FOOMATIC-CONFIGURE(1)

💅 foomatic-configure — from the General Commands Manual (manual name: FOOMATIC-CONFIGURE(1))

✨ NAME ✨

okay so foomatic-configure is the main configuration program of the foomatic printing system — that's the whole NAME vibe, bestie.

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

foomatic-configure [OPTION]...

foomatic-configure -n queuename [ -N description ] [ -L location ] [ -c connect ] [ -d driver ] [ -p printer ] [ --ppd ppdfile ] [ -s spooler ] [ -C [ sourcespooler ] sourcequeue ] [ -o option1=value1 -o option2 ... ] [ -q ]

foomatic-configure -D -n queuename [ -s spooler ] [ -q ]

foomatic-configure -R -n queuename [ -s spooler ] [ -q ]

foomatic-configure -Q  [ -s spooler ] [ -n queuename ] [ -r ]

foomatic-configure -P  [ -s spooler ] [ -n queuename ] [ -d driver ] [ -p printer ] [ --ppd ppdfile ] [ index ]

foomatic-configure -X -p printer | -d driver | -p printer -d driver

foomatic-configure -O

foomatic-configure -h

foomatic-configure --help

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

foomatic-configure is the program that sets up and configures print queues for every known spooler — like literally CUPS, LPRng, LPD, GNUlpr, PPR, PDQ. CPS, and no spooler — and for every valid printer/driver combo in the Foomatic database, or every PPD file that comes with PostScript printers. 💅

As RIP filter (Raster Image Processor, translation from PostScript to the native language of the printer), foomatic-rip(1) is always used — except for PPD files of PostScript printers under CUPS or PPR, because those are used without a RIP filter. no cap.

It also comprises half of a programatic API for user tools: you can learn and control everything about the static properties of print queues here. With sister program foomatic-printjob(1), you can do everything related to the print queue's dynamic state: submit jobs, and query, cancel, reorder, and redirect them. 🫶

🌸 Options 🌸

• -n queuename — configure this print queue.
• -N Name/Description — use this proper human-readable name/description.
• -L Location — short phrase describing this printer's location.
• -c connection — printer is connected thusly (ex file:/dev/lp0).
• -d driver — Foomatic database name for desired printer driver.
• -p printer — Foomatic id for printer.
• --ppd ppdfile — PPD file, for example the one supplied by the manufacturer of a PostScript printer.
• -s spooler — explicit spooler type (cups, lpd, lprng, pdq, ppr, direct).
• -o option=value — set the default of option to value.
• -o option — turn on option by default.
• -D — set this queue as the default queue (just give -n queuename).
• -R — remove this whole queue entirely (just give -n queuename).
• -C [ sourcespooler ] sourcequeue — copy sourcequeue from sourcespooler (or the current one if sourcespooler is not given) into the queue given by -n queuename (of the current spooler).
• -Q — query existing configuration (gives XML summary).
• -r — list also remotely defined queues (CUPS only).
• -P [ index ] — get Perl dump of current configuration (as a Perl array named QUEUES, the first index is index, or zero if index is not given).
• -O — print XML Overview of all known printer/drivers (this shows also the Foomatic IDs of the printers).
• -X — print XML data for -p printer and/or -d driver object.
• -q — run quietly.

🎀 Commands 🎀

No commands, just options. Periodt. 💅

🔗 SEE ALSO 🔗

• foomatic-printjob(1)
• foomatic-rip(1)

💀 EXIT STATUS 💀

foomatic-configure returns 0 if no errors occurred. That's it.

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Manfred Wassmann <manolo@NCC-1701.B.Shuttle.de> for the foomatic project using comments from the source. 💖

🐛 BUGS 🐛

Okay, bug time: foomatic-configure currently cannot handle printcap files in the lprng style. As lprng can use BSD style printcaps this is not much of a problem, as long as the GUI based print manager lprngtool is not used. The difference between those formats is, that BSD style requires continuation lines in printer definitions to be ended with a colon and the newline character to be escaped with a backslash. Lprng has no such restriction.

To use a printcap file generated or edited with lprngtool with foomatic-configure it is necessary to add :\ to the end of all but the last line of every printer definition, just as shown below:

#comment
# primary printer name
lp
#alternate names
 |lp2|lp3
 |Example of a printer
 :sd=/usr/spool/LPD/lp
 :rw:lp=/dev/lp:mx#100
 :

must be converted to:

#comment
# primary printer name
lp\
 |lp2|lp3\
 |Example of a printer\
 :sd=/usr/spool/LPD/lp:\
 :rw:lp=/dev/lp:mx#100:

This manpage may be out of date. 😭

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xoxo, the Foomatic Project 💖 — dated 2002-01-06 — and yeah, this iconic manual page is FOOMATIC-CONFIGURE(1) 🫶✨