[Koha-bugs] [Bug 2045] Network Printers Setting Does Nothing?

[bugzilla-daemon at pippin.metavore.com]

http://bugs.koha.org/cgi-bin/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=2045


joe.atzberger at liblime.com changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Version|unspecified                 |rel_3_0




------- Comment #4 from joe.atzberger at liblime.com  2008-05-31 01:09 -------
I'm with Ryan on this one.  We should hide it or suffer.  

We see multiple label/barcode/slip printing questions from clients every week,
and users have no idea what the relationship between Koha and their printer is.
 They say "hey I have an HP 3160n, the 'n' is for 'network'" and conclude that
this "network printer" setting is going to let them target it.  

You can't really document how to setup every kind of printer on arbitrary
hardware, in an unspecified network environment, on an unknown OS.  (Then:
middleware, drivers, queues, firewalls, trays, etc.)

I've been looking at this code for 45 minutes, and I am positive it cannot work
for anyone.  It all comes down to C4::Print::remoteprint that starts:


sub remoteprint ($$) {
    my ($items, $borrower) = @_;

    (return)
      unless ( C4::Context->boolean_preference('printcirculationslips') );
    my $queue = '';

    # FIXME - If 'queue' is undefined or empty, then presumably it should
    # mean "use the default queue", whatever the default is. Presumably
    # the default depends on the physical location of the machine.
    # FIXME - Perhaps "print to file" should be a supported option. Just
    # set the queue to "file" (or " file", if real queues aren't allowed
    # to have spaces in them). Or perhaps if $queue eq "" and
    # $env->{file} ne "", then that should mean "print to $env->{file}".
    if ( $queue eq "" || $queue eq 'nulllp' ) {
        open( PRINTER, ">/tmp/kohaiss" );
    } 
[..snip..]

Well, after a lot of deliberation there, the coders ended up with:
  my $queue = '';  if ($queue eq "" ...

Since that's *always* true, no matter how many printers are defined, or how
many Koha's live on the same box, the best they will do is all print to the
same /tmp file.  Also printreserve has the same defects.

But wait, it gets better.  Here's the content of that file:

atz at arwen:~/koha/production/koha$ cat /tmp/kohaiss 
Horowhenua Library Trust
Phone: 368-1953
Fax:    367-9218
Email:  renewals at library.org.nz


23529001000463
  Acosta
0 Coping with venereal disease /
502326000056               00/02/0
===================================

Hardcoded HLT, mangled date handling, etc.  So the code as is can't work for
anybody, even HLT, since it doesn't actually send to printer.   




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