printer job date change

[Malcolm Kay]

On Thu, 1 Jan 2004 12:52, pixfbsd wrote:
> On Tue, 2003-12-30 at 23:08, Malcolm Kay wrote:
> > On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 13:04, pixfbsd wrote:
> > > I have FreeBSD 5.2-CURRENT.
> > >
> > > /etc/printcap
> > > hp2200:\
> > >
> > >         :sh:\
> > >         :rm=hp2200:\
> > >         :sd=/var/spool/output/lpd/hp2200:\
> > >         :mx#0:\
> > >         :if=/usr/local/libexec/hpif2:\
> > >         :lf=/var/log/lpd-errs:
> > >
> > > /usr/local/libexec/hpif
> >
> > I notice that the actual filter referenced in printcap is hpif2;
> > not hpif.
>
> oops my mistake, I have another hp printer in the printcap that also
> references hpif.  I cp hpif hpif2.  And was experimenting with different
> PJL commands to try to get it to change the date.  Therefore the
> discrepancy.
>
> > I would have expected that this would be where the PJL command is
> > added.
> >
> > If some how it is added ahead of the filter you could edit the filter to
> > pass the input though sed to change the date in the PJL command
> > to whatever you want.
>
> do you have an example idea? or a possible syntax form as a experiment
> point.  I actually tried to grep the specific date out but since the
> dfA009exampleFile is a binary file, it errors.  I'm not too good with
> sed.

Since it is a binary file I'm not sure how well it will go (I guess it is PCL
for which I can't remember off hand the coding) but if you canedit it with vi
and still get a reasonable result there is a good chance sed will manage it.

Try replacing the filter line:
   printf "\033&k2G" && cat && printf "\033&l0H" && exit 0
with
   printf "\033&k2G" && sed -e 's/@PJL SET DATE=[0-3][0-9]-[01][0-9]-20[0-9][0-9]/@PJL SET DATE=01-12-2000/g' && printf "\033&l0H" && exit 0

(This assumes that day and month are always encoded as 2 digits each)
It might not work but I think it is at least worth a try ;-)

Please let us know what happens.

If it doesn't work a simple filter written in C should easily do the trick.

>
> Other pertinent information I left out.  I'm running a SAMBA server that
> is getting the print job from a windows machine.  I was assuming that
> the PJL information was coming from the HP drivers on the windows
> workstation.
>

Ah! Yes, I was wondering where it cound be coming from.

> > > #!/bin/sh
> > > #
> > > # hpif - Simple text input filter for lpd for HP-PCL based printers
> > > # Installed in /usr/local/libexec/hpif
> > > #
> > > # Simply copies stdin to stdout.  Ignores all filter arguments.
> > > # Tells printer to treat LF as CR+LF.  Ejects the page when done.
> > >
> > >
> > > printf "\033&k2G" && cat && printf "\033&l0H" && exit 0
> > > exit 2
> > >
> > > In the dfA009exampleFile in /var/spool/output/lpd/hp2200 there is the
> > > value @PJL SET DATE=31-12-2003.  I want to create a filter that will
> > > change that value to the year 2000.
> > >
> > > Why?  If you recall HP has date information in their printer
> > > cartridges, that after a certain date the cartridge becomes "expired". 
> > > Although you have plenty of ink or a cartridge that has been on the
> > > shelf for along time.
> > >
> > > If I manually vi the file I can print, therefore I was trying to find a
> > > filter that would send the PJL command to set the date to a default
> > > 01-12-2000 all the time.

Malcolm Kay