Client- and Server-Side Printing

Geo SCADA Expert provides both server-side printing and client-side printing.

Server-side printing is limited to printing to 'real' printers (ones that print to paper and do not display a user interface during the printing process). This is because the Geo SCADA Expert server runs as a Windows service and therefore does not have a Windows desktop with which to access a user interface. Printers that print to file (such as PDF) and result in the printer driver displaying a user interface during the printing process (for example, to specify the filename) are not suitable for server-side printing (likewise any other printer drivers that display a user interface). This is because such a user interface cannot be accessed due to the Geo SCADA Expert server running as a Windows service. Using another user account in this way enables the Geo SCADA Expert server to access network resources to which it would otherwise not have access. The process of logging on under a different Windows user account is known as 'user impersonation'. For more information about how Geo SCADA Expert uses user impersonation, see User Impersonation for Accessing Network Resources.

You can use client-side printing for printing to paper or to file (providing that suitable printers are available for such printing). With client-side printing, users can use the client interface to respond to any print dialogs that are displayed during the printing process.

With the Crystal Reports driver, you can:

• Output a report in file format (such as Word, PDF or XML) by performing one of the following:

  • Use the Export Report pick action to export a report that contains the latest data

  • Use the Export Report button on the toolbar of the Crystal Reports viewer (see Export a Previously Generated Report).

  (Although the first option above is a server-side function, it does not display a user interface during the export process, as the format and destination have to be pre-defined using the Crystal Report Form.)

• Display a report in ViewX and then print it to any available printer by performing one of the following:

  • Select the File menu on the ViewX ribbon and then select the Print option (see Accessing Print Options).

  • Select the Print Report button on the toolbar of the Crystal Reports viewer (see Print a Previously Generated Report).
    

  (The options above use client-side printing, so can print to paper or file, depending on the printers that are available.)

• Use the Print Report pick action to print a paper copy of a report, containing the latest data for that report.
  (This pick action uses server-side printing, so can only print to 'real' printers that print to paper and do not display a user interface during the printing process.)

If an unsuitable printer has been allocated to the Windows user account that is used for server-side printing and the Print Report option has been used to attempt to print to file, the request will hang indefinitely. If this happens, you have to stop and restart the Crystal Reports driver (see Start and Stop a Driver). You should also notify a system administrator so that the unsuitable printer can be removed from the Windows user account that is used for server-side printing.