Print Dialog / Improving "Print to file" option

Mon Aug 20 00:38:44 UTC 2012

>I would like to know if the Print dialog that is used in Ubuntu, is 
>provided by a Gnome package or whether it is added by Ubuntu. 

This is part of GTK. You are looking in the right spot for the code, most of the filename generation is done in http://git.gnome.org/browse/gtk+/tree/modules/printbackends/file/gtkprintbackendfile.c

You can see my patch in https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=657322 as an example.

Also it looks like there is already a bug with the same sort of idea as you see:

https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=542298

Tim Arceri

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Today's Topics:

   1. Print Dialog / Improving "Print to file" option (Lanoxx)
   2. Re: Print Dialog / Improving "Print to file" option (Lanoxx)
   3. Re: Print Dialog / Improving "Print to file" option (Dale Amon)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:08:51 +0200
From: Lanoxx <lanoxx at gmx.net>
To: desktop-devel-list at gnome.org,
    ubuntu-devel-discuss at lists.ubuntu.com
Subject: Print Dialog / Improving "Print to file" optionhttp://git.gnome.org/browse/gtk+/tree/modules/printbackends/file/gtkprintbackendfile.c
Message-ID: <502BAD73.1080303 at gmx.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Hi,

I would like to know if the Print dialog that is used in Ubuntu, is 
provided by a Gnome package or whether it is added by Ubuntu. In 
particular, there is a default printer option named Print to File in 
Ubuntu, and when it is chosen, then one can print to PDF, Postscript or 
SVG (at least in Inkscape). The problem with this dialog makes saving 
the file unnecessary complicated, because on has to first select the 
folder which normally requires at least 4 clicks:

1. click on the dropdown
2. click "other..."
3. Choose the folder (might require more clicks)
4. click open

Then the filename says output.pdf which any sane person will probably 
want to change. So I have to type the file name and then also add .pdf 
again and finally I can click "Print".

There are another two caveats here, first if I forget to add ".pdf" to 
the filename, then the file will be saved without the ".pdf" extension. 
There is no logic to add it automatically. And second if I had printed 
the document to a file before and now I want to save it again, then I 
have to remember the file name and type it in again (also having to 
select the folder again). If I make a typo, then I end up with two files 
instead of overwriting the first one.

IMHO, it would me much easier, if there was only one long input field 
and a button "Browse" next to it, which when clicked just opens a file 
selection dialog, where one can enter the file name AND folder name 
together, additionally this dialog should remember the last name that 
was used to print, and also automatically supply the extension (e.g 
.pdf, or .ps) based on the type that was selected.

So my question is, if this comes from Gnome or from Ubuntu so I can 
create a bug in the right bug tracker for this, and maybe someone could 
also point me to the code for the "Print to File" Options. Maybe I could 
even fix this myself.

Kind Regards
Lanoxx

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2012 22:38:15 +0200
From: Lanoxx <lanoxx at gmx.net>
To: Javier Jard?n <jjardon at gnome.org>
Cc: ubuntu-devel-discuss at lists.ubuntu.com,
    desktop-devel-list at gnome.org
Subject: Re: Print Dialog / Improving "Print to file" option
Message-ID: <502C08B7.5000409 at gmx.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed

On 15/08/12 20:27, Javier Jard?n wrote:
> On 15 August 2012 23:08, Lanoxx <lanoxx at gmx.net> wrote:
>> Hi,
> Hello,
>
>> Then the filename says output.pdf which any sane person will probably want
>> to change. So I have to type the file name and then also add .pdf again and
>> finally I can click "Print".
> FYI, There is a GnomeGoal proposed related to this [1]
>
> [1] https://live.gnome.org/GnomeGoals/PrintToFile
Thats a great goal, and should definitely be implemented. But still it 
does not solve the actual problem which I described. I also looked here:
http://git.gnome.org/browse/gtk+/tree/modules/printbackends/file/gtkprintbackendfile.c
but I can't find any GtkWidget being created, so I guess thats not it.
>

------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:28:32 -0700
From: Dale Amon <amon at vnl.com>
To: Lanoxx <lanoxx at gmx.net>
Cc: ubuntu-devel-discuss at lists.ubuntu.com, Javier Jard?n
    <jjardon at gnome.org>,    desktop-devel-list at gnome.org
Subject: Re: Print Dialog / Improving "Print to file" option
Message-ID: <20120816012832.GW27217 at vnl.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

On Wed, Aug 15, 2012 at 10:38:15PM +0200, Lanoxx wrote:
> On 15/08/12 20:27, Javier Jard?n wrote:
> >On 15 August 2012 23:08, Lanoxx <lanoxx at gmx.net> wrote:
> >>Hi,
> >Hello,
> >
> >>Then the filename says output.pdf which any sane person will probably want
> >>to change. So I have to type the file name and then also add .pdf again and
> >>finally I can click "Print".
> >FYI, There is a GnomeGoal proposed related to this [1]
> >
> >[1] https://live.gnome.org/GnomeGoals/PrintToFile
> Thats a great goal, and should definitely be implemented. But still
> it does not solve the actual problem which I described. I also
> looked here:
> http://git.gnome.org/browse/gtk+/tree/modules/printbackends/file/gtkprintbackendfile.c
> but I can't find any GtkWidget being created, so I guess thats not it.

I agree with the idea of standardizing on a file browser window
for selecting the file and adding in the defaults in an editable way.
I very often save things to file with names like

    file1.pdf
    file2.pdf
    file2a.pdf
    file3.pdf

and so forth, so memory is useful. It would also be nice if I there
was some memory such that if you printed to file the last time, it
pops up the next time just as you left it. I do not know about
others but 'least surprise' for me is that things are always left
as I last used them.

It would also be useful to have a 'recently used' capability that
just puts you to the file name and printer of one of the last N 
files you have printed. Useful if you forgot where you put something;
or in a large facility, which of multiple printers in several
buildings did you send that thing you printed before going out to
lunch; also useful if you want to go back and do a print to file
of the something under a similar name. Hell, you might even try
remembering the source URL as well as the destination printer or
file name.

------------------------------

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