Future of KPrinter

[Alex Merry]

On Tuesday 11 Sep 2007, Thomas Zander wrote:
> On Saturday 08 September 2007 21:29:08 Alex Merry wrote:
> > * Straightforward printer options (try clicking "properties" for a
> > printer in the print dialog of the Qt assistant program, and doing
> > the same in kolourpaint), ie: integration with KDE print management
> > system
>
> Yeah, I kind of like the Gui in KDE and the richness of features. The
> thing is; there need not be any difference between Qt and KDE in this
> respect.
> The Qt dialog has issues, for sure, and those need fixing. So my
> suggestion is that we do that in a way that both Qt and KDE like the
> newly created QPrintDialog. Saves a lot of duplication :)

My intention was to follow the QPrintDialog use pattern with 
KPrintDialog anyway - KDE Print has always tried to behave like 
QPrinter from an application developer's point of view.

>
> > * Printing a list of pages (such as 1,4,6-8) or the current page -
> > would required extending QPrinter and implementing our own
> > KPrintDialog, or we could just tell people to get this info from
> > KPrintDialog (it's only needed by the application, not by the
> > printing system)
>
> QPrinter already has this. As does the QPrintDialog.
> See QPrinter::fromPage(), QPrinter::toPage()

That only allows you to print, eg: pages 4-8.  Not page 1, page 4, pages 
7-9 and pages 14-18.  QTestDocument::print() can't do this, because the 
user can't select it in QPrintDialog and QPrintDialog can't tell 
QPrinter about it.

> > * "Special" printers (like Send Fax via KFax) independent of eg:
> > CUPS - would require extending QPrinter and implementing our own
> > backends (which might use a Qt builtin backend when not printing to
> > the special printers)
>
> I'm thinking this can actually be done using the
>   QPrinter::setPrintProgram (const QString &)
> method already.

Actually, I think you're right about that.  It still requires our own 
KPrintDialog, though.

>
> > * Print preview - more complicated.
>
> We looked at this and we have a preview dialog that will be available
> on the labs soon, and will likely be added to 4.4.

Do you know what the use pattern will be?  ie: how does the application 
developer get the preview to display?  If we implement a stand-in for 
4.0, I think we should follow the same pattern.

I think we may still need KPrintDialog for integration with the control 
panel (when clicking Properties).  But we'll discuss that on Wednesday, 
along with the other bits.

Alex



-- 
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