How to control printer output using PHP script

In recent years, PHP has become one of the most widely used languages ​​in the field of Internet development. It is not only limited to web applications, but can also be used for various script controls, such as printer output. In this article, I will show you how to control printer output using PHP scripts.

1. What is PHP script?

PHP script is a widely used server-side scripting language commonly used for web development. It can be used for the development and programming of dynamic Web pages, and can also be used for some conventional script control and applications in real scenarios.

In PHP, all code is embedded in HTML files. PHP scripts are usually used to build the content and rules of Web pages, including the header, footer, navigation bar, form processing, etc. of the web page. At the same time, PHP scripts, like other scripts, also have the ability to be used in other tasks, such as controlling printer output.

2. How to use PHP script to control printer output?

Normally, we use the printer driver that comes with the Windows operating system to connect the printer and control its output. PHP scripts can also use something called the Win32Print extension to accept user input, pass print commands, print operations, etc.

The Win32Print extension is included in the Windows version of PHP, but needs to be configured before the extension can be enabled. In order to enable the extension, please follow these steps:

1. Open the php.ini file, find "extension_dir" and "extension=php_win32print.dll" in the file, make sure they are both configured correctly and Comment it out (if not).

2. Under the Windows platform, the Win32Print extension needs to use a bridge between PHP and COM extensions to communicate. Therefore, you need to comment out the following line of the COM extension in the php.ini file:

   ; extension=php_com_dotnet.dll so that it is loaded correctly.

3. Modify "output_buffering" in the php.ini file to allow users to control the output. Setting this value to 0 disables output buffering, allowing your code to directly control printer output. You can configure it in the following way:

   output_buffering = 0

After the configuration is completed, let’s take a look at the sample code of how to use a PHP script to control printer output:

<?php

$printer_name = &#39;Printer1&#39;;  // 设置打印机的名称

if($_SERVER[&#39;REQUEST_METHOD&#39;] === &#39;POST&#39;) {  // 检测HTTP方法是否为POST

    $message = $_POST[&#39;message&#39;];  // 获取用户输入内容

    $obj_print = new COM("Win32.Printing.Printer");  // 通过Win32Print扩展建立COM对象
    $obj_print->SetDefaultPrinter($printer_name);  // 设置为默认打印机
    $obj_print->BeginDoc();  // 开始打印
    $obj_print->Write($message);  // 写入打印内容
    $obj_print->EndDoc();  // 结束打印

    echo "已成功打印";  // 打印成功

} else { ?>

<!-- HTML表单，用于用户输入 -->
<form method="POST">
    <textarea name="message" rows="10" cols="80"></textarea>
    <br>
    <input type="submit" value="打印">
</form>

<?php } ?>

In the above code snippet, we first set a printer name that will match the printer name in Windows. Later in the code, we use the Win32Print extended COM extension to create a default printer object. This object points to the configured printer and accepts user input. Finally, we used the BeginDoc(), Write(), and EndDoc() functions to control the output of the Windows printer. If the print is successful, the user will see a "Printed Successfully" message.

3. Summary

Although PHP is mainly used in the field of web development, it can also be used for some script control work. This article introduces you to how to use the Win32Print extension to control the output of Windows printers through PHP scripts. I hope this article can be helpful to you. If you have other questions, you can leave a message and comment, and I will reply and answer it as soon as possible.

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