| <h2 class='title'><a name='BASICS'>The Basics</a></h2> |
| |
| <P>The PPD compiler, <a href='man-ppdc.html'><code>ppdc(1)</code></a>, is a |
| simple command-line tool that takes a single <I>driver information file</I>, |
| which by convention uses the extension <VAR>.drv</VAR>, and produces one or more |
| PPD files that may be distributed with your printer drivers for use with CUPS. |
| For example, you would run the following command to create the English language |
| PPD files defined by the driver information file <VAR>mydrivers.drv</VAR>:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='command'> |
| ppdc mydrivers.drv |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>The PPD files are placed in a subdirectory called |
| <VAR>ppd</VAR>. The <TT>-d</TT> option is used to put the PPD |
| files in a different location, for example:</p> |
| |
| <pre class='command'> |
| ppdc -d myppds mydrivers.drv |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>places the PPD files in a subdirectory named |
| <VAR>myppds</VAR>. Finally, use the <TT>-l</TT> option to |
| specify the language localization for the PPD files that are |
| created, for example:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='command'> |
| ppdc -d myppds/de -l de mydrivers.drv |
| ppdc -d myppds/en -l en mydrivers.drv |
| ppdc -d myppds/es -l es mydrivers.drv |
| ppdc -d myppds/fr -l fr mydrivers.drv |
| ppdc -d myppds/it -l it mydrivers.drv |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>creates PPD files in German (de), English (en), Spanish (es), |
| French (fr), and Italian (it) in the corresponding |
| subdirectories. Specify multiple languages (separated by commas) to produce |
| "globalized" PPD files:</p> |
| |
| <pre class='command'> |
| ppdc -d myppds -l de,en,es,fr,it mydrivers.drv |
| </pre> |
| |
| |
| <h2 class='title'><a name='DRV'>Driver Information Files</a></h2> |
| |
| <P>The driver information files accepted by the PPD compiler are |
| plain text files that define the various attributes and options |
| that are included in the PPD files that are generated. A driver |
| information file can define the information for one or more printers and |
| their corresponding PPD files.</P> |
| |
| <p class='example'><a name="LISTING1">Listing 1: "examples/minimum.drv"</a></p> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <I>// Include standard font and media definitions</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> <font.defs> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> <media.defs> |
| |
| <I>// List the fonts that are supported, in this case all standard fonts...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> * |
| |
| <I>// Manufacturer, model name, and version</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "Foo" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Version'>Version</a> 1.0 |
| |
| <I>// Each filter provided by the driver...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-raster 100 rastertofoo |
| |
| <I>// Supported page sizes</I> |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> Letter |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> A4 |
| |
| <I>// Supported resolutions</I> |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI" |
| |
| <I>// Specify the name of the PPD file we want to generate...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojet2k.ppd" |
| </pre> |
| |
| |
| <h3><a name='SIMPLE'>A Simple Example</a></h3> |
| |
| <P>The example in <A HREF="#LISTING1">Listing 1</A> shows a driver information |
| file which defines the minimum required attributes to provide a valid PPD file. |
| The first part of the file includes standard definition files for fonts and |
| media sizes:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> <font.defs> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> <media.defs> |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>The <TT>#include</TT> directive works just like the C/C++ include directive; |
| files included using the angle brackets (<TT><filename></TT>) are found |
| in any of the standard include directories and files included using quotes |
| (<TT>"filename"</TT>) are found in the same directory as the source or include |
| file. The <TT><font.defs></TT> include file defines the standard fonts |
| which are included with GPL Ghostscript and the Apple PDF RIP, while the |
| <TT><media.defs></TT> include file defines the standard media sizes |
| listed in Appendix B of the Adobe PostScript Printer Description File Format |
| Specification.</P> |
| |
| <P>CUPS provides several other standard include files:</P> |
| |
| <UL> |
| |
| <LI><TT><epson.h></TT> - Defines all of the rastertoepson driver |
| constants.</LI> |
| |
| <LI><TT><escp.h></TT> - Defines all of the rastertoescpx driver |
| constants.</LI> |
| |
| <LI><TT><hp.h></TT> - Defines all of the rastertohp driver |
| constants.</LI> |
| |
| <LI><TT><label.h></TT> - Defines all of the rastertolabel driver |
| constants.</LI> |
| |
| <LI><TT><pcl.h></TT> - Defines all of the rastertopclx driver |
| constants.</LI> |
| |
| <LI><TT><raster.defs></TT> - Defines all of the CUPS raster format |
| constants.</LI> |
| |
| </UL> |
| |
| <P>Next we list all of the fonts that are available in the driver; for CUPS |
| raster drivers, the following line is all that is usually supplied:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> * |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>The <TT>Font</TT> directive specifies the name of a single font or the |
| asterisk to specify all fonts. For example, you would use the following line to |
| define an additional bar code font that you are supplying with your printer |
| driver:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <I>// name encoding version charset status</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> Barcode-Foo Special "(1.0)" Special ROM |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>The name of the font is <TT>Barcode-Foo</TT>. Since it is not a standard |
| text font, the encoding and charset name <TT>Special</TT> is used. The version |
| number is <TT>1.0</TT> and the status (where the font is located) is |
| <TT>ROM</TT> to indicate that the font does not need to be embedded in |
| documents that use the font for this printer.</P> |
| |
| <P>Third comes the manufacturer, model name, and version number information |
| strings:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "Foo" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Version'>Version</a> 1.0 |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>These strings are used when the user (or auto-configuration program) selects |
| the printer driver for a newly connected device.</p> |
| |
| <P>The list of filters comes after the information strings; for the example in |
| <A HREF="#LISTING1">Listing 1</A>, we have a single filter that takes CUPS |
| raster data:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-raster 100 rastertofoo |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>Each filter specified in the driver information file is the equivalent of a |
| printer driver for that format; if a user submits a print job in a different |
| format, CUPS figures out the sequence of commands that will produce a supported |
| format for the least relative cost.</P> |
| |
| <P>Once we have defined the driver information we specify the supported options. |
| For the example driver we support a single resolution of 600 dots per inch and |
| two media sizes, A4 and Letter:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> Letter |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> A4 |
| |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI" |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>The asterisk in front of the <TT>MediaSize</TT> and <TT>Resolution</TT> |
| directives specify that those option choices are the default. The |
| <TT>MediaSize</TT> directive is followed by a media size name which is normally |
| defined in the <TT><media.defs></TT> file and corresponds to a standard |
| Adobe media size name. If the default media size is <TT>Letter</TT>, the PPD |
| compiler will override it to be <TT>A4</TT> for non-English localizations for |
| you automatically.</P> |
| |
| <P>The <TT>Resolution</TT> directive accepts several values after it as |
| follows:</P> |
| |
| <OL> |
| |
| <LI>Colorspace for this resolution, if any. In the example file, the |
| colorspace <TT>k</TT> is used which corresponds to black. For printer |
| drivers that support color printing, this field is usually specified as |
| "-" for "no change".</LI> |
| |
| <LI>Bits per color. In the example file, we define 8 bits per color, for |
| a continuous-tone grayscale output. All versions of CUPS support 1 and |
| 8 bits per color. CUPS 1.2 and higher (macOS 10.5 and higher) also |
| supports 16 bits per color.</LI> |
| |
| <LI>Rows per band. In the example file, we define 0 rows per band to |
| indicate that our printer driver does not process the page in |
| bands.</LI> |
| |
| <LI>Row feed. In the example, we define the feed value to be 0 to |
| indicate that our printer driver does not interleave the output.</LI> |
| |
| <LI>Row step. In the example, we define the step value to be 0 to |
| indicate that our printer driver does not interleave the output. This |
| value normally indicates the spacing between the nozzles of an inkjet |
| printer - when combined with the previous two values, it informs the |
| driver how to stagger the output on the page to produce interleaved |
| lines on the page for higher-resolution output.</LI> |
| |
| <LI>Choice name and text. In the example, we define the choice name and |
| text to be <TT>"600dpi/600 DPI"</TT>. The name and text are separated by |
| slash (<TT>/</TT>) character; if no text is specified, then the name is |
| used as the text. The PPD compiler parses the name to determine the |
| actual resolution; the name can be of the form |
| <TT><I>RESOLUTION</I>dpi</TT> for resolutions that are equal |
| horizontally and vertically or <TT><I>HRES</I>x<I>VRES</I>dpi</TT> for |
| isometric resolutions. Only integer resolution values are supported, so |
| a resolution name of <TT>300dpi</TT> is valid while <TT>300.1dpi</TT> is |
| not.</LI> |
| |
| </OL> |
| |
| <P>Finally, the <TT>PCFileName</TT> directive specifies that the named PPD file |
| should be written for the current driver definitions:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojet2k.ppd" |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>The filename follows the directive and <I>must</I> conform to the Adobe |
| filename requirements in the Adobe Postscript Printer Description File Format |
| Specification. Specifically, the filename may not exceed 8 characters followed |
| by the extension <VAR>.ppd</VAR>. The <TT>FileName</TT> directive can be used to |
| specify longer filenames:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#FileName'>FileName</a> "FooJet 2000" |
| </pre> |
| |
| |
| <h3><a name='GROUPING'>Grouping and Inheritance</a></h3> |
| |
| <P>The previous example created a single PPD file. Driver information files can |
| also define multiple printers by using the PPD compiler grouping functionality. |
| Directives are grouped using the curly braces (<TT>{</TT> and <TT>}</TT>) and |
| every group that uses the <TT>PCFileName</TT> or <TT>FileName</TT> directives |
| produces a PPD file with that name. <A HREF="#LISTING2">Listing 2</A> shows a |
| variation of the original example that uses two groups to define two printers |
| that share the same printer driver filter but provide two different resolution |
| options.</P> |
| |
| <p class='example'><a name="LISTING2">Listing 2: "examples/grouping.drv"</a></p> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| |
| <I>// Include standard font and media definitions</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> <font.defs> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> <media.defs> |
| |
| <I>// List the fonts that are supported, in this case all standard fonts...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> * |
| |
| <I>// Manufacturer and version</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "Foo" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Version'>Version</a> 1.0 |
| |
| <I>// Each filter provided by the driver...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-raster 100 rastertofoo |
| |
| <I>// Supported page sizes</I> |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> Letter |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> A4 |
| |
| { |
| <I>// Supported resolutions</I> |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI" |
| |
| <I>// Specify the model name and filename...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojet2k.ppd" |
| } |
| |
| { |
| <I>// Supported resolutions</I> |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "1200dpi/1200 DPI" |
| |
| <I>// Specify the model name and filename...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2001" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojt2k1.ppd" |
| } |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>The second example is essentially the same as the first, except that each |
| printer model is defined inside of a pair of curly braces. For example, the |
| first printer is defined using:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| { |
| // Supported resolutions |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI" |
| |
| // Specify the model name and filename... |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojet2k.ppd" |
| } |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>The printer <I>inherits</I> all of the definitions from the parent group (the |
| top part of the file) and adds the additional definitions inside the curly |
| braces for that printer driver. When we define the second group, it also |
| inherits the same definitions from the parent group but <I>none</I> of the |
| definitions from the first driver. Groups can be nested to any number of levels |
| to support variations of similar models without duplication of information.</P> |
| |
| |
| <h3><a name='COLOR'>Color Support</a></h3> |
| |
| <P>For printer drivers that support color printing, the |
| <TT>ColorDevice</TT> and <TT>ColorModel</TT> directives should be |
| used to tell the printing system that color output is desired |
| and in what formats. <A HREF="#LISTING3">Listing 3</A> shows a |
| variation of the previous example which includes a color printer |
| that supports printing at 300 and 600 DPI.</P> |
| |
| <P>The key changes are the addition of the <TT>ColorDevice</TT> |
| directive:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ColorDevice'>ColorDevice</a> true |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>which tells the printing system that the printer supports |
| color printing, and the <TT>ColorModel</TT> directives:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ColorModel'>ColorModel</a> Gray/Grayscale w chunky 0 |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ColorModel'>ColorModel</a> RGB/Color rgb chunky 0 |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>which tell the printing system which colorspaces are supported by the printer |
| driver for color printing. Each of the <TT>ColorModel</TT> directives is |
| followed by the option name and text (<TT>Gray/Grayscale</TT> and |
| <TT>RGB/Color</TT>), the colorspace name (<TT>w</TT> and <TT>rgb</TT>), the |
| color organization (<TT>chunky</TT>), and the compression mode number |
| (<TT>0</TT>) to be passed to the driver. The option name can be any of the |
| standard Adobe <TT>ColorModel</TT> names:</P> |
| |
| <UL> |
| |
| <LI><TT>Gray</TT> - Grayscale output. |
| |
| <LI><TT>RGB</TT> - Color output, typically using the RGB |
| colorspace, but without a separate black channel. |
| |
| <LI><TT>CMYK</TT> - Color output with a separate black |
| channel. |
| |
| </UL> |
| |
| <P>Custom names can be used, however it is recommended that you use your vendor |
| prefix for any custom names, for example "fooName".</P> |
| |
| <P>The colorspace name can be any of the following universally supported |
| colorspaces:</P> |
| |
| <UL> |
| <LI><TT>w</TT> - Luminance</LI> |
| |
| <LI><TT>rgb</TT> - Red, green, blue</LI> |
| |
| <LI><TT>k</TT> - Black</LI> |
| |
| <LI><TT>cmy</TT> - Cyan, magenta, yellow</LI> |
| |
| <LI><TT>cmyk</TT> - Cyan, magenta, yellow, black</LI> |
| |
| </UL> |
| |
| <P>The color organization can be any of the following values:</P> |
| |
| <UL> |
| |
| <LI><TT>chunky</TT> - Color values are passed together on a line |
| as RGB RGB RGB RGB</LI> |
| |
| <LI><TT>banded</TT> - Color values are passed separately |
| on a line as RRRR GGGG BBBB; not supported by the Apple |
| RIP filters</LI> |
| |
| <LI><TT>planar</TT> - Color values are passed separately |
| on a page as RRRR RRRR RRRR ... GGGG GGGG GGGG ... BBBB |
| BBBB BBBB; not supported by the Apple RIP filters</LI> |
| |
| </UL> |
| |
| <P>The compression mode value is passed to the driver in the |
| <TT>cupsCompression</TT> attribute. It is traditionally used to select an |
| appropriate compression mode for the color model but can be used for any |
| purpose, such as specifying a photo mode vs. standard mode.</P> |
| |
| <p class='example'><a name="LISTING3">Listing 3: "examples/color.drv"</a></p> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| |
| <I>// Include standard font and media definitions</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> <font.defs> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> <media.defs> |
| |
| <I>// List the fonts that are supported, in this case all standard fonts...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> * |
| |
| <I>// Manufacturer and version</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "Foo" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Version'>Version</a> 1.0 |
| |
| <I>// Each filter provided by the driver...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-raster 100 rastertofoo |
| |
| <I>// Supported page sizes</I> |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> Letter |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> A4 |
| |
| { |
| <I>// Supported resolutions</I> |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI" |
| |
| <I>// Specify the model name and filename...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojet2k.ppd" |
| } |
| |
| { |
| <I>// Supports color printing</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ColorDevice'>ColorDevice</a> true |
| |
| <I>// Supported colorspaces</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ColorModel'>ColorModel</a> Gray/Grayscale w chunky 0 |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ColorModel'>ColorModel</a> RGB/Color rgb chunky 0 |
| |
| <I>// Supported resolutions</I> |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> - 8 0 0 0 "300dpi/300 DPI" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> - 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI" |
| |
| <I>// Specify the model name and filename...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet Color" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojetco.ppd" |
| } |
| </pre> |
| |
| |
| <h3><a name='OPTIONS'>Defining Custom Options and Option Groups</a></h3> |
| |
| <P>The <TT>Group</TT>, <TT>Option</TT>, and <TT>Choice</TT> |
| directives are used to define or select a group, option, or |
| choice. <A HREF="#LISTING4">Listing 4</A> shows a variation of |
| the first example that provides two custom options in a group |
| named "Footasm".</P> |
| |
| <p class='example'><a name="LISTING4">Listing 4: "examples/custom.drv"</a></p> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| |
| <I>// Include standard font and media definitions</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> <font.defs> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> <media.defs> |
| |
| <I>// List the fonts that are supported, in this case all standard fonts...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> * |
| |
| <I>// Manufacturer, model name, and version</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "Foo" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Version'>Version</a> 1.0 |
| |
| <I>// Each filter provided by the driver...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-raster 100 rastertofoo |
| |
| <I>// Supported page sizes</I> |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> Letter |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> A4 |
| |
| <I>// Supported resolutions</I> |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI" |
| |
| <I>// Option Group</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Group'>Group</a> "Footasm" |
| |
| <I>// Boolean option</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "fooEnhance/Resolution Enhancement" Boolean AnySetup 10 |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> True/Yes "<</cupsCompression 1>>setpagedevice" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> False/No "<</cupsCompression 0>>setpagedevice" |
| |
| <I>// Multiple choice option</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "fooOutputType/Output Quality" PickOne AnySetup 10 |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "Auto/Automatic Selection" |
| "<</OutputType(Auto)>>setpagedevice"" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "Text/Optimize for Text" |
| "<</OutputType(Text)>>setpagedevice"" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "Graph/Optimize for Graphics" |
| "<</OutputType(Graph)>>setpagedevice"" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "Photo/Optimize for Photos" |
| "<</OutputType(Photo)>>setpagedevice"" |
| |
| <I>// Specify the name of the PPD file we want to generate...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojet2k.ppd" |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>The custom group is introduced by the <TT>Group</TT> |
| directive which is followed by the name and optionally text for |
| the user:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Group'>Group</a> "Footasm/Footastic Options" |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>The group name must conform to the PPD specification and |
| cannot exceed 40 characters in length. If you specify user text, |
| it cannot exceed 80 characters in length. The groups |
| <TT>General</TT>, <TT>Extra</TT>, and |
| <TT>InstallableOptions</TT> are predefined by CUPS; the general |
| and extra groups are filled by the UI options defined by the PPD |
| specification. The <TT>InstallableOptions</TT> group is reserved |
| for options that define whether accessories for the printer |
| (duplexer unit, finisher, stapler, etc.) are installed.</P> |
| |
| <P>Once the group is specified, the <TT>Option</TT> directive is |
| used to introduce a new option:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "fooEnhance/Resolution Enhancement" Boolean AnySetup 10 |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>The directive is followed by the name of the option and any |
| optional user text, the option type, the PostScript document group, and |
| the sort order number. The option name must conform to the PPD specification |
| and cannot exceed 40 characters in length. If you specify user text, it |
| cannot exceed 80 characters in length.</P> |
| |
| <P>The option type can be <TT>Boolean</TT> for true/false |
| selections, <TT>PickOne</TT> for picking one of many choices, or |
| <TT>PickMany</TT> for picking zero or more choices. Boolean |
| options can have at most two choices with the names |
| <TT>False</TT> and <TT>True</TT>. Pick options can have any |
| number of choices, although for Windows compatibility reasons |
| the number of choices should not exceed 255.</P> |
| |
| <P>The PostScript document group is typically <TT>AnySetup</TT>, |
| meaning that the option can be introduced at any point in the |
| PostScript document. Other values include <TT>PageSetup</TT> to |
| include the option before each page and <TT>DocumentSetup</TT> |
| to include the option once at the beginning of the document.</P> |
| |
| <P>The sort order number is used to sort the printer commands |
| associated with each option choice within the PostScript |
| document. This allows you to setup certain options before others |
| as required by the printer. For most CUPS raster printer |
| drivers, the value <TT>10</TT> can be used for all options.</P> |
| |
| <P>Once the option is specified, each option choice can be |
| listed using the <TT>Choice</TT> directive:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> True/Yes "<</cupsCompression 1>>setpagedevice" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> False/No "<</cupsCompression 0>>setpagedevice" |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>The directive is followed by the choice name and optionally |
| user text, and the PostScript commands that should be inserted |
| when printing a file to this printer. The option name must |
| conform to the PPD specification and cannot exceed 40 characters |
| in length. If you specify user text, it cannot exceed 80 |
| characters in length.</P> |
| |
| <P>The PostScript commands are also interpreted by any RIP |
| filters, so these commands typically must be present for all |
| option choices. Most commands take the form:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <</name value>>setpagedevice |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>where <TT>name</TT> is the name of the PostScript page device |
| attribute and <TT>value</TT> is the numeric or string value for |
| that attribute.</P> |
| |
| |
| <h3><a name='DEFINE'>Defining Constants</a></h3> |
| |
| <P>Sometimes you will want to define constants for your drivers |
| so that you can share values in different groups within the same |
| driver information file, or to share values between different |
| driver information files using the <TT>#include</TT> directive. |
| The <TT>#define</TT> directive is used to define constants for |
| use in your printer definitions:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_define'>#define</a> NAME value |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>The <TT>NAME</TT> is any sequence of letters, numbers, and |
| the underscore. The <TT>value</TT> is a number or string; if the |
| value contains spaces you must put double quotes around it, for |
| example:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_define'>#define</a> FOO "My String Value" |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>Constants can also be defined on the command-line using the <tt>-D</tt> |
| option:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='command'> |
| ppdc -DNAME="value" filename.drv |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>Once defined, you use the notation <TT>$NAME</TT> to substitute the value of |
| the constant in the file, for example:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_define'>#define</a> MANUFACTURER "Foo" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_define'>#define</a> FOO_600 0 |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_define'>#define</a> FOO_1200 1 |
| |
| { |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "$MANUFACTURER" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelNumber'>ModelNumber</a> $FOO_600 |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000" |
| ... |
| } |
| |
| { |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "$MANUFACTURER" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelNumber'>ModelNumber</a> $FOO_1200 |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2001" |
| ... |
| } |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>Numeric constants can be bitwise OR'd together by placing the constants |
| inside parenthesis, for example:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <I>// ModelNumber capability bits</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_define'>#define</a> DUPLEX 1 |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_define'>#define</a> COLOR 2 |
| |
| ... |
| |
| { |
| <I>// Define a model number specifying the capabilities of the printer...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelNumber'>ModelNumber</a> ($DUPLEX $COLOR) |
| ... |
| } |
| </pre> |
| |
| |
| <h3><a name='CONDITIONAL'>Conditional Statements</a></h3> |
| |
| <p>The PPD compiler supports conditional compilation using the <tt>#if</tt>, |
| <tt>#elif</tt>, <tt>#else</tt>, and <tt>#endif</tt> directives. The <tt>#if</tt> |
| and <tt>#elif</tt> directives are followed by a constant name or an expression. |
| For example, to include a group of options when "ADVANCED" is defined:</p> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_if'>#if</a> ADVANCED |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Group'>Group</a> "Advanced/Advanced Options" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "fooCyanAdjust/Cyan Adjustment" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus10/+10%" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus5/+5%" "" |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "none/No Adjustment" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus5/-5%" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus10/-10%" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "fooMagentaAdjust/Magenta Adjustment" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus10/+10%" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus5/+5%" "" |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "none/No Adjustment" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus5/-5%" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus10/-10%" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "fooYellowAdjust/Yellow Adjustment" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus10/+10%" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus5/+5%" "" |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "none/No Adjustment" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus5/-5%" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus10/-10%" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "fooBlackAdjust/Black Adjustment" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus10/+10%" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus5/+5%" "" |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "none/No Adjustment" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus5/-5%" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus10/-10%" "" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_endif'>#endif</a> |
| </pre> |
| |
| |
| <h3><a name='CONSTRAINTS'>Defining Constraints</a></h3> |
| |
| <P>Constraints are strings that are used to specify that one or more option |
| choices are incompatible, for example two-sided printing on transparency media. |
| Constraints are also used to prevent the use of uninstalled features such as the |
| duplexer unit, additional media trays, and so forth.</P> |
| |
| <P>The <TT>UIConstraints</TT> directive is used to specify a constraint that is |
| placed in the PPD file. The directive is followed by a string using one of the |
| following formats:</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#UIConstraints'>UIConstraints</a> "*Option1 *Option2" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#UIConstraints'>UIConstraints</a> "*Option1 Choice1 *Option2" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#UIConstraints'>UIConstraints</a> "*Option1 *Option2 Choice2" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#UIConstraints'>UIConstraints</a> "*Option1 Choice1 *Option2 Choice2" |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P>Each option name is preceded by the asterisk (<TT>*</TT>). If no choice is |
| given for an option, then all choices <I>except</I> <TT>False</TT> and |
| <TT>None</TT> will conflict with the other option and choice(s). Since the PPD |
| compiler automatically adds reciprocal constraints (option A conflicts with |
| option B, so therefore option B conflicts with option A), you need only specify |
| the constraint once.</P> |
| |
| <p class='example'><a name="LISTING5">Listing 5: "examples/constraint.drv"</a></p> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| |
| <I>// Include standard font and media definitions</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> <font.defs> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> <media.defs> |
| |
| <I>// List the fonts that are supported, in this case all standard fonts...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> * |
| |
| <I>// Manufacturer, model name, and version</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "Foo" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Version'>Version</a> 1.0 |
| |
| <I>// Each filter provided by the driver...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-raster 100 rastertofoo |
| |
| <I>// Supported page sizes</I> |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> Letter |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> A4 |
| |
| <I>// Supported resolutions</I> |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI" |
| |
| <I>// Installable Option Group</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Group'>Group</a> "InstallableOptions/Options Installed" |
| |
| <I>// Duplexing unit option</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "OptionDuplexer/Duplexing Unit" Boolean AnySetup 10 |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> True/Installed "" |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "False/Not Installed" "" |
| |
| <I>// General Option Group</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Group'>Group</a> General |
| |
| <I>// Duplexing option</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "Duplex/Two-Sided Printing" PickOne AnySetup 10 |
| *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "None/No" "<</Duplex false>>setpagedevice"" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "DuplexNoTumble/Long Edge Binding" |
| "<</Duplex true/Tumble false>>setpagedevice"" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "DuplexTumble/Short Edge Binding" |
| "<</Duplex true/Tumble true>>setpagedevice"" |
| |
| <I>// Only allow duplexing if the duplexer is installed</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#UIConstraints'>UIConstraints</a> "*Duplex *OptionDuplexer False" |
| |
| <I>// Specify the name of the PPD file we want to generate...</I> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojet2k.ppd" |
| </pre> |
| |
| <P><A HREF="#LISTING5">Listing 5</A> shows a variation of the first example with |
| an added <TT>Duplex</TT> option and installable option for the duplexer, |
| <TT>OptionDuplex</TT>. A constraint is added at the end to specify that any |
| choice of the <TT>Duplex</TT> option that is not <TT>None</TT> is incompatible |
| with the "Duplexer Installed" option set to "Not Installed" |
| (<TT>False</TT>):</P> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#UIConstraints'>UIConstraints</a> "*Duplex *OptionDuplexer False" |
| </pre> |
| |
| <h4>Enhanced Constraints</h4> |
| |
| <p>CUPS 1.4 supports constraints between 2 or more options using the |
| <TT>Attribute</TT> directive. <TT>cupsUIConstraints</TT> attributes define |
| the constraints, while <TT>cupsUIResolver</TT> attributes define option changes |
| to resolve constraints. For example, we can specify the previous duplex |
| constraint with a resolver that turns off duplexing with the following two |
| lines:</p> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> cupsUIConstraints DuplexOff "*Duplex *OptionDuplexer False" |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> cupsUIResolver DuplexOff "*Duplex None" |
| </pre> |
| |
| <h2 class='title'><a name='LOCALIZATION'>Localization</a></h2> |
| |
| <p>The PPD compiler provides localization of PPD files in different languages |
| through <i>message catalog</i> files in the GNU gettext or Apple .strings |
| formats. Each user text string and several key PPD attribute values such as |
| <tt>LanguageVersion</tt> and <tt>LanguageEncoding</tt> are looked up in the |
| corresponding message catalog and the translated text is substituted in the |
| generated PPD files. One message catalog file can be used by multiple driver |
| information files, and each file contains a single language translation.</p> |
| |
| <h3><a name='PPDPO'>The ppdpo Utility</a></h3> |
| |
| <p>While CUPS includes localizations of all standard media sizes and options in |
| several languages, your driver information files may provide their own media |
| sizes and options that need to be localized. CUPS provides a utility program to |
| aid in the localization of drivers called <a |
| href='man-ppdpo.html'><tt>ppdpo(1)</tt></a>. The <tt>ppdpo</tt> program creates |
| or updates a message catalog file based upon one or more driver information |
| files. New messages are added with the word "TRANSLATE" added to the front of |
| the translation string to make locating new strings for translation easier. The |
| program accepts the message catalog filename and one or more driver information |
| files.</p> |
| |
| <p>For example, run the following command to create a new German message catalog |
| called <var>de.po</var> for all of the driver information files in the current |
| directory:</p> |
| |
| <pre class='command'> |
| ppdpo -o de.po *.drv |
| </pre> |
| |
| <p>If the file <var>de.po</var> already exists, <tt>ppdpo</tt> will update the |
| contents of the file with any new messages that need to be translated. To create |
| an Apple .strings file instead, specify the output filename with a .strings |
| extension, for example:</p> |
| |
| <pre class='command'> |
| ppdpo -o de.strings *.drv |
| </pre> |
| |
| <h3><a name='PPDC_CATALOG'>Using Message Catalogs with the PPD Compiler</a></h3> |
| |
| <p>Once you have created a message catalog, use the <a |
| href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_po'><tt>#po</tt></a> directive to declare it in each |
| driver information file. For example, to declare the German message catalog for |
| a driver use:</p> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_po'>#po</a> de "de.po" // German |
| </pre> |
| |
| <p>In fact, you can use the <tt>#po</tt> directive as many times as needed:</p> |
| |
| <pre class='example'> |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_po'>#po</a> de "de.po" // German |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_po'>#po</a> es "es.po" // Spanish |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_po'>#po</a> fr "fr.po" // French |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_po'>#po</a> it "it.po" // Italian |
| <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_po'>#po</a> ja "ja.po" // Japanese |
| </pre> |
| |
| <p>The filename ("de.po", etc.) can be relative to the location of the driver |
| information file or an absolute path. Once defined, the PPD compiler will |
| automatically generate a globalized PPD for every language declared in your |
| driver information file. To generate a single-language PPD file, simply use the |
| <tt>-l</tt> option to list the corresponding locale, for example:</p> |
| |
| <pre class='command'> |
| ppdc -l de -d ppd/de mydrivers.drv |
| </pre> |
| |
| <p>to generate German PPD files.</p> |