HyperCard GS v1.1 Tips

Printing Documents from HyperCard IIgs

16 October 1995

Gareth Jones

REMOTE PRINTING FROM HYPERCARD    
  
HyperCard IIgs has two commands for communicating with other
applications: "open [document] with [application]" and "print
[document] with [application]." The only catch is that the application
must have been written to receive these messages. In many cases, such
commands do no more than launch the application. With a properly
written application, however, all you need is a short script to add
remote-control display or printing of files to your list of HyperCard
tricks.

CREATING THE BUTTON

To create a simple, workable, document-printing button in HyperCard
IIgs, follow these steps:

     1. Create a new button by choosing "New Button" from the "Objects" 
        menu. 
     2. Drag it into place. Anywhere will do.
     3. Double-click it.
     4. Click on the "Script" button
     5. Type in this script:
     
     on mouseUp
       answer file "Select a text file to print:" of type 80
       if it is "Cancel" then
     exit mouseUp
       else
         put it into wpFileName
         print wpFileName with ":HardDriveVolume:FolderName:AppleWorks.GS"
       end if
     end mouseUp
     
     LOCATING THE APPLICATION

You will have to replace the pathname in line 4 of the script with the
pathname of the program that you intend to print the document with.
You've got three methods for telling HyperCard IIgs the location of the
application you want to print with.      

     1. You can spell out the entire pathname in the script. E.g.
        print ":MyDisk1:TextFileFolder:MyTextFile" with 
        ":MyDisk2:My.Word.v1.4:My.Word"

     (Brutally simple, but it works).
     
     2. You can specify the Volumes and folders in the "Search paths" 
        page of the HyperCard IIgs Home stack. (This isn't the place to discuss 
        this in detail).
     
     3. You can just put in the filename of the Application, and let 
        HyperCard IIgs put up a Standard File dialogue box that asks you to 
        locate it. (This could get tiresome).
      
On the whole, I prefer the second method.  
    
     SPECIFYING THE FILETYPE
     
You may also have to modify the number at the end of line 2 to match the
filetype of the document(s) that you wish to print. There are a number
of points to make about the filetypes specified in the script. First of
all, filetypes are usually given as hexadecimal (base 16) numbers, as
is indicated by a dollar sign in front of the number. HyperCard IIgs,
however, requires that they be listed as decimal numbers (base 10). The
Calculator desk accessory that comes with System 6 makes it easy to
convert between the two types of numbers. Simply select "Calculator"
from the Apple menu and click on its zoom box. Click on the "hex"
button that shows up on the expanded calculator, then enter the
hexadecimal number of the filetype you are interested in. In my case
AppleWorks GS Word Processing files have a filetype of $50, so I enter
"50." The next step is to press the "Dec" button, and the "50" in the
calculator's display suddenly turns into its decimal equivalent, "80."
This is the number that should be used in line 2 of the HyperCard
script. Line 2 of the script produces a file selection dialogue box
that ideally would show just files of the correct kind. Unfortunately,
different file formats often have the same filetype. Where AppleWorks
GS Word Processing files are Type $50, Aux Type $8010, Teach files are
Type $50, Aux Type $5445, and certain other word processing documents
differ only in their Aux Types. The syntax of the "Answer file" command
does not allow you to identify files by Aux Type, so this is a
limitation that we have to live with (until someone writes a more
capable version of "Answer file" as an XCMD). Fortunately, selecting a
file of the wrong format does no harm P you are simply informed that it
will not print. Here is a list of filetypes and aux filetypes that may
be useful in your experiments. All filetypes are given in decimal form.  
    
     -- type 4, text
     -- type 26, AppleWorks Word Processing file
     -- type 79, AppleWorks GS Database
     -- type 80, AppleWorks GS Word Processing file
     -- type 81, AppleWorks GS Spreadsheet
     -- type 83, AppleWorks GS Drawing
     -- type 84, AppleWorks GS Page Layout.
     -- type 85, HyperMedia document (e.g. HyperStudio or HyperCard stack)
     -- type 192, GS painting (filetype $C0)
     
     USING SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS
     
As mentioned, not all applications were written to support remote
opening and printing of files. As a general guide, if you can print a
document from the Finder by selecting a document icon then selecting
"Print..." from the File menu, you can Open or Print it with HyperCard
IIgs commands as well. This section gives you a head start on the
experimentation by listing my successes, and a few failures. AppleWorks
GS will open or print documents that are in its own file formats.
AppleWorks GS draws a distinction between its own file formats, which
are accessed through the "Open..." command, and AppleWorks, text, and
Apple Preferred Format paint documents which are accessed through the
"Import..." command. It will open or print the former formats under
command from HCGS, but not the latter. There are many disappointments
in the search for applications that will open and print Teach
documents. You can't issue open or print commands to the handy desk
accessory word processor called ShadowWrite (or Hermes) because, as
HCGS will inform you, it is a desk accessory, not an application.
WordWorks Pro (from SoftDisk GS) will not even open a file on command.
Teach will open the documents on command, but will not print them.
However, Gary Little's program "My Word!" opens and prints Teach,
AppleWorks, AppleWorks GS, and text documents. If you have and like
another TextEdit-based word processor,  experiment to see what it will
do. Printing graphics could be a problem, as neither Platinum Paint nor
DreamGrafix will Open or Print documents from HyperCard commands. On
the other hand, SuperConvert, from Seven Hills Software, will Open or
Print many kinds of graphic on command. Here's a hot tip! Have you ever
wished that HyperStudio had HyperTalk, or HyperCard had some of the
unique features of HyperStudio? It is possible to use those programs
together in a single project since HyperStudio will obey HyperCard's
command to open a stack, and then returns you to HyperCard when it
quits.      
     SUMMARY
     
The ability to display a file or print it under the control of a
HyperCard script has some intriguing possibilities. For example, you
could use it to display 320-mode or 3200-colour pictures that HyperCard
cannot, itself, display. Another possibility is to save a text file to
disk and then print it with My Word!, which has better ability to
control the font and margins of the printout. In addition, the
potential of linking HyperCard and HyperStudio stacks with the "open"
command is exciting and unexplored. These commands certainly should be
in the back of your mind as you develop your HyperCard projects.