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With the introdution of JavaScript 1.2, a print method can be used to invoke the print dialogue box:
window.print()
or:
parent.frameB.print()
works in Netscape Navigator 4+ and Internet Explorer 5 beta 2+.
Steve Nabors responds:
I discovered a way of making the above concept work in Internet Explorer 4.0 as well. Using the script provided in Q481 and a print button on FrameA.formA.printbutton, you can move focus to a visible form element (parent.FrameB.formB.textbox.focus()) in frame (Frame B)and submitting that form where the onsubmit="javascript:window.print()" for formB. Frame B will print. The key is moving focus to a visible form element on Frame B, otherwise it will print the Frame A where focus from the print button remains.
In your frame page, make FrameA and FrameB the frame names. HTML for framer page below:
<html> <frameset rows="20%,*"> <frame SRC="framea.htm" name="FrameA" noresize> <frame SRC="frameb.htm" name="FrameB" noresize> <noframes> <body> </body> </noframes> </frameset> </html>
HTML for framea.htm page below:
<html>
<head>
<script>
function printotherframe()
{
parent.FrameB.formB.textboxb.focus()
parent.FrameB.formB.submit()
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<form name="formA"><input type="button" value="Print the other frame" onclick="printotherframe()">
</body>
</html>HTML for frameb.htm page below:
<html><head> <script language="JavaScript"></script> <script language="VBScript"> sub window_onunload on error resume next ' Just tidy up when we leave to be sure we aren't ' keeping instances of the web-browser control in memory set WB = nothing end sub sub print OLECMDID_PRINT = 6 OLECMDEXECOPT_DONTPROMPTUSER = 2 OLECMDEXECOPT_PROMPTUSER = 1 on error resume next 'Internet Explorer 4 object has different command structure if DA then call WB.ExecWB(OLECMDID_PRINT, OLECMDEXECOPT_DONTPROMPTUSER) else call WB.IOleCommandTarget.Exec(OLECMDID_PRINT ,OLECMDEXECOPT_DONTPROMPTUSER,"","") end if if err.number <> 0 then if DA then ' Internet Explorer 4 they probably cancelled alert "Nothing Printed :" & err.number & " : " & err.description else handle_error ' ie3x give alternate instructions end if end if end sub 'This will be interpreted during loading. 'It will write out the correct webbrowser object depending 'on the browser version. To be sure it works, make sure you 'include this script block in between the body tags. if DA then 'this must be Internet Explorer 4 or greater wbvers="8856F961-340A-11D0-A96B-00C04FD705A2" else 'this must be Internet Explorer 3.x wbvers="EAB22AC3-30C1-11CF-A7EB-0000C05BAE0B" end if document.write "<OBJECT ID=""WB"" WIDTH=0 HEIGHT=0 CLASSID=""CLSID:" document.write wbvers & """> </OBJECT>" </script> </head> <body> <form name="formB" action="javascript:window.print()"> <input type="text" name="textboxb" size="12" value="Print Me"> </form> </body></html>
Ken Tholke writes:
I wrestled with this problem for nearly a week. Steve's solution reminded me that when you try to print from another frame, the frame you last clicked in is the frame with the focus. The following is what I came up with that works for Internet Explorer 4+, as well as Netscape Navigator 4, using a standard three frame set-up (as shown below).
<html> <head> <title>Parent Frame</title> </head> <frameset rows="90, *"> <frame name="header" src="name.html"> <frameset cols="18%, 82%"> <frame name="navigator" src="another_name.html"> <frame name="display" src="still_yet_another_name.html"> </frameset> </frameset> </html>
Again, the key is to put the focus on the frame that is supposed to be printed, by invoking "focus()" first. In still_yet_another_name.html:
<html> <head> <title>Navigator Frame</title> </head> <body> <form name="PrintA"> <input type="button" name="PrintB" value=" Print " onClick = "parent.display.focus(); parent.display.print()"> </form> </body> </html>