Filename” option in conjunction with the “Combine/Merge multiple documents into a single file” checkbox allows multiple print jobs (documents) to be merged together. When the "Combine/Merge multiple documents into a single file” option is turned on, the printer driver will append the new pages to the existing file, instead of overwriting the file. The file format used must be a multi page format such as TIFF, PCX or PDF.

a.         Exact filename: The filename will be read from the ‘Enter the filename’ edit box. and can be set through either the BlackIceDEVMODE controls or via the user interface.

b.         Exact filename from the registry: The filename will be read from the specified registry key. The registry path must be under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE root key. The value name containing the filename must be "File Name". The file name can be specified with or  without the path.

c.         Exact filename from the INI file: In this case the filename will be read from the INI file specified. The driver will search the INI file for a section with the printer’s name. Use the “File Name” key for the Filename. The file name can be specified with the path or without, for example:

[Black Ice Color Printer]
File name =C:\Output\page.tiff

3. Use the document name: The driver will use the document name supplied by the printing application exactly as it is passed to the printer driver.

Each of the file name generation methods can be used to programmatically control the generated file name in one form or another. Depending on the environment and scope of usage for the Black Ice printer driver, it may be more suitable to write to the registry as opposed to an INI file, or just write to the devmode directly. By including seven file name generation methods, Black Ice allows developers/users to choose the method which best meets their particular needs.

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