Loftware has developed several thin client applications in order to maximize the usefulness of the Loftware Print Server (LPS). ‘Thin client’ means that these applications run across the network with a small footprint and interact with the LPS to get their information. Each of the client applications has its own purpose. The ActiveX Client Control is documented in Chapter 5, the Internet ActiveX Control in Chapter 6, and the .NET Control in Chapter 7. The Loftware Reader Control is documented in a separate guide.
Notification Agent - The Notification Agent is a service that runs on a workstation or on the same PC as the LPS. E-mail, Page, and Net Send notifications of printer errors and system status can be set up for multiple operators. Notifications are filtered by server, printer, and error type; therefore, only information of interest is sent.
LPS Status Client – Allows the viewing of LPS printing activity from anywhere on the network. A ‘tree view’ of all printers shows queued jobs, jobs with error conditions, and printer status. Any number of LPS servers can be viewed.
On-Demand Print Client - Provides users of the LPS system the ability to manually select label formats and supply data from the keyboard and/or databases to print labels. This client program has the same ‘look and feel’ as Loftware's stand-alone On Demand Print Mode but has the advantage of being thin.
LPSSend Client - A sample project used as a tool to demonstrate how to integrate with the TCP/IP Socket Interface of the Loftware Print Server. This program opens a socket connection to the LPS, sends a print job, receives status of the job from the LPS, and then disconnects. The source code for this utility is included and is available for your use. (See Chapter 1 for examples of the LPSSend Program.)
ActiveX Client Control- Programmers developing in 32-bit languages supporting ActiveX Controls can easily interface their own applications with the LPS. Use this control when your application needs to print bar code labels or RFID smart labels. The ActiveX Client control is documented in Chapter 5.
Internet ActiveX Control- Internet ActiveX, or “iX” as it is known, prints across the Internet to locally selected printers that have been configured as CLIENT DEFINED on the server. It is called the “Internet ActiveX” because it acts as a client across the Internet to the LPS (Loftware Print Server). Use this control when your application is running in several places, needs to access many printers, and requires a small footprint. The iX Client control is documented in Chapter 6.
Loftware NET Control- Like the other Loftware Client Controls, this control has a thin footprint. The Loftware .NET Control utilizes the Microsoft .NET© framework. This control is designed for use in .NET applications. The Loftware .NET Control is documented in Chapter 7.
Loftware Reader Control - Like the other Loftware Client Controls, this control has a thin footprint. The Loftware Reader Control utilizes the Microsoft .NET© framework and is designed for use in .NET applications. Applications that use the Loftware Reader Control API can submit read-tag and write-tag requests to Loftware's RFID Reader Module, an optional component of the LPS. The Loftware Reader Control is documented in a separate guide.