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Print Distributor Changelog

What's new in Print Distributor 2018.1.1.642

Jan 2, 2018
  • Some of the other changes since the last major release include:
  • Fixed a bug with handling long jobs on legacy queue introduced with last release.
  • Fixed bug with legacy queue not handling jobs serially.
  • Send Mail action now uses merged version of templates in the log.
  • Updated winsvc to the latest version.
  • Exceptions in Accumulate actions triggered by a timeout are now caught and logged.
  • Password now serialises correctly when using the Send Mail action with the Accumulate object.
  • Mail server password is now encrypted in temporary JSON context files.
  • Fixed a bug with multithreaded option being inverted.
  • Upgraded Newtonsoft JSON.Net.
  • Restored reprint notification logging.
  • VBScript, JavaScript and Condition expressions now have access to the Context through a global variable Context.

New in Print Distributor 2017.8.14.1200 (Aug 15, 2017)

  • The Standard Virtual Printer in Print Distributor captures documents using a TCP/IP loopback port. This used to be set to port 9100 and incremented for each new printer. With this release we have increased the base to 9200 and allowed you to set a customer value. This should avoid conflicts with any printer software listening on port 9100.
  • There is also a small change to the Ghostscript action, it now tries to write a dummy file before creating the PDF. This flushes out any errors with permissions which are quite hard to trap with Ghostscript.

New in Print Distributor 2017.4.29.804 (May 1, 2017)

  • This is mainly a bug fix release with a couple of small features:
  • The foreground service background window is now created off screen so it doesn’t flicker on startup.
  • The foreground service now runs with the STAThread attribute.
  • Upgraded dependencies including NUnit, FakeItEasy, Newtonsoft.Json and Scintilla.
  • PowerShell scripts now show a meaningful message if the Windows Management Framework is required and missing.
  • Added variables YE, MO, DA, HO, MI, SE, WD for compatibility with legacy versions.
  • Fix for property grid changes in .Net 4.7 (including Windows Creators Update).

New in Print Distributor 2017.3.16.1534 (Mar 17, 2017)

  • We have just released an update to Print Distributor, this is mainly a bug fix release with a couple of small features:
  • The script editor now pops up automatically when you add a Script action.
  • Page count is now reflected in any reprinted documents.
  • The To, Cc and Bcc fields in the Send Mail action now support template variables.
  • Fixed a bug with the document name not being carried through on a reprint.
  • Fixed a bug with keycodes with Unicode hyphens instead of ASCII hyphens.
  • Fixed positioning of icons in object chooser.
  • Fixed vertical positioning of text in object chooser.
  • Fixed a deadlock that occured when the license expired and the Windows service was installed.
  • The Print Distributor management application now monitors the Print Spooler service and shows an error message if it is not running.
  • New printers are now created set to start printing after the whole job is spooled.
  • Starting and stopping either service now shows a progress window.
  • If setting attributes on a new printer fails it is retried up to five times (the spooler can be slow to recognise the new printer).
  • Fixed an issue with Gmail certificates and removed the property “Ignore SSL Errors” from the options.

New in Print Distributor 2017.2.1.909 (Feb 1, 2017)

  • Fixed an issue with valid license keys not being accepted.
  • Foreground service application icon now set correctly.
  • Service shutdown now works if foreground service is running under a different account to manager.
  • Removed exception when trying to start foreground service and it is already running under a different account.
  • Options now has an entry to control whether the foreground service is set to auto start on login for the current user.
  • Tidied the properties on the Document Name trigger for the Accumulate action.
  • Fixed some scaling issues on high dpi displays.
  • Bi-directional communication is now disabled by default om virtual printers.
  • Version 5 keys now supported.

New in Print Distributor 2017.1.1.850 (Jan 4, 2017)

  • User interface:
  • The user interface is completely new, we have removed most of the modal dialogs and replaced them with a tree view and property grid. The tree view on the left contains a virtual printer, its children are a list of actions to run. As you navigate around the tree the property grid on the right updates to show the properties of each object
  • Just like in version 6, actions are run in turn starting from the top and working down. Some actions like the Decision will have their own child actions, in the case of the Decison the child actions are the actions to run if the test is true. This was the case internally for version 6 but now you can see it exposed in the user interface
  • Many of the properties in the property grid will have a type editor that helps with editing the property. This is access with the elipsis (…) button on the property value. This is particularly useful for editing templates
  • Service:
  • On Windows Server Print Distributor is installed as a Windows service the same as previous versions. However on Windows 7, 8 and 10 it is installed as a foreground application that shows an icon in the notify area. This allows easier access to network shares and printers installed on remote servers without changing the service account. It also opens up the opportunity for some kind of user interaction when a document is printed.
  • There is a menu item that allows you to switch back to a Windows service if that is what you need.
  • Performance:
  • Small print jobs no longer get written to the file system which has boosted performance for typical customers substantially. Once the job size reaches a certain threshold it will be written to file as it’s possible for very large documents to exceed the available memory.
  • Virtual printers are now event driven rather than running on a thread per printer, this has lowered the resources needed to run many printers on a server.
  • Compatibility:
  • Version 7 introduces a new queue type based on TCP/IP to replace the named pipe based queues of previous versions. This resolves compaitibility issues with Adobe Reader and Acrobat. The old style named pipe queues are still available and used if you upgrade.
  • Direct Printing:
  • The new Direct Reprint action sends a print directly to the printer over TCP/IP using either the LPR/LPD or AppDirect (port 9100) protocols bypassing the print spooler.
  • Options:
  • Common options allows you to set your SMTP settings in one place rather than in each Send Mail action as well as control threading and setting Before and After actions.
  • Send Mail:
  • Send Mail is more flexible and easier to configure for attachments. Here you can see child objects that aren’t actions.
  • Templates:
  • The template language has been enhanced with new filters and variables. Old template sequences are automatically updated when you upgrade or restore from a previous version.
  • Accumulate:
  • Triggers for the Accumulate action are now child objects as are the actions, you can add as many triggers as you need.
  • Scripting:
  • The Script action now supports PowerShell for extending Print Distributor. VBScript and JavaScript are supported for legacy scripts.
  • Printers and Printer Ports:
  • Windows printers support a many-many relationship with printer ports. Previous versions of Print Distributor could get confused if you modified this in Windows rather than Print Distributor. The new release resolves these problems and accepts whatever changes you make.
  • Dependencies:
  • Print Distributor is now dependent on the .Net 4.6 runtime, if you don’t have it installed the setup program will prompt you to install it before continuing.

New in Print Distributor 7.0.0.7024 Beta (Nov 15, 2016)

  • The changes in this release include:
  • Added StripInvalidPathCharacters filter for compatibility with previous versions.
  • Added StripSlashes filter for compatibility with previous versions.
  • Added FileName filter to extract the file name and extension from a path.
  • Added FileNameWithoutExtension filter to extract the file name from a path.
  • Fixed an issue where the service would shutdown after 24 days when running under the trial license.
  • Foreground service application now has hidden form so it can respond to requests from the restart manager.
  • Installer sends shutdown notice to foreground service to stop builds 7004 to 7011.
  • Internal build file improvements.
  • The beta keycode now expires at the end of January 2017.
  • Changed version number format to Major.Minor.Build.
  • Version 6 now supports all license codes issued on or after 15th April 2015.

New in Print Distributor 7.0.0.7011 Beta (Oct 19, 2016)

  • The tree editor no longer allows invalid drag and drop opertaions.
  • Improved usability in the object chooser dialog.
  • Tools->Restore file selection dialog now supports backups from previous versions.
  • Added support for version 6.xx license keys created on or after 1st August 2016.
  • Foreground service is now high-dpi aware.
  • Client application is now high-dpi aware.
  • Setup now forces closure of foreground service if it doesn’t cooperate during an upgrade.
  • Fixed an issue where the first log message after restarting PD is lost.
  • The Action Group Title property now has a default value.
  • The Trigger List Title property can now be edited.
  • It is no longer possible to change the name of a standard printer on the tree.
  • Refactored and tidied up some loose ends.

New in Print Distributor 7.0.0.7004 Beta (Sep 1, 2016)

  • User interface:
  • The user interface is completely new, we have removed most of the modal dialogs and replaced them with a tree view and property grid. The tree view on the left contains a virtual printer, its children are a list of actions to run. As you navigate around the tree the property grid on the right updates to show the properties of each object.
  • Just like in version 6, actions are run in turn starting from the top and working down. Some actions like the Decision will have their own child actions, in the case of the Decison the child actions are the actions to run if the test is true. This was the case internally for version 6 but now you can see it exposed in the user interface.
  • Many of the properties in the property grid will have a type editor that helps with editing the property. This is access with the elipsis (…) button on the property value. This is particularly useful for editing templates.
  • Service:
  • On Windows Server Print Distributor is installed as a Windows service the same as previous versions. However on Windows 7, 8 and 10 it is installed as a foreground application that shows an icon in the notify area. This allows easier access to network shares and printers installed on remote servers without changing the service account. It also opens up the opportunity for some kind of user interaction when a document is printed.
  • There is a menu item that allows you to switch back to a Windows service if that is what you need.
  • Performance:
  • Small print jobs no longer get written to the file system which has boosted performance for typical customers substantially. Once the job size reaches a certain threshold it will be written to file as it’s possible for very large documents to exceed the available memory.
  • Virtual printers are now event driven rather than running on a thread per printer, this has lowered the resources needed to run many printers on a server.
  • Compatibility:
  • Version 7 introduces a new queue type based on TCP/IP to replace the named pipe based queues of previous versions. This resolves compaitibility issues with Adobe Reader and Acrobat. The old style named pipe queues are still available and used if you upgrade.
  • Direct Printing:
  • The new Direct Reprint action sends a print directly to the printer over TCP/IP using either the LPR/LPD or AppDirect (port 9100) protocols bypassing the print spooler.
  • Options:
  • Common options allows you to set your SMTP settings in one place rather than in each Send Mail action as well as control threading and setting Before and After actions.
  • Send Mail:
  • Send Mail is more flexible and easier to configure for attachments. Here you can see child objects that aren’t actions.
  • Templates:
  • The template language has been enhanced with new filters and variables. Old template sequences are automatically updated when you upgrade or restore from a previous version.
  • Accumulate:
  • Triggers for the Accumulate action are now child objects as are the actions, you can add as many triggers as you need
  • Scripting:
  • The Script action now supports PowerShell for extending Print Distributor. VBScript and JavaScript are supported for legacy scripts.
  • Printers and Printer Ports:
  • Windows printers support a many-many relationship with printer ports. Previous versions of Print Distributor could get confused if you modified this in Windows rather than Print Distributor. The new release resolves these problems and accepts whatever changes you make.
  • Dependencies:
  • Print Distributor is now dependent on the .Net 4.6 runtime, if you don’t have it installed the setup program will prompt you to install it before continuing.

New in Print Distributor 6.1.4022 (Feb 10, 2016)

  • The new features are:
  • Support for the Microsoft PDF printer driver included with Windows 10
  • Support for the new Microsoft XPS Document Writer V4 printer driver included with Windows 10
  • The Print Distributor Service status is now displayed in the status bar
  • New Stop and Start menu items for controlling the Print Distributor service
  • The attachment name in the Send Mail action is now blank by default which tells the action to use the name from the path
  • The Microsoft Visual C Runtime is now included in setup (32 and 64 bit)
  • Update to the latest version of Inno Setup
  • A number of minor bugs have been resolved
  • Installer, uninstaller and executable files are now signed with a SHA256 timestamp

New in Print Distributor 6.0.4009 (Jul 27, 2015)

  • Multi-threaded queues, Print Distributor will no longer block printing on other printers while it processes a very large document
  • A new template language allows you to filter variables, for instance ? SerialNumber | pad 6 ? will produce the serial numbers 000001, 000002 and so on
  • Send Mail action now supports custom ports
  • The Script action now supports JScript (Microsofts version of JavaScript)
  • New ?LP?, ? LastPrinter ? variable expands to the last printer used by the load balancing action
  • New LogMessage action lets you add your own messages to the log
  • There are also various bug fixes and performance improvements. In particular the queue folder no longer exists, this removes a number of potential issues.

New in Print Distributor 5.4.3160 (Oct 22, 2013)

  • This is a compatibility release for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012R2.

New in Print Distributor 5.0.3038 (Apr 6, 2010)

  • New features in version 5 include:
  • The new RunAs action allows you to run actions under the context of another user. This means you can save files on remote servers and print to remote print servers without changing the service account.
  • Live logging shows you logs on the server as they happen making debugging easier, this is particularly useful if you are writing scripts using the script action.
  • We have dropped the trial wrapper software we were using in previous versions and replaced it with our own less aggressive code. This will make Print distributor more robust and keycode entry easier.
  • The Tools menu now has backup and restore items to help with migrating projects to new machines.
  • There are also many small cosmetic changes and bug fixes.