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339<div class='body'>
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340<h1 class='title'>Introduction to the PPD Compiler</h1>
341
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342<P>This document describes how to use the CUPS PostScript Printer Description
343(PPD) file compiler. The PPD compiler generates PPD files from simple text files
344that describe the features and capabilities of one or more printers.</P>
345
346<div class='summary'><table summary='General Information'>
347<tbody>
348<tr>
349 <th>See Also</th>
350 <td>Programming: <a href='raster-driver.html'>Developing Raster Printer Drivers</a><br>
351 Programming: <a href='postscript-driver.html'>Developing PostScript Printer Drivers</a><br>
352 Programming: <a href='api-filter.html'>Filter and Backend Programming</a><br>
353 Programming: <a href='api-raster.html'>Raster API</a><br>
354 References: <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html'>PPD Compiler Driver Information File Reference</a><br>
355 Specifications: <a href='spec-ppd.html'>CUPS PPD Extensions</a></td>
356</tr>
357</tbody>
358</table></div>
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359<h2 class="title">Contents</h2>
360<ul class="contents">
426c6a59 361<ul class="subcontents">
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362<li><a href="#BASICS">The Basics</a></li>
363<li><a href="#DRV">Driver Information Files</a><ul class="subcontents">
364<li><a href="#SIMPLE">A Simple Example</a></li>
365<li><a href="#GROUPING">Grouping and Inheritance</a></li>
366<li><a href="#COLOR">Color Support</a></li>
367<li><a href="#OPTIONS">Defining Custom Options and Option Groups</a></li>
368<li><a href="#DEFINE">Defining Constants</a></li>
369<li><a href="#CONDITIONAL">Conditional Statements</a></li>
370<li><a href="#CONSTRAINTS">Defining Constraints</a></li>
371</ul></li>
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372<li><a href="#LOCALIZATION">Localization</a><ul class="subcontents">
373<li><a href="#PPDPO">The ppdpo Utility</a></li>
374<li><a href="#PPDC_CATALOG">Using Message Catalogs with the PPD Compiler</a></li>
375</ul></li>
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376<h2 class='title'><a name='BASICS'>The Basics</a></h2>
377
378<P>The PPD compiler, <a href='man-ppdc.html'><code>ppdc(1)</code></a>, is a
379simple command-line tool that takes a single <I>driver information file</I>,
380which by convention uses the extension <VAR>.drv</VAR>, and produces one or more
381PPD files that may be distributed with your printer drivers for use with CUPS.
382For example, you would run the following command to create the English language
383PPD files defined by the driver information file <VAR>mydrivers.drv</VAR>:</P>
384
385<pre class='command'>
386ppdc mydrivers.drv
387</pre>
388
389<P>The PPD files are placed in a subdirectory called
390<VAR>ppd</VAR>. The <TT>-d</TT> option is used to put the PPD
391files in a different location, for example:</p>
392
393<pre class='command'>
394ppdc -d myppds mydrivers.drv
395</pre>
396
397<P>places the PPD files in a subdirectory named
398<VAR>myppds</VAR>. Finally, use the <TT>-l</TT> option to
399specify the language localization for the PPD files that are
400created, for example:</P>
401
402<pre class='command'>
403ppdc -d myppds/de -l de mydrivers.drv
404ppdc -d myppds/en -l en mydrivers.drv
405ppdc -d myppds/es -l es mydrivers.drv
406ppdc -d myppds/fr -l fr mydrivers.drv
407ppdc -d myppds/it -l it mydrivers.drv
408</pre>
409
410<P>creates PPD files in German (de), English (en), Spanish (es),
411French (fr), and Italian (it) in the corresponding
412subdirectories. Specify multiple languages (separated by commas) to produce
413"globalized" PPD files:</p>
414
415<pre class='command'>
416ppdc -d myppds -l de,en,es,fr,it mydrivers.drv
417</pre>
418
419
420<h2 class='title'><a name='DRV'>Driver Information Files</a></h2>
421
422<P>The driver information files accepted by the PPD compiler are
423plain text files that define the various attributes and options
424that are included in the PPD files that are generated. A driver
425information file can define the information for one or more printers and
426their corresponding PPD files.</P>
427
428<p class='example'><a name="LISTING1">Listing 1: "examples/minimum.drv"</a></p>
429
430<pre class='example'>
431<I>// Include standard font and media definitions</I>
432<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> &lt;font.defs&gt;
433<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> &lt;media.defs&gt;
434
435<I>// List the fonts that are supported, in this case all standard fonts...</I>
436<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> *
437
438<I>// Manufacturer, model name, and version</I>
439<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "Foo"
440<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000"
441<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Version'>Version</a> 1.0
442
443<I>// Each filter provided by the driver...</I>
444<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-raster 100 rastertofoo
445
446<I>// Supported page sizes</I>
447*<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> Letter
448<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> A4
449
450<I>// Supported resolutions</I>
451*<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI"
452
453<I>// Specify the name of the PPD file we want to generate...</I>
454<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojet2k.ppd"
455</pre>
456
457
458<h3><a name='SIMPLE'>A Simple Example</a></h3>
459
460<P>The example in <A HREF="#LISTING1">Listing 1</A> shows a driver information
461file which defines the minimum required attributes to provide a valid PPD file.
462The first part of the file includes standard definition files for fonts and
463media sizes:</P>
464
465<pre class='example'>
466<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> &lt;font.defs&gt;
467<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> &lt;media.defs&gt;
468</pre>
469
470<P>The <TT>#include</TT> directive works just like the C/C++ include directive;
471files included using the angle brackets (<TT>&lt;filename&gt;</TT>) are found
472in any of the standard include directories and files included using quotes
473(<TT>"filename"</TT>) are found in the same directory as the source or include
474file. The <TT>&lt;font.defs&gt;</TT> include file defines the standard fonts
475which are included with GPL Ghostscript and the Apple PDF RIP, while the
476<TT>&lt;media.defs&gt;</TT> include file defines the standard media sizes
477listed in Appendix B of the Adobe PostScript Printer Description File Format
478Specification.</P>
479
480<P>CUPS provides several other standard include files:</P>
481
482<UL>
483
484 <LI><TT>&lt;epson.h&gt;</TT> - Defines all of the rastertoepson driver
485 constants.</LI>
486
487 <LI><TT>&lt;escp.h&gt;</TT> - Defines all of the rastertoescpx driver
488 constants.</LI>
489
490 <LI><TT>&lt;hp.h&gt;</TT> - Defines all of the rastertohp driver
491 constants.</LI>
492
493 <LI><TT>&lt;label.h&gt;</TT> - Defines all of the rastertolabel driver
494 constants.</LI>
495
496 <LI><TT>&lt;pcl.h&gt;</TT> - Defines all of the rastertopclx driver
497 constants.</LI>
498
499 <LI><TT>&lt;raster.defs&gt;</TT> - Defines all of the CUPS raster format
500 constants.</LI>
501
502</UL>
503
504<P>Next we list all of the fonts that are available in the driver; for CUPS
505raster drivers, the following line is all that is usually supplied:</P>
506
507<pre class='example'>
508<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> *
509</pre>
510
511<P>The <TT>Font</TT> directive specifies the name of a single font or the
512asterisk to specify all fonts. For example, you would use the following line to
513define an additional bar code font that you are supplying with your printer
514driver:</P>
515
516<pre class='example'>
517<I>// name encoding version charset status</I>
518<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> Barcode-Foo Special "(1.0)" Special ROM
519</pre>
520
521<P>The name of the font is <TT>Barcode-Foo</TT>. Since it is not a standard
522text font, the encoding and charset name <TT>Special</TT> is used. The version
523number is <TT>1.0</TT> and the status (where the font is located) is
524<TT>ROM</TT> to indicate that the font does not need to be embedded in
525documents that use the font for this printer.</P>
526
527<P>Third comes the manufacturer, model name, and version number information
528strings:</P>
529
530<pre class='example'>
531<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "Foo"
532<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000"
533<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Version'>Version</a> 1.0
534</pre>
535
536<P>These strings are used when the user (or auto-configuration program) selects
537the printer driver for a newly connected device.</p>
538
539<P>The list of filters comes after the information strings; for the example in
540<A HREF="#LISTING1">Listing 1</A>, we have a single filter that takes CUPS
541raster data:</P>
542
543<pre class='example'>
544<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-raster 100 rastertofoo
545</pre>
546
547<P>Each filter specified in the driver information file is the equivalent of a
548printer driver for that format; if a user submits a print job in a different
549format, CUPS figures out the sequence of commands that will produce a supported
550format for the least relative cost.</P>
551
552<P>Once we have defined the driver information we specify the supported options.
553For the example driver we support a single resolution of 600 dots per inch and
554two media sizes, A4 and Letter:</P>
555
556<pre class='example'>
557*<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> Letter
558<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> A4
559
560*<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI"
561</pre>
562
563<P>The asterisk in front of the <TT>MediaSize</TT> and <TT>Resolution</TT>
564directives specify that those option choices are the default. The
565<TT>MediaSize</TT> directive is followed by a media size name which is normally
566defined in the <TT>&lt;media.defs&gt;</TT> file and corresponds to a standard
567Adobe media size name. If the default media size is <TT>Letter</TT>, the PPD
568compiler will override it to be <TT>A4</TT> for non-English localizations for
569you automatically.</P>
570
571<P>The <TT>Resolution</TT> directive accepts several values after it as
572follows:</P>
573
574<OL>
575
576 <LI>Colorspace for this resolution, if any. In the example file, the
577 colorspace <TT>k</TT> is used which corresponds to black. For printer
578 drivers that support color printing, this field is usually specified as
579 "-" for "no change".</LI>
580
581 <LI>Bits per color. In the example file, we define 8 bits per color, for
582 a continuous-tone grayscale output. All versions of CUPS support 1 and
583 8 bits per color. CUPS 1.2 and higher (Mac OS X 10.5 and higher) also
584 supports 16 bits per color.</LI>
585
586 <LI>Rows per band. In the example file, we define 0 rows per band to
587 indicate that our printer driver does not process the page in
588 bands.</LI>
589
590 <LI>Row feed. In the example, we define the feed value to be 0 to
591 indicate that our printer driver does not interleave the output.</LI>
592
593 <LI>Row step. In the example, we define the step value to be 0 to
594 indicate that our printer driver does not interleave the output. This
595 value normally indicates the spacing between the nozzles of an inkjet
596 printer - when combined with the previous two values, it informs the
597 driver how to stagger the output on the page to produce interleaved
598 lines on the page for higher-resolution output.</LI>
599
600 <LI>Choice name and text. In the example, we define the choice name and
601 text to be <TT>"600dpi/600 DPI"</TT>. The name and text are separated by
602 slash (<TT>/</TT>) character; if no text is specified, then the name is
603 used as the text. The PPD compiler parses the name to determine the
604 actual resolution; the name can be of the form
605 <TT><I>RESOLUTION</I>dpi</TT> for resolutions that are equal
606 horizontally and vertically or <TT><I>HRES</I>x<I>VRES</I>dpi</TT> for
607 isometric resolutions. Only integer resolution values are supported, so
608 a resolution name of <TT>300dpi</TT> is valid while <TT>300.1dpi</TT> is
609 not.</LI>
610
611</OL>
612
613<P>Finally, the <TT>PCFileName</TT> directive specifies that the named PPD file
614should be written for the current driver definitions:</P>
615
616<pre class='example'>
617<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojet2k.ppd"
618</pre>
619
620<P>The filename follows the directive and <I>must</I> conform to the Adobe
621filename requirements in the Adobe Postscript Printer Description File Format
622Specification. Specifically, the filename may not exceed 8 characters followed
623by the extension <VAR>.ppd</VAR>. The <TT>FileName</TT> directive can be used to
624specify longer filenames:</P>
625
626<pre class='example'>
627<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#FileName'>FileName</a> "FooJet 2000"
628</pre>
629
630
631<h3><a name='GROUPING'>Grouping and Inheritance</a></h3>
632
633<P>The previous example created a single PPD file. Driver information files can
634also define multiple printers by using the PPD compiler grouping functionality.
635Directives are grouped using the curly braces (<TT>{</TT> and <TT>}</TT>) and
636every group that uses the <TT>PCFileName</TT> or <TT>FileName</TT> directives
637produces a PPD file with that name. <A HREF="#LISTING2">Listing 2</A> shows a
638variation of the original example that uses two groups to define two printers
639that share the same printer driver filter but provide two different resolution
640options.</P>
641
642<p class='example'><a name="LISTING2">Listing 2: "examples/grouping.drv"</a></p>
643
644<pre class='example'>
645
646<I>// Include standard font and media definitions</I>
647<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> &lt;font.defs&gt;
648<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> &lt;media.defs&gt;
649
650<I>// List the fonts that are supported, in this case all standard fonts...</I>
651<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> *
652
653<I>// Manufacturer and version</I>
654<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "Foo"
655<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Version'>Version</a> 1.0
656
657<I>// Each filter provided by the driver...</I>
658<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-raster 100 rastertofoo
659
660<I>// Supported page sizes</I>
661*<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> Letter
662<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> A4
663
664{
665 <I>// Supported resolutions</I>
666 *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI"
667
668 <I>// Specify the model name and filename...</I>
669 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000"
670 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojet2k.ppd"
671}
672
673{
674 <I>// Supported resolutions</I>
675 *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "1200dpi/1200 DPI"
676
677 <I>// Specify the model name and filename...</I>
678 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2001"
679 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojt2k1.ppd"
680}
681</pre>
682
683<P>The second example is essentially the same as the first, except that each
684printer model is defined inside of a pair of curly braces. For example, the
685first printer is defined using:</P>
686
687<pre class='example'>
688{
689 // Supported resolutions
690 *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI"
691
692 // Specify the model name and filename...
693 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000"
694 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojet2k.ppd"
695}
696</pre>
697
698<P>The printer <I>inherits</I> all of the definitions from the parent group (the
699top part of the file) and adds the additional definitions inside the curly
700braces for that printer driver. When we define the second group, it also
701inherits the same definitions from the parent group but <I>none</I> of the
702definitions from the first driver. Groups can be nested to any number of levels
703to support variations of similar models without duplication of information.</P>
704
705
706<h3><a name='COLOR'>Color Support</a></h3>
707
708<P>For printer drivers that support color printing, the
709<TT>ColorDevice</TT> and <TT>ColorModel</TT> directives should be
710used to tell the printing system that color output is desired
711and in what formats. <A HREF="#LISTING3">Listing 3</A> shows a
712variation of the previous example which includes a color printer
713that supports printing at 300 and 600 DPI.</P>
714
715<P>The key changes are the addition of the <TT>ColorDevice</TT>
716directive:</P>
717
718<pre class='example'>
719<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ColorDevice'>ColorDevice</a> true
720</pre>
721
722<P>which tells the printing system that the printer supports
723color printing, and the <TT>ColorModel</TT> directives:</P>
724
725<pre class='example'>
726<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ColorModel'>ColorModel</a> Gray/Grayscale w chunky 0
727*<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ColorModel'>ColorModel</a> RGB/Color rgb chunky 0
728</pre>
729
730<P>which tell the printing system which colorspaces are supported by the printer
731driver for color printing. Each of the <TT>ColorModel</TT> directives is
732followed by the option name and text (<TT>Gray/Grayscale</TT> and
733<TT>RGB/Color</TT>), the colorspace name (<TT>w</TT> and <TT>rgb</TT>), the
734color organization (<TT>chunky</TT>), and the compression mode number
735(<TT>0</TT>) to be passed to the driver. The option name can be any of the
736standard Adobe <TT>ColorModel</TT> names:</P>
737
738<UL>
739
740 <LI><TT>Gray</TT> - Grayscale output.
741
742 <LI><TT>RGB</TT> - Color output, typically using the RGB
743 colorspace, but without a separate black channel.
744
745 <LI><TT>CMYK</TT> - Color output with a separate black
746 channel.
747
748</UL>
749
750<P>Custom names can be used, however it is recommended that you use your vendor
751prefix for any custom names, for example "fooName".</P>
752
753<P>The colorspace name can be any of the following universally supported
754colorspaces:</P>
755
756<UL>
757 <LI><TT>w</TT> - Luminance</LI>
758
759 <LI><TT>rgb</TT> - Red, green, blue</LI>
760
761 <LI><TT>k</TT> - Black</LI>
762
763 <LI><TT>cmy</TT> - Cyan, magenta, yellow</LI>
764
765 <LI><TT>cmyk</TT> - Cyan, magenta, yellow, black</LI>
766
767</UL>
768
769<P>The color organization can be any of the following values:</P>
770
771<UL>
772
773 <LI><TT>chunky</TT> - Color values are passed together on a line
774 as RGB RGB RGB RGB</LI>
775
776 <LI><TT>banded</TT> - Color values are passed separately
777 on a line as RRRR GGGG BBBB; not supported by the Apple
778 RIP filters</LI>
779
780 <LI><TT>planar</TT> - Color values are passed separately
781 on a page as RRRR RRRR RRRR ... GGGG GGGG GGGG ... BBBB
782 BBBB BBBB; not supported by the Apple RIP filters</LI>
783
784</UL>
785
786<P>The compression mode value is passed to the driver in the
787<TT>cupsCompression</TT> attribute. It is traditionally used to select an
788appropriate compression mode for the color model but can be used for any
789purpose, such as specifying a photo mode vs. standard mode.</P>
790
791<p class='example'><a name="LISTING3">Listing 3: "examples/color.drv"</a></p>
792
793<pre class='example'>
794
795<I>// Include standard font and media definitions</I>
796<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> &lt;font.defs&gt;
797<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> &lt;media.defs&gt;
798
799<I>// List the fonts that are supported, in this case all standard fonts...</I>
800<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> *
801
802<I>// Manufacturer and version</I>
803<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "Foo"
804<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Version'>Version</a> 1.0
805
806<I>// Each filter provided by the driver...</I>
807<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-raster 100 rastertofoo
808
809<I>// Supported page sizes</I>
810*<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> Letter
811<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> A4
812
813{
814 <I>// Supported resolutions</I>
815 *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI"
816
817 <I>// Specify the model name and filename...</I>
818 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000"
819 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojet2k.ppd"
820}
821
822{
823 <I>// Supports color printing</I>
824 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ColorDevice'>ColorDevice</a> true
825
826 <I>// Supported colorspaces</I>
827 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ColorModel'>ColorModel</a> Gray/Grayscale w chunky 0
828 *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ColorModel'>ColorModel</a> RGB/Color rgb chunky 0
829
830 <I>// Supported resolutions</I>
831 *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> - 8 0 0 0 "300dpi/300 DPI"
832 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> - 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI"
833
834 <I>// Specify the model name and filename...</I>
835 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet Color"
836 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojetco.ppd"
837}
838</pre>
839
840
841<h3><a name='OPTIONS'>Defining Custom Options and Option Groups</a></h3>
842
843<P>The <TT>Group</TT>, <TT>Option</TT>, and <TT>Choice</TT>
844directives are used to define or select a group, option, or
845choice. <A HREF="#LISTING4">Listing 4</A> shows a variation of
846the first example that provides two custom options in a group
847named "Footasm".</P>
848
849<p class='example'><a name="LISTING4">Listing 4: "examples/custom.drv"</a></p>
850
851<pre class='example'>
852
853<I>// Include standard font and media definitions</I>
854<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> &lt;font.defs&gt;
855<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> &lt;media.defs&gt;
856
857<I>// List the fonts that are supported, in this case all standard fonts...</I>
858<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> *
859
860<I>// Manufacturer, model name, and version</I>
861<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "Foo"
862<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000"
863<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Version'>Version</a> 1.0
864
865<I>// Each filter provided by the driver...</I>
866<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-raster 100 rastertofoo
867
868<I>// Supported page sizes</I>
869*<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> Letter
870<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> A4
871
872<I>// Supported resolutions</I>
873*<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI"
874
875<I>// Option Group</I>
876<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Group'>Group</a> "Footasm"
877
878 <I>// Boolean option</I>
879 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "fooEnhance/Resolution Enhancement" Boolean AnySetup 10
880 *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> True/Yes "&lt;&lt;/cupsCompression 1&gt;&gt;setpagedevice"
881 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> False/No "&lt;&lt;/cupsCompression 0&gt;&gt;setpagedevice"
882
883 <I>// Multiple choice option</I>
884 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "fooOutputType/Output Quality" PickOne AnySetup 10
885 *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "Auto/Automatic Selection"
886 "&lt;&lt;/OutputType(Auto)&gt;&gt;setpagedevice""
887 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "Text/Optimize for Text"
888 "&lt;&lt;/OutputType(Text)&gt;&gt;setpagedevice""
889 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "Graph/Optimize for Graphics"
890 "&lt;&lt;/OutputType(Graph)&gt;&gt;setpagedevice""
891 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "Photo/Optimize for Photos"
892 "&lt;&lt;/OutputType(Photo)&gt;&gt;setpagedevice""
893
894<I>// Specify the name of the PPD file we want to generate...</I>
895<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojet2k.ppd"
896</pre>
897
898<P>The custom group is introduced by the <TT>Group</TT>
899directive which is followed by the name and optionally text for
900the user:</P>
901
902<pre class='example'>
903<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Group'>Group</a> "Footasm/Footastic Options"
904</pre>
905
906<P>The group name must conform to the PPD specification and
907cannot exceed 40 characters in length. If you specify user text,
908it cannot exceed 80 characters in length. The groups
909<TT>General</TT>, <TT>Extra</TT>, and
910<TT>InstallableOptions</TT> are predefined by CUPS; the general
911and extra groups are filled by the UI options defined by the PPD
912specification. The <TT>InstallableOptions</TT> group is reserved
913for options that define whether accessories for the printer
914(duplexer unit, finisher, stapler, etc.) are installed.</P>
915
916<P>Once the group is specified, the <TT>Option</TT> directive is
917used to introduce a new option:</P>
918
919<pre class='example'>
920<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "fooEnhance/Resolution Enhancement" Boolean AnySetup 10
921</pre>
922
923<P>The directive is followed by the name of the option and any
924optional user text, the option type, the PostScript document group, and
925the sort order number. The option name must conform to the PPD specification
926and cannot exceed 40 characters in length. If you specify user text, it
927cannot exceed 80 characters in length.</P>
928
929<P>The option type can be <TT>Boolean</TT> for true/false
930selections, <TT>PickOne</TT> for picking one of many choices, or
931<TT>PickMany</TT> for picking zero or more choices. Boolean
932options can have at most two choices with the names
933<TT>False</TT> and <TT>True</TT>. Pick options can have any
934number of choices, although for Windows compatibility reasons
935the number of choices should not exceed 255.</P>
936
937<P>The PostScript document group is typically <TT>AnySetup</TT>,
938meaning that the option can be introduced at any point in the
939PostScript document. Other values include <TT>PageSetup</TT> to
940include the option before each page and <TT>DocumentSetup</TT>
941to include the option once at the beginning of the document.</P>
942
943<P>The sort order number is used to sort the printer commands
944associated with each option choice within the PostScript
945document. This allows you to setup certain options before others
946as required by the printer. For most CUPS raster printer
947drivers, the value <TT>10</TT> can be used for all options.</P>
948
949<P>Once the option is specified, each option choice can be
950listed using the <TT>Choice</TT> directive:</P>
951
952<pre class='example'>
953*<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> True/Yes "&lt;&lt;/cupsCompression 1&gt;&gt;setpagedevice"
954<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> False/No "&lt;&lt;/cupsCompression 0&gt;&gt;setpagedevice"
955</pre>
956
957<P>The directive is followed by the choice name and optionally
958user text, and the PostScript commands that should be inserted
959when printing a file to this printer. The option name must
960conform to the PPD specification and cannot exceed 40 characters
961in length. If you specify user text, it cannot exceed 80
962characters in length.</P>
963
964<P>The PostScript commands are also interpreted by any RIP
965filters, so these commands typically must be present for all
966option choices. Most commands take the form:</P>
967
968<pre class='example'>
969&lt;&lt;/name value&gt;&gt;setpagedevice
970</pre>
971
972<P>where <TT>name</TT> is the name of the PostScript page device
973attribute and <TT>value</TT> is the numeric or string value for
974that attribute.</P>
975
976
977<h3><a name='DEFINE'>Defining Constants</a></h3>
978
979<P>Sometimes you will want to define constants for your drivers
980so that you can share values in different groups within the same
981driver information file, or to share values between different
982driver information files using the <TT>#include</TT> directive.
983The <TT>#define</TT> directive is used to define constants for
984use in your printer definitions:</P>
985
986<pre class='example'>
987<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_define'>#define</a> NAME value
988</pre>
989
990<P>The <TT>NAME</TT> is any sequence of letters, numbers, and
991the underscore. The <TT>value</TT> is a number or string; if the
992value contains spaces you must put double quotes around it, for
993example:</P>
994
995<pre class='example'>
996<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_define'>#define</a> FOO "My String Value"
997</pre>
998
999<P>Constants can also be defined on the command-line using the <tt>-D</tt>
1000option:</P>
1001
1002<pre class='command'>
1003ppdc -DNAME="value" filename.drv
1004</pre>
1005
1006<P>Once defined, you use the notation <TT>$NAME</TT> to substitute the value of
1007the constant in the file, for example:</P>
1008
1009<pre class='example'>
1010<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_define'>#define</a> MANUFACTURER "Foo"
1011<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_define'>#define</a> FOO_600 0
1012<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_define'>#define</a> FOO_1200 1
1013
1014{
1015 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "$MANUFACTURER"
1016 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelNumber'>ModelNumber</a> $FOO_600
1017 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000"
1018 ...
1019}
1020
1021{
1022 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "$MANUFACTURER"
1023 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelNumber'>ModelNumber</a> $FOO_1200
1024 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2001"
1025 ...
1026}
1027</pre>
1028
1029<P>Numeric constants can be bitwise OR'd together by placing the constants
1030inside parenthesis, for example:</P>
1031
1032<pre class='example'>
1033<I>// ModelNumber capability bits</I>
1034<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_define'>#define</a> DUPLEX 1
1035<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_define'>#define</a> COLOR 2
1036
1037...
1038
1039{
1040 <I>// Define a model number specifying the capabilities of the printer...</I>
1041 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelNumber'>ModelNumber</a> ($DUPLEX $COLOR)
1042 ...
1043}
1044</pre>
1045
1046
1047<h3><a name='CONDITIONAL'>Conditional Statements</a></h3>
1048
1049<p>The PPD compiler supports conditional compilation using the <tt>#if</tt>,
1050<tt>#elif</tt>, <tt>#else</tt>, and <tt>#endif</tt> directives. The <tt>#if</tt>
1051and <tt>#elif</tt> directives are followed by a constant name or an expression.
1052For example, to include a group of options when "ADVANCED" is defined:</p>
1053
1054<pre class='example'>
1055<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_if'>#if</a> ADVANCED
1056<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Group'>Group</a> "Advanced/Advanced Options"
1057 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "fooCyanAdjust/Cyan Adjustment"
1058 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus10/+10%" ""
1059 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus5/+5%" ""
1060 *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "none/No Adjustment" ""
1061 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus5/-5%" ""
1062 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus10/-10%" ""
1063 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "fooMagentaAdjust/Magenta Adjustment"
1064 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus10/+10%" ""
1065 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus5/+5%" ""
1066 *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "none/No Adjustment" ""
1067 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus5/-5%" ""
1068 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus10/-10%" ""
1069 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "fooYellowAdjust/Yellow Adjustment"
1070 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus10/+10%" ""
1071 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus5/+5%" ""
1072 *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "none/No Adjustment" ""
1073 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus5/-5%" ""
1074 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus10/-10%" ""
1075 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "fooBlackAdjust/Black Adjustment"
1076 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus10/+10%" ""
1077 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "plus5/+5%" ""
1078 *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "none/No Adjustment" ""
1079 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus5/-5%" ""
1080 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "minus10/-10%" ""
1081<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_endif'>#endif</a>
1082</pre>
1083
1084
1085<h3><a name='CONSTRAINTS'>Defining Constraints</a></h3>
1086
1087<P>Constraints are strings that are used to specify that one or more option
1088choices are incompatible, for example two-sided printing on transparency media.
1089Constraints are also used to prevent the use of uninstalled features such as the
1090duplexer unit, additional media trays, and so forth.</P>
1091
1092<P>The <TT>UIConstraints</TT> directive is used to specify a constraint that is
1093placed in the PPD file. The directive is followed by a string using one of the
1094following formats:</P>
1095
1096<pre class='example'>
1097<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#UIConstraints'>UIConstraints</a> "*Option1 *Option2"
1098<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#UIConstraints'>UIConstraints</a> "*Option1 Choice1 *Option2"
1099<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#UIConstraints'>UIConstraints</a> "*Option1 *Option2 Choice2"
1100<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#UIConstraints'>UIConstraints</a> "*Option1 Choice1 *Option2 Choice2"
1101</pre>
1102
1103<P>Each option name is preceded by the asterisk (<TT>*</TT>). If no choice is
1104given for an option, then all choices <I>except</I> <TT>False</TT> and
1105<TT>None</TT> will conflict with the other option and choice(s). Since the PPD
1106compiler automatically adds reciprocal constraints (option A conflicts with
1107option B, so therefore option B conflicts with option A), you need only specify
1108the constraint once.</P>
1109
1110<p class='example'><a name="LISTING5">Listing 5: "examples/constraint.drv"</a></p>
1111
1112<pre class='example'>
1113
1114<I>// Include standard font and media definitions</I>
1115<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> &lt;font.defs&gt;
1116<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_include'>#include</a> &lt;media.defs&gt;
1117
1118<I>// List the fonts that are supported, in this case all standard fonts...</I>
1119<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Font'>Font</a> *
1120
1121<I>// Manufacturer, model name, and version</I>
1122<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Manufacturer'>Manufacturer</a> "Foo"
1123<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#ModelName'>ModelName</a> "FooJet 2000"
1124<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Version'>Version</a> 1.0
1125
1126<I>// Each filter provided by the driver...</I>
1127<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Filter'>Filter</a> application/vnd.cups-raster 100 rastertofoo
1128
1129<I>// Supported page sizes</I>
1130*<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> Letter
1131<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#MediaSize'>MediaSize</a> A4
1132
1133<I>// Supported resolutions</I>
1134*<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Resolution'>Resolution</a> k 8 0 0 0 "600dpi/600 DPI"
1135
1136<I>// Installable Option Group</I>
1137<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Group'>Group</a> "InstallableOptions/Options Installed"
1138
1139 <I>// Duplexing unit option</I>
1140 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "OptionDuplexer/Duplexing Unit" Boolean AnySetup 10
1141 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> True/Installed ""
1142 *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "False/Not Installed" ""
1143
1144<I>// General Option Group</I>
1145<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Group'>Group</a> General
1146
1147 <I>// Duplexing option</I>
1148 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Option'>Option</a> "Duplex/Two-Sided Printing" PickOne AnySetup 10
1149 *<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "None/No" "&lt;&lt;/Duplex false&gt;&gt;setpagedevice""
1150 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "DuplexNoTumble/Long Edge Binding"
1151 "&lt;&lt;/Duplex true/Tumble false&gt;&gt;setpagedevice""
1152 <a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Choice'>Choice</a> "DuplexTumble/Short Edge Binding"
1153 "&lt;&lt;/Duplex true/Tumble true&gt;&gt;setpagedevice""
1154
1155<I>// Only allow duplexing if the duplexer is installed</I>
1156<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#UIConstraints'>UIConstraints</a> "*Duplex *OptionDuplexer False"
1157
1158<I>// Specify the name of the PPD file we want to generate...</I>
1159<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#PCFileName'>PCFileName</a> "foojet2k.ppd"
1160</pre>
1161
1162<P><A HREF="#LISTING5">Listing 5</A> shows a variation of the first example with
1163an added <TT>Duplex</TT> option and installable option for the duplexer,
1164<TT>OptionDuplex</TT>. A constraint is added at the end to specify that any
1165choice of the <TT>Duplex</TT> option that is not <TT>None</TT> is incompatible
1166with the "Duplexer Installed" option set to "Not Installed"
1167(<TT>False</TT>):</P>
1168
1169<pre class='example'>
1170<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#UIConstraints'>UIConstraints</a> "*Duplex *OptionDuplexer False"
1171</pre>
1172
1173<h4>Enhanced Constraints</h4>
1174
1175<p>CUPS 1.4 supports constraints between 2 or more options using the
1176<TT>Attribute</TT> directive. <TT>cupsUIConstraints</TT> attributes define
1177the constraints, while <TT>cupsUIResolver</TT> attributes define option changes
1178to resolve constraints. For example, we can specify the previous duplex
1179constraint with a resolver that turns off duplexing with the following two
1180lines:</p>
1181
1182<pre class='example'>
1183<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> cupsUIConstraints DuplexOff "*Duplex *OptionDuplexer False"
1184<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#Attribute'>Attribute</a> cupsUIResolver DuplexOff "*Duplex None"
1185</pre>
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1186
1187<h2 class='title'><a name='LOCALIZATION'>Localization</a></h2>
1188
1189<p>The PPD compiler provides localization of PPD files in different languages
1190through <i>message catalog</i> files in the GNU gettext or Apple .strings
1191formats. Each user text string and several key PPD attribute values such as
1192<tt>LanguageVersion</tt> and <tt>LanguageEncoding</tt> are looked up in the
1193corresponding message catalog and the translated text is substituted in the
1194generated PPD files. One message catalog file can be used by multiple driver
1195information files, and each file contains a single language translation.</p>
1196
1197<h3><a name='PPDPO'>The ppdpo Utility</a></h3>
1198
1199<p>While CUPS includes localizations of all standard media sizes and options in
1200several languages, your driver information files may provide their own media
1201sizes and options that need to be localized. CUPS provides a utility program to
1202aid in the localization of drivers called <a
1203href='man-ppdpo.html'><tt>ppdpo(1)</tt></a>. The <tt>ppdpo</tt> program creates
1204or updates a message catalog file based upon one or more driver information
1205files. New messages are added with the word "TRANSLATE" added to the front of
1206the translation string to make locating new strings for translation easier. The
1207program accepts the message catalog filename and one or more driver information
1208files.</p>
1209
1210<p>For example, run the following command to create a new German message catalog
1211called <var>de.po</var> for all of the driver information files in the current
1212directory:</p>
1213
1214<pre class='command'>
1215ppdpo -o de.po *.drv
1216</pre>
1217
1218<p>If the file <var>de.po</var> already exists, <tt>ppdpo</tt> will update the
1219contents of the file with any new messages that need to be translated. To create
1220an Apple .strings file instead, specify the output filename with a .strings
1221extension, for example:</p>
1222
1223<pre class='command'>
1224ppdpo -o de.strings *.drv
1225</pre>
1226
1227<h3><a name='PPDC_CATALOG'>Using Message Catalogs with the PPD Compiler</a></h3>
1228
1229<p>Once you have created a message catalog, use the <a
1230href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_po'><tt>#po</tt></a> directive to declare it in each
1231driver information file. For example, to declare the German message catalog for
1232a driver use:</p>
1233
1234<pre class='example'>
1235<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_po'>#po</a> de "de.po" // German
1236</pre>
1237
1238<p>In fact, you can use the <tt>#po</tt> directive as many times as needed:</p>
1239
1240<pre class='example'>
1241<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_po'>#po</a> de "de.po" // German
1242<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_po'>#po</a> es "es.po" // Spanish
1243<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_po'>#po</a> fr "fr.po" // French
1244<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_po'>#po</a> it "it.po" // Italian
1245<a href='ref-ppdcfile.html#_po'>#po</a> ja "ja.po" // Japanese
1246</pre>
1247
1248<p>The filename ("de.po", etc.) can be relative to the location of the driver
1249information file or an absolute path. Once defined, the PPD compiler will
1250automatically generate a globalized PPD for every language declared in your
1251driver information file. To generate a single-language PPD file, simply use the
1252<tt>-l</tt> option to list the corresponding locale, for example:</p>
1253
1254<pre class='command'>
1255ppdc -l de -d ppd/de mydrivers.drv
1256</pre>
1257
1258<p>to generate German PPD files.</p>
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1259</div>
1260</body>
1261</html>