Lookout .WMF Graphics & Print Panel

Bug???
Lookout 6.1: In addition to graphic object layering display problems in panels, detailed WMF graphic objects to not print close to properly when "Print Panel" action is used. I have some maps, and no matter whether they are arranged in front or back of other display objects on the panel, only a few remnants of the maps actually print.

Actually, I was too quick to report this one.... I've been testing from home a lot lately and it was a cheesy, older laser home printer that does not do well with the detailed WMF files. Our better printers at work had no problems.
On screen issues persist on even the best/latest video cards, however.
See: http://forums.ni.com/ni/board/message?board.id=190&view=by_date_ascending&message.id=5348#M5348
I'd really like to see that fixed! Related to this... even pop-up windows positioned over or dragged across over a panel with a WMF image, render the WMF image missing lots of information. It takes a manual refresh to get the underlying image back to normal.
Cheers...
Message Edited by erblock on 03-10-2008 02:04 PM
Message Edited by erblock on 03-10-2008 02:07 PM

Similar Messages

Printed front panel graphics quality (Print Panel to Printer method vs. Append Front Panel Image to Report.vi)

LV 6.02 (or 6.1)
NT 4.0
I have a vi that the front panel includes all the information I need to print except that it is on different pages of a tab control to conserve screen space. I was attempting to programatically cycle the value of the tab control in a For loop and invoke the Print Panel to Printer method to print 7 pages of the front panel, each with a different tab page selected. The printouts were excellent quality but beginning with the second consecutive Print Panel to Printer method the on screen front panel image of the VI being printed would become jumbled (sometimes, by the time 7 printings were done, the entire front panel image would disappe
ar and a bitmap of the desktop or underlying windows would be visible in the VI's panel frame) yet the subsequent Print Panel to Printer methods continued to print the panel as they should appear. The visible front panel graphics would never return to normal and the only solution was to close the vi (in the dev system) or exe (compiled) and re-launch. I tried a lot of things (like hiding the panel to print before printing and showing it after printing) with no luck. It appears that two or more of these consecutive invoke methods caused the problem regardless of whether the tabs were cycling, or even if there was no tab control and much fewer controls on the panel to be printed than normal. I also had the same problem with LV 6.1.
Finally, I was forced to switch to the report generation toolkit vi's, I cycle through the tab pages and use the Append Front Panel Image to Report.vi to append each image to the report. This is faster and control returns to my program quicker but I a
m unhappy with the printed quality of the graphics of the front panels. They are not as high of resolution as those generated via the Print Panel to Printer method.
Any suggestions?

You might try changing the way the VI is printed by going to tools >> options >> printing. Try the postscript and bitmap settings.
Jeremy

Capturing Lookout Print Panel Output to File

I have tried setting my default printer to the FILE: port but do not get a dialog asking for the file to save to. All other programs printing to this printer ask for a filename but Lookout does not. How can I capture the panel printout to an EPS file?

I've installed a while ago HP LaserJet 2100 Series PS driver and now I've tried to set up this driver to create an .eps file from Lookout panels. And, this worked pretty well with Lookout 5.0.
1. Set the PS (postscript) printer driver to be default
2. Configure the driver to point to a FILE: port (see image 1)
3. Configure the driver to generate an .eps (General>Printing Preferences>Advanced>PostScript Options>PostScript Output Option set it to EPS (see image 2)
4. Print Panel you will be prompt for file name and you could type e.g. c:\temp\testpanel.eps)
Other PostScript printer should work defenitly too. You might consult your postscript printer manual on how to set it up to print a .eps
Hope this helps.
Roland
PS: It might be the printer dri
ver that does not prompt you. Which driver are you using? Which version of Lookout are you using?
Attachments:
PS2File.jpg ‏559 KB
PSConfig.jpg ‏483 KB

Framemaker 8 Embedded Graphic prints as a Gray box

Sometimes when I save my book as PDF, an imported graphic prints as a gray box in the PDF and then corrupts the framemaker source file.
It loses the graphic (an imported .WMF file) and substitutes a gray box.
Framemaker 8.0p277 on Windows XP SP2.
Has anyone else seen this problem ?

If it is imported by copy or as an OLE object, then it is known to happen. Try importing by reference.

WMF Graphics Look Terrible After Re-Opening InDesign File

I hope someone can provide the answer to this one, or at least a decent work-around.
Very detailed schematic drawings are provided to me (the tech writer) in the form of Windows Meta-File (*.wmf) graphics.
I must take these drawings and import them into my V.6 InDesign (CS4) files using the Place command under File.
The graphics look fine immediately after I import them. If I print the file to PDF (Adobe 9.0) before closing the file, they look great in PDF as well.
The problem: If I close the file and then re-open it, these schematic graphics look absolutely awful; like they "melted" or something. The many labels are completely indiscernable and blocky. Printing to a PDF does not improve the look (but doesn't seem to make it any worse though, if that's even possible).
So the problem lies between the time I close (after saving) the file and the time I re-open it. ID is reducing the graphic quality of these WMF drawings upon saving/closing the file and I cannot find the solution.
The technical details:
System: PC, Windows XP Professional, Version 2002, Service Pack 2
Adobe CS4: InDesign Version 6.04
Thank you for your time and attention. I shall be happy to provide more detail to get this question answered.
- WPH

OOPS.
Totally misread the quote. I'm going back in my hole now.
Sorry.

Lookout 6.2 Hypertrend Panel Reports

I'm having issues getting reports with full panel graphics that contain hypertrends to properly update the trends prior to the report generation. The computer doing the reports does not actually have a monitor connected to it. I'm using it as a developer machine and I remote control to do the developing. The behavior is the same however, even with a local monitor hooked up.
Issue is that the actual screen redraw seems necessary to make the panel ready for report generation. That is, if a screen saver is on, or a different panel is over the panel in the report, the report graphic will not have updated Hypertrend traces in the panel graphic of the report.
Anyone have a workaround to fool lookout into thinking the panel is active prior to generating the report? I've tried "popping" or activating the panel many seconds prior to the panel generation, but it does not seem to help.
Strangely, one of the 19 Hypertrends on the panel is always up-to-date, and the other 18 are only up to the point of the previous report.
Cheers,
Ed
Message Edited by erblock on 04-29-2009 10:32 PM

Your queston confuses me. I have never used a html report in that way. The only thing i've used it for, is to create a static report for supervisors. For example... putting formatted data on a web page for them to view like a shift report (showing production rates, scrap rates, production hours, equipment effectiveness, etc.) The reports I make are static, fixed.
It sounds like you have it working as a 'live' page, updating information periodically. (using it as a form of a 'display only' client?)
RichA

Print panel on hp deskjet in windows 7 64-bit

Hi!
My customers had problems with print.panel to printer method in windows 7 64-bit so I made a simple standalone application which prints a VI panel to default printer (zipped project is attached). I'm using Developer Suite with Labview 12.0f3 (32 bit) on Windows XP. The application has been deployed to computers running windows 7 (64 bit) and windows XP (32 bit) and tested with different printers: local and network. There is a list of printers where the application does not print the panel on windows 7 (64 bit): HP DeskJet D4360, HP DeskJet 5550, HP DeskJet 5652, HP Photosmart C3180 and PDF Complete (an application which converts document to PDF). The application does not report any error, everything seems normal. The document is sent to the printer, usually printer heads start to move for a moment, in one case the paper is taken from the drawer and that's all. There's no need to say that all this printers work normally with Winword, Notepad, Excel, ...
My application prints a VI panel in Windows 7 (64 bit) without any problems if I use: Canon IR2200, Toshiba e-STUDIO 2500c, Samsung ML-2240, HP LaserJet 5L, HP LaserJet P2050, PDFcreator, ....
ALL printers, including HP DeskJet models, work normally in Windows XP (32 bit).
According to the post here the printer margins in my application are set to a value of 3 cm because it might solve the problem but it does not help.
Any other suggestion?
Ljubo.
Attachments:
_proj_PRN_test.zip ‏14 KB

Dear Ljubo!
I'm glad that it has worked for you, I hope your clients will have the same success. As I've found, incompatible printers on Windows 7 64bit is a known issue, and will hopefully be fixed in a later version of LabVIEW. I'll be sure to include your input (which printers worked and which did not) on the case.
Also, it seems to me that both the Invoke Node and the Library Call use the same function to accomplish printing; however, the Node sets the "show print dialog" input automatically to false, hence the lack of printing options (this makes sense from a programming perspective, since if we want to print programmatically, additional user input at every print job is most likely unwanted). Please get back to me when your customer has results, if something is still not functioning, we might explore some other workarounds.
Kind regards:
Andrew Valko
National Instruments
Andrew Valko
National Instruments Hungary

Print panel: wrong axis scale

I am using Print Panel to automatically get a copy of the graph produced on the front panel at the end of a run. The printed graph sometimes has an axis whose scale is wrong by a factor of 10 (in either direction). This happens to both the x- and y- axes but never both axes at the same time. The problem is sporadic.
The incorrect axes never appear on-screen. If the front panel is printed using File>Print after running, the axes are correct. Axis options AutoScale and Loose Fit are selected for both axes. The graph is an XY Graph with multiple plots.
Any insight?

I have noticed that the print front panel has a timing issue. The time I
noticed it I had made a subvi just for the purpose of formatting some data
and printing it. The graph would sometimes come out blank if I did not put
in a delay.
"Sy" wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> I am using Print Panel to automatically get a copy of the graph
> produced on the front panel at the end of a run. The printed graph
> sometimes has an axis whose scale is wrong by a factor of 10 (in
> either direction). This happens to both the x- and y- axes but never
> both axes at the same time. The problem is sporadic.
>
> The incorrect axes never appear on-screen. If the front panel is
> printed using File>Print after
running, the axes are correct. Axis
> options AutoScale and Loose Fit are selected for both axes. The graph
> is an XY Graph with multiple plots.
> Any insight?

PS CC - I have a B/W background which I flattened - Then, change to RGB and add an RGB color graphic - print out makes background a greenish color - Can't figure out how to adjust.

PS CC - I have a B/W background which I flattened - Then, change to RGB and add an RGB color graphic - print out makes background a greenish color - Can't figure out how to adjust.
Thanks,
Dave

If the grayscale looks ok on screen, you are probably not setting up your print correctly. What OS? What printer?

Can't access EWS and front printer panel options all locked

The web services icon and Network icons are disabled. All the options on the front panel to connect to the network are locked so I can't do anything from the printer panel.
I printed the Network configuration and obtained the ip address but the EWS does not come up. It says it can't connect.
I tried the ip address that i previously used to connect with and that won't come up either.
How do i get the printer connected to the Network again? HELP!

Thanks for the response.
I tried unplugging the plug but that did not reset the printer.
I found another post that explained how to access a hidden Suppot menu.
I was able to find the option that performs a partial reset and that restored all the functionality
to connect to the network.
The printer is on the network and I can now access the EWS. I also modified the admin settings
to not lock the printer panel again!

Print:Panel To PostScript Method

I´m using labview 2011 and I want to use the method "Print : Panel To PostScript Method" and I can´t find it, I can only the others print methods.
Can someone upload an example with this method, so I can copy it? I really need it.
Thank you guys!

I already found an example here: http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW/How-do-I-export-a-panel-image-in-vector-format-directly-into-a/m-p/7...

RoboHelp for Word will not show new .WMF graphics

I am working on a help file, and I have to insert equations that I would like to attach pop-ups to. I add the .wmf graphic and add the pop-up, but when I compile the image is not there. This is an older file that was converted over to Robohelp for word and it has .wmf graphics that compile. The only ones that do not show up are the new ones I add to the project. There is just a blank space where the graphic should be. The only way I can get the graphic to show is to convert it into a .shg graphic and then it works. I don't want to keep converting the .wmf file to .shg it is just a waste of time, and it makes my image folder double in size. I have tried inserting the equation as an object in word, but that will not allow me to link it to a pop-up and still have the equation there. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Peter and Brian, THANKS so much! RoboHelp for Word is working
now.
Peter, your advice to install RoboHelp AFTER installing Word
was key in solving this problem.
For a quick summary of the result -- our Help Desk
uninstalled and reinstalled Outlook, Word, and RoboHelp. Then they
reinstalled Word and Outlook; needed to change an "Advanced"
setting in outlook; to get Word to stop giving me the error
messages, they needed to redo my user profile. Then after I was
confident that Word and Outlook were working correctly, this
afternoon I installed RoboHelp X5 via my CD, and then downloaded
and installed these two patches from Adobe.com:
- rho_x501.exe (for the RH Office Word 2003 Support Update)
- rho13_x502.exe (for the Microsoft XP Service Pack 2 Support
Update X5.0.2).
I'm so thankful that RoboHTML and RoboHelp for Word seem to
be working well! Thanks again!
Janice
P.S. I do have one more question about a patch that I've not
yet loaded, but I'll post that under a separate subject.

Dynamic Graphic printing in Smartforms

Hello all.
I have to print pictures from web repository (SMW0) using smartform.
I know in smartform, graphics need to be defined with name, Object and ID, that exist in from graphic repository (SE78).
Exist any way for printing any picture from other source than SE78 Dynamically?
Thank you in advance.
Ibrahim Andres

Hello Ravi....
Thanks for posting...
I understand that I can change graphic name, but it does not fit to me because my graphics are not in SE78 and in WEB repository (SMW0) , and I need to import each graphic to SE78 using one name, before calling graphic printing....
The best solution for me is that I could decide where from assign graphic, not only from SE78. But that is not possible at the moment.
thank you very much.
Ibrahim Andres

Related to Graphical printer

Hi
i had create an out put device for testing graphical print .
this is for front end printing
Device Type :Graphics: general device for graphics
Device Class : standrad Printer
Access method : F
Host print: %default%
then all are default .
i assigned it to user and when user is going to take print out of a chart then it is showing graphics output not implemented.
guide me what should i do..
Thanks & regards

you are on Windows? the, create your printer at Windwos level, make it work from there.
then, configure it in SPAD with printing method "C".
good luck.

Print panel to selected printer

I am trying to use the NI library function "Print panel to printer.vi" sited at http://sine.ni.com/apps/we/niepd_web_display.display_epd4?p_guid=B45EACE3E9F956A4E034080020E74861&p_node=DZ52084&p_source=external.
The vi that I want to print is a graph that I must pass parameters to that contain the data that is to be graphed. I want to select the printer and printer the graph as a panel. The "print panel to printer.vi" requires that I give it the name of vi, which is fine, but it prints a blank graph because there is no way to pass the data.
How can I use this "print panel to printer.vi" yet still get the data to it? It was suggested to put the "print panel to printer.vi" inside the graph vi, but that does not work either. What
am I doing wrong?
Steve Hope

Dennis:
Here is the vi that I am trying to print. Notice that I am passing a bunch of things to it from the VISIBLE graph that is in the application. One of the things is the name of the printer that I want to graph to go to. Can you help?
Steve
Attachments:
Print_Graph.vi ‏76 KB
Plot_Precision.vi ‏32 KB

Lookout .WMF Graphics & Print Panel

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