How to detect if any printer installed

[Mark Veldt]

How can i detect if there is any printer installed?
And can i put these printernames into a list?

Thanks in advance,

Mark

[klussier]

There are several questions that need answers first: Is this Windows 95/98 or NT? Do you want local or network printers (or both). Let's see...

If you want to browse for network printers (under 95/98 or NT), you can use the SHBrowseForFolder() function. Here is some code that I use to browse for network printers:

// Get the shell's allocator.
LPMALLOC g_pMalloc;
if ( !SUCCEEDED( SHGetMalloc( &g_pMalloc ) ) ) {
MessageBox( _T("Failed to get IMalloc interface"), _T("Select Printer Error"), MB_ICONSTOP | MB_OK );
return;
}
// Allocate some memory for our buffer
LPTSTR location = (LPTSTR)g_pMalloc->Alloc( MAX_PATH );
if ( location == NULL ) {
MessageBox( _T("Failed to allocate memory for printer location"), _T("Select Printer Error"), MB_ICONSTOP | MB_OK );
return;
}

// Get the PIDL for the network folder
LPITEMIDLIST pidlNetwork; // PIDL for Network folder
if ( !SUCCEEDED( SHGetSpecialFolderLocation( GetSafeHwnd(), CSIDL_NETWORK, &pidlNetwork ) ) ) {
// Free allocated memory
g_pMalloc->Free( location );
MessageBox( _T("Failed to get the network folder"), _T("Select Printer Error"), MB_ICONSTOP | MB_OK );
return;
}

// Browse for network printer
BROWSEINFO bi;
memset( &bi, 0, sizeof( BROWSEINFO ) );
bi.hwndOwner = GetSafeHwnd();
// bi.pidlRoot = NULL; // Desktop
bi.pidlRoot = pidlNetwork; // Networks
bi.pszDisplayName = location;
bi.lpszTitle = _T("Select the network printer that you want to use.\nNote: Printers are usually attached to computers.");
bi.ulFlags = BIF_BROWSEFORPRINTER;
bi.lpfn = NULL;
bi.lParam = NULL;
bi.iImage = 0;

LPITEMIDLIST pPidl = SHBrowseForFolder( &bi );
if ( pPidl != NULL ) {
if ( SHGetPathFromIDList( pPidl, location ) ) {
// Set the printer name
m_sPrinterName = location;
// Send the data to the dialog
UpdateData( FALSE );
}
// Free the system allocated pidl
g_pMalloc->Free( pPidl );
}

// Free our network pidl
g_pMalloc->Free( pidlNetwork );
// Free our location holder
g_pMalloc->Free( location );

For local printers, you'll probably have to use the EnumPrinters() command with the PRINTER_ENUM_LOCAL flag. Sorry, no code snippets here. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Kevin

[Andy St.Clair]

Lookup the help on the EnumPrinters() function.
There is a lot of data of various type that this function can give you.