Redirect Printing to File

This action diverts the print job to a file. Instead of sending the created print file to a printer port as defined in the printer driver, the printout is redirected to a file. You can append data to an existing file, or overwrite it.

This action enables you to capture printer commands in a separate file.

The action instructs Automation Builder module to redirect printing – as a result, the labels are not going to be printed. Make sure the action is followed by the Print Label action.

Redirect Printing to File action is useful for printing several different labels (.NLBL files) to a network printer while retaining the correct order of labels. If multiple .NLBL files are printed from the same trigger, Automation Builder sends each label to the printer in a separate print job, even if the target printer is the same for both labels. If a network printer is used, job of another user can be inserted between two jobs the trigger must send together. Using this action, you can append print data into the same file and send its contents to the printer using the Send Data to Printer action.

About group identifies the selected action.

• Name: allows you to define a custom action name. This makes actions easily recognizable on the solution's list of actions. By default, the action name is taken from its type.
• Description: custom information about the action. Enter a description to explain the purpose and role of action in a solution.
• Action type: read-only information about the selected action type.

File group of settings defines how the file selection for redirecting is done.

• File name:specifies the file name. It can either be hard-coded or dynamically defined using an existing or a newly created variable.

  Use UNC syntax for network resources. For more information, see section Access to Network Shared Resources in Loftware Automation user guide.

File write mode group of settings selects how the file is treated in case of repeated redirects.

• Overwrite the file: if the specified file already exists on the disk, it is going to be overwritten.

• Append data to the file: the job file is added to the existing data in the provided file.

Persistence group controls the continuity of the redirect action. It defines the number of Print Label actions that are affected by the Redirect Printing to File action.

• Apply to next print action: specifies for the print redirect to be applicable to the next Print Label action only (single event).

• Apply to all subsequent print actions: specifies for the print redirect to be applicable to all Print Label action defined after the current Redirect Printing to File action.

Action Execution and Error Handling

Each action can be set as a conditional action. Conditional actions only run when the defined conditions allow them to be run. To define these conditions, click Show execution and error handling options.

Execution options are:

• Enabled: specifies if the action is enabled or disabled. Only enabled actions will execute. This functionality may be used while testing a form.
• Condition: defines one-line programming expression that must provide a Boolean value (true or false). When the result of the expression is true, the action will execute. Condition offers a way to avoid executing actions every time.

Error handling options are:

• Ignore failure: specifies whether an error should be ignored. If enabled, the execution of actions continues even if the current action fails.

  Note

  Nested actions that depend on the current action do not execute in case of a failure. The execution of actions continues with the next action on the same level as the current action. The error is logged but does not break the execution of the action.

Example

At the end of printing, you might want to send the status update to an external application using the HTTP Request action. If the printing action fails, action processing stops. In order to execute the reporting even after the failed print action, the Print Label action must have the option Ignore failure enabled.

• Save error to variable: allows you to select or create a variable to save the error to. The same cause of the error is also saved to internal variables ActionLastErrorId and ActionLastErrorDesc.