ql-series.c File Reference

Shared functions by all QL label printer drivers. More...

Functions
int	ql_numerical_setting_read (struct ql_drv *t, const char *section, const char *keyword)
static double	ql_float_setting_read (struct caps_drv *drvi, const char *section, const char *keyword, double fallback)
static void	ql_driver_byte_count_from_INI (struct ql_drv *t)
static void	ql_driver_dot_count_from_INI (struct ql_drv *t)
static void	ql_driver_cutter_from_INI (struct ql_drv *t)
static void	ql_driver_colour_from_INI (struct ql_drv *t)
static void	ql_driver_margin_from_INI (struct ql_drv *t)
static void	ql_driver_high_resolution_from_INI (struct ql_drv *t)
static void	ql_driver_min_max_label_size_from_INI (struct ql_drv *t)
static void	ql_driver_leading_bytes_from_INI (struct ql_drv *t)
void	ql_driver_base_setup (struct ql_drv *t)
static void	ql_driver_feature_add (struct caps_ppd_base *base, const struct caps_ppd_selection *entry)
void	ql_driver_power_selection_setup (struct ql_drv *t, struct caps_ppd_base *base)
void	ql_driver_halftone_selection_setup (struct ql_drv *t, struct caps_ppd_base *base)
enum ql_half_tone	ql_driver_job_halftone_get (struct ql_drv *t)
void	ql_driver_bi_colour_medium_selection_setup (struct ql_drv *t, struct caps_ppd_base *base)
void	ql_driver_job_bi_colour_medium_get (struct ql_drv *t)
static const struct dk_roll_types *	ql_dk_element_get (const char *name)
int	ql_dk_information_get (struct dk_roll_types *medium, const char *name)
void	ql_driver_raster_crop (struct ql_drv *t)
int	ql_driver_send (struct ql_drv *t, size_t count, const void *data, int flush)
int	ql_driver_data_send (struct ql_drv *t, size_t count, const void *data, int flush)

Variables
static const struct caps_ppd_selection *	ql_drv_spare_features_list [10]
static const struct caps_ppd_selection_entry	ql_drv_feature_power_off_selections []
static const struct caps_ppd_selection	ql_drv_feature_power_off_selection
static const struct caps_ppd_selection_entry	ql_drv_feature_power_on_selections []
static const struct caps_ppd_selection	ql_drv_feature_power_on_selection
static const struct caps_ppd_selection_entry	ql_drv_feature_halftone_selections []
static struct caps_ppd_selection	ql_drv_feature_halftone_off_selection
static const struct caps_ppd_selection_entry	ql_driver_feature_bi_colour_medium_selections []
static struct caps_ppd_selection	ql_driver_feature_bi_colour_medium_selection
static const struct dk_roll_types	rolls []

Detailed Description

This is a collection of functions and features shared by all QLxxxx drivers.

Function Documentation

ql_numerical_setting_read()

int ql_numerical_setting_read	(	struct ql_drv *	t,
		const char *	section,
		const char *	keyword
	)

Helper to read in a positive integer INI setting

Parameters

[in,out]	t	Full job description
[in]	section	Name of the section, the setting should be read from
[in]	keyword	The keyword/setting to read in

Return values

Positive	The setting read from the INI
-ENODATA	No setting found
-EINVAL	Setting found, but doesn't look like an ASCII number
-ERANGE	Setting contains an invalid number for an 'int'

ql_float_setting_read()

static double ql_float_setting_read ( struct caps_drv *  drvi, const char *  section, const char *  keyword, double  fallback  )

static

Internal helper to read in a floating point numerical type INI setting

Parameters

[in]	drvi	Handle to access the INI settings
[in]	section	Name of the section, the setting should be read from
[in]	keyword	The keyword/setting to read in
[in]	fallback	Value to return, if not set in the INI

Returns

The setting read from the INI or the fallback if not defined

ql_driver_byte_count_from_INI()

static void ql_driver_byte_count_from_INI ( struct ql_drv *  t )

static

Read in and set up the byte count per line from the INI settings

Parameters

[in]

t

Full job description

Note

Printer variant related value.

ql_driver_dot_count_from_INI()

static void ql_driver_dot_count_from_INI ( struct ql_drv *  t )

static

Read in and set up the dot count per line from the INI settings

Parameters

[in]

t

Full job description

Note

Printer variant related value.

ql_driver_cutter_from_INI()

static void ql_driver_cutter_from_INI ( struct ql_drv *  t )

static

Read in and set up the cutter capabilities from the INI settings

Parameters

[in]

t

Full job description

Note

Printer variant related value.

ql_driver_colour_from_INI()

static void ql_driver_colour_from_INI ( struct ql_drv *  t )

static

Read in and set up the bi-colour capabilities from the INI settings

Parameters

[in]

t

Full job description

Note

Printer variant related value.

ql_driver_margin_from_INI()

static void ql_driver_margin_from_INI ( struct ql_drv *  t )

static

Read in and set up the margin settings from the INI settings for all kind of labels

Parameters

[in]

t

Full job description

The printers have some margin requirements at all four edges of a label, we need to consider when printing. This routine sets up two margin assumptions, based on the following experiences:

Guessed Printer Mechanics for Labels with 62 mm in width

Guessed Printer Mechanics for Labels smaller than 62 mm

These experiences are used as the default. But the user can overwrite them.

Note

These margins might conflict with the margins mentioned in the corresponding printers datasheets. They mention larger values for the horizontal margins.

The horizontal margins depend on the width of the label:

• right: smaller labels need about 1 mm, full size labels need about 0.8 mm
• left: smaller labels do not need any margin, full size labels need about 0.2 mm

The vertical margins seem always constant and 3 mm both.

ql_driver_high_resolution_from_INI()

static void ql_driver_high_resolution_from_INI ( struct ql_drv *  t )

static

Read in and set up the printer's high resolution capabilities from the INI settings

Parameters

[in]

t

Full job description

Some printers are capable of printing in 600 DPI in vertical direction.

ql_driver_min_max_label_size_from_INI()

static void ql_driver_min_max_label_size_from_INI ( struct ql_drv *  t )

static

Read in and set up the minimum and maximum supported label sizes from the INI settings

Parameters

[in]

t

Full job description

Various printer variants are restricted in the size when printing on continuous length labels.

Note

The driver depends on external settings to use the correct values regarding the printer variant. The used default in this routine do not match all variants.
For example the maximum label width for the QL10xx series is 102 mm and not 62 mm.

ql_driver_leading_bytes_from_INI()

static void ql_driver_leading_bytes_from_INI ( struct ql_drv *  t )

static

Read in and set up from the INI file the amount of leading zero bytes to begin a print job

Parameters

[in]

t

Full job description

Various printer variants define a different amount of zero bytes leading a printing job. QL500 defines 200 bytes, QL650 defines 350 bytes and a QL800 defines 400 bytes.

ql_driver_base_setup()

void ql_driver_base_setup

(

struct ql_drv *

t

)

Read in the main INI file settings for the driver

Parameters

[in]

t

Full job description

ql_driver_feature_add()

static void ql_driver_feature_add ( struct caps_ppd_base *  base, const struct caps_ppd_selection *  entry  )

static

ql_driver_power_selection_setup()

void ql_driver_power_selection_setup	(	struct ql_drv *	t,
		struct caps_ppd_base *	base
	)

Add the power feature control selections to the printer description based on INI settings

Parameters

[in]	t	Full job description
[in,out]	base	Add selections to this printer description on demand

Uses the INI boolean key powerctl in section [features] to setup a possible power setting of the printer. In this case, selections defining these features will be added to the printer description PPD.

ql_driver_halftone_selection_setup()

void ql_driver_halftone_selection_setup	(	struct ql_drv *	t,
		struct caps_ppd_base *	base
	)

Add the power feature control selections to the printer description based on INI settings

Parameters

[in]	t	Full job description
[in,out]	base	Add selections to this printer description on demand

ql_driver_job_halftone_get()

enum ql_half_tone ql_driver_job_halftone_get

(

struct ql_drv *

t

)

FIXME

ql_driver_bi_colour_medium_selection_setup()

void ql_driver_bi_colour_medium_selection_setup	(	struct ql_drv *	t,
		struct caps_ppd_base *	base
	)

Add bi-colour medium selection to the printer description based on INI settings

Parameters

[in]	t	Full job description
[in,out]	base	Add selections to this printer description on demand

The bi-colour capability of the loaded cassette cannot be detected. It must be selected by the user. This function adds a corresponding selection to the printer description, if the printer has bi-colour capabilities.

Precondition

Printer's colour capabilities must be already set (by calling ql_driver_colour_from_INI() first)

ql_driver_job_bi_colour_medium_get()

void ql_driver_job_bi_colour_medium_get

(

struct ql_drv *

t

)

Get the current job related selection for the bi-colour medium capabilities

Parameters

[in]

t

Full job description

The bi-colour capability cannot be detected at runtime. So the user mus select it on a per job base to enable bi-colour print. This function checks the current selection and modifies ql_drv::bi_colour_medium_present accordingly.

ql_dk_element_get()

static const struct dk_roll_types * ql_dk_element_get ( const char *  name )

static

Loop through the list of rolls for a specific one

Parameters

[in]

name

The name to search for

Return values

Pointer	The corresponding roll element
NULL	name not found

ql_dk_information_get()

int ql_dk_information_get	(	struct dk_roll_types *	medium,
		const char *	name
	)

Retrieve settings/information about a specific DK roll/cassette

Parameters

[out]	medium	The settings for the DK roll named by name
[in]	name	The DK roll name the settings should be retrieved for

Return values

0	On success, *medium is valid
-EINVAL	Roll with the given name not found

DK rolls can inherit settings from other rolls. This routine walks through the table and uses the dk_roll_types::like member to re-use their settings.

ql_driver_raster_crop()

void ql_driver_raster_crop

(

struct ql_drv *

t

)

Crop the input raster to meet the printer's expectations/requirements

Parameters

[in]

t

Full job description

The printer device has some - hmm, lets it call - interesting requirements about the print data it accepts. Continuous labels are easy, but pre-cut labels aren't. In order to ensure the printer always cuts inbetween two pre-cut labels, we need to tweak the amount of lines to be print.

Read how_the_driver_deals_with_margins about details.

ql_driver_send()

int ql_driver_send	(	struct ql_drv *	t,
		size_t	count,
		const void *	data,
		int	flush
	)

Send some data to the printer's stream

Parameters

[in,out]	t	Full job description
[in]	count	Count of bytes data points to
[in]	data	Pointer to the to be sent data
[in]	flush	'1' if the stream should be flushed

Return values

0	Data buffered (and send, if flush is nonzero)
-EINVAL	Printer device is unsuitable for writing
-EBADF	Really bad internal failure
-EFAULT	Really bad internal failure made by the caller
-EIO	Low-level I/O error

Note

It seems to me, if this call returns with an error code the data wasn't sent.

ql_driver_data_send()

int ql_driver_data_send	(	struct ql_drv *	t,
		size_t	count,
		const void *	data,
		int	flush
	)

Send some data to the printer's stream or the development/debugging file

Parameters

[in,out]	t	Full job description
[in]	count	Count of bytes data points to
[in]	data	Pointer to the to be sent data
[in]	flush	'1' if the stream should be flushed

Return values

0	Data buffered (and send, if flush is nonzero)
-EINVAL	Printer device is unsuitable for writing
-EBADF	Really bad internal failure
-EFAULT	Really bad internal failure made by the caller
-EIO	Low-level I/O error

This sends the real printer data to the printer's stream like ql_driver_send() does, but of the debug option –writeto is in use, it writes it to the file instead.

This is for debugging/development purposes, to extract the generated wire data and check its content and format. It is required this way, since the driver depends on interactive data exchange with the printer and if something went wrong, there is no other easy to use chance to see the data in this case.

Todo:

Write a printer emulator instead.

Variable Documentation

ql_drv_spare_features_list

const struct caps_ppd_selection* ql_drv_spare_features_list[10]

static

A spare array to add selections to a printer description on demand

ql_drv_feature_power_off_selections

const struct caps_ppd_selection_entry ql_drv_feature_power_off_selections[]

static

Initial value:

= {
    { .option = "Unchanged", .description = ( "Don't change" ), .value = "keep", },
    { .option = "MIN10", .description = ( "10 Minutes" ), .value = "10", },
    { .option = "MIN20", .description = ( "20 Minutes" ), .value = "20", },
    { .option = "MIN30", .description = ( "30 Minutes" ), .value = "30", },
    { .option = "MIN40", .description = ( "40 Minutes" ), .value = "40", },
    { .option = "MIN50", .description = ( "50 Minutes" ), .value = "50", },
    { .option = "MIN60", .description = ( "60 Minutes" ), .value = "60", },
    { .option = "Disabled", .description = ( "Disabled" ), .value = "off", },
}

Some printers have an auto power off feature.

ql_drv_feature_power_off_selection

const struct caps_ppd_selection ql_drv_feature_power_off_selection

static

Initial value:

= {
    .option_type = LIBCAPS_OT_PICKONE,
    .option = "PowerOFF",
    .description =  ( "Auto Power Off" ),
    .entry_count = (sizeof( ql_drv_feature_power_off_selections )/sizeof( ql_drv_feature_power_off_selections [0])),
    .default_entry = 0,
    .entries = ql_drv_feature_power_off_selections,
}

ql_drv_feature_power_on_selections

const struct caps_ppd_selection_entry ql_drv_feature_power_on_selections[]

static

Initial value:

= {
    { .option = "Unchanged", .description = ( "Don't change" ), .value = "keep", },
    { .option = "ON", .description = ( "Go online" ), .value = "on", },
    { .option = "OFF", .description = ( "Keep offline" ), .value = "off", },
}

Some printers have an auto power on feature.

ql_drv_feature_power_on_selection

const struct caps_ppd_selection ql_drv_feature_power_on_selection

static

Initial value:

= {
    .option_type = LIBCAPS_OT_PICKONE,
    .option = "PowerOn",
    .description =  ( "Auto Power On" ),
    .entry_count = (sizeof( ql_drv_feature_power_on_selections )/sizeof( ql_drv_feature_power_on_selections [0])),
    .default_entry = 0,
    .entries = ql_drv_feature_power_on_selections,
}

ql_drv_feature_halftone_selections

const struct caps_ppd_selection_entry ql_drv_feature_halftone_selections[]

static

Initial value:

= {
    { .option = "NONE", .description = ( "Binary dithering" ), },
    { .option = "ORDERED", .description = ( "Ordered dithering" ), },
    { .option = "DIFFUSION", .description = ( "Diffusion dithering" ), },
}

How to dither the content

ql_drv_feature_halftone_off_selection

struct caps_ppd_selection ql_drv_feature_halftone_off_selection

static

Initial value:

= {
    .option_type = LIBCAPS_OT_PICKONE,
    .option = "Halftone",
    .description =  ( "Dithering method" ),
    .entry_count = (sizeof( ql_drv_feature_halftone_selections )/sizeof( ql_drv_feature_halftone_selections [0])),
    .default_entry = 2,
    .entries = ql_drv_feature_halftone_selections,
}

ql_driver_feature_bi_colour_medium_selections

const struct caps_ppd_selection_entry ql_driver_feature_bi_colour_medium_selections[]

static

Initial value:

= {
    { .option = "MONO", .description = ( "Monochrome Medium" ), },
    { .option = "BI", .description = ( "Bi-Colour Medium" ), },
}

We need an indicator if the medium is capable of bi-colour printing.

ql_driver_feature_bi_colour_medium_selection

struct caps_ppd_selection ql_driver_feature_bi_colour_medium_selection

static

Initial value:

= {
    .option_type = LIBCAPS_OT_PICKONE,
    .option = "COLOURCAPS",
    .description =  ( "Medium Colour Capabilities" ),
    .entry_count = (sizeof( ql_driver_feature_bi_colour_medium_selections )/sizeof( ql_driver_feature_bi_colour_medium_selections [0])),
    .entries = ql_driver_feature_bi_colour_medium_selections,
}

rolls

const struct dk_roll_types rolls[]

static