JPH03211069A - printer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a printer with a hex dump mode.

(Prior art) When a printer user sends a print program containing print and control codes created by the printer, or when print and control codes are sent by an application program, the printer's specifications are matched. If you send data in a way that does not work, the printer may cause an error.

In such cases, the hex dump mode is often used to find faults in the print program or application program.

Conventional hex dump is a host computer (host)
It simply converts the data sent from the computer into hexadecimal characters and prints them out. For printable character data, the character is
Some are printed in one corner of the hex dump list. Then, the user carefully looked at the hexadump list and searched for the incorrect part.

Furthermore, among the data sent from the host, only the control code is not expressed in hexadecimal numbers, but is sometimes expressed as a code name defined in ASCII code.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Conventional hexadumps have had the following problems. First, the data sent from the host was simply converted into hexadecimal characters and output, but not passed through the data analysis section, so it was not possible to indicate which data caused the error. It was a heavy burden on the user to search for the location where the data was being sent.

Furthermore, if the data sent from the host is a large amount of data that spans many pages during actual printing, the hex dump list is simply a list of data, and it is very difficult to understand the page breaks during actual printing.

In such a case, it becomes a very difficult task to establish a correspondence between the hex dump list and the printing position in actual printing.

Furthermore, if the data sent from the host includes bitmap images and font downloads, the amount of these data is extremely large, and a large number of hex dump lists are required. At times like this, it is not only difficult to find the data you need, but also a large amount of unnecessary data, resulting in a waste of paper.

Furthermore, when executing a so-called macro that downloads characters or a group of control codes to the printer's memory in advance and extracts and prints data from there, conventional hex dumps cannot dump the data. Therefore, it was not possible to confirm whether the macro was set correctly or whether the data was extracted correctly.The purpose of the present invention is to easily find the data causing the error during hex dumping. Do you offer printers like this? There is a particular thing.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the first means of the present invention is to convert data sent from a host computer into hexadecimal characters and output them. When executing a hex dump, a printer equipped with a hex dump mode performs the same data processing as for normal printing on the printing and control codes sent from the host computer, detects data that has generated an error during this data processing, and further detects the error. The second means is to create a hex dump list in different fonts for data that did not cause an error and for data that caused an error. In a printer equipped with a hex dump mode that converts to characters and outputs them, when executing a hex dump, a page break is performed in the hex dump list at the page break part during normal printing, and the page after the page break is The paper is characterized by having a means for recording the number of pages during normal printing at the beginning and further recording the printing position within the paper of the data that caused the error. A printer equipped with a hex dump mode that converts data into hexadecimal characters and outputs the data, and a partial dump mode that executes a hex dump mode on other data parts, excluding the bitmap image or font download data part, The fourth means is characterized in that a switch is provided to switch between this partial dump mode and a whole dump mode in which hex dump is executed for the entire data portion, and the fourth means converts the data sent from the host computer into hexadecimal characters. The present invention is characterized in that the printer is equipped with a hex dump mode for outputting data by means of a means for executing hex dump even when data is obtained from a print and control code group saved in a memory of the printer.

(Function) According to the first means of the present invention, in the dump mode,
When data that causes an error is sent to the printer, only the data that caused the error is printed using a font that is different from other data, such as bold font, and the data that caused the error is used. This allows people to understand at a glance.

According to the second means, when performing a hex dump of print data spanning multiple pages during actual printing, a page break is also performed in the hex dump list due to the page break in the actual printing, and the hex dump list is By writing the page number in actual printing at the top of the page, it becomes easy to understand the correspondence between arbitrary data in the hex dump list and the position in actual printing. In addition, if the sent data contains data that causes an error, the position of the data that caused the error on the paper during actual printing can be recorded. The position in actual printing becomes easier to understand.

According to the third method, when hex dumping a page containing a bitmap image or a font download, the image data part, which is huge and is often not needed, is not hex dumped, and other parts are not hex dumped. By executing only on the data 8, the hex dump list can be easily viewed and paper can be saved.

According to the fourth means, by executing a hex dump on data from the macro, it is possible to check whether the macro is set as expected and whether the data is being read correctly. Furthermore, if data that causes an error is included, it can be easily searched for as in the first method.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a laser printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is the main body of the printer, 2 is a host computer (host), 3 is a controller section of the printer, 4 is a printer engine section that drives the printer, 5 is a central processing unit (CPU) of the printer controller section 2;
1 is a RAM in which multiple page buffers are stored, 7 is an engine interface, 8 is a video buffer, 9 is a program ROM, 10 is a host interface, 1
1 is a font ROM, 12 is an auxiliary RAM, 13 is a pass buffer, 14 is a bus connecting each of the above elements, 15.1
6 is a memory cartridge, 17 is a control panel interface, and 18 is a control panel provided with a hex dump switch 19 for switching the hex dump.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are flowcharts for explaining an embodiment of the first means of the present invention.

In FIG. 2, steps 201 to 210 are the parts that actually create a hex dump list, so the program must be configured so that it is executed for each piece of data sent from the host 2. Therefore, Step 2 is changed to the conventional routine for receiving and receiving data from the host 2.
The structure is such that adding 01 to 210 and receiving the next data is always performed immediately before receiving. The operation begins with the hex dump switch I9 provided on the control panel 18.
By pressing , the hex dump flag provided on RAMe is turned on (step zog. After that, before receiving the first data, it becomes YES in step 202, and the part where it is written to the hex dump list is skipped. .

Then, 1 byte of data is received from the host 2 (step 211), and printing processing begins in step 212. This part corresponds to Figure 3.

In FIG. 3, when the hex dump flag is ON (step 301), the data just received is first temporarily saved in the RAM 6 (step 302), and normal printing processing is executed (step 303). And then program R
This data is processed according to OM9, and the result is written to page buffer (1) on RAM5 (step 307). If an error is determined here (step 304), the display will be displayed in step 308 during normal printing, but when executing a hex dump, it will be determined YES in step 305 and the RA will be displayed in step 306.
Turn on the error flag provided in M6. Next, in step 309, it is determined whether the page buffer (1) is completed for one page based on this data and printout is to be executed. If the answer is No here, proceed to the next step immediately. When it is determined YES, during normal printing, this is converted into image data and sent to the printer engine 4 through the engine interface 7 (step 311), but during hex dumping, it is determined YES at step 310. , since the page buffer (1) is not needed at this time, it is erased (step 312). Further, the same processing is performed when a form feed code is received or when form feed is performed by a switch from the control panel 8. This completes the printing process and returns to step 201.

After receiving the first data, step 202
If the answer is NO, a routine for writing a hex dump list is entered. First, in step 203, the step 302
Convert the code temporarily saved in RAM6 into a character code expressed in hexadecimal.

For example, if the saved code is it A I+, this is 41 in hexadecimal, so n 4 n
is converted into a code 34h corresponding to sr 1 y+ and a code 31,h corresponding to sr 1 y+. Now 11 - 1141 pp will be printed in the hex dump list. Next, in step 204, it is determined based on the error flag whether or not an error has occurred due to the data (step 2o4). If there is no error here, the character previously converted in the normal font in step 205 is sent to the page buffer (2) provided on the RAMB (step 208). On the other hand, if an error has occurred (step 204), the same message is sent in bold font (step 207) and an error flag is sent. Return to FF (step 206).Next, in step 209, it is determined whether or not the page buffer (2) has been completed for one page by this writing.

If it is not completed, the process proceeds to the next step, but if it is completed, the page buffer (2) is converted into image data and sent to the printer engine 4 via the engine interface 7 (step 21o).

With the above, one piece of data is received, the process is executed, and the process is ended until j7 is written to the hex dump list. By repeating this process for each piece of data, it is possible to obtain a hex dump list in which only the data that caused the printer error is printed in bold font. In this case, a bold font is used, but any type of font that can be used with a - font, such as an italic font, can be imitated, or decorations such as underlining or shading may be applied.

Figure 7 shows an example of printing on a conventional hexadump.
As shown in the figure, the control code portion is printed in bold, but the number of such codes is by no means small, and errors are not limited to control codes. In this example,
Even if an error occurs in the code indicated by the arrow, it is not printed in bold. On the other hand, Fig. 8 shows an example of printing on a hex dump according to this embodiment. In this case, the control code is also printed normally, and only the code indicated by the arrow where the error occurred is printed in bold. Recognize.

Next, an embodiment of the second means of the present invention will be described.

The main operation flow of this embodiment is in accordance with the flowcharts in Figures 2 and 3, but a new page counter is added to the RA.
Provided above M6 and set to 1 at startup. Then, between steps 208 and 209 in FIG.
This is achieved by adding the process shown in the figure and adding the process shown in FIG. 5 between steps 201 and 202.

First, to explain based on FIG. 4, step 401
Then, based on the data sent to the page buffer (2) in step 208, it is determined whether form feed was performed during actual printing. This determination is based on the result of the determination in step 309, which has been made prior to that.

If the answer is NO here, finish Figure 4 and return to Figure 2.

If the determination is YES, the page buffer (2) is converted into image data and sent to the printer engine 4, and the page of the hex dump list being created at that time is output (step 402). Then, the page counter is incremented by 1 (step 403). Next, a description will be given based on FIG. 5. First, in step 501, it is determined whether or not it is the beginning of a hex dump page. Normally it will be NO and the second
Returning to the figure, YES is determined at the time of start-up or immediately after form feeding during actual printing and the page buffer (2) is sent to the printer engine 4 through the process shown in FIG.

If the answer is YES here, first program R in advance.
A character string registered in the OM9, for example "Page", is sent to the page buffer (2) (step 502), followed by sending the value indicated by the page counter converted into its character code (step 503). For example, if the page counter at that time was 5, the code 3
Send 5h. This will cause “Page” to appear at the top of the page.
5” is printed.

FIG. 9 to FIG. 11 are explanatory diagrams for comparing printing states. First, FIG. 9 shows an example of actual printing. Figure 10 is a hexedump list obtained by performing conventional hexedumping on the data of this printing example, and Fig. 11 is an example of a hexedump list obtained by performing hexedumping using the second method. be.

The next step is to print the position on the paper when an error occurs. Conventionally, in printers, the upper left corner of the paper is marked with a circle, and both horizontal and vertical directions are printed. It has a variable that represents the number of dots (6), and uses this variable to manage the position where processing is currently being performed. Then, in step 304, it is found that an error has occurred, and after turning on the error flag in step 306, variables indicating the horizontal position and vertical position at that time are temporarily saved in the RAM 6. There are many possible positions to print it, but for example, if you want to print it at the end of the page in actual printing, an error will be detected between steps 401 and 402 in Figure 4 based on these saved values. Just print the position where it was. Also, although the values of these variables are expressed in dots, the position can be expressed in inches by dividing these values by the number of dots per inch, and the dots between horizontally printed characters can also be expressed in inches. It can also be expressed in character positions by dividing the number by the number and the number of dots in the vertical line spacing. Also, by recording the type of error that has occurred using a predetermined error number or error name, it is useful for later error analysis. FIG. 12 is an example of printing expressed in character positions.

Next, an embodiment of the third means of the present invention will be described.

In this embodiment, a hex dump mode is provided in which unnecessary image data portions are skipped and hex dump prints are created only for other portions, and the mode can be switched to normal hex dump mode using a switch described later. .

The switch is activated by pressing the hex dump switch 19 provided on the control panel 18 once.
The hex dump flag on e becomes 1, and pressing it again sets the hex dump flag to 2. Also in this mode, normal printing processing is performed during hex dumping. Regarding bitmap images and font downloads in normal printing processing, the number of image data to be sent is always sent before the data, so first, the number given by that is stored in the skip counter provided on RAM 6. Assign the first image data when it is received.

The main flow of operations is performed according to the flowcharts in FIGS. 6 and 3. In FIG. 6, step 04 is where data is actually written to the hex dump list, and steps 203 to 208 in FIG. Step 606 corresponds to that shown in FIG. First, if it is not the hex dump mode (step 601), data is directly received from the host 2 (step 605), and printing is performed (step 606). Then, to enter the hex dump mode, press the hex dump switch twice, the hex dump flag will become 2, and therefore step 6
If the result is YES in step 02, the process goes to step 603. If the current data is not image data, the skip counter is 0, so YES is determined here, and the data is written to the hex dump list in the same way as a normal hex dump (step 604). Conversely, if it is image data, the skip counter is not O, so the answer is No, and the portion to be written to the hex dump list is skipped by simply decrementing the skip counter (step 607). As a result, data is not written while the image data is being received, and when the image data ends (9-), the skip counter becomes 0 and writing starts again. In addition, by printing symbols such as * or # at the skipped locations in the hex dump list, you can also see the skipped locations at a glance.

FIGS. 13 to 15 are explanatory diagrams for comparing printing states. FIG. 13 is an example of actual printing including a bitmap image. FIG. 14 shows an example of printing a hex dump list using a conventional hex dump. Since all image data (ID) is also dumped (in the range indicated by the two-dot chain line), a large number of sheets are required. FIG. 15 is an example of printing a hex dump list according to the third means of the present invention,
Since the image data is omitted with *''', it is very concise and easy to read, and the number of images is small.

Next, an embodiment of the fourth means of the present invention will be described.

In conventional hex dumps, even if a command to execute a macro is sent from the host 2, the actual printing process is not performed, so it is treated as just one code, and the host 2 immediately sends the command to the host 2. The macro data could not be dumped because the next data was being retrieved. However, in the hex dump according to the fourth means of the present invention, since the printing process is actually executed, when the macro execution command is received, the destination of the data is determined by the macro specified by the host 2. Switch to the existing address on RAM12,
You will start receiving data from there. In other words, by simply changing ``receive data from the host'' in step 211 of Figure 2 to ``receive data from the specified address in RAM,'' it is possible to directly handle data from macros. becomes.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the first means of the present invention, data in which an error has occurred and data in which no error has occurred are printed in different fonts, making it easy to search for data in which an error has occurred from the hex dump list. According to the second means of the present invention, it is possible to perform a hex dump of printing over a large number of pages without losing knowledge of the correspondence between arbitrary data in the hex dump list and the position in the actual printing. According to the third means of the present invention, since a hex dump is not performed on the print data including image data, it becomes easier to find the error part. According to the fourth means of the present invention, even if data in the macro causes an error, the data causing the error can be easily found by executing a hex dump of macro data. I can do it.

Therefore, it is possible to provide a printer that can easily find various data causing errors in the hex dump list.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the printer of the present invention, and FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 explain the operation of an embodiment of the printer of the present invention. Flowcharts for FIGS. 7, 8, and 9. Figure 10, Figure 11, Figure 12, Figure 13, Figure 14,
FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for comparing printing conditions. 1...Printer main body, 2...Host computer, 3...Printer controller section, 4...
Printer engine, 5...CPU, 6...
RAM, 7...Engine interface, 8
... Video buffer, 9 ... Program R
OM, 10... host interface, 11...
Font ROM, 12... Auxiliary RAM, 13...
・Path buffer, 14... Bus, 15. 16... Memory cartridge, 17... Control panel interface, 18... Control panel, 19.
...Hex dump switch.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) In a printer equipped with a hex dump mode that converts data sent from a host computer into hexadecimal characters and outputs them, when executing a hex dump, the printing and control codes sent from the host computer are compared with normal printing. A method is provided to execute the same data processing, detect the data that caused an error during this data processing, and create a hex dump list in different fonts for the data that did not cause an error and the data that caused the error. A printer characterized by: (2) In a printer equipped with a hex dump mode that converts data sent from a host computer into hexadecimal characters and outputs them, when executing a hex dump, a page break in the hex dump list is performed at the page break portion during normal printing. The present invention is characterized by the provision of a means for recording the page number during normal printing at the top of the page after a page break and further recording the printing position on the paper of the data that caused the error. printer. (3) For printers equipped with a hex dump mode that converts data sent from a host computer into hexadecimal characters and outputs the data, except for bitmap image or font download data parts, other data parts cannot be hex dumped. A printer comprising a partial dump mode to be executed, and a switch for switching between the partial dump mode and a whole dump mode in which a hex dump is executed for all data portions. (4) For printers equipped with a hex dump mode that converts data sent from a host computer into hexadecimal characters and outputs them, hex dump is also used to obtain data from print and control code groups saved in the printer's memory. A printer characterized in that it is provided with a means for executing the operation.