DOCUMENT:Q175535 24-OCT-1997 [vbwin] TITLE :BUG: Problems Printing Rotated Text on Visual Basic 5.0 SP2 PRODUCT :Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows PROD/VER:WINDOWS:5.0 OPER/SYS:WINDOWS KEYWORDS:vb5all VS97FixlistSP2 ====================================================================== --------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Visual Basic Learning, Professional, and Enterprise Editions for Windows, version 5.0 --------------------------------------------------------------------- SYMPTOMS ======== If you try to print rotated text using the Printer object from Visual Basic 5.0 with Visual Studio 97 Service Pack 2 using the technique described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article, the text fails to rotate: ARTICLE-ID: Q154515 TITLE : HOWTO: Print Rotated Text Using Win32 API CAUSE ===== There is a problem in Visual Studio 97 Service Pack 2 for Visual Basic 5.0 where any Font selected for the Printer.hDC is ignored by the Printer object. RESOLUTION ========== To work around this problem, print with API functions entirely without using the Printer object. STATUS ====== Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft Visual Studio 97 Service Pack 2 (SP2.) We are researching this bug and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available. MORE INFORMATION ================ The technique described in Knowledge Base article Q154515, prints to a PictureBox control but will also work using the Printer object. Printing to a PictureBox still works in SP2 but fails using the Printer object. The following code example will work from Visual Basic 4.0 or Visual Basic 5.0, with or without a Service Pack. Because this code creates a Device Context (DC) for your printer and you can only print to one DC at a time, it has the limitation that you cannot use the Printer object at the same time. So, you must end this document before returning to using the Printer object. Code Example ------------ 1. Start a new project. Form1 is created by default. 2. Add a CommandButton to Form1. 3. Add the following code to the General Declarations section of Form1: Option Explicit Private Const LF_FACESIZE = 32 Private Type LOGFONT lfHeight As Long lfWidth As Long lfEscapement As Long lfOrientation As Long lfWeight As Long lfItalic As Byte lfUnderline As Byte lfStrikeOut As Byte lfCharSet As Byte lfOutPrecision As Byte lfClipPrecision As Byte lfQuality As Byte lfPitchAndFamily As Byte lfFaceName As String * LF_FACESIZE End Type Private Type DOCINFO cbSize As Long lpszDocName As String lpszOutput As String lpszDatatype As String fwType As Long End Type Private Declare Function CreateFontIndirect Lib "gdi32" Alias _ "CreateFontIndirectA" (lpLogFont As LOGFONT) As Long Private Declare Function SelectObject Lib "gdi32" _ (ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal hObject As Long) As Long Private Declare Function DeleteObject Lib "gdi32" _ (ByVal hObject As Long) As Long Private Declare Function CreateDC Lib "gdi32" Alias "CreateDCA" _ (ByVal lpDriverName As String, ByVal lpDeviceName As String, _ ByVal lpOutput As Long, lpInitData As Long) As Long Private Declare Function DeleteDC Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long) _ As Long Private Declare Function TextOut Lib "gdi32" Alias "TextOutA" _ (ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal x As Long, ByVal y As Long, _ ByVal lpString As String, ByVal nCount As Long) As Long ' or Boolean Private Declare Function StartDoc Lib "gdi32" Alias "StartDocA" _ (ByVal hdc As Long, lpdi As DOCINFO) As Long Private Declare Function EndDoc Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long) _ As Long Private Declare Function StartPage Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long) _ As Long Private Declare Function EndPage Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long) _ As Long Private Sub Command1_Click() Const DESIREDFONTSIZE = 12 ' Could use variable, TextBox, etc. Dim OutString As String 'String to be rotated Dim lf As LOGFONT 'Structure for setting up rotated font Dim temp As String 'Temp string var Dim result As Long 'Return value for calling API functions Dim hOldfont As Long 'Hold old font information Dim hPrintDc As Long 'Handle to printer dc Dim hFont As Long 'Handle to new Font Dim di As DOCINFO 'Structure for Print Document info OutString = "Hello World" 'Set string to be rotated 'Set rotation in tenths of a degree, i.e., 1800 = 180 degrees lf.lfEscapement = 1800 lf.lfHeight = (DESIREDFONTSIZE * -60) / Screen.TwipsPerPixelY hFont = CreateFontIndirect(lf) 'Create the rotated font di.cbSize = 20 'Size of DOCINFO structure di.lpszDocName = "My Document" 'Set name of print job (Optional) 'Create a printer device context hPrintDc = CreateDC(Printer.DriverName, Printer.DeviceName, 0, 0) result = StartDoc(hPrintDc, di) 'Start a new print document result = StartPage(hPrintDc) 'Start a new page 'Select our rotated font structure and save previous font info hOldfont = SelectObject(hPrintDc, hFont) 'Send rotated text to printer, starting at location 1000, 1000 result = TextOut(hPrintDc, 1000, 1000, OutString, Len(OutString)) 'Reset font back to original, non-rotated result = SelectObject(hPrintDc, hOldfont) 'Send non-rotated text to printer at same page location result = TextOut(hPrintDc, 1000, 1000, OutString, Len(OutString)) result = EndPage(hPrintDc) 'End the page result = EndDoc(hPrintDc) 'End the print job result = DeleteDC(hPrintDc) 'Delete the printer device context result = DeleteObject(hFont) 'Delete the font object End Sub 4. Run the Project and click on Command1. This will print a single page to the current default printer with "Hello World" printed normally and rotated 180 degrees. Additional query words: sideways angle sp2 ====================================================================== Keywords : vb5all VS97FixlistSP2 Version : WINDOWS:5.0 Platform : WINDOWS Issue type : kbbug ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1997.