gtk.PrintOperation

gtk.PrintOperation — a high-level printing API (new in PyGTK 2.10)

Synopsis

class gtk.PrintOperation(gobject.GObject, gtk.PrintOperationPreview):
    gtk.PrintOperation()
def set_default_page_setup(default_page_setup=None)
def get_default_page_setup()
def set_print_settings(print_settings=None)
def get_print_settings()
def set_job_name(job_name)
def set_n_pages(n_pages)
def set_current_page(current_page)
def set_use_full_page(full_page)
def set_unit(unit)
def set_export_filename(filename)
def set_track_print_status(track_status)
def set_show_progress(show_progress)
def set_allow_async(allow_async)
def set_custom_tab_label(label)
def run(action, parent=None)
def get_error()
def get_status()
def get_status_string()
def is_finished()
def cancel()

Ancestry

+-- gobject.GObject
  +-- gtk.PrintOperation (implements gtk.PrintOperationPreview)

gtk.PrintOperation Properties

"allow-async"Read-WriteIf TRUE the print operation may run asynchronously or not. Some systems don't support asynchronous printing, but those that do will return gtk.PRINT_OPERATION_RESULT_IN_PROGRESS as the status, and emit the done signal when the operation is actually done. This property is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.
"current-page"Read-WriteThe current page in the document. If this is set before gtk.PrintOperation.run(), the user will be able to select to print only the current page. Note that this only makes sense for pre-paginated documents. This property is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.
"custom-tab-label"Read-WriteUsed as the label of the tab containing custom widgets. Note that this property may be ignored on some platforms. If this is None, GTK+ uses a default label. This property is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.
"default-page-setup"Read-WriteThe gtk.PageSetup used by default. This page setup will be used by gtk.PrintOperation.run(), but it can be overridden on a per-page basis by connecting to the "request-page-setup" signal. This property is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.
"export-filename"Read-WriteThe name of a file file to generate instead of showing the print dialog. Currently, PDF is the only supported format. The intended use of this property is for implementing "Export to PDF" actions. "Print to PDF" support is independent of this and is done by letting the user pick the "Print to PDF" item from the list of printers in the print dialog. This property is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.
"job-name"Read-WriteA string used to identify the job (e.g. in monitoring applications like eggcups). If you don't set a job name, GTK+ picks a default one by numbering successive print jobs. This property is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.
"n-pages"Read-WriteThe number of pages in the document. This must be set to a positive number before the rendering starts. It may be set in a "begin-print" signal hander. Note that the page numbers passed to the "request-page-setup" and "draw-page" signals are 0-based, i.e. if the user chooses to print all pages, the last "draw-page" signal will be for page n_pages - 1. This property is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.
"print-settings"Read-WriteThe gtk.PrintSettings used for initializing the dialog. Setting this property is typically used to re-establish print settings from a previous print operation, see the gtk.PrintOperation.run() method. This property is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.
"show-progress"Read-WriteIf TRUE show a progress dialog during the print operation. This property is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.
"status"ReadThe status of the print operation. This property is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.
"status-string"ReadA string representation of the status of the print operation. The string is translated and suitable for displaying the print status e.g. in a gtk.Statusbar. See the "status" property for a status value that is suitable for programmatic use. This property is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.
"track-print-status"Read-WriteIf TRUE, the print operation will try to continue report on the status of the print job in the printer queues and printer. This can allow your application to show things like "out of paper" issues, and when the print job actually reaches the printer. However, this is often implemented using polling, and should not be enabled unless needed. This property is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.
"unit"Read-WriteThe transformation for the cairo context obtained from gtk.PrintContext is set up in such a way that distances are measured in units of unit. This property is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.
"use-full-page"Read-WriteIf TRUE, the transformation for the cairo context obtained from gtk.PrintContext puts the origin at the top left corner of the page (which may not be the top left corner of the sheet, depending on page orientation and the number of pages per sheet). Otherwise, the origin is at the top left corner of the imageable area (i.e. inside the margins). This property is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.

gtk.PrintOperation Signal Prototypes

gobject.GObject Signal Prototypes

gtk.PrintOperationPreview Signal Prototypes

"begin-print def callback(operation, context, user_param1, ...)
"create-custom-widget def callback(operation, user_param1, ...)
"custom-widget-apply def callback(operation, widget, user_param1, ...)
"done def callback(operation, result, user_param1, ...)
"draw-page def callback(operation, context, page_nr, user_param1, ...)
"end-print def callback(operation, context, user_param1, ...)
"paginate def callback(printoperation, context, user_param1, ...)
"preview def callback(operation, preview, context, parent, user_param1, ...)
"request-page-setup def callback(operation, context, page_nr, setup, user_param1, ...)
"status-changed def callback(operation, printoperation, user_param1, ...)

Description

gtk.PrintOperation is the high-level, portable printing API. It looks a bit different than other GTK+ dialogs such as the gtk.FileChooser, since some platforms don't expose enough infrastructure to implement a good print dialog. On such platforms, gtk.PrintOperation uses the native print dialog. On platforms which do not provide a native print dialog, GTK+ uses its own, see gtk.unixprint.PrintUnixDialog.

The typical way to use the high-level printing API is to create a gtk.PrintOperation object with the gtk.PrintOperation constructor when the user selects to print. Then you set some properties on it, e.g. the page size, any gtk.PrintSettings from previous print operations, the number of pages, the current page, etc.

Then you start the print operation by calling the gtk.PrintOperation.run() method. It will then show a dialog, let the user select a printer and options. When the user finished the dialog various signals will be emitted on the gtk.PrintOperation, the main one being "draw-page", which you are supposed to catch and render the page on the provided gtk.PrintContext using Cairo.

Example 3. The high-level printing API

settings = None

def do_print():
  print = gtk.PrintOperation()

  if settings != None: 
    print.set_print_settings(settings)

  print.connect("begin_print", begin_print)
  print.connect("draw_page", draw_page)

  res = print.run(gtk.PRINT_OPERATION_ACTION_PRINT_DIALOG, main_window)

  if res == gtk.PRINT_OPERATION_RESULT_APPLY:
      settings = print.get_print_settings()

Printing support was added in GTK+ 2.10.

Constructor

gtk.PrintOperation

    gtk.PrintOperation()
Returns :a new gtk.PrintOperation

Note

This constructor is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

Creates a new gtk.PrintOperation.

Methods

gtk.PrintOperation.set_default_page_setup

    def set_default_page_setup(default_page_setup=None)
default_page_setup :a gtk.PageSetup, or None

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The set_default_page_setup() method makes default_page_setup the default page setup.

This page setup will be used by the gtk.PrintOperation.run() method, but it can be overridden on a per-page basis by connecting to the "request-page-setup" signal.

gtk.PrintOperation.get_default_page_setup

    def get_default_page_setup()
Returns :the default page setup

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The get_default_page_setup() method returns the default page setup, see the gtk.PrintOperation.set_default_page_setup() method.

gtk.PrintOperation.set_print_settings

    def set_print_settings(print_settings=None)
print_settings :gtk.PrintSettings, or None

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The set_print_settings() method sets the print settings. This is typically used to re-establish print settings from a previous print operation, see the gtk.PrintOperation.run() method.

gtk.PrintOperation.get_print_settings

    def get_print_settings()
Returns :the current print settings.

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The get_print_settings() method returns the current print settings.

Note that the return value is None until either the gtk.PrintOperation.set_print_settings() or gtk.PrintOperation.run() methods have been called.

gtk.PrintOperation.set_job_name

    def set_job_name(job_name)
job_name :a string that identifies the print job

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The set_job_name() method sets the name of the print job. The name is used to identify the job (e.g. in monitoring applications like eggcups).

If you don't set a job name, GTK+ picks a default one by numbering successive print jobs.

gtk.PrintOperation.set_n_pages

    def set_n_pages(n_pages)
n_pages :the number of pages

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The set_n_pages() >method sets the number of pages in the document.

This must be set to a positive number before the rendering starts. It may be set in a "begin-print" signal hander.

Note that the page numbers passed to the "request-page-setup" and "draw-page" signals are 0-based, i.e. if the user chooses to print all pages, the last "draw-page" signal will be for page n_pages - 1.

gtk.PrintOperation.set_current_page

    def set_current_page(current_page)
current_page :the current page, 0-based

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The set_current_page() method sets the current page.

If this is called before gtk.PrintOperation.run(), the user will be able to select to print only the current page.

Note that this only makes sense for pre-paginated documents.

gtk.PrintOperation.set_use_full_page

    def set_use_full_page(full_page)
full_page :TRUE to set up the gtk.PrintContext for the full page

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The set_use_full_page() method sets the "full-page" property to the value of full_page. If full_page is TRUE, the transformation for the cairo context obtained from gtk.PrintContext puts the origin at the top left corner of the page (which may not be the top left corner of the sheet, depending on page orientation and the number of pages per sheet). Otherwise, the origin is at the top left corner of the imageable area (i.e. inside the margins).

gtk.PrintOperation.set_unit

    def set_unit(unit)
unit :the unit to use

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The set_unit() method sets up the transformation for the cairo context such distances are measured in units of unit.

gtk.PrintOperation.set_export_filename

    def set_export_filename(filename)
filename :the filename for the exported file

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The set_export_filename() method sets up the gtk.PrintOperation to generate a file instead of showing the print dialog. The intended use of this method is for implementing "Export to PDF" actions. Currently, PDF is the only supported format.

"Print to PDF" support is independent of this and is done by letting the user pick the "Print to PDF" item from the list of printers in the print dialog.

gtk.PrintOperation.set_track_print_status

    def set_track_print_status(track_status)
track_status :if TRUE track status after printing

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The set_track_print_status() method sets the "track-print-status" to the value of track_status. If track_status is TRUE, the print operation will try to continue report on the status of the print job in the printer queues and printer. This can allow your application to show things like "out of paper" issues, and when the print job actually reaches the printer.

This method is often implemented using some form of polling, so it should not be enabled unless needed.

gtk.PrintOperation.set_show_progress

    def set_show_progress(show_progress)
show_progress :if TRUE show a progress dialog

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The set_show_progress() method sets the "show-progress" property to the value of show_progress. If show_progress is TRUE, the print operation will show a progress dialog during the print operation.

gtk.PrintOperation.set_allow_async

    def set_allow_async(allow_async)
allow_async :if TRUE allow asynchronous operation

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The set_allow_async() method sets the "allow-async" to the value of allow_async. If allow_async is TRUE the gtk.PrintOperation.run() may return before the print operation is completed. Note that some platforms may not allow asynchronous operation.

gtk.PrintOperation.set_custom_tab_label

    def set_custom_tab_label(label)
label :

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The set_custom_tab_label() method sets the label for the tab holding custom widgets.

gtk.PrintOperation.run

    def run(action, parent=None)
action :the action to start - one of the GTK Print Operation Action Constants
parent :Transient parent of the dialog, or None
Returns :the result of the print operation - one of the GTK Print Operation Result Constants. A return value of gtk.PRINT_OPERATION_RESULT_APPLY indicates that the printing was completed successfully. In this case, it is a good idea to obtain the used print settings with the gtk.PrintOperation.get_print_settings() method and store them for reuse with the next print operation. A value of gtk.PRINT_OPERATION_RESULT_IN_PROGRESS means the operation is running asynchronously, and will emit the "done" signal when done.

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The run() method runs the print operation, by first letting the user modify print settings in the print dialog, and then print the document.

Normally that this method does not return until the rendering of all pages is complete. You can connect to the "status-changed" signal to obtain some information about the progress of the print operation. Furthermore, it may use a recursive mainloop to show the print dialog.

If you call the gtk.PrintOperation.set_allow_async() method or set the "allow-async" property the operation will run asyncronously if this is supported on the platform. The "done" signal will be emitted with the operation results when the operation is done (i.e. when the dialog is canceled, or when the print succeeds or fails).

      if settings != None:
        print.set_print_settings( settings)
        
      if page_setup != None:
        print.set_default_page_setup(page_setup)
        
      print.connect( "begin-print", begin_print, data)
      print.connect("draw-page", draw_page, data)
       
      res = print.run(gtk.PRINT_OPERATION_ACTION_PRINT_DIALOG, parent)
       
      if res == gtkprint_OPERATION_RESULT_ERROR:
         error_dialog = gtk.MessageDialog(parent,
                                          gtk.DIALOG_DESTROY_WITH_PARENT,
                                          gtk.MESSAGE_ERROR,
      					  gtk.BUTTONS_CLOSE,
      					  "Error printing file:\n")
         error_dialog.connect("response", lambda w,id: w.destroy())
         error_dialog.show()
      elif res == gtk.PRINT_OPERATION_RESULT_APPLY:
         settings = print.get_print_settings()
      

gtk.PrintOperation.get_error

    def get_error()
Returns :the error message or None

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The get_error() method returns the error message or None. Call this when the result of a print operation is gtk.PRINT_OPERATION_RESULT_ERROR, either as returned by the gtk.PrintOperation.run() method, or in the "done" signal handler.

gtk.PrintOperation.get_status

    def get_status()
Returns :the status of the print operation

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The get_status() method returns the status of the print operation as one of the GTK Print Status Constants. Also see the gtk.PrintOperation.get_status_string() method.

gtk.PrintOperation.get_status_string

    def get_status_string()
Returns :a string representation of the status of the print operation

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The get_status_string() method returns a string representation of the status of the print operation. The string is translated and suitable for displaying the print status e.g. in a gtk.Statusbar.

Use the gtk.PrintOperation.get_status() method to obtain a status value that is suitable for programmatic use.

gtk.PrintOperation.is_finished

    def is_finished()
Returns :TRUE, if the print operation is finished.

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The method returns TRUE if the print operation is completed. This is a convenience method to find out if the print operation is finished, either successfully (gtk.PRINT_STATUS_FINISHED) or unsuccessfully (gtk.PRINT_STATUS_FINISHED_ABORTED).

Note

When you enable print status tracking, the print operation can be in a non-finished state even after done has been called, as the operation status then tracks the print job status on the printer.

gtk.PrintOperation.cancel

    def cancel()

Note

This method is available in PyGTK 2.10 and above.

The cancel() method cancels a running print operation. This method may be called from a "begin-print", "paginate" or "draw-page" signal handler to stop the currently running print operation.

Signals

The "begin-print" gtk.PrintOperation Signal

    def callback(operation, context, user_param1, ...)
operation :the gtk.PrintOperation on which the signal was emitted
context :the gtk.PrintContext for the current operation
user_param1 :the first user parameter (if any) specified with the connect() method
... :additional user parameters (if any)

Note

This signal is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.

The "begin-print" signal is emitted after the user has finished changing print settings in the dialog, before the actual rendering starts.

A typical use for this signal is to use the parameters from the gtk.PrintContext and paginate the document accordingly, and then set the number of pages with gtk.PrintOperation.set_n_pages().

The "create-custom-widget" gtk.PrintOperation Signal

    def callback(operation, user_param1, ...)
operation :the gtk.PrintOperation on which the signal was emitted
user_param1 :the first user parameter (if any) specified with the connect() method
... :additional user parameters (if any)
Returns :A custom widget that gets embedded in the print dialog, or None

Note

This signal is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.

The "create-custom-widget" signal is emitted when displaying the print dialog. If you return a widget in a handler for this signal it will be added to a custom tab in the print dialog. You typically return a container widget with multiple widgets in it.

The print dialog owns the returned widget, and its lifetime isn't controlled by the app. However, the widget is guaranteed to stay around until the "custom-widget-apply" signal is emitted on the operation. Then you can read out any information you need from the widgets.

The "custom-widget-apply" gtk.PrintOperation Signal

    def callback(operation, widget, user_param1, ...)
operation :the gtk.PrintOperation on which the signal was emitted
widget :the custom widget added in create-custom-widget
user_param1 :the first user parameter (if any) specified with the connect() method
... :additional user parameters (if any)

Note

This signal is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.

The "custom-widget-apply" signal is emitted right before "begin-print" if you added a custom widget in the "create-custom-widget" handler. When you get this signal you should read the information from the custom widgets, as the widgets are not guaraneed to be around at a later time.

The "done" gtk.PrintOperation Signal

    def callback(operation, result, user_param1, ...)
operation :the gtk.PrintOperation on which the signal was emitted
result :the result of the print operation
user_param1 :the first user parameter (if any) specified with the connect() method
... :additional user parameters (if any)

Note

This signal is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.

The "done" signal is emitted when the print operation run has finished doing everything required for printing. result (one of the GTK Print Operation Result Constants) gives you information about what happened during the run. If result is gtk.PRINT_OPERATION_RESULT_ERROR then you can call the gtk.PrintOperation.get_error() method for more information.

If you enabled print status tracking then the gtk.PrintOperation.is_finished() method may still return FALSE after this was emitted.

The "draw-page" gtk.PrintOperation Signal

    def callback(operation, context, page_nr, user_param1, ...)
operation :the gtk.PrintOperation on which the signal was emitted
context :the gtk.PrintContext for the current operation
page_nr :the number of the currently printed page
user_param1 :the first user parameter (if any) specified with the connect() method
... :additional user parameters (if any)

Note

This signal is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.

The "draw-page" signal is emitted for every page that is printed. The signal handler must render the page_nr's page onto the cairo context obtained from context using gtk.PrintContext.get_cairo_context().

def draw_page(operation, context, page_nr, user_data):
        cr = context.get_cairo_context()
        width = context.get_width()
        
        cr.rectangle(0, 0, width, HEADER_HEIGHT)
        
        cr.set_source_rgb(0.8, 0.8, 0.8);
        cr.fill()
        
        layout = context.create_pango_layout()
        
        desc = pango.FontDescription("sans 14")
        layout.set_font_description(desc)
        
        layout.set_text("some text")
        layout.set_width(width)
        layout.set_alignment(pango.ALIGN_CENTER)
           		      
        x,layout_height = layout.get_size()
        text_height = layout_height / pango.SCALE
        
        cr.move_to(width / 2,  (HEADER_HEIGHT - text_height) / 2)
        cr.show_layout(layout)
      

Use the gtk.PrintOperation.set_use_full_page() and gtk.PrintOperation.set_unit() methods before starting the print operation to set up the transformation of the cairo context according to your needs.

The "end-print" gtk.PrintOperation Signal

    def callback(operation, context, user_param1, ...)
operation :the gtk.PrintOperation on which the signal was emitted
context :the gtk.PrintContext for the current operation
user_param1 :the first user parameter (if any) specified with the connect() method
... :additional user parameters (if any)

Note

This signal is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.

The "end-print" signal is emitted after all pages have been rendered. A handler for this signal can clean up any resources that have been allocated in the "begin-print" handler.

The "paginate" gtk.PrintOperation Signal

    def callback(printoperation, context, user_param1, ...)
printoperation :the object which received the signal.
context :the gtk.PrintContext for the current operation
user_param1 :the first user parameter (if any) specified with the connect() method
... :additional user parameters (if any)
Returns :

Note

This signal is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.

The "paginate" signal is emitted after the "begin-print" signal, but before the actual rendering starts. It keeps getting emitted until it returns FALSE.

This signal is intended to be used for paginating the document in small chunks, to avoid blocking the user interface for a long time. The signal handler should update the number of pages using the gtk.PrintOperation.set_n_pages() method, and return TRUE if the document has been completely paginated.

If you don't need to do pagination in chunks, you can simply do it all in the "begin-print" handler, and set the number of pages from there.

The "preview" gtk.PrintOperation Signal

    def callback(operation, preview, context, parent, user_param1, ...)
operation :the gtk.PrintOperation on which the signal was emitted
preview :the GtkPrintPreviewOperation for the current operation
context :the gtk.PrintContext that will be used
parent :the gtk.Window to use as window parent, or None
user_param1 :the first user parameter (if any) specified with the connect() method
... :additional user parameters (if any)
Returns :TRUE if the listener wants to take over control of the preview

Note

This signal is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.

The "preview" signal is emitted when a preview is requested from the native dialog. If you handle this you must set the cairo context on the printing context.

If you don't override this, a default implementation using an external viewer will be used.

The "request-page-setup" gtk.PrintOperation Signal

    def callback(operation, context, page_nr, setup, user_param1, ...)
operation :the gtk.PrintOperation on which the signal was emitted
context :the gtk.PrintContext for the current operation
page_nr :the number of the currently printed page
setup :the gtk.PageSetup
user_param1 :the first user parameter (if any) specified with the connect() method
... :additional user parameters (if any)

Note

This signal is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.

The "request-page-setup" signal is emitted once for every page that is printed, to give the application a chance to modify the page setup. Any changes done to setup will be in force only for printing this page.

The "status-changed" gtk.PrintOperation Signal

    def callback(operation, printoperation, user_param1, ...)
operation :the gtk.PrintOperation on which the signal was emitted
printoperation :the object which received the signal.
user_param1 :the first user parameter (if any) specified with the connect() method
... :additional user parameters (if any)

Note

This signal is available in GTK+ 2.10 and above.

The "status-changed" signal is emitted at between the various phases of the print operation. See the GTK Print Status Constants for the phases that are being discriminated. Use the gtk.PrintOperation.get_status() method to find out the current status.