Communications
Overview and Sample Code
PRINTER CONFIGURATION
- FGL vs. PCL4
BOCA printers are
factory configured for either
FGL or PCL4 operation. FGL mode is discussed in great detail in the
programming
guide. PCL4 mode is described in the "Windows Compatibility
Supplement". Please note that the printer cannot alternate
between
these two modes. PCL4 is primarily a legacy
configuration for printers purchased before the development of the FGL
printer
drivers. We strongly discourage the use of PCL4 drivers for new
applications.
COMMUNICATING
WITH YOUR PRINTER
There are a number of ways
to communicate with a BOCA printer. The simplest way
to communicate with your BOCA printer is to open a port
(parallel, serial) and to write directly to the port. This method will
work
with any PC while supporting full bi-directional
communication on the serial port. However, we recommend avoiding both of these
interfaces
for new applications as parallel and serial ports are no longer
provided on
computers.
The second means of
communicating with a BOCA printer is over the Network via the Ethernet
interface (see Ethernet page). The
network
interface can be designed for full bi-directional communication and is
the only
means of working with a printer independent of a PC.
The final approach is to
communicate with the printer using a driver. There are two types of drivers – printer driver and HID device
driver. The printer driver (see printer driver page) interprets the data from the
application
and writes to the port (parallel, serial, USB or Ethernet). BOCA
provides
printer drivers for all active Windows platforms, Linux
and
Macs. These drivers only work with standard BOCA printers built
from 2000
forward. (Older software such as FGL II, IV, 20, 40, 21 and 41
will not
operate with these drivers. FGL22/42 rev C and above and all
FGL24/44,
FGL26/46 are compatible.) The Generic Text Printer Driver (in Windows)
can be
used for text based applications on older printer models which do not
support
the FGL drivers. However, the generic text driver has limited
capabilities and does not support certain functions such as graphics
and true
type fonts.
The HID driver is
automatically installed when the printer is configured as a USB HID
device. When operating in this mode, the
HID driver passes all data directly to and from the printer without any
interpretation. (You
cannot use a printer driver when operating as a USB HID device.)
NOTE: All USB printers are factory preset to operate with printer
drivers. To configure the printer to act
as a USB HID device, you need to use the control panel or one of the
printer
test programs on the Ghostwriter
News page.
SAMPLE
CODE
We have prepared a collection of code samples to demonstrate how to communicate bi-directionally with your printer with and without drivers on a variety of operating systems.
Bi-directional Communication Projects without Printer Drivers
You can communicate bi-directionally on USB/HID, Ethernet, Parallel and Serial interfaces without the use of printer drivers. The following sample code projects written in Xojo (Mac, Linux) and C# can be used in developing bi-directional communication with a Boca Systems printer. Please note that no printer driver (of any manufacturer) can be installed on the port that you intend to use for bi-directional communication.
Visual Studio 2013 (all interfaces) - C# Sample
Bi-directional Communication Projects with Printer Drivers
While our printer drivers do not support bi-directional communication, there are ways of bypassing the driver for querying and receiving status. We have provided sample files in Xojo (Mac) for accomplishing bi-directional communication over USB and Ethernet interfaces.
The C# code provides bi-directional communication over all interfaces.
Setup
Procedure
· Install the Boca Systems printer driver from the applicable printer driver page of this website.
· Download and save the applicable project:
[mac
driver
sample] Released
- August 2017
Unzip mac sample code above. A "sample code driver mac" directory will be created and populated with many files, including the entire Xojo project and some test files.
·
We recommend that you test the sample code before making any
modifications. The sample program allows the user to send a
string or a file tothe printer and then read the returning data and display it.
Please note that, in order to communicate bi-directionally with a driver, you must send an <S1> command immediately prior to each read command. The printer will typically respond with an X-ON character and any other data that may be sitting in its output buffer.
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