Cannot print off-screen HTML content from AIR application - actionscript

Question

I am a newbie in Adobe AIR, and am trying to print a HTML from my air app, however, this HTML should never be seen on screen. I am using HTMLLoader for this, as per some sample I saw on the web.
What happens, is that there is a print dialog, but it prints out a blank page.
If this is a window application, and I click some button to print (just the HTMLLoader) it gets printed.
Following is my code.
var mySprite:Sprite = new mySprite()
var loader:HTMLLoader = new HTMLLoader()
loader.loadString("ADDRESSThu Aug 20 21:37:20 GMT+0530 2009")
var html:HTML = new HTML()
html.htmlLoader = loader
mySprite.addChild(html);
//After this its pretty standard
var pJob:PrintJob = new PrintJob();
html.width = pJob.pageWidth
html.height = pJob.pageHeight
loader.height = pJob.pageHeight
loader.width = pJob.pageWidth
if(!pJob.start())
{
throw new PrintingCanceled(" User Canceled Printing");
}
pJob.addPage(loader, null);
pJob.send();
Please let me know what I'm missing. Any help, or suggestions are welcome.

Answer 1

are you sure the page is being loaded ?
the frame doesn't have to be visible BUT it needs the content. meaning that you htmlLoader data must be loaded and "shown" in a canvas. Then you can put the canvas invisible if you don't want the users to see what will be printed.
you'll have to set the clipping on false. This however means that it will take some seconds before the printer dialog will get on the screen.
1. // Event Handler - called when the print button is clicked
2. private function onPrintClick ():Void
3. {
4. // Remove the clipping so all of the content is printed
5. clipForPrinting( true );
6.
7. // Start the delay to allow clipping to update before
8. // printing anything.
9. doLater( this, "doActualPrinting" );
10. }
11.
12. // Adjust the clipping to prepare for or recover from print.
13. private function clipForPrinting( printing:Boolean ):Void
14. {
15. // Assume printing is true if not passed in
16. if ( printing == undefined ) {
17. printing = true;
18. }
19.
20. // Modify the root clipContent so the application's width/height
21. // doesn't interfere with bounds of the print content
22. Application.application.clipContent = !printing;
23.
24. // Modify the container holding the content to be printed to remove
25. // the scroll masking
26. printArea.clipContent = !printing;
27.
28. }
29.
30. // Handles the actual printing of the content in the popup
31. private function doActualPrinting():Void
32. {
33. var printJob:PrintJob = new PrintJob();
34. // Keep track of # of pages - only print if there are pages to print
35. var pageCount:Number = 0;
36.
37. // Show the print dialog
38. if ( printJob.start() ) {
39. // The user has opted to print - add the pages that
40. // need to be printed
41. pageCount += PrintUtil.pagenate( printArea, printJob );
42.
43. // Send the content to the printer
44. if ( pageCount > 0 ) {
45. printJob.send();
46. }
47. }
48.
49. // Explicitly delete the printJob
50. delete printJob;
51.
52. // Fix clipping now that print is done
53. clipForPrinting( false );
54. }
credits to the original: Link to source