PRB: Printing Rotated Text with Visual Basic

ID: Q175535


The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Learning, Professional, and Enterprise Editions for Windows, versions 5.0, 6.0
  • Microsoft Visual Studio, Enterprise Edition versions 97, 97sp2, 97sp3


SYMPTOMS

If you try to print rotated text using the Printer object from Visual Basic with Visual Studio 97 Service Pack 2 or 3 using the technique described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article, the text fails to rotate:

Q154515 HOWTO: Print Rotated Text Using Win32 API


CAUSE

Visual Studio 97 Service Pack 2 and 3 for Visual Basic 5.0 and 6.0 include a fix for the Printer object that prevents any new SelectObject calls from selecting a new Font for the Printer.hDC. So, when referencing the Printer object, new fonts must be selected via the Printer object's properties or they are ignored.


RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, either print using the API only, or do not reference the Printer object while printing with the API functions.


STATUS

This behavior is by design.


MORE INFORMATION

The technique described in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

Q154515 HOWTO: Print Rotated Text Using Win32 API
prints to a PictureBox control but also works using the Printer object. Printing to a PictureBox still works after SP2 but fails using the Printer object. The following code example will work from Visual Basic versions 4.0 (32-bit) and later.

The key elements are using the TextOut API instead of Printer.Print and not referencing the printer object directly while setting up the font and printing with it. If you use TextOut with "Printer.hDC" instead of a local variable, it will fail. Any reference to a printer object property or method is a use of the printer object and will cause the printer object to reset its font/pen/brush. Therefore, the values of all printer object properties that you need to use with the new font/pen/brush must be saved into variables before using SelectObject, and then only use the variables.

Code Example

  1. Create a Standard EXE project in Visual Basic. Form1 is created by default.


  2. Add 2 CommandButtons to Form1.


  3. Add the following code to the General Declarations section of Form1:


  4. 
       Option Explicit
    
       Private Const LF_FACESIZE = 32
    
       Private Type LOGFONT
          lfHeight As Long
          lfWidth As Long
          lfEscapement As Long
          lfOrientation As Long
          lfWeight As Long
          lfItalic As Byte
          lfUnderline As Byte
          lfStrikeOut As Byte
          lfCharSet As Byte
          lfOutPrecision As Byte
          lfClipPrecision As Byte
          lfQuality As Byte
          lfPitchAndFamily As Byte
          lfFaceName As String * LF_FACESIZE
       End Type
    
       Private Type DOCINFO
          cbSize As Long
          lpszDocName As String
          lpszOutput As String
          lpszDatatype As String
          fwType As Long
       End Type
    
       Private Declare Function CreateFontIndirect Lib "gdi32" Alias _
       "CreateFontIndirectA" (lpLogFont As LOGFONT) As Long
    
       Private Declare Function SelectObject Lib "gdi32" _
       (ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal hObject As Long) As Long
    
       Private Declare Function DeleteObject Lib "gdi32" _
       (ByVal hObject As Long) As Long
    
       Private Declare Function CreateDC Lib "gdi32" Alias "CreateDCA" _
       (ByVal lpDriverName As String, ByVal lpDeviceName As String, _
       ByVal lpOutput As Long, ByVal lpInitData As Long) As Long
    
       Private Declare Function DeleteDC Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long) _
       As Long
    
       Private Declare Function TextOut Lib "gdi32" Alias "TextOutA" _
       (ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal x As Long, ByVal y As Long, _
       ByVal lpString As String, ByVal nCount As Long) As Long ' or Boolean
    
       Private Declare Function StartDoc Lib "gdi32" Alias "StartDocA" _
       (ByVal hdc As Long, lpdi As DOCINFO) As Long
    
       Private Declare Function EndDoc Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long) _
       As Long
    
       Private Declare Function StartPage Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long) _
       As Long
    
       Private Declare Function EndPage Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long) _
       As Long
    
       Const DESIREDFONTSIZE = 12     ' Could use variable, TextBox, etc.
    
       Private Sub Command1_Click()
       ' Combine API Calls with the Printer object
          Dim OutString As String
          Dim lf As LOGFONT
          Dim result As Long
          Dim hOldfont As Long
          Dim hPrintDc As Long
          Dim hFont As Long
    
          Printer.Print "Printer Object"
          hPrintDc = Printer.hdc
          OutString = "Hello World"
    
          lf.lfEscapement = 1800
          lf.lfHeight = (DESIREDFONTSIZE * -20) / Printer.TwipsPerPixelY
          hFont = CreateFontIndirect(lf)
          hOldfont = SelectObject(hPrintDc, hFont)
          result = TextOut(hPrintDc, 1000, 1000, OutString, Len(OutString))
          result = SelectObject(hPrintDc, hOldfont)
          result = DeleteObject(hFont)
    
          Printer.Print "xyz"
          Printer.EndDoc
       End Sub
    
       Private Sub Command2_Click()
       ' Print using API calls only
          Dim OutString As String  'String to be rotated
          Dim lf As LOGFONT        'Structure for setting up rotated font
          Dim temp As String       'Temp string var
          Dim result As Long       'Return value for calling API functions
          Dim hOldfont As Long     'Hold old font information
          Dim hPrintDc As Long     'Handle to printer dc
          Dim hFont As Long        'Handle to new Font
          Dim di As DOCINFO        'Structure for Print Document info
    
          OutString = "Hello World"   'Set string to be rotated
    
       ' Set rotation in tenths of a degree, i.e., 1800 = 180 degrees
          lf.lfEscapement = 1800
          lf.lfHeight = (DESIREDFONTSIZE * -20) / Printer.TwipsPerPixelY
          hFont = CreateFontIndirect(lf)  'Create the rotated font
          di.cbSize = 20                  ' Size of DOCINFO structure
          di.lpszDocName = "My Document" ' Set name of print job (Optional)
    
       ' Create a printer device context
          hPrintDc = CreateDC(Printer.DriverName, Printer.DeviceName, 0, 0)
    
          result = StartDoc(hPrintDc, di) 'Start a new print document
          result = StartPage(hPrintDc)    'Start a new page
    
       ' Select our rotated font structure and save previous font info
          hOldfont = SelectObject(hPrintDc, hFont)
    
       ' Send rotated text to printer, starting at location 1000, 1000
          result = TextOut(hPrintDc, 1000, 1000, OutString, Len(OutString))
    
       ' Reset font back to original, non-rotated
          result = SelectObject(hPrintDc, hOldfont)
    
       ' Send non-rotated text to printer at same page location
          result = TextOut(hPrintDc, 1000, 1000, OutString, Len(OutString))
    
          result = EndPage(hPrintDc)      'End the page
          result = EndDoc(hPrintDc)       'End the print job
          result = DeleteDC(hPrintDc)     'Delete the printer device context
          result = DeleteObject(hFont)    'Delete the font object
       End Sub
    
       Private Sub Form_Load()
          Command1.Caption = "API with Printer object"
          Command2.Caption = "Pure API"
       End Sub
     
  5. Run the Project and click API with Printer object. This will print a single page to the current default printer with "Printer Object" and "xyz" printed normally and "Hello World" printed rotated 180 degrees.


  6. Click Pure API. This will print a single page to the current default printer with "Hello World" printed normally and rotated 180 degrees.


Additional query words: sideways angle sp2

Keywords : kbAPI kbGDI kbPrinting KbVBA kbVBp500 kbVBp600 kbVS97sp2 kbVS97sp3 kbGrpVB kbDSupport
Version : WINDOWS:5.0,6.0,97,97sp2,97sp3
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb


Last Reviewed: January 5, 2000
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