How the Default Printer is selected

When the Print dialog is invoked, the procedure described below is used to select the default printer driver filename and the Windows printer, paper size, and tray names.

If the Print dialog box has never been opened before, two printer drivers are selected for future defaults. One, printer.plt, is picked as the default system printer driver. The second, pscript.plt, is picked as the default Bentley printer driver (provided the product supports non-system-printer drivers). The directory path component of the MS_PLTR configuration variable value is used to find the printer driver files.

The system printer driver (printer.plt) is used the first time the dialog box opens, assuming that this setting has not already been overridden using configuration variables.

The Print dialog box stores the active printer driver type and filenames in the MicroStation user preference file. When the Print dialog is subsequently invoked, the most-recently-used printer driver type and filename are selected by default. This behavior may, however, be overridden using configuration variables.

If MS_PLT_USE_MRU_DEFAULTS is set to 0, the most-recently-used printer driver type and filenames are not stored in the user preference file. In that case, the dialog always picks the same defaults as when it was first opened, unless otherwise overridden using configuration variables. Note that the MS_PLT_USE_MRU_DEFAULTS configuration variable affects all plotting user preference data, not just the printer driver filenames.

If MS_PLOTDLG_DEF_PLTFILE is set to a fully-qualified printer driver filename, that printer driver is loaded instead of the most-recently-used printer driver when the Print dialog box is opened.

If MS_PLT_SYSPRT_PLTFILE is set to a fully-qualified printer driver filename, that driver will be used instead of printer.plt when Windows Printer is selected in the Print dialog box.

In the event the selected printer driver cannot be loaded, you are prompted for a driver filename to use. If you abort the file chooser without picking a driver that can be loaded, the Print dialog attempts to load pscript.plt followed by hpglrtl.plt. If neither can be loaded, the Print dialog box gives up and cannot be opened.

If a system printer driver is loaded, the Print dialog must select a default Windows printer name, paper size name, and tray name. Normally, this information is obtained from the Windows default printer, but may be overridden using either the printer driver file or configuration variables.

MS_PLT_SYSPRT_DEFAULT_PRINTER specifies the printer name that is selected when a system printer is opened.

MS_PLT_SYSPRT_DEFAULT_FORM specifies the paper size name that is selected when a system printer is opened.

MS_PLT_SYSPRT_DEFAULT_TRAY specifies the tray name that is selected when a system printer is opened.

If the above configuration variables are not defined, qualifiers on the printer driver sysprinter record may be used to specify the default printer, paper size, and tray names.