PRINT COMMAND

Purpose:  Prints the contents of text and binary files in the background
          mode.

Syntax:   PRINT [file specification] [option list]

Type:     External command

Parameters:

/Q - Specifies the number of files allowed in the print queue.
     The format of the menu string:

     +----------------------------------------------------------+
     |   num. filespec           options            size        |
     +----------------------------------------------------------+

     num      - the queue number of the file;
     filespec - file specification with the full path;
     options  - options list;
     size     - the number of bytes to be typed.

     If you want to delete the file from the queue in this mode, you should
     move the menu selection bar to the corresponding string and press
     [Enter].

/D - File printing with suppression of nonprintable characters.  Characters,
     which codes correspond to the control characters, are substituted
     by ".".

/B - To print a file as a hexadecimal dump. The format of the printed
     information will be the following:

     a colon of hexadecimal codes       a colon of the corresponding
     (16 bytes per string )             text characters

/P{first byte}[-last byte] or /L{first string}[-last string]
   - printing of the specified file fragment, from line to line or from
     position to position.

/U - readdress the output. Here before processing other parameters, the
     system prompts you with the inquiry:

         Input device name [PRN]:

     after that you should specify the printing device name. The default
     device (press [Enter]) is a standard printing device PRN. For input you
     can designate both character device and disk file. If you use PRN for
     printing, initial setup is not needed.

/T - sets the mode of printing termination. All files in the printing
     queue are deleted. If some file is being printed at this moment, the
     printing will be stopped. The shift to a new page will take place.

/C - deletes the specified file in the printing queue.

     Each parameter has effect on file after which it is situated and then
on all the following files, until the next parameter appears in the command
line.

     The module will stay resident in the memory only if the file for
printing will be specified. In this case the following message will be
displayed:

          Print spooler installation ...

     After the normal installation of PRINT.COM resident part the following
message is displayed:

          Print spooler is installed

after that the file, specified in the command line, is put in the queue.
For further spooling control (see the list of options), you should execute
PRINT.COM program with appropriate command line.

     After printing of every file, the printing device paper moves to the
beginning of a new page.

     If the system detects an error while reading the file to be typed, the
PRINT command will:
- delete this file from the printing queue;
- move paper to a new page;
- type other files from the printing queue.

     If /T and /C parameters are used in file deleting, the following
actions are performed:
- shift of paper to a new page,
- if not all files were deleted from the queue, the printing process goes
on, beginning with the first file in the queue.

Notes:
1. The disk with files in the printing queue should stay in the specified
   drive till the end of the printing.
2. You should not use the printing device for another task fulfillment,
   until the PRINT command finished to print all files in the printing queue.
   Any attempt to use the printing device (Shift-PrtSc, LLIST, LPRINT,
   Ctrl-PrtSc and etc.) will cause the system to prompt you with the
   following message: "out-of-paper", until all files are printed or the
   PRINT command with the parameter /T is executed.
3. You cannot use the PRINT command in a computer that serves for a
   network.
4. The PRINT command changes global characters in a filename and gives the
   full filename, including the path and the drive. The result string can
   contain up to 63 characters.

Examples:

1. The PRINT command is used for the first time after the operational
system run:

        A>print a:temp1.tst

DOS prompts:

        Name of list device [PRN]:

If you press the [Enter] key, the data to be typed will be aimed to the
printing device. Then the file TEMP1.TST from the drive A: is set in the
printing queue.

2. The command:

        A>print /t

terminates printing. All the files are deleted from the queue. Any ohter
information in the string will be ignored.

3. The command:

       A>print temp.*/c

flushes all files TEMP.??? from the printing queue, if they are on the disk
in the default drive.

4. The command:

       A> print a:temp1.tst/c a:temp2.tst a:temp3.tst

deletes three files from the printing queue: TEMP1.TST TEMP2.TST and
TEMP3.TST on the disk in the drive A:.

5. The command:

       A>print temp1.tst/c temp2.tst/p temp3.tst

deletes TEMP1.TST from the printing queue and sets TEMP2.TST, TEMP3.TST in
the printing queue.

6. The command:

       A>print temp1.tst temp2.tst temp3.tst/c

sets TEMP1.TST, TEMP2.TST in the printing queue and then deletes TEMP3.TST
from the printing queue.