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3. Basic usage

3.1 The main window

The main window of klp looks something like
Main window
The toolbar and/or status bar can be disabled from the Options menu. The sort order can be chosen using the headers of the queue list.

You can select a printer with the `Select printer...' item in the `File' menu, or directly using the combo box in the toolbar. When you change the printer selection, klp will automatically update the queue list (regardless of the `Auto update' setting).

To print documents, drag them from the filemanager onto klp's main window. If you drag multiple files at once, they will all be printed as one job. KLP will be showing an hour glass while spooling the job to the queue. You can only perform the next action after klp has finished processing your request. When klp has finished, the queue list will automatically be updated (regardless of the `Auto update' setting). Currently, you can only print local documents.

To remove jobs, select them in the queue list and choose `Delete job(s)' from the `File' menu, or press the delete button in the toolbar. You may only delete jobs that are owned by yourself. When you run klp as root klp will try to remove any job you select, but this may fail for remote printers. After klp has processed your request, the queue list will automatically be updated (regardless of the `Auto update' setting).

To update the queue, select `Update queue' from the `File' menu or press the update button in the toolbar. With the `Auto update...' command in the `Options' menu, you can select a time interval so that klp automatically updates the queue list regularly.

From the `Options' menu you can have klp dock itself in the panel. Now you can close the main window, but klp will still be displaying the queue state in the panel (you have to select `Exit' from the file menu to quit klp entirely).

3.2 Docked in the panel

You can print documents by drag & drop onto the docked icon. To refresh the icon to reflect the current state simply left click it, or enable auto update.

Double clicking the icon opens the main window. (Since a double click always consists of a single click first, the queue list will be updated as well).

Right clicking the icon pops up a menu from which you can exit klp, show the main window, update the status, or select a different printer.

3.3 Status indications

When klp is busy doing something for you, a little hour glass will be visible in the status bar and docked icon. You can only send new jobs, or remove existing ones after klp has finished processing. You can always abort the current action by selecting `Stop' from the `File' menu, or by pressing the stop button in the toolbar. This may sometimes be necessary, for instance when trying to connect to a remote printer while the network is down.

One of the following indicators can be visible in the status bar or the dock icon (in order of severity, the most severe one takes precedence)
Big red cross This means that the status of the currently selected printer is unknown. This might be because of numerous reasons, e.g. no printer was actually selected, you forgot to make klp setuid(root), the network is down, you misspelled the host or printer name, you have no access to the remote printer, etc. You can retry by trying to do `Update queue'. Auto update will not work when klp is in this state.
Big red cross This means that queuing has stopped. You can't send any jobs to the printer until the system manager has reenabled the queue.
Big red cross This means that printing has stopped. You can still send jobs to the queue, but they won't be printed until the system manager has reenabled the printer.
Big red cross This means that you own a job in the queue. If you run klp as root it means that there is at least one job (anyone's) in the queue.

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