Methods for specifying pages

Important

The modern print platform is Windows' preferred means of communicating with printers. We recommend that you use Microsoft's IPP inbox class driver, along with Print Support Apps (PSA), to customize the print experience in Windows 10 and 11 for printer device development.

For more information, see Modern print platform and the Print support app design guide.

An application can use any of three methods to specify property sheet pages to CPSUI. Each of the following methods involves calling CPSUI's ComPropSheet function, specifying one of the ComPropSheet function codes.

• Supplying a COMPROPSHEETUI structure

  If an application describes a property sheet page by passing a COMPROPSHEETUI structure to ComPropSheet, it can:

  • Use one of the CPSUI-supplied pages and templates to specify a predefined, standard page type that printer interface DLLs can use for printer property sheets.

  • Specify a set of user-modifiable property sheet options that will appear on the page.

  • Specify a page event callback function that CPSUI will call when a user views or modifies the page's options.

• Supplying a PROPSHEETPAGE structure

  A PROPSHEETPAGE structure can be used to describe a property sheet page, if the page cannot be constructed using the common (standard) dialogs available when using a COMPROPSHEETUI structure. Printer interface DLLs typically should not need to use this method.

• Supplying a callback function

  An application can pass ComPropSheet the address of a PFNPROPSHEETUI-typed callback function, which CPSUI immediately calls. The callback function is responsible for calling ComPropSheet itself to create property sheet pages.

  The print spooler uses this method to inform CPSUI of the existence a printer interface DLL's DrvDocumentPropertySheets and DrvDevicePropertySheets functions. Likewise, the Unidrv and Pscript drivers use the technique to inform CPSUI of the existence of IPrintOemUI::DocumentPropertySheets and IPrintOemUI::DevicePropertySheets COM methods in user interface plug-ins.

Whichever method is used for specifying new pages, the pages must be assigned to a group parent by passing a group parent handle to the ComPropSheet function.