Opening printer port.

Join Bytes! (Lizard King) wrote:
[color=blue]
>Hi.
>
>I have a computer running a third party software (POS). The thing is
>this application opens the printer port and I need to use another
>program while the first one is still running.
>Since the other app has the printer port windows shows an error
>(path/file access error).
>
>Is there a way that two applications can share the printer port?
>
>Thanks for your help.
>
>William.[/color]

The port can't be shared. However, you can add a printer port by installing a
parallel port card. The new printer port would be LPT2.

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Lizard King <williamrc@starmedia.com> schreef in berichtnieuws
Join Bytes!...[color=blue]
> Hi.[/color]

Hello Lizard King,

[Snip]
[color=blue]
> Is there a way that two applications can share the printer port?[/color]

Two app's using the same device is much like two cooks using the same pan
(trying to execute their own receipe): you would not want to eat the result
:-)

Maybe you should follow "the Wiz"-es suggestion : put another printer-port
into the computer.

Regards,
Rudy Wieser

the Wiz <look@message.body> wrote in message news:<jomslvci25rsglnop74c21rvipmm1ub4lj@4ax.com>...[color=blue]
> Join Bytes! (Lizard King) wrote:
>[color=green]
> >Hi.
> >
> >I have a computer running a third party software (POS). The thing is
> >this application opens the printer port and I need to use another
> >program while the first one is still running.
> >Since the other app has the printer port windows shows an error
> >(path/file access error).
> >
> >Is there a way that two applications can share the printer port?
> >
> >Thanks for your help.
> >
> >William.[/color]
>
> The port can't be shared. However, you can add a printer port by installing a
> parallel port card. The new printer port would be LPT2.
>
>[/color]
They both need to use the same printer.
I guess a work around would be to install a new printer port and
connect LPT1 and LPT2 to a smart dataswitch and then to the printer.

Doing this users can't blame the application :)

thanks.

just a thought but have you tried installing the same printer again on the
same port, but with a different name?
I sometimes do this and set one to default black and white and the other to
colour ,so all i have to do is change the "printer" instead of settings. But
this could possibly help if it thinks its printing through a different
driver.

the other thing is.. have you tried the printer.enddoc method to close the
printer port before trying to open it in your app?

may or may not work.... but its just a thought

"Lizard King" <williamrc@starmedia.com> wrote in message
news:dfada1d9.0309091025.69fbc67e@posting.google.c om...[color=blue]
> Hi.
>
> I have a computer running a third party software (POS). The thing is
> this application opens the printer port and I need to use another
> program while the first one is still running.
> Since the other app has the printer port windows shows an error
> (path/file access error).
>
> Is there a way that two applications can share the printer port?
>
> Thanks for your help.
>
> William.[/color]