Print most recent slice file

AstroPrint Cloud Service Feature Reqeuest
#1

This is a convenience thing, but I would like to see in the web FileManager next to the model a link to directly print the most recent slice…this is instead of turning down the slice list then choosing the top most one and selecting print from the drop down menu.

Also I wish when I choose print I am not asked which printer…maybe this is useful when you have several printers but since the slice file is generated for a specific printer (at least at present) should it not know which to print to? I guess it could be you have several identical printers so the question is required but maybe if you have only one it could just go or maybe there could be a default printer…This is like the paper printer dialogs where you say print you get the print dialog but never click print and stand around waiting for the print but worse because you don’t see the printer doing anything normally it is just heating you walk away and the print never starts…you come back in 20 minutes and nothing…:slight_smile:

#2

The first request will likely be solved by implementing what you requested here: Minor bug in slice to file manger transition

which is already in our development pipeline.

Regarding the second, it’s a bit more complicated. That printer selection is not only meant to pick a printer from a list of many but also to confirm that the printer is idle and connected. I think it’s a small annoyance with potentially big benefits in the form of an extra confirmation step.

#3

Don’t want to get too into such a minor issue as the extra click, but I would
propose this:

On the printer profiles page a check box and pull down

Enable Default Printer
and
Choose Default Printer

Thus the selection of a printer which choosing to print is not required if this feature is enabled and a printer is selected…If that is not true then it is business as usual.

If the default is enabled and chosen then the print is sent to the astrobox/printer…
If the printer is busy or not ready or any error occurs simply report it…

Obviously one could never configure this and it things would just work as they do now…This whole thing leads me to think that maybe at some point an advance setup page will be a good idea (there are several places where we have ‘advanced’ buttons already what’s one or two more?)…for instance I would like to have option to map my printer IP:port so that when I am off the LAN I can still connect the astrobox directly rom the cloud page, assuming I have my router configured properly.

just thinking out loud…

#4

There’s currently a hole in our system that we’re planning on fixing: The AstroBox has no knowledge of astroprint.com printer profiles. They’re currently two separate things.

We’re planning to link the two and that might ease things up on the print screen because we will be able to detect which astrobox is connected to a printer model that can print the file you just sliced.