Print Spooler API Functions

The Print Spooler API contains the functions and data structures that applications use to manage the Windows print spooler and the printers and print jobs that it controls.

The functions of the Print Spooler API are divided into the following groups:

• Print Job Functions
• Printer User Interface Functions
• Printer Functions
• Printer Change Notification Functions
• Printer Form Functions
• Print Spooler Functions

Print Job Functions

These functions send print jobs to a printer and track and control the print jobs in the print spooler.

Function	Description
AddJob	The AddJob function adds a print job to the list of print jobs that can be scheduled by the print spooler. The function retrieves the name of the file you can use to store the job.
ClosePrinter	The ClosePrinter function closes the specified printer object.
DocumentEvent	The DocumentEvent function is an event handler for events associated with printing a document.
DocumentProperties	The DocumentProperties function retrieves or modifies printer initialization information or displays a printer-configuration property sheet for the specified printer.
EndDocPrinter	The EndDocPrinter function ends a print job for the specified printer.
EndPagePrinter	The EndPagePrinter function notifies the print spooler that the application is at the end of a page in a print job.
EnumJobs	The EnumJobs function retrieves information about a specified set of print jobs for a specified printer.
GetJob	The GetJob function retrieves information about a specified print job.
OpenPrinter	The OpenPrinter function retrieves a handle to the specified printer or print server or other types of handles in the print subsystem.
OpenPrinter2	Retrieves a handle to the specified printer, print server, or other types of handles in the print subsystem, while setting some of the printer options.
ReportJobProcessingProgress	Reports to the Print Spooler service whether an XPS print job is in the spooling or the rendering phase and what part of the processing is currently underway.
ScheduleJob	The ScheduleJob function requests that the print spooler schedule a specified print job for printing.
SetJob	The SetJob function pauses, resumes, cancels, or restarts a print job on a specified printer. You can also use the SetJob function to set print job parameters, such as the print job priority and the document name.
StartDocPrinter	The StartDocPrinter function notifies the print spooler that a document is to be spooled for printing.
StartPagePrinter	The StartPagePrinter function notifies the spooler that a page is about to be printed on the specified printer.

Printer User Interface Functions

These functions display a user interface that enables the user to select or configure a printer.

Function	Description
AdvancedDocumentProperties	The AdvancedDocumentProperties function displays a printer-configuration dialog box for the specified printer, allowing the user to configure that printer.
ConfigurePort	The ConfigurePort function displays the port-configuration dialog box for a port on the specified server.
ConnectToPrinterDlg	The ConnectToPrinterDlg function displays a dialog box that lets users browse and connect to printers on a network. If the user selects a printer, the function attempts to create a connection to it; if a suitable driver is not installed on the server, the user is given the option of creating a printer locally.
PrinterProperties	The PrinterProperties function displays a printer-properties property sheet for the specified printer.

Printer Functions

These functions add and configure the printers that the print spooler uses.

Function	Description
AbortPrinter	The AbortPrinter function deletes a printer's spool file if the printer is configured for spooling.
AddPrinter	The AddPrinter function adds a printer to the list of supported printers for a specified server.
AddPrinterConnection	The AddPrinterConnection function adds a connection to the specified printer for the current user.
AddPrinterConnection2	Adds a connection to the specified printer for the current user and specifies connection details.
DeletePrinter	The DeletePrinter function deletes the specified printer object.
DeletePrinterConnection	The DeletePrinterConnection function deletes a connection to a printer that was established by a call to AddPrinterConnection or ConnectToPrinterDlg.
DeletePrinterData	The DeletePrinterData function deletes specified configuration data for a printer. A printer's configuration data consists of a set of named and typed values. The DeletePrinterData function deletes one of these values, specified by its value name.
DeletePrinterDataEx	The DeletePrinterDataEx function deletes a specified value from the configuration data for a printer. A printer's configuration data consists of a set of named and typed values stored in a hierarchy of registry keys. The function deletes a specified value under a specified key.
DeletePrinterKey	The DeletePrinterKey function deletes a specified key and all its subkeys for a specified printer.
EnumPrinterData	The EnumPrinterData function enumerates configuration data for a specified printer.
EnumPrinterDataEx	The EnumPrinterDataEx function enumerates all value names and data for a specified printer and key.
EnumPrinterKey	The EnumPrinterKey function enumerates the subkeys of a specified key for a specified printer.
EnumPrinters	The EnumPrinters function enumerates available printers, print servers, domains, or print providers.
FlushPrinter	The FlushPrinter function sends a buffer to the printer in order to clear it from a transient state.
GetDefaultPrinter	The GetDefaultPrinter function retrieves the printer name of the default printer for the current user on the local computer.
GetPrinter	The GetPrinter function retrieves information about a specified printer.
GetPrinterData	The GetPrinterData function retrieves configuration data for the specified printer or print server.
GetPrinterDataEx	The GetPrinterDataEx function retrieves configuration data for the specified printer or print server. GetPrinterDataEx can retrieve values stored by the SetPrinterData function. In addition, GetPrinterDataEx can retrieve values stored under a specified key by the SetPrinterDataEx function.
IsValidDevmode	The IsValidDevmode function verifies that the contents of a DEVMODE structure are valid.
ReadPrinter	The ReadPrinter function retrieves data from the specified printer.
ResetPrinter	The ResetPrinter function specifies the data type and device mode values to be used for printing documents submitted by the StartDocPrinter function. These values can be overridden by using the SetJob function after document printing has started.
SetDefaultPrinter	The SetDefaultPrinter function sets the printer name of the default printer for the current user on the local computer.
SetPort	The SetPort function sets the status associated with a printer port.
SetPrinter	The SetPrinter function sets the data for a specified printer or sets the state of the specified printer by pausing printing, resuming printing, or clearing all print jobs.
SetPrinterData	The SetPrinterData function sets the configuration data for a printer or print server.
SetPrinterDataEx	The SetPrinterDataEx function sets the configuration data for a printer or print server. The function stores the configuration data under the printer's registry key.
WritePrinter	The WritePrinter function notifies the print spooler that data should be written to the specified printer.

Printer Change Notification Functions

These functions enable an application to be notified of changes to a printer's status.

Function	Description
FindClosePrinterChangeNotification	The FindClosePrinterChangeNotification function closes a change notification object created by calling the FindFirstPrinterChangeNotification function. The printer or print server associated with the change notification object will no longer be monitored by that object.
FindFirstPrinterChangeNotification	The FindFirstPrinterChangeNotification function creates a change notification object and returns a handle to the object. You can then use this handle in a call to one of the wait functions to monitor changes to the printer or print server.
FindNextPrinterChangeNotification	The FindNextPrinterChangeNotification function retrieves information about the most recent change notification for a change notification object associated with a printer or print server. Call this function when a wait operation on the change notification object is satisfied.
FreePrinterNotifyInfo	The FreePrinterNotifyInfo function frees a system-allocated buffer created by the FindNextPrinterChangeNotification function.

Printer Form Functions

These functions manage the forms used by a printer.

Function	Description
AddForm	The AddForm function adds a form to the list of available forms that can be selected for the specified printer.
DeleteForm	The DeleteForm function removes a form name from the list of supported forms.
EnumForms	The EnumForms function enumerates the forms supported by the specified printer.
GetForm	The GetForm function retrieves information about a specified form.
SetForm	The SetForm function sets the form information for the specified printer.

Print Spooler Functions

These functions interact with the print spooler at a low level.

Function	Description
CloseSpoolFileHandle	The CloseSpoolFileHandle function closes a handle to a spool file associated with the print job currently submitted by the application.
CommitSpoolData	The CommitSpoolData function notifies the print spooler that a specified amount of data has been written to a specified spool file and is ready to be rendered.
GetPrintExecutionData	The GetPrintExecutionData retrieves the current print context.
GetSpoolFileHandle	The GetSpoolFileHandle function retrieves a handle for the spool file associated with the job currently submitted by the application.