Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

[Tim McNamara]

Is there a way to adjust the page length in the "Print Buffer"
command?  Using US letter sized paper, the headers at the top of each
pagination run over onto the next page by about 6 lines or so.  I
can't find anything in the docs about this.  Thanks!

Re: Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

[Sébastien Kirche]

Le 14 Jan 2005, Tim McNamara a dit :

> Is there a way to adjust the page length in the "Print Buffer"
> command?  Using US letter sized paper, the headers at the top of each
> pagination run over onto the next page by about 6 lines or so.  I
> can't find anything in the docs about this.  Thanks!

Maybe you  can take  a look  to ps-print.el :  there is  some samples  of ps
configuration with page dimensions.

HTH.

-- 
Sébastien Kirche

Re: Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

[Sébastien Kirche]

Le 14 jan 2005, Sébastien Kirche vraute :

> Maybe you  can take  a look  to ps-print.el

Maybe I could have been more explicit :

- ps-print.el is inside the lisp directory of emacs
- look at the end of the file for the samples

-- 
Sébastien Kirche

Re: Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

[Tim McNamara]

Thanks.  However, I am using the "Print Buffer" command under the File
menu, not the "Postscript Print Buffer" command.  Does that make a
difference?  All of the comments in ps-print.e; appear to be directed
to printing to a Postscript printer, which I'm not using (HP LaserJet
1012).

FWIW the options for print related files in my Emacs install appear to
be:

/usr/local/share/emacs/21.3.50/lisp/emacs-lisp/cust-print.el
/usr/local/share/emacs/21.3.50/lisp/emacs-lisp/cust-print.elc
/usr/local/share/emacs/21.3.50/lisp/ps-print.el
/usr/local/share/emacs/21.3.50/lisp/ps-print.elc
/usr/local/share/emacs/21.3.50/site-lisp/bbdb/bbdb-print.elc

Re: Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Tim McNamara <timmcn@bitstream.net>
> Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005 13:57:33 -0600
> 
> Thanks.  However, I am using the "Print Buffer" command under the File
> menu, not the "Postscript Print Buffer" command.  Does that make a
> difference?

Yes.

Please see if any of the options mentioned in the doc string of
print-buffer help you get what you want:

    print-buffer is an interactive autoloaded Lisp function in `lpr'.
    It is bound to <menu-bar> <file> <print-buffer>.
    (print-buffer)

    Paginate and print buffer contents.

    The variable `lpr-headers-switches' controls how to paginate.
    If it is nil (the default), we run the `pr' program (or whatever program
    `lpr-page-header-program' specifies) to paginate.
    `lpr-page-header-switches' specifies the switches for that program.

    Otherwise, the switches in `lpr-headers-switches' are used
    in the print command itself; we expect them to request pagination.

    See the variables `lpr-switches' and `lpr-command'
    for further customization of the printer command.

I'd say, study the man pages on your system for the commands `pr' and
`lpr' and decide what you should put into `lpr-headers-switches'
and/or `lpr-switches' for the letter-size paper.

(This advice might not work for Windows, but you didn't say that you
were using Windows.)

Re: Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

[Tim McNamara]

"Eli Zaretskii" <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

>> From: Tim McNamara <timmcn@bitstream.net> Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005
>> 13:57:33 -0600
>> 
>> Thanks.  However, I am using the "Print Buffer" command under the
>> File menu, not the "Postscript Print Buffer" command.  Does that
>> make a difference?
>
> Yes.
>
> Please see if any of the options mentioned in the doc string of
> print-buffer help you get what you want:
>
>     print-buffer is an interactive autoloaded Lisp function in
>     `lpr'.  It is bound to <menu-bar> <file> <print-buffer>.
>     (print-buffer)
>
>     Paginate and print buffer contents.
>
>     The variable `lpr-headers-switches' controls how to paginate.
>     If it is nil (the default), we run the `pr' program (or whatever
>     program `lpr-page-header-program' specifies) to paginate.
>     `lpr-page-header-switches' specifies the switches for that
>     program.
>
>     Otherwise, the switches in `lpr-headers-switches' are used in
>     the print command itself; we expect them to request pagination.
>
>     See the variables `lpr-switches' and `lpr-command' for further
>     customization of the printer command.

I couldn't find this in Info, obviously looking in the wrong places.
Where is it?

> I'd say, study the man pages on your system for the commands `pr'
> and `lpr' and decide what you should put into `lpr-headers-switches'
> and/or `lpr-switches' for the letter-size paper.

Ah.  I had assumed pagination was being done by default within Emacs
and not elsewhere in the filesystem.  Thanks for that tip!

> (This advice might not work for Windows, but you didn't say that you
> were using Windows.)

Mac OS X 10.3.7, so it is a Unix-like setup.  pr, lpr and such are
present.

"man pr" specifies that pages are 66 lines long with a 5 line header
and 5 line footer included.  the -l flag can be used to override this:

" -l lines Override the 66 line default and reset the page length to
           lines. If lines is not greater than the sum of both the
           header and trailer depths (in lines), the pr utility
           suppresses output of both the header and trailer, as if the
           -t option were in effect."

" -t Print neither the five-line identifying header nor the five-line
           trailer usually supplied for each page.  Quit printing
           after the last line of each file without spacing to the end
           of the page."

So, I should be able to modify "lpr-headers-switches" to request a
different pagination, from what your post suggests- in effect, to call
"pr -l _lines_" when "print-buffer" is called?  Counting lines on the
printed pages, it looks like I need to modify the pagination to a
total of 50 or 51 lines.  Can I modify "lpr-headers-switches" to do
this?  Is this done directly by modifying the command or is this done
in my .emacs?  Is there a way to do this simply via "Customize Emacs"
that I have overlooked?

Thanks!

Re: Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Tim McNamara <timmcn@bitstream.net>
> Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 09:57:29 -0600
> 
> > Please see if any of the options mentioned in the doc string of
> > print-buffer help you get what you want:
> >
> >     print-buffer is an interactive autoloaded Lisp function in
> >     `lpr'.  It is bound to <menu-bar> <file> <print-buffer>.
> >     (print-buffer)
> >
> >     Paginate and print buffer contents.
> >
> >     The variable `lpr-headers-switches' controls how to paginate.
> >     If it is nil (the default), we run the `pr' program (or whatever
> >     program `lpr-page-header-program' specifies) to paginate.
> >     `lpr-page-header-switches' specifies the switches for that
> >     program.
> >
> >     Otherwise, the switches in `lpr-headers-switches' are used in
> >     the print command itself; we expect them to request pagination.
> >
> >     See the variables `lpr-switches' and `lpr-command' for further
> >     customization of the printer command.
> 
> I couldn't find this in Info, obviously looking in the wrong places.
> Where is it?

As I said, it's in the doc string of the print-buffer command.  Type
"C-h f print-buffer RET", and you will see it.  In Emacs, every
function and every variable have their documentation that is built
right into Emacs.

> So, I should be able to modify "lpr-headers-switches" to request a
> different pagination, from what your post suggests- in effect, to call
> "pr -l _lines_" when "print-buffer" is called?

Yes.

> Counting lines on the
> printed pages, it looks like I need to modify the pagination to a
> total of 50 or 51 lines.  Can I modify "lpr-headers-switches" to do
> this?  Is this done directly by modifying the command or is this done
> in my .emacs?

The latter.

> Is there a way to do this simply via "Customize Emacs" that I have
> overlooked?

Thru "Customize Emacs" should be possible.  Did it fail for you?

Another, a bit shorter, way is by "M-x customize-variable RET".  Type
"lpr-headers-switches" at the prompt, and then modify the value in the
Custom buffer and use the displayed buttons to save it for this and
future sessions.

Re: Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

[Tim McNamara]

"Eli Zaretskii" <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

>> From: Tim McNamara <timmcn@bitstream.net> Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005
>> 09:57:29 -0600

<snip>

>> Is there a way to do this simply via "Customize Emacs" that I have
>> overlooked?
>
> Thru "Customize Emacs" should be possible.  Did it fail for you?

Yes.  Well, rather, the settings are basically incomprehensible to me
and I can't tell what to change to what value to achieve what I
need. I often run into this in "Customize," actually, because the
language used is unlike anything I am familiar with.  I "grew up" with
Macintoshes, not Unix or Lisp, and making sense of Emacs is always a
bit of a challenge as a result.  ;-)

It's not really intuitive to look for setting the number of lines per
page under "lpr-headers-switches."  The name of that variable doesn't
obviously have anything to do with pagination parameters.

> Another, a bit shorter, way is by "M-x customize-variable RET".
> Type "lpr-headers-switches" at the prompt, and then modify the value
> in the Custom buffer and use the displayed buttons to save it for
> this and future sessions.

Nice shortcut!

Modify which value to what?  This is where relative newbies like
myself get stuck.  In the buffer, I have (with buttons of course):


Lpr Headers Switches: Hide Value
INS
   State: this option is unchanged from its standard setting.

List of strings of options to request page headings in the printer program. Hide Rest
If nil, we run `lpr-page-header-program' to make page headings
and print the result.
Parent groups: Lpr

Unfortunately I am clueless as to what changes to make....  If I
click on INS, there is a text field that appears, but I don't know
what to put into it.

Thanks for all your help (and patience), Eli!

Re: Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Tim McNamara <timmcn@bitstream.net>
> Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 16:20:48 -0600
> 
> Unfortunately I am clueless as to what changes to make....  If I
> click on INS, there is a text field that appears, but I don't know
> what to put into it.

You should put there whatever command-line switches that you want to
pass to `pr'.

There's a chapter in the Emacs manual that explains how to use
Customize; perhaps you should read it.

Re: Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

[Tim McNamara]

"Eli Zaretskii" <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

>> From: Tim McNamara <timmcn@bitstream.net> Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005
>> 16:20:48 -0600
>> 
>> Unfortunately I am clueless as to what changes to make....  If I
>> click on INS, there is a text field that appears, but I don't know
>> what to put into it.
>
> You should put there whatever command-line switches that you want to
> pass to `pr'.

Thanks, unfortunately that gets me no further.  It is like you are
speaking another language that I don't understand and for which there
is no dictionary.  

What is a "switch" in this context?  What value is placed in this
field to be passed to "pr"?  There is no explanation of this in the
manual, as far as I can find.  One cannot proceed independently if
the information needed to do so is obscure or unavailable.  :-(

> There's a chapter in the Emacs manual that explains how to use
> Customize; perhaps you should read it.

I did, it didn't answer my question.

But thank you for your help.  I will continue to print my documents
out of another application.  It's inconvenient but it works.

Re: Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Tim McNamara <timmcn@bitstream.net>
> Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 14:47:55 -0600
> 
> > You should put there whatever command-line switches that you want to
> > pass to `pr'.
> 
> Thanks, unfortunately that gets me no further.  It is like you are
> speaking another language that I don't understand and for which there
> is no dictionary.  
> 
> What is a "switch" in this context?

The command-line switch to `pr'.  They are listed in the `pr's man
page, and you already told here that you understood what switches you
want, so I'm puzzled why you cannot continue.

> What value is placed in this field to be passed to "pr"?

If you want to invoke `pr' like this:

   pr -x foo -y bar

then the value of lpr-headers-switches should be the list

   ("-x" "foo" "-y" "bar")

> There is no explanation of this in the manual, as far as I can find.

The doc string of lpr-headers-switches says that it is a list of
strings.

Re: Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

[Tim McNamara]

"Eli Zaretskii" <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

>> From: Tim McNamara <timmcn@bitstream.net> Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005
>> 14:47:55 -0600
>> 
>> > You should put there whatever command-line switches that you want
>> > to pass to `pr'.
>> 
>> Thanks, unfortunately that gets me no further.  It is like you are
>> speaking another language that I don't understand and for which
>> there is no dictionary.
>> 
>> What is a "switch" in this context?
>
> The command-line switch to `pr'.  They are listed in the `pr's man
> page, and you already told here that you understood what switches
> you want, so I'm puzzled why you cannot continue.

Sorry this is confusing (but then I am confused, so I am not surprised
that it is contagious.  I find the man pages to be written in
something that resembles English, but isn't.).  Let's assume I
understand the Unix underpinnings of OS X just enough to screw things
up and not much more (which is pretty close to the truth- I've already
had to reinstall the operating system once thanks to screwing up some
libraries and rendering it unbootable).  What I wrote earlier was:

**********
"man pr" specifies that pages are 66 lines long with a 5 line header
and 5 line footer included.  the -l flag can be used to override this:

" -l lines Override the 66 line default and reset the page length to
           lines. If lines is not greater than the sum of both the
           header and trailer depths (in lines), the pr utility
           suppresses output of both the header and trailer, as if the
           -t option were in effect."

" -t Print neither the five-line identifying header nor the five-line
           trailer usually supplied for each page.  Quit printing
           after the last line of each file without spacing to the end
           of the page."

So, I should be able to modify "lpr-headers-switches" to request a
different pagination, from what your post suggests- in effect, to call
"pr -l _lines_" when "print-buffer" is called?  Counting lines on the
printed pages, it looks like I need to modify the pagination to a
total of 50 or 51 lines.  Can I modify "lpr-headers-switches" to do
this?  Is this done directly by modifying the command or is this done
in my .emacs?  Is there a way to do this simply via "Customize Emacs"
that I have overlooked?
**********

So this is the limit of my understanding about these switches, nothing
more than what I have written.  I am not even sure exactly what a
"switch" is in this context.


>> What value is placed in this field to be passed to "pr"?
>
> If you want to invoke `pr' like this:
>
>    pr -x foo -y bar
>
> then the value of lpr-headers-switches should be the list
>
>    ("-x" "foo" "-y" "bar")

So my best guess is that, if I want to change the number of lines per
page I would enter something like (assuming the parentheses are
necessary):

     ("-l" "50")

to invoke "pr" with the "-l" flag, specifying 50 lines per page?

>> There is no explanation of this in the manual, as far as I can
>> find.
>
> The doc string of lpr-headers-switches says that it is a list of
> strings.

Yah, the problem I am having is understanding what should be in those
strings. This comes from having used a GUI almost exclusively for 19
years and muddling about with Unix-like systems for only about 3
years- and even then, Mac OS X generally manages things like page
length automagically (Mac apps don't seem to invoke pr, lpr, etc as a
normal thing; pagination is handled within the text editing
application itself.  As a result, this is the first time I have ever
looked at pr, lpr, etc.).

Once again, thanks.  You're dealing with a normally functional person
who is over his head on simple stuff like this.  I've never used an
application with this much direct, fine grained control over its
operation, and at times it is baffling.

Re: Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

[Peter Dyballa]

Am 17.01.2005 um 07:04 schrieb Tim McNamara:

> So my best guess is that, if I want to change the number of lines per
> page I would enter something like (assuming the parentheses are
> necessary):
>
>      ("-l" "50")
>
> to invoke "pr" with the "-l" flag, specifying 50 lines per page?

No, the parentheses and quotation marks are too much. In the 
customization buffer make it look like this:

Lpr Page Header Switches: [Hide Value]
[INS] [DEL] String: -F -l 50 -w 60
[INS]
    [State]: this option has been set and saved.

So a page would have 50 line and each one would have up to 50 
characters. Then a form-feed (^L) would be inserted to go to the enxt 
page. Converting it to PostScript would convert it to corresponding PS 
commands.

After you made the changes don't forget to save it least for this 
session. That's the moment to try it. If works you should save it for 
future sessions too, if not you have to iterate the settings for the # 
of lines and characters per line.

Once the values are saved you can visit them in .emacs in the 
custom-set-variables section. There you would see

  '(lpr-page-header-switches (quote ("-F -l 50 -w 60")))
  '(ps-paper-type "a4")
                    ^
                    |
should better be letter or such non-ISO value
--
Greetings

   Pete

"A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience."
Doug Larson

Re: Adjusting page length in "Print buffer" command

[Tim McNamara]

Peter Dyballa <Peter_Dyballa@Web.DE> writes:

> Am 17.01.2005 um 07:04 schrieb Tim McNamara:
>
>> So my best guess is that, if I want to change the number of lines
>> per page I would enter something like (assuming the parentheses are
>> necessary):
>>
>>      ("-l" "50")
>>
>> to invoke "pr" with the "-l" flag, specifying 50 lines per page?
>
> No, the parentheses and quotation marks are too much. In the
> customization buffer make it look like this:
>
> Lpr Page Header Switches: [Hide Value] [INS] [DEL] String: -F -l 50
> -w 60 [INS]
>     [State]: this option has been set and saved.
>
> So a page would have 50 line and each one would have up to 50
> characters. Then a form-feed (^L) would be inserted to go to the
> enxt page. Converting it to PostScript would convert it to
> corresponding PS commands.
>
> After you made the changes don't forget to save it least for this
> session. That's the moment to try it. If works you should save it
> for future sessions too, if not you have to iterate the settings for
> the # of lines and characters per line.
>
> Once the values are saved you can visit them in .emacs in the
> custom-set-variables section. There you would see
>
>   '(lpr-page-header-switches (quote ("-F -l 50 -w 60")))
>   '(ps-paper-type "a4")
>                     ^
>                     |
> should better be letter or such non-ISO value

Thank you, I'll give that a try.