Advanced printing techniques

Creating complex reports in PowerBuilder requires the use of
additional functions but is relatively easy. You can use PowerScript
functions to define fonts for a job, specify fonts and line spacing,
place objects on a page, and specify exactly where you want the
text or object to be placed.

Defining and setting fonts

The examples so far have used the default font for the printer.
However, you can define as many as eight fonts for each print job
and then switch among them during the job.

In addition, you can redefine the fonts as often as you want
during the print job. This allows you to use as many fonts as you
have available on your printer during a print job. Since there is
a slight performance penalty for redefining fonts, you should define
the fonts after the PrintOpen call and leave
them unchanged for the duration of the print job.

To define a font, set an integer variable to the value returned
by a call to the PrintDefineFont function and
then use the PrintSetFont function to change
the font in the job.

Example Assume that JobNum is the integer print
job number and that the current printer has a font named Helv. The
following statements define Helv18BU as the
Helv font, 18 point bold and underlined. The definition is stored
as font 2 for JobNum. The company name is printed
in font 2:

For more information about PrintDefineFont and PrintSetFont,
see the PowerScript Reference
.

Setting line spacing

PowerBuilder takes care of line spacing automatically when you
use the Print function. For example, after you
print in an 18-point font and start a new line, PowerBuilder adds
1.2 times the character height to the Y coordinate of the print
cursor.

The spacing factor 1.2 is not fixed. You can use the PrintSetSpacing function
to control the amount of space between lines.

Examples This statement results in tight single-line spacing. (Depending
on the font and the printer, the bottoms of the lowest characters
may touch the tops of the tallest characters):

This statement causes one-and-a-half-line spacing:

This statement causes double spacing:

Printing drawing objects

You can use the following drawing objects in a print job.

• Lines
• Rectangles
• Round rectangles
• Ovals
• Pictures

When you place drawing objects in a print job, place the objects
first and then add the text. For example, you should draw a rectangle
inside the print area and then add lines and text inside the rectangle.
Although the objects appear as outlines, they are actually filled
(contain white space); if you place an object over text or another
object, it hides the text or object.

Be careful: PowerBuilder does not check to make sure that you
have placed all the text and objects within the print area. PowerBuilder simply
does not print anything that is outside the print area.

Example These statements draw a 1-inch by 3-inch rectangle and then
print the company address in the rectangle. The rectangle is at
the top of the page and centered:

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