SetPrinterDataEx

[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.]

The SetPrinterDataEx function sets the configuration data for a printer. The function stores the configuration data under the printer's key in the registry.

DWORD SetPrinterDataEx(
  HANDLE hPrinter,     // handle to printer or print server
  LPCTSTR pKeyName,    // name of registry key
  LPCTSTR pValueName,  // name of registry value
  DWORD Type,          // type of data stored in registry value
  LPBYTE pData,        // pointer to configuration data
  DWORD cbData         // size, in bytes, of configuration data
);
 

Parameters

hPrinter
Handle to the printer or print server for which the function sets configuration data. Use the OpenPrinter function to retrieve this handle.
pKeyName
Pointer to a null-terminated string that specifies the key containing the value to set. If the specified key or subkeys do not exist, the function creates them.

To store configuration data that can be published in the directory service (DS), specify one of the following predefined registry keys.
Value Meaning
SPLDS_DRIVER_KEY Printer drivers use this key to store driver properties.
SPLDS_SPOOLER_KEY Used only by the print spooler to store internal spooler properties.
SPLDS_USER_KEY Applications use this key to store printer properties such as printer asset numbers.

Values stored under the the SPLDS_USER_KEY key are published in the directory service only if there is a corresponding property in the schema. A domain administrator must create the property if it doesn't already exist.

You can specify other keys to store non-DS configuration data. Use the backslash ( \ ) character as a delimiter to specify a path that has one or more subkeys.

If hPrinter identifies a printer and pKeyName is NULL or an empty string, SetPrinterDataEx returns ERROR_INVALID_PARAMETER.

If hPrinter identifies a print server, pKeyName must be NULL.

pValueName
Pointer to a null-terminated string that identifies the data to set.

For printers, this string specifies the name of a value under the pKeyName key.

For print servers, this string is one of the predefined strings listed in the following Remarks section.

Type
Specifies the type of information to be stored as the value's data.

If pKeyName specifies one of the predefined directory service keys, Type must be REG_SZ, REG_MULTI_SZ, REG_DWORD, or REG_BINARY. If REG_BINARY is used, cbData must be equal to 1, and the directory service treats the data as a Boolean value.

For non-DS keys, the Type parameter can be one of the following values.
Value Meaning
REG_BINARY Binary data in any form.
REG_DWORD A 32-bit number.
REG_DWORD_LITTLE_ENDIAN A 32-bit number in little-endian format. This is equivalent to REG_DWORD.

In little-endian format, a multibyte value is stored in memory from the lowest byte (the "little end") to the highest byte. For example, the value 0x12345678 is stored as (0x78 0x56 0x34 0x12) in little-endian format.

Windows and Windows NT are designed to run on little-endian computer architectures. A user may connect to computers that have big-endian architectures, such as some UNIX systems.

REG_DWORD_BIG_ENDIAN A 32-bit number in big-endian format.

In big-endian format, a multibyte value is stored in memory from the highest byte (the "big end") to the lowest byte. For example, the value 0x12345678 is stored as (0x12 0x34 0x56 0x78) in big-endian format.

REG_EXPAND_SZ A null-terminated string that contains unexpanded references to environment variables (for example, "%PATH%"). It will be a Unicode or ANSI string, depending on whether you use the Unicode or ANSI functions.
REG_LINK A Unicode symbolic link.
REG_MULTI_SZ An array of null-terminated strings, terminated by two null characters.
REG_NONE No defined value type.
REG_RESOURCE_LIST A device-driver resource list.
REG_SZ A null-terminated string. It will be a Unicode or ANSI string, depending on whether you use the Unicode or ANSI functions.

pData
Pointer to an array of bytes that contains the printer configuration data.
cbData
Specifies the size, in bytes, of the array.

Return Values

If the function succeeds, the return value is ERROR_SUCCESS.

If the function fails, the return value is an error value.

Remarks

To retrieve existing configuration data for a printer, call the GetPrinterDataEx function.

If hPrinter is a handle to a print server, pValueName can specify one of the following predefined values.

SPLREG_DEFAULT_SPOOL_DIRECTORY
SPLREG_PORT_THREAD_PRIORITY_DEFAULT
SPLREG_PORT_THREAD_PRIORITY
SPLREG_SCHEDULER_THREAD_PRIORITY_DEFAULT
SPLREG_SCHEDULER_THREAD_PRIORITY
SPLREG_BEEP_ENABLED
SPLREG_NET_POPUP
SPLREG_EVENT_LOG
SPLREG_MAJOR_VERSION
SPLREG_MINOR_VERSION
SPLREG_ARCHITECTURE
SPLREG_OS_VERSION

Calling SetPrinterDataEx with the pKeyName parameter set to "PrinterDriverData" is equivalent to calling the SetPrinterData function.

QuickInfo

  Windows NT: Requires version 5.0 or later.
  Windows: Unsupported.
  Windows CE: Unsupported.
  Header: Declared in winspool.h.
  Import Library: Use winspool.lib.
  Unicode: Implemented as Unicode and ANSI versions on Windows NT.

See Also

Printing and Print Spooler Overview, Printing and Print Spooler Functions, GetPrinterDataEx, OpenPrinter