Page Setup menu doesn't return error if printer not availabl

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OxygenSupply
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Page Setup menu doesn't return error if printer not availabl

Post by OxygenSupply » Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:02 am

Hello,
Windows 7 64bit SP1, Audacity 2.0.5 from .exe

If the default printer is not available (such as because it's supposed to be accessed wirelessly via another computer in local network, but that computer is turned off), the menu File > Page Setup… does not work at all. There's no error message to tell the problem, it simply does nothing. I had myself trouble finding out what was the issue, so maybe displaying a simple error message would prevent confusion?

Gale Andrews
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Re: Page Setup menu doesn't return error if printer not avai

Post by Gale Andrews » Tue Jul 22, 2014 10:10 am

What happens for File > Print in other applications if the default printer is not available?

Gale
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OxygenSupply
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Re: Page Setup menu doesn't return error if printer not avai

Post by OxygenSupply » Tue Jul 22, 2014 11:04 am

Microsoft Office Word 2010 allows me to access page setup-related options even when the default printer is not available.
Google Chrome 36.0.1985.125 m, LibreOffice 4.0.1.2, and Windows' notepad behave the same way. I am only encountering this problem with Audacity, which renders the Page Setup menu unusable until I select another (available) printer in File > Print… .

Not really an issue, but at first I was really confused when clicking several times on Page Setup didn't yield results at all, so an idiot-proof message for such situations or a behavior similar to other applications would make it.

steve
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Re: Page Setup menu doesn't return error if printer not avai

Post by steve » Wed Jul 23, 2014 12:06 am

As far as I can see, Audacity just hooks into the computer's default print system.

If the computer's print system returns an error, then Audacity will pop up a message box with the message:
"There was a problem printing."

If the computer's print system does not return an error, then Audacity assumes that everything is OK and does nothing.
If the computer's print system encounters a problem (such as the printer being off-line), then really it should return an error to the application that sends the request.
9/10 questions are answered in the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

OxygenSupply
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Re: Page Setup menu doesn't return error if printer not avai

Post by OxygenSupply » Wed Jul 23, 2014 10:54 am

steve wrote:As far as I can see, Audacity just hooks into the computer's default print system.
If the computer's print system returns an error, then Audacity will pop up a message box with the message: "There was a problem printing."
If the computer's print system does not return an error, then Audacity assumes that everything is OK and does nothing.
If the computer's print system encounters a problem (such as the printer being off-line), then really it should return an error to the application that sends the request.
What do you mean? In the situation highlighted in blue, Audacity should then open the Page Setup window, like other programs do.
Doing nothing is not normal, no other applications on my system behave this way under the same circumstances. (To be clear again I'm not talking about the Print… menu, which works perfectly fine in Audacity like with all the other programs, but specifically the Page Setup… menu.)

steve
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Re: Page Setup menu doesn't return error if printer not avai

Post by steve » Wed Jul 23, 2014 2:50 pm

Am I correct in thinking that the Print feature in Audacity works correctly when your print system is turned on and enabled?

What happens if you select "Print" (in Audacity) while the printer is off-line?
9/10 questions are answered in the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

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