This sound like it should be easy but it isn't.  I need to find out from with a VFP app if a particular printer is ready to print. i.e it's current status  (Ready, out of paper, off-line whatever)  This code, offered up on  Universal Thread, doesn't work because if the printer is installed the handle will happen successfully (assuming the printer server box is on line) no matter what the status of the printer is.

(code below is a VFP function with syntax adjusted from VB)

I found this http://www.merrioncomputing.com/Programming/PrintStatus.htm and I think my answer for creating a dll in .net may be in here but putting it together is a little beyound my current understanding of how these pieces fit.

Anyone who has solved this, knows of a third party dll that can be obtained or purchased, or who has already invented this wheel - you guidance will be greatly appreciated.

Charles

Hey, thanks an lot Edhy and Trent.  i'm really glad I asked!  I had actually forgotten that by using a .NET dll I would have to make sure the boxes that ran it had .NET but since this is a feature that is going into an app we are converting to a SQLExpress backend I believe that will insure that .NET is there, no?

In any case, this is helping a lot in clarifying my understanding of how to do this stuff.  I knew that winmgmts was the old approach but couldn't wrap my brain around how to use the wmi.

It is great to be learning .NET in an environment where people speak Fox.  (I have been talking up Strataframe big-time on the UT for exactly that reason)

Both of your posts are going in the scrapbook and I'm definitely going to be making good use of this.  Thanks again.

Glad it helped!