Re: [Bug-AUCTeX] Apparent overlap in printing command configuration

[Reuben Thomas]

On 18 April 2010 17:14, Ralf Angeli <address@hidden> wrote:
> There are a few explanations regarding `TeX-printer-list' and
> `TeX-print-command' in tex.el just below the "Site Customization"
> heading.  They were added by David in 2004, so he likely knows a bit
> more about the printing facilities.  David, any comment?

To help things along, here are those lines:

;;; Site Customization
;;
;; The following variables are likely to need to be changed for your
;; site.  You should do this with customize.  Here is the beef: If you
;; want to print, TeX-print-command must be non-nil (if it is nil,
;; you'll get a complaint when using the print menu).  If you want to
;; view the queue, TeX-queue-command needs to be non-nil (if it is
;; nil, it won't get mentioned in the menu).  If TeX-printer-list is
;; nil, nothing else gets asked: the menu entries lead directly to the
;; respective commands.  If those commands contain %p, the value of
;; TeX-printer-default gets inserted there, no questions asked.  Now
;; if TeX-printer-list is non-nil, you'll always get asked which
;; printer you want to use.  You can enter a configured printer from
;; TeX-printer-list, or an unknown one.  The respective menus will
;; show all configured printers.  Since you can enter unknown
;; printers, the printer name _must_ be set with %p in
;; TeX-print-command.

In other words, it's a bit of a fudge, because the variables are
partly set up the way they are for the benefit of the menus. The best
way out I can see is to have TeX-printer-list default to
(("Default")), as I previously suggested. This means that
TeX-printer-list remains discoverable in the GUI, and omits defaults
that conflict with TeX-print-command and TeX-queue-command, both of
which already have more sensible defaults than the default values in
TeX-printer-list.

This also has the benefit that nothing need be changed except the
removal of those two default values, and the effect will be minimal,
as dvips is still used by default to print the document and lpq to
examine the printer queue, but they will work better for more
combinations, because odvips is used where necessary
(TeX-print-command) and lpq is given the name of the queue where
necessary (TeX-queue-command).

In summary, simply abbreviate

(defcustom TeX-printer-list
  '(("Default" "%(o?)dvips -f %s | lpr" "lpq"))

to

(defcustom TeX-printer-list
  '(("Default"))

Even better: for mere deletion of half a line, I don't think you have
to wait for my copyright assignment :-)

Does this sounds promising?

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