White Paper

BarTenders .NET SDKs

Programmatically Controlling BarTender using C# and VB.NET

Contents

Overview of BarTender .NET SDKs ........................................................... 3

What you get ........................................................................................................ 3

Different SDKs for Different Applications................................................ 5

The BarTender .NET Print SDK........................................................................ 5 Requires Enterprise Edition (or better).....................................................................5 The BarTender .NET Print Server SDK ............................................................ 5 Understanding BarTender Task Queues ....................................................................5 Requires Enterprise Print Server Edition ..................................................................6

Try Out the SDKs for Free........................................................................ 6 Installing the BarTender .NET SDKs ........................................................ 6
Requires BarTender version 9.01, Build 2524 or Higher ..........................................6 If the BarTender Suite is not yet installed: ................................................................6 If BarTender Suite is already installed: .....................................................................6

Building .NET Projects using the BarTender .NET SDKs.......................... 7

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Overview of BarTender .NET SDKs

Before the BarTender SDKs became available, the only way to programmatically control BarTender from within other software was through BarTenders ActiveX Automation interface. This continues to be a powerful and flexible way to control BarTender. However, .NET programmers now have a faster, easier option. The BarTender .NET Software Development Kits (SDKs) include pre-written source code and extensive documentation that greatly simplify the task of writing code to control BarTender. Now, using either C# or VB.NET, you can seamlessly integrate BarTender functionality into your applications without having to write from scratch the most commonly-needed routines for automated label printing.

What you get

Sample Source Code and Project Files

Sample applications with source code and Visual Studio project files are included and can be run from the Windows Start menu. Learn by compiling and stepping through each sample application, or copy the code to your application and customize it as desired.
Extensive Documentation

The SDKs include complete, searchable documentation with detailed Getting Started sections. An exhaustive reference to the Application Programming Interface (API) includes a variety of coding examples illustrating different ways to control BarTender. The various sample applications are also thoroughly documented.
Integrated with Visual Studio

Support for Visual Studio integration features includes: Intellisense-assisted typing to speed up the writing of source code. Easy insertion of SDK assembly references into your new .NET projects. All referenced BarTender SDK libraries are automatically copied to your project at compile time, which simplifies the installation and distribution of your software. Although the BarTender .NET SDKs are supported by a truly exhaustive help system, the following sequence demonstrates how the "Intellisense" feature in Microsoft's Visual Studio works with the BarTender SDKs to help you use the available library functions without your having to look them up.

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The BarTender SDKs work with Microsofts Visual Studio to help you rapidly build your code expressions.

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Different SDKs for Different Applications

At this time, there are two software development kits available for use with BarTender: The Print SDK The Print Server SDK

The BarTender .NET Print SDK

The Print SDK provides a managed .NET interop wrapper for BarTenders unmanaged ActiveX Automation interface. This gives you prewritten, easy-to-use methods for controlling common BarTender functions such as: Creating and closing instances of the BarTender application Opening and closing label formats Merging data with label formats Connecting label formats to databases Subscribing to print job events to monitor print jobs Monitoring print jobs by subscribing to selected print job events Launching print jobs

Requires Enterprise Edition (or better)

To use the Print SDK in production, you must have the BarTender Enterprise edition or better installed. (Some functions, such as printing to file or executing BarTender XML Script require the Enterprise Print Server Edition of BarTender. See the SDK documentation for details.)

The BarTender .NET Print Server SDK

BarTenders Print Server SDK is built on top of the Print SDK and adds the advanced functions required by developers to programmatically manage high-volume, centralized label printing using BarTender. The increased scalability and the addition of task-based queue management make it easier to control large and complex label jobs. For example, printing a large number of labels is sometimes easier if you launch and manage multiple instances of the BarTender application at the same time. The Print Server SDK allows you to do this easily, adding more instances of BarTender as print demand increases.
Understanding BarTender Task Queues

When you use BarTender stand-alone, you typically sit at a computer and manually execute BarTender tasks such as printing a label format, exporting a label, and running a BarTender XML script. In contrast, when you control BarTender programmatically using the Print Server

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SDK, your programs submit these tasks to a queue where they wait to be processed by one or more instances of BarTender. The ability of the Print Server SDK to rapidly queue tasks as fast as your applications can create them and then feed them one-by-one to an instance of BarTender as it becomes available is the key to automating high volume label printing using BarTender.
Requires Enterprise Print Server Edition

To use the Print Server SDK in production, you must have the BarTender Enterprise Print Server edition or better installed.
Try Out the SDKs for Free

The BarTender .NET SDKs are downloadable for free as part of the BarTender Trial edition. (Be sure to select one of the "Full BarTender Suite" download options.)
Installing the BarTender .NET SDKs
Requires BarTender version 9.01, Build 2524 or Higher

The BarTender .NET SDKs did not begin shipping with BarTender until build 2524 was released on November 13th, 2008. If you have an older build of version 9.0 or 9.01, you can download a free service release from our web site and use it with your existing Product Key Code. Although BarTenders .NET SDKs are installed using BarTenders regular Installer program, they are not installed by a default or Typical install. Instead, you must use the appropriate Custom install option:
If the BarTender Suite is not yet installed:

1. 2. 3. 4.

Start the BarTender Suite Installation Wizard In the BarTender Setup Type dialog, select Custom. Expand BarTender .NET SDKs. Select This feature, and all subfeatures, will be installed on the local hard drive and complete the BarTender Suite Installation Wizard.

If BarTender Suite is already installed: 1. From the Windows Start menu, open the Control Panel.

2. Select Add or Remove Programs. 3. Select BarTender from the list of installed applications. 4. Click Change to open the BarTender Suite Installation Wizard.

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5. Select Modify in the BarTender Setup Program Maintenance dialog. 6. Expand BarTender .NET SDKs. 7. Select This feature, and all subfeatures, will be installed on the local hard drive and complete the BarTender Suite Installation Wizard. After installing the BarTender .NET SDKs, you can view the BarTender Print SDK online help and examples of how to use the available classes and methods. You can easily copy and paste any code example in the SDK documentation into your programs.
Building .NET Projects using the BarTender .NET SDKs

After you finish installing your BarTender SDK, please see the Getting Started topics in the accompanying SDK documentation.

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Available Seagull White Papers

General White Papers The Advantage of Drivers by Seagull Choosing the Right BarTender Edition BarTender Web Print Server Whats New in the Latest BarTender

Integration White Papers Integration Overview Commander Commander Examples Exporting Printer Code Templates Using BarTender with Terminal Services and Citrix MetaFrame XML Integration with Oracles WMS and MSCA Integration Using ActiveX Getting Started with ActiveX Automation Using C# Getting Started with ActiveX Automation Using VB.NET Getting Started with ActiveX Automation Using VB6 Integration With SAP SAP Integration Methods Reading SAP IDocs SAP Auto Infrastructure Integration with BarTender Miscellaneous White Papers BarTender Enterprise Licensing Printing International Characters Using BarTender BarTender Software Activation Using BarTenders Application Identifier Wizard Optimizing Label Printing Performance Status Monitor Overview Silent Install For downloadable versions, visit: www.seagullscientific.com/aspx/whitepapers.aspx

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Version: 2008-11-20 18:17 Copyright 2003 - 2008 Seagull Scientific, Inc