[cups.general] Custom print command -- adding a new backend?

[Jerome Alet]

Hi,

On Mon, Jun 06, 2005 at 02:50:05PM -0400, hanspv at klodrik.uio.no wrote:
> 
> I try to set up a CUPS queue that uses a shell command to print.  I.e. not just
> dropping a file to a device, or using some pre-defined protocole like LPD,
> but giving it to a script on stdin.
> 
> The documentation doesn't mention this (or I didn't find it), but I got the
> impression that a "backend" script (bash/perl/whatever) could do the trick.
> 
> Is that right?  If so, how do I create a backend?  I found a few "extra"
> scripts under  /usr/lib/cups/backend/ , but creating a script here & restarting
> cupsd doesn't seem to get me anywhere.  The GUI still doesn't allow me to
> choose any other connection type (it's only "Locally-connected", "Networked
> CUPS", etc etc...).
> 
> Entring an unknown DeviceURI in /etc/cups/printers.conf doesn't work, it's
> rejected by the gui.
> 
> How can I expand the list of possible connections, and force CUPS to pour
> the print data to my script's STDIN ?
> 
> Any help, or pointers to relevant docs, is appreciated.

Creating CUPS' backends is not as easy as creating a simple script 
unfortunately, because there are some special requirements needed
to make it integrate seemlessly into CUPS.

That's why this software :

        http://www.librelogiciel.com/software/Tea4CUPS/action_Presentation
        
was written.        

It handles all the dirty work, and exposes a well defined interface 
to your own scripts which can access all the print job's 
characteristic in a consistent way through the use of environment 
variables. 

Plugging-in your own scripts into CUPS is now more than easy thanks
to Tea4CUPS.

hth

Jerome Alet