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Printing a page in a web browser - more specifically, setting up a button so that the viewer can click the page and have it print automatically - has been a bit of a holy grail for web designers workin with forms and information which may need to be available in ‘hardcopy’ for their customers.
To the left is a sample button which. when clicked, should trigger a 4.x level browser’s “Print” function.
Here’s a script, found by Team NetObjects member David Lewis on http://www.dynamicdrive.com (a very nice site for DHTML and JavaScript)
In the “Layout HTML” for the page you wish to set this up on, insert this code:
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<script language = "JavaScript">
/* This script is written by Eric (webcrawl@usa.net)
For full source code, installation instructions,
100's more JavaScripts and Terms of Use, visit
dynamicdrive.com */
function printit() {
if (navigator.appName == "Netscape") {
window.print();
} else {
try {
var webBrowser = '<OBJECT ID="WebBrowser1" WIDTH=0 HEIGHT=0 CLASSID="CLSID:8856F961-340A-11D0-A96B-00C04FD705A2"> </OBJECT>';
document.body.insertAdjacentHTML('beforeEnd', webBrowser);
WebBrowser1.ExecWB(6,2);
//Use a 1 vs. a 2 for a prompting dialog box
WebBrowser1.outerHTML = "";
} catch(e) {
window.location.reload();
// Or the button will never work again!
// This fixes a bug in IE5.x
}
}
}
</script>
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Next, create a small layout area
Check the “Layout Area is a Form” checkbox
Place a Button in that layout area, and set it to type “Button” in the “Form Button Properties” window.
Right-Click (Control-Click if you’re on a Mac) on the Button and select “Object HTML” from the Pop-Up menu that appears
In the “Inside Tag” field, enter this code:
... and that should do it! One caveat - IE5 may not work consistantly with this function, particularly if you click it, then cancel the “Pirint” window, then click it again. |
