How to print raw Zebra ZPL commands from PHP directly to the client printer

Product WebClientPrint for PHP Published 12/26/2013 Updated 10/28/2020 Author

Overview

ZPL (Zebra Programming Language) is one of the main printer languages from Zebra Technologies that is supported by their printers as well as by others thermal printer manufactures like SATO, Datamax, Intermec, Godex. Zebra printers are widely used in POS (Point Of Sales or Point of Services) scenarios like retail, banking, hospitality, manufacturing, healthcare and more!

Zebra ZPL commands are very simple and text plain! The main advantage of using raw Zebra ZPL commands for printing instead of using the built-in browser javascript printing (window.print();) is that the printing performance will be way faster; a factor that is key in the aforementioned scenarios. In PHP websites, you'll be able to use raw printing feature thanks to our WebClientPrint for PHP solution that was specially designed for this kind of printing needs.

In this walkthrough, you'll learn how to print raw ZPL commands from a PHP website directly to the client printer without displaying a print dialog at all. You'll be able to print Zebra ZPL commands to the Default client printer as well as to any other installed printer at the client machine. This solution works with any popular browser like Chrome, Firefox, Opera & Safari on Windows, Linux or Mac systems!

The Zebra ZPL commands that we'll use in this article will print out a simple shipping label that will look like this:

A Sample Shipping Label printed from PHP and created by using Zebra ZPL commands
A Sample Shipping Label printed from PHP and created by using Zebra ZPL commands

Later on this article, you'll find the Zebra ZPL commands and their explanation that you can use in PHP to print the sample label shown above.

Try Online Demo!

Requirements

Development/Server-side

  WebClientPrint 6.0 for PHP (or greater)
  PHP 5.3 (or greater)
  jQuery 1.4.1 (or greater)

Client-side

  WebClientPrint Processor 5.0 for Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi & Mac

Follow up these steps

  • Download & install WebClientPrint for PHP
  • Create a new PHP Website naming it PrintZPLSample
  • Now follow up the instructions for each PHP Classic or PHP MVC/Laravel:

    • Create a new folder called wcpcache at your project's root folder

    • Copy the WebClientPrint.php to your project's root folder

    Creating Controllers

    • Create a new PHP file at root folder and name it WebClientPrintController.php and then copy/paste the following code:

    <?php
//*********************************
// IMPORTANT NOTE 
// 1. In this sample we store users related stuff (like
// the list of printers and whether they have the WCPP 
// client utility installed) in the wcpcache folder BUT 
// you can change it to another different storage (like a DB)!
// which will be required in Load Balacing scenarios
// 
// 2. If your website requires user authentication, then
// THIS FILE MUST be set to ALLOW ANONYMOUS access!!!
// 
//*********************************
 
include 'WebClientPrint.php';
use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\WebClientPrint;
 
//IMPORTANT SETTINGS:
//===================
//Set wcpcache folder RELATIVE to WebClientPrint.php file
//FILE WRITE permission on this folder is required!!!
WebClientPrint::$wcpCacheFolder = getcwd().'/wcpcache/';
 
if (file_exists(WebClientPrint::$wcpCacheFolder) == false) {
    //create wcpcache folder
    $old_umask = umask(0);
    mkdir(WebClientPrint::$wcpCacheFolder, 0777);
    umask($old_umask);
}
 
//===================
 
// Clean built-in Cache
// NOTE: Remove it if you implement your own cache system
WebClientPrint::cacheClean(30); //in minutes
 
 
// Process WebClientPrint Request
 
$urlParts = parse_url($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']);
if (isset($urlParts['query'])){
    $query = $urlParts['query'];
    parse_str($query, $qs);
     
    //get session id from querystring if any
    $sid = NULL;
    if (isset($qs[WebClientPrint::SID])){
        $sid = $qs[WebClientPrint::SID];
    }
     
    try{
        //get request type
        $reqType = WebClientPrint::GetProcessRequestType($query);
         
        if($reqType == WebClientPrint::GenPrintScript ||
           $reqType == WebClientPrint::GenWcppDetectScript){
            //Let WebClientPrint to generate the requested script
             
            //Get Absolute URL of this file
            $currentAbsoluteURL = (@$_SERVER["HTTPS"] == "on") ? "https://" : "http://";
            $currentAbsoluteURL .= $_SERVER["SERVER_NAME"];
            if($_SERVER["SERVER_PORT"] != "80" && $_SERVER["SERVER_PORT"] != "443")
            {
                $currentAbsoluteURL .= ":".$_SERVER["SERVER_PORT"];
            } 
            $currentAbsoluteURL .= $_SERVER["REQUEST_URI"];
            $currentAbsoluteURL = substr($currentAbsoluteURL, 0, strrpos($currentAbsoluteURL, '?'));
             
            ob_start();
            ob_clean();
            header('Content-type: text/javascript');
            echo WebClientPrint::generateScript($currentAbsoluteURL, $query);
            return;
        } 
        else if ($reqType == WebClientPrint::ClientSetWcppVersion)
        {
            //This request is a ping from the WCPP utility
            //so store the session ID indicating this user has the WCPP installed
            //also store the WCPP Version if available
            if(isset($qs[WebClientPrint::WCPP_SET_VERSION]) && strlen($qs[WebClientPrint::WCPP_SET_VERSION]) > 0){
                WebClientPrint::cacheAdd($sid, WebClientPrint::WCP_CACHE_WCPP_VER, $qs[WebClientPrint::WCPP_SET_VERSION]);
            }
            return;
        }
        else if ($reqType == WebClientPrint::ClientSetInstalledPrinters)
        {
            //WCPP Utility is sending the installed printers at client side
            //so store this info with the specified session ID
            WebClientPrint::cacheAdd($sid, WebClientPrint::WCP_CACHE_PRINTERS, strlen($qs[WebClientPrint::WCPP_SET_PRINTERS]) > 0 ? $qs[WebClientPrint::WCPP_SET_PRINTERS] : '');
            return;
        }
        else if ($reqType == WebClientPrint::ClientSetInstalledPrintersInfo)
        {
            //WCPP Utility is sending the installed printers at client side with detailed info
            //so store this info with the specified session ID
            //Printers Info is in JSON format
            $printersInfo = $_POST['printersInfoContent'];
             
            WebClientPrint::cacheAdd($sid, WebClientPrint::WCP_CACHE_PRINTERSINFO, $printersInfo);
            return;
        }
        else if ($reqType == WebClientPrint::ClientGetWcppVersion)
        {
            //return the WCPP version for the specified Session ID (sid) if any
            ob_start();
            ob_clean();
            header('Content-type: text/plain');
            echo WebClientPrint::cacheGet($sid, WebClientPrint::WCP_CACHE_WCPP_VER);
            return;    
        }
        else if ($reqType == WebClientPrint::ClientGetInstalledPrinters)
        {
            //return the installed printers for the specified Session ID (sid) if any
            ob_start();
            ob_clean();
            header('Content-type: text/plain');
            echo base64_decode(WebClientPrint::cacheGet($sid, WebClientPrint::WCP_CACHE_PRINTERS));
            return;
        }    
        else if ($reqType == WebClientPrint::ClientGetInstalledPrintersInfo)
        {
            //return the installed printers with detailed info for the specified Session ID (sid) if any
            ob_start();
            ob_clean();
            header('Content-type: text/plain');
            echo base64_decode(WebClientPrint::cacheGet($sid, WebClientPrint::WCP_CACHE_PRINTERSINFO));
            return;
        }    
    }
    catch (Exception $ex)
    {
        throw $ex;
    }
     
}

    • Create a new PHP file and name it PrintZPLController.php and then copy/paste the following code:

    <?php

include 'WebClientPrint.php';

use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\WebClientPrint;
use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\DefaultPrinter;
use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\InstalledPrinter;
use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\ClientPrintJob;

// Process request
// Generate ClientPrintJob? only if clientPrint param is in the query string
$urlParts = parse_url($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']);

if (isset($urlParts['query'])) {
    $rawQuery = $urlParts['query'];
    parse_str($rawQuery, $qs);
    if (isset($qs[WebClientPrint::CLIENT_PRINT_JOB])) {

        $useDefaultPrinter = ($qs['useDefaultPrinter'] === 'checked');
        $printerName = urldecode($qs['printerName']);

        //Create ZPL commands for sample label
		$cmds =  "^XA";
		$cmds .= "^FO20,30^GB750,1100,4^FS";
		$cmds .= "^FO20,30^GB750,200,4^FS";
		$cmds .= "^FO20,30^GB750,400,4^FS";
		$cmds .= "^FO20,30^GB750,700,4^FS";
		$cmds .= "^FO20,226^GB325,204,4^FS";
		$cmds .= "^FO30,40^ADN,36,20^FDShip to:^FS";
		$cmds .= "^FO30,260^ADN,18,10^FDPart number #^FS";
		$cmds .= "^FO360,260^ADN,18,10^FDDescription:^FS";
		$cmds .= "^FO30,750^ADN,36,20^FDFrom:^FS";
		$cmds .= "^FO150,125^ADN,36,20^FDAcme Printing^FS";
		$cmds .= "^FO60,330^ADN,36,20^FD14042^FS";
		$cmds .= "^FO400,330^ADN,36,20^FDScrew^FS";
		$cmds .= "^FO70,480^BY4^B3N,,200^FD12345678^FS";
		$cmds .= "^FO150,800^ADN,36,20^FDMacks Fabricating^FS";
		$cmds .= "^XZ";

		//Create a ClientPrintJob obj that will be processed at the client side by the WCPP
		$cpj = new ClientPrintJob();
		//set ZPL commands to print...
		$cpj->printerCommands = $cmds;
        $cpj->formatHexValues = true;
		
		if ($useDefaultPrinter || $printerName === 'null') {
			$cpj->clientPrinter = new DefaultPrinter();
		} else {
			$cpj->clientPrinter = new InstalledPrinter($printerName);
		}

		//Send ClientPrintJob back to the client
		ob_start();
		ob_clean();
		header('Content-type: application/octet-stream');
		echo $cpj->sendToClient();
		ob_end_flush();
		exit();
        
    }
}

    Creating Web Pages

    • The default page is for detecting whether the client machine has the WebClientPrint Processor (WCPP) Utility installed. Create a new PHP page and name it index.php. Then copy/paste the following code:

    <?php
  session_start();
  
  include 'WebClientPrint.php';
  use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\WebClientPrint;
  
?>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <head>
        <title>Detecting WebClientPrint Processor...</title>
        
        <style>
        body{font: 13px 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;}        
        </style>
    
    </head>
    <body>
        <div id="msgInProgress">
            <div id="mySpinner" style="width:32px;height:32px"></div>
            <br />
            Detecting WCPP utility at client side... 
            <br />
            Please wait a few seconds...
            <br />
        </div>
        <div id="msgInstallWCPP" style="display:none;">    
            <h3>#1 Install WebClientPrint Processor (WCPP)!</h3>
            <p>
                <strong>WCPP is a native app (without any dependencies!)</strong> that handles all print jobs 
                generated by the <strong>WebClientPrint PHP component</strong> at the server side. The WCPP 
                is in charge of the whole printing process and can be 
                installed on <strong>Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi & Mac!</strong>
            </p>
            <p>
                <a href="http://www.neodynamic.com/downloads/wcpp/" target="_blank">Download and Install WCPP from Neodynamic website</a><br />                
            </p>         
            <h3>#2 After installing WCPP...</h3>
            <p>
                <a href="PrintZPL.php">You can go and test the printing page</a>
            </p>

        </div>
        
        <!-- Add Reference to jQuery at Google CDN -->
        <script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.8.2/jquery.min.js"></script>

        
        

        <script type="text/javascript">

            var wcppPingTimeout_ms = 60000; //60 sec
            var wcppPingTimeoutStep_ms = 500; //0.5 sec

            function wcppDetectOnSuccess(){
                // WCPP utility is installed at the client side
                // redirect to WebClientPrint sample page

                // get WCPP version
                var wcppVer = arguments[0];
                if(wcppVer.substring(0, 1) == "6")
                    window.location.href = "PrintZPL.php";
                else //force to install WCPP v6.0
                    wcppDetectOnFailure();
            }

            function wcppDetectOnFailure() {
                // It seems WCPP is not installed at the client side
                // ask the user to install it
                $('#msgInProgress').hide();
                $('#msgInstallWCPP').show();                
            }

            

        </script>
        
        <?php
        
        //Get Absolute URL of this page
        $currentAbsoluteURL = (@$_SERVER["HTTPS"] == "on") ? "https://" : "http://";
        $currentAbsoluteURL .= $_SERVER["SERVER_NAME"];
        if($_SERVER["SERVER_PORT"] != "80" && $_SERVER["SERVER_PORT"] != "443")
        {
            $currentAbsoluteURL .= ":".$_SERVER["SERVER_PORT"];
        } 
        $currentAbsoluteURL .= $_SERVER["REQUEST_URI"];
    
        //WebClientPrinController.php is at the same page level as WebClientPrint.php
        $webClientPrintControllerAbsoluteURL = substr($currentAbsoluteURL, 0, strrpos($currentAbsoluteURL, '/')).'/WebClientPrintController.php';

        // Create WCPP detection script
        echo WebClientPrint::createWcppDetectionScript($webClientPrintControllerAbsoluteURL, session_id());

        ?>
    </body>
</html>

    • Add a new PHP page and name it PrintZPL.php. Copy/paste the following code:

    <?php 
    session_start();

    include 'WebClientPrint.php';
    use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\WebClientPrint;
?>

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>How to directly Print ZPL Commands without Preview or Printer Dialog</title>
</head>
<body>
    <!-- Store User's SessionId -->
    <input type="hidden" id="sid" name="sid" value="<?php echo session_id(); ?>" />
    
    <h1>How to directly Print ZPL Commands without Preview or Printer Dialog</h1>
    <label class="checkbox">
        <input type="checkbox" id="useDefaultPrinter" /> <strong>Use default printer</strong> or...
    </label>
    <div id="loadPrinters">
    <br />
    WebClientPrint can detect the installed printers in your machine.
    <br />
    <input type="button" onclick="javascript:jsWebClientPrint.getPrinters();" value="Load installed printers..." />
                    
    <br /><br />
    </div>
    <div id="installedPrinters" style="visibility:hidden">
    <br />
    <label for="installedPrinterName">Select an installed Printer:</label>
    <select name="installedPrinterName" id="installedPrinterName"></select>
    </div>
            
    <br /><br />
    <input type="button" style="font-size:18px" onclick="javascript:jsWebClientPrint.print('useDefaultPrinter=' + $('#useDefaultPrinter').attr('checked') + '&printerName=' + $('#installedPrinterName').val());" value="Print Label..." />
        
    <script type="text/javascript">
        var wcppGetPrintersTimeout_ms = 60000; //60 sec
        var wcppGetPrintersTimeoutStep_ms = 500; //0.5 sec

        function wcpGetPrintersOnSuccess(){
            // Display client installed printers
            if(arguments[0].length > 0){
                var p=arguments[0].split("|");
                var options = '';
                for (var i = 0; i < p.length; i++) {
                    options += '<option>' + p[i] + '</option>';
                }
                $('#installedPrinters').css('visibility','visible');
                $('#installedPrinterName').html(options);
                $('#installedPrinterName').focus();
                $('#loadPrinters').hide();                                                        
            }else{
                alert("No printers are installed in your system.");
            }
        }

        function wcpGetPrintersOnFailure() {
            // Do something if printers cannot be got from the client
            alert("No printers are installed in your system.");
        }
    </script>
    
    <!-- Add Reference to jQuery at Google CDN -->
    <script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.8.2/jquery.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

    <?php
    //Get Absolute URL of this page
    $currentAbsoluteURL = (@$_SERVER["HTTPS"] == "on") ? "https://" : "http://";
    $currentAbsoluteURL .= $_SERVER["SERVER_NAME"];
    if($_SERVER["SERVER_PORT"] != "80" && $_SERVER["SERVER_PORT"] != "443")
    {
        $currentAbsoluteURL .= ":".$_SERVER["SERVER_PORT"];
    } 
    $currentAbsoluteURL .= $_SERVER["REQUEST_URI"];
    
    //WebClientPrinController.php is at the same page level as WebClientPrint.php
    $webClientPrintControllerAbsoluteURL = substr($currentAbsoluteURL, 0, strrpos($currentAbsoluteURL, '/')).'/WebClientPrintController.php';
    
    //PrintZPLController.php is at the same page level as WebClientPrint.php
    $printZPLControllerAbsoluteURL = substr($currentAbsoluteURL, 0, strrpos($currentAbsoluteURL, '/')).'/PrintZPLController.php';
    
    //Specify the ABSOLUTE URL to the WebClientPrintController.php and to the file that will create the ClientPrintJob object
    echo WebClientPrint::createScript($webClientPrintControllerAbsoluteURL, $printZPLControllerAbsoluteURL, session_id());
    ?>
       

</body>
</html>

    WebClientPrint Setup for Laravel 8+

    • Create a new folder called WebClientPrint under app folder of your project

    • Copy the WebClientPrint.php to that WebClientPrint folder

    • Create a new folder called wcpcache under the WebClientPrint folder

    Creating Controllers

    • Add a new Controller to your project and name it WebClientPrintController.php. Then copy/paste the following code:

    <?php
 
namespace App\Http\Controllers;
 
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
 
//*********************************
// IMPORTANT NOTE 
// 1. In this sample we store users related stuff (like
// the list of printers and whether they have the WCPP 
// client utility installed) in the wcpcache folder BUT 
// you can change it to another different storage (like a DB)!
// which will be required in Load Balacing scenarios
// 
// 2. If your website requires user authentication, then
// THIS FILE MUST be set to ALLOW ANONYMOUS access!!!
//
// 3. EXCLUDE this Controller from CSRF Protection
// Ref https://laravel.com/docs/5.5/csrf#csrf-excluding-uris
//*********************************
 
//Includes WebClientPrint classes
include_once(app_path() . '\WebClientPrint\WebClientPrint.php');
use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\WebClientPrint;
 
 
class WebClientPrintController extends Controller
{
 
    public function processRequest(Request $request){
 
         
        //IMPORTANT SETTINGS:
        //===================
        //Set wcpcache folder RELATIVE to WebClientPrint.php file
        //FILE WRITE permission on this folder is required!!!
        WebClientPrint::$wcpCacheFolder = app_path() . '/WebClientPrint/wcpcache/';
        //===================
 
        // Clean built-in Cache
        // NOTE: Remove it if you implement your own cache system
        WebClientPrint::cacheClean(30); //in minutes
 
        //get session id from querystring if any
        $sid = NULL;
        if ($request->has(WebClientPrint::SID)){
            $sid = $request->input(WebClientPrint::SID);
        }
         
        try{
            //get query string from url
            $query = substr($request->fullUrl(), strpos($request->fullUrl(), '?')+1);
            //get request type
            $reqType = WebClientPrint::GetProcessRequestType($query);
             
            if($reqType == WebClientPrint::GenPrintScript ||
            $reqType == WebClientPrint::GenWcppDetectScript){
                //Let WebClientPrint to generate the requested script
                 
                //Get Absolute URL of this file
                $currentAbsoluteURL = substr($request->fullUrl(), 0, strrpos($request->fullUrl(), '?'));
                 
                // Return WebClientPrint's javascript code 
                return response(WebClientPrint::generateScript($currentAbsoluteURL, $query))
                        ->header('Content-Type', 'text/javascript');
                 
            } 
            else if ($reqType == WebClientPrint::ClientSetWcppVersion)
            {
                //This request is a ping from the WCPP utility
                //so store the session ID indicating this user has the WCPP installed
                //also store the WCPP Version if available
                if($request->has(WebClientPrint::WCPP_SET_VERSION) && strlen($request->input(WebClientPrint::WCPP_SET_VERSION)) > 0){
                    WebClientPrint::cacheAdd($sid, WebClientPrint::WCP_CACHE_WCPP_VER, $request->input(WebClientPrint::WCPP_SET_VERSION));
                }
                return;
            }
            else if ($reqType == WebClientPrint::ClientSetInstalledPrinters)
            {
                //WCPP Utility is sending the installed printers at client side
                //so store this info with the specified session ID
                WebClientPrint::cacheAdd($sid, WebClientPrint::WCP_CACHE_PRINTERS, strlen($request->input(WebClientPrint::WCPP_SET_PRINTERS)) > 0 ? $request->input(WebClientPrint::WCPP_SET_PRINTERS) : '');
                return;
            }
            else if ($reqType == WebClientPrint::ClientSetInstalledPrintersInfo)
            {
                //WCPP Utility is sending the installed printers at client side with detailed info
                //so store this info with the specified session ID
                //Printers Info is in JSON format
                $printersInfo = $request->input('printersInfoContent');
                 
                WebClientPrint::cacheAdd($sid, WebClientPrint::WCP_CACHE_PRINTERSINFO, $printersInfo);
                return;
            }
            else if ($reqType == WebClientPrint::ClientGetWcppVersion)
            {
                //return the WCPP version for the specified Session ID (sid) if any
                return response(WebClientPrint::cacheGet($sid, WebClientPrint::WCP_CACHE_WCPP_VER))
                        ->header('Content-Type', 'text/plain');                 
            }
            else if ($reqType == WebClientPrint::ClientGetInstalledPrinters)
            {
                //return the installed printers for the specified Session ID (sid) if any
                return response(base64_decode(WebClientPrint::cacheGet($sid, WebClientPrint::WCP_CACHE_PRINTERS)))
                        ->header('Content-Type', 'text/plain'); 
            }    
            else if ($reqType == WebClientPrint::ClientGetInstalledPrintersInfo)
            {
                //return the installed printers with detailed info for the specified Session ID (sid) if any
                return response(base64_decode(WebClientPrint::cacheGet($sid, WebClientPrint::WCP_CACHE_PRINTERSINFO)))
                        ->header('Content-Type', 'text/plain'); 
            }    
        }
        catch (Exception $ex)
        {
            throw $ex;
        }
 
    }
     
}

    • Exclude WebClientPrintAPIController from CSRF Protection by editing app\Http\Middleware\VerifyCsrfToken.php so it looks like the following code:

    <?php

namespace App\Http\Middleware;

use Illuminate\Foundation\Http\Middleware\VerifyCsrfToken as Middleware;

class VerifyCsrfToken extends BaseVerifier
{
    /**
     * The URIs that should be excluded from CSRF verification.
     *
     * @var array
     */
    protected $except = [
        'WebClientPrintController'
    ];
}

    • Edit the HomeController so it looks like the following code:

    <?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;

use Session;

//Includes WebClientPrint classes
include_once(app_path() . '\WebClientPrint\WebClientPrint.php');
use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\WebClientPrint;


class HomeController extends Controller
{
    public function index(){

        $wcppScript = WebClientPrint::createWcppDetectionScript(action('WebClientPrintController@processRequest'), Session::getId());    

        return view('home.index', ['wcppScript' => $wcppScript]);
    }

    public function printZPL(){
        $wcpScript = WebClientPrint::createScript(action('WebClientPrintController@processRequest'), action('PrintZPLController@printCommands'), Session::getId());    

        return view('home.printZPL', ['wcpScript' => $wcpScript]);
    }
    
}

    • Add a new Controller and name it PrintZPLController and paste the following code:

    <?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;


//*********************************
// IMPORTANT NOTE 
// ==============
// If your website requires user authentication, then
// THIS FILE MUST be set to ALLOW ANONYMOUS access!!!
//
//*********************************

//Includes WebClientPrint classes
include_once(app_path() . '\WebClientPrint\WebClientPrint.php');
use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\WebClientPrint;
use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\Utils;
use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\DefaultPrinter;
use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\InstalledPrinter;
use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\PrintFile;
use Neodynamic\SDK\Web\ClientPrintJob;

use Session;

class PrintZPLController extends Controller
{
    
    public function printCommands(Request $request){
        
       if ($request->exists(WebClientPrint::CLIENT_PRINT_JOB)) {

            $useDefaultPrinter = ($request->input('useDefaultPrinter') === 'checked');
            $printerName = urldecode($request->input('printerName'));
            
			//Create ZPL commands for sample label
			$cmds =  "^XA";
			$cmds .= "^FO20,30^GB750,1100,4^FS";
			$cmds .= "^FO20,30^GB750,200,4^FS";
			$cmds .= "^FO20,30^GB750,400,4^FS";
			$cmds .= "^FO20,30^GB750,700,4^FS";
			$cmds .= "^FO20,226^GB325,204,4^FS";
			$cmds .= "^FO30,40^ADN,36,20^FDShip to:^FS";
			$cmds .= "^FO30,260^ADN,18,10^FDPart number #^FS";
			$cmds .= "^FO360,260^ADN,18,10^FDDescription:^FS";
			$cmds .= "^FO30,750^ADN,36,20^FDFrom:^FS";
			$cmds .= "^FO150,125^ADN,36,20^FDAcme Printing^FS";
			$cmds .= "^FO60,330^ADN,36,20^FD14042^FS";
			$cmds .= "^FO400,330^ADN,36,20^FDScrew^FS";
			$cmds .= "^FO70,480^BY4^B3N,,200^FD12345678^FS";
			$cmds .= "^FO150,800^ADN,36,20^FDMacks Fabricating^FS";
			$cmds .= "^XZ";

			//Create a ClientPrintJob obj that will be processed at the client side by the WCPP
			$cpj = new ClientPrintJob();
			//set ZPL commands to print...
			$cpj->printerCommands = $cmds;
			$cpj->formatHexValues = true;
			
			if ($useDefaultPrinter || $printerName === 'null') {
				$cpj->clientPrinter = new DefaultPrinter();
			} else {
				$cpj->clientPrinter = new InstalledPrinter($printerName);
			}
		
			//Send ClientPrintJob back to the client
			return response($cpj->sendToClient())
						->header('Content-Type', 'application/octet-stream');
                
            
        }
    }    
    
}

    Creating/Editing Views

    • Edit the resources / views / layouts / app.blade.php file so it looks like follows:

    
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <title>WebClientPrint for PHP</title>    
</head>
<body>
    
    <div>
        @yield('body')
	</div>

	<script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-2.2.4.min.js"></script>
    
    @yield('scripts')

</body>
</html>

    • The default View is for detecting whether the client machine has the WebClientPrint Processor (WCPP) Utility installed. Edit the resources / views / home / index.blade.php file and add the folowing section to the BODY:

    
@extends('layouts.app')

@section('body')
<div id="msgInProgress">
    
    <h3>Detecting WCPP utility at client side...</h3>
    <h3>Please wait a few seconds...</h3>
    <br />
</div>
<div id="msgInstallWCPP" style="display:none;">
    <h3>#1 Install WebClientPrint Processor (WCPP)!</h3>
    <p>
        <strong>WCPP is a native app (without any dependencies!)</strong> that handles all print jobs
        generated by the <strong>WebClientPrint for PHP component</strong> at the server side. The WCPP
        is in charge of the whole printing process and can be
        installed on <strong>Windows, Linux, Mac & Raspberry Pi!</strong>
    </p>
    <p>
        <a href="//www.neodynamic.com/downloads/wcpp/" target="_blank" >Download and Install WCPP from Neodynamic website</a><br />
    </p>
    <h3>#2 After installing WCPP...</h3>
    <p>
        <a href="{{action('HomeController@printZPL')}}" >You can go and test the printing page...</a>
    </p>

</div>
@endsection

@section('scripts')
<script type="text/javascript">

    var wcppPingTimeout_ms = 60000; //60 sec
    var wcppPingTimeoutStep_ms = 500; //0.5 sec
                     
    function wcppDetectOnSuccess(){
        // WCPP utility is installed at the client side
        // redirect to WebClientPrint sample page
                
        // get WCPP version
        var wcppVer = arguments[0];
        if(wcppVer.substring(0, 1) == "6")
            window.location.href = '{{action('HomeController@printZPL')}}';
        else //force to install WCPP v6.0
            wcppDetectOnFailure();
    }

    function wcppDetectOnFailure() {
        // It seems WCPP is not installed at the client side
        // ask the user to install it
        $('#msgInProgress').hide();
        $('#msgInstallWCPP').show();
    }

</script>


{!! 

// Register the WCPP Detection script code
// The $wcpScript was generated by HomeController@index

$wcppScript;

!!}

@endsection

    • Add a new View with the following name and under such folders: resources / views / home / printZPL.blade.php Then, copy/paste the folowing code:

    
@extends('layouts.app')

@section('body')


<h1>How to directly Print ZPL Commands without Preview or Printer Dialog</h1>
<label class="checkbox">
	<input type="checkbox" id="useDefaultPrinter" /> <strong>Use default printer</strong> or...
</label>
<div id="loadPrinters">
<br />
WebClientPrint can detect the installed printers in your machine.
<br />
<input type="button" onclick="javascript:jsWebClientPrint.getPrinters();" value="Load installed printers..." />
				
<br /><br />
</div>
<div id="installedPrinters" style="visibility:hidden">
<br />
<label for="installedPrinterName">Select an installed Printer:</label>
<select name="installedPrinterName" id="installedPrinterName"></select>
</div>
		
<br /><br />
<input type="button" style="font-size:18px" onclick="javascript:jsWebClientPrint.print('useDefaultPrinter=' + $('#useDefaultPrinter').attr('checked') + '&printerName=' + $('#installedPrinterName').val());" value="Print Label..." />
	  
@endsection

@section('scripts')

<script type="text/javascript">
	var wcppGetPrintersTimeout_ms = 60000; //60 sec
    var wcppGetPrintersTimeoutStep_ms = 500; //0.5 sec

	function wcpGetPrintersOnSuccess(){
		// Display client installed printers
		if(arguments[0].length > 0){
			var p=arguments[0].split("|");
			var options = '';
			for (var i = 0; i < p.length; i++) {
				options += '<option>' + p[i] + '</option>';
			}
			$('#installedPrinters').css('visibility','visible');
			$('#installedPrinterName').html(options);
			$('#installedPrinterName').focus();
			$('#loadPrinters').hide();                                                        
		}else{
			alert("No printers are installed in your system.");
		}
	}

	function wcpGetPrintersOnFailure() {
		// Do something if printers cannot be got from the client
		alert("No printers are installed in your system.");
	}
</script>


{!! 

// Register the WebClientPrint script code
// The $wcpScript was generated by PrintZPLController@index

$wcpScript;

!!}

@endsection

    • Finally, add the following routes to routes / web.php

    
Route::get('/', 'HomeController@index');
Route::get('home', 'HomeController@index');
Route::get('home/index', 'HomeController@index');
Route::get('home/printZPL', 'HomeController@printZPL');
Route::get('PrintZPLController', 'PrintZPLController@printCommands');
Route::any('WebClientPrintController', 'WebClientPrintController@processRequest');

    • Edit the app\Providers\RouteServiceProvider.php and uncommet the line protected $namespace = 'App\\Http\\Controllers';

  • That's it! Run your website and test it. Click on Print Label to print the ZPL Commands without print dialog. You can print it to the Default client printer or you can get a list of the installed printers available at the client machine.

    NOTE You can also print directly to any LPT Parallel Port, RS232 Serial Port or IP/Ethernet Printer although these scenarios have not been considered in this article for simplicity. For further details on those scenarios, please contact our tech support.

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