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MFC Print preview extension DLL for dialogs

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26 Dec 2002CPOL2 min read 275.3K   9.6K   53   68
An MFC extension library, so your dialogs can have easy print/print preview support.

Sample Image - preview.jpg

Introduction

After trying to make use of Koay's code to allow print preview in a dialog, I released that it was a lot of work to get print preview in a dialog working, so I took the code and wrapped it up in an MFC extension DLL which your MFC applications can link to. So now to get print and preview options working, you just need to derive your CDialog class from the exported class CPrintPreviewDialog. Once you have done that, then you can override the standard Doc/View print preview options to provide your printed output.

  • virtual BOOL OnPreparePrinting(CPrintInfo* pInfo);
  • virtual void OnBeginPrinting(CDC* pDC, CPrintInfo* pInfo);
  • virtual void OnPrepareDC(CDC* pDC, CPrintInfo* pInfo = NULL);
  • virtual void OnPrint(CDC* pDC, CPrintInfo* pInfo);
  • virtual void OnEndPrinting(CDC* pDC, CPrintInfo* pInfo);

Using the extension DLL

The PrintExtension project builds the library and DLL file that will be used by your project. Once that has been built, you will need to add the following statements in your MFC application to start making use of its features:

// generally, this would go in your stdafx.h file
#include "PrintExtension.h"

The library will be automatically linked to your project. You just have to make sure that the PrintExtension.DLL (PrintExtensiond.dll for debug) file is in the same directory as your application executable.

You then need to convert your CDialog derived class to derive from the CPrintPreviewDialog class. This can be done by doing a Find/Replace on the .h/.cpp dialog source files from CDialog to CPrintPreviewDialog.

To add the preview and print functionality, you need to add buttons or menu options for the ID's ID_FILE_PRINT and ID_FILE_PRINT_PREVIEW.

Override your required printing functions to generate output, usually a minimum of OnPrint() and OnPreparePrinting().

Everything else should work automatically.

Notes on use

If you are using this in a dialog application (non SDI/MDI), then you will also need to add a menu resource to your application. The menu content does not matter, it just needs to exist. It should have the ID IDR_MAINFRAME, and will be used when the hidden frame is created. As the frame is never seen by the user, the menu options never become active, but it is required for the frame window to be created successfully.

In OnPreparePrinting(), you must call the base class (CPrintPreviewDialog::OnPreparePrinting(pInfo);), before exiting the function so that a required print preview function is called. If you do not, you get an ASSERT as listed in some of the comments below.

Problems encountered

There were some fiddely problems to make sure that, when you clicked on Print in the preview view, the dialog handled the command and not any open background document (if doing this in an SDI or MDI MFC app).

Acknowledgements

This MFC extension DLL draws heavily on the code by Koay Kah Hoe in the article Print Previewing without the Document/View Framework.

Revision history

  • 5th December 2002 - Version 1
  • 27th December 2002 - Demo project added and some extra notes added to article text

Enjoy!

License

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)


Written By
Software Developer (Senior) Sirius Analytical Instruments
United Kingdom United Kingdom
A research and development programmer working for a pharmaceutical instrument company for the past 17 years.

I am one of those lucky people who enjoys his work and spends more time than he should either doing work or reseaching new stuff. I can also be found on playing DDO on the Cannith server (Send a tell to "Maetrim" who is my current main)

I am also a keep fit fanatic, doing cross country running and am seriously into [url]http://www.ryushinkan.co.uk/[/url] Karate at this time of my life, training from 4-6 times a week and recently achieved my 1st Dan after 6 years.

Comments and Discussions

 
QuestionPREVIEW IN HARBOUR? Pin
Anderson Cardoso Silva9-Jul-22 5:34
Anderson Cardoso Silva9-Jul-22 5:34 
GeneralMy vote of 2 Pin
Xjkstar13-May-14 17:09
Xjkstar13-May-14 17:09 
GeneralMy vote of 3 Pin
zhanglipeng9-Jan-13 14:23
zhanglipeng9-Jan-13 14:23 
QuestionRe: memory leak Pin
mla15429-Apr-10 5:09
mla15429-Apr-10 5:09 
GeneralPrint Preview [modified] Pin
Adeel Mirza16-Feb-10 18:20
Adeel Mirza16-Feb-10 18:20 
GeneralCannot compile, Pin
angel42025-Feb-09 13:31
angel42025-Feb-09 13:31 
Generala problem and workaround Pin
min_2_max24-Dec-07 14:06
min_2_max24-Dec-07 14:06 
QuestionCan that be part of my code, instead of a DLL Pin
AlexEvans18-May-07 21:45
AlexEvans18-May-07 21:45 
QuestionHow can i break print/preview page for if i'm printing records ane by one from MS Access DAO database Pin
Kushwaha4-Sep-06 19:57
Kushwaha4-Sep-06 19:57 
AnswerAnother Assertion Error Figured Out Pin
Christopher Stratmann10-Jul-06 4:18
Christopher Stratmann10-Jul-06 4:18 
AnswerAssert Message Figured Out Pin
Christopher Stratmann7-Jul-06 2:43
Christopher Stratmann7-Jul-06 2:43 
QuestionCan I distribute it Pin
cathyliu62021-Mar-06 6:34
cathyliu62021-Mar-06 6:34 
QuestionDid someone use DLL in DOTNET ? Pin
Luke_216-Feb-06 3:06
Luke_216-Feb-06 3:06 
QuestionQuestions? Pin
| Muhammad Waqas Butt |12-Aug-05 22:21
professional| Muhammad Waqas Butt |12-Aug-05 22:21 
GeneralCrashes when opening dialog Pin
MrP227-May-05 4:27
MrP227-May-05 4:27 
GeneralRe: Crashes when opening dialog Pin
Terry Beddingfield30-Dec-05 7:32
Terry Beddingfield30-Dec-05 7:32 
GeneralRe-entrance in MultiView SDI App. Pin
min_2_max4-Nov-04 13:35
min_2_max4-Nov-04 13:35 
GeneralRe: Re-entrance in MultiView SDI App. Pin
min_2_max20-Dec-07 1:44
min_2_max20-Dec-07 1:44 
GeneralRe: Re-entrance in MultiView SDI App. Pin
min_2_max24-Dec-07 13:55
min_2_max24-Dec-07 13:55 
GeneralCrashes on close with close button Pin
okjak26-Oct-04 5:22
okjak26-Oct-04 5:22 
GeneralRe: Crashes on close with close button Pin
tangxingbin22-Mar-05 20:53
tangxingbin22-Mar-05 20:53 
GeneralRe: Crashes on close with close button Pin
N n MISHRA11-Jun-05 4:39
N n MISHRA11-Jun-05 4:39 
GeneralRe: Crashes on close with close button Pin
varandas795-Mar-06 3:58
varandas795-Mar-06 3:58 
QuestionStill crashes on close with close button Pin
Mr. S3-Apr-06 4:08
Mr. S3-Apr-06 4:08 
AnswerRe: Crashes on close with close button Pin
Eduard Huguet30-Nov-06 0:08
Eduard Huguet30-Nov-06 0:08 

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