[AS CS5] OSX Scripting print PS file deletes system printers?

Report · May 16, 2011

Since we've migrated to OSX 10.6, there have been A LOT (as in 100s) of my artists who, after running a script that has ID print and Distill a PS file, often lose all their printers (from the System Pref's printer setup). The script does not at all deal with any print settings at the OS level. It does tell ID to use a printer preset to PostScript the document to their desktop, then have Distill process it, then that PDF is uploaded (via shell: curl) to a server for posting online.

I can't remember this ever happening in 10.5, it seems really to affect 10.6 recently. Does anyone else experience something like this? This exact same script was used without modification in 10.5, and for a while in 10.6. I've recently rebuilt the app using the new Applescript Objective C, but the core of the script is very similar. My IT dept is fixing computers all the time with missing printers, but I can't fathom how the script is involved with it.

Any leads in any direction are appreciated.

Report · May 16, 2011

I haven't really wrapped my head around the differences in the printing system in 10.6, but there are a lot...

No idea where to go with this...

Good luck!

Harbs

Report · May 16, 2011

Can you post the operative excerpt from the script?

Report · May 17, 2011

Here's the core of the printing part here. The entire script is about 600 lines.

my toggleDocForOutput_(true)

               set lowResProof to (theDesktop & pdfName & ".pdf") as string
               set highResProof to (theDesktop & pdfName & "-PRINT.pdf") as string

               --THIS BLOCK ONLY FOR PS-PDF DISTILLING
               textStatus's setStringValue_("Printing Postscript File")
               set my progressBarValue to 25
               outputSheetWindow's displayIfNeeded()

               set thePSFileString to (theDesktop & pdfName & ".ps")
               tell application "Adobe InDesign CS5"
                    tell document 1
                         tell print preferences
                              set active printer preset to "Clipper Proof Print"
                              set printer to postscript file
                         end tell
                         tell print preferences
                              set print spreads to exportSpreads
                              set print file to thePSFileString
                         end tell
                         with timeout of 420 seconds
                              print without print dialog
                         end timeout
                    end tell
               end tell
               if loggingState then tell me to log ("postscript file made= " & thePSFileString)

               textStatus's setStringValue_("Distilling Low Res PDF")
               set my progressBarValue to 50
               outputSheetWindow's displayIfNeeded()

               my distillFile_outputPath_jobOptions_(thePSFileString, lowResProof, theClipperLowJOF)

               textStatus's setStringValue_("Distilling High Res PDF")
               set my progressBarValue to 75
               outputSheetWindow's displayIfNeeded()

               my distillFile_outputPath_jobOptions_(thePSFileString, highResProof, theClipperPrintJOF)
               --END OF POSTSCRIPT BLOCK

Report · May 17, 2011

I don't have any good ideas.

I would try to figure out how to read the list of system printers and see where and how it is going awry.

At a glance, it looks like they are stored in /Library/Preferences/org.cups.printers.plist but maybe you're supposed to run "defaults read com.apple.print.PrinterProxy" or mess with CUPS on a deeper level.

Are your users administrators? Perhaps you should have your printers configured such that users can't mess with them even if they were trying.

I suppose I would probably try to see how the printer list is getting corrupted (are they being just plain removed, or is it more subtle?) and then check for that all throughout the script to see where it happens.

Sorry this is handwavy and ~useless.

Report · May 18, 2011

I don't have this version of the OS so things could well have changed but this may be worth a try…

log (do shell script "lpstat -s")

Place in several places throughout your script and see if it changes some where along the line…

Report · May 18, 2011

Thanks guys, decent suggestions. I feel like there may be an issue between my app and the problem, but it'll be really inscrutable, and perhaps not even related to anything I'd ever think would affect it.