Print a workflow report to a bluetooth printer from Appsheet apps

[Guy_Merlin_Dyan]

Hi to the great Appsheet community,
could someone tell me if it is already possible to print a workflow report to a bluetooth printer from Appsheet apps?

[Ethan_U]

Hi Guy,

To my understanding the technical answer is no unless you can make something work via an API.

I have started some correspondence with www.papercut.com who seem to have great reviews I’ll certainly keep in touch and post something if I am successful @Guy_Merlin_Dyangnou

[Guy_Merlin_Dyan]

Thank you very much @Ethan_U , for this feedback I believe it is a solution way to be explored.
In the meantime, let’s keep in touch the time to observe the potential of papercut’solution

[Ethan_U]

Hello @Guy_Merlin_Dyangnou I spoke with Papercut yesteday and it doesn’t look to me like a solution.

However I may be wrong perhaps you’d like to take a look also. I’m going to check out printnode next to see what’s possible. They also seem promising. Remote Printing for Web Apps | PrintNode

[Guy_Merlin_Dyan]

Yes indeed @Ethan_U , I went through the papercut’solution it did not seem as obvious to me as printnode, which offers the possibility with Webhook / API linkage.
Fortunately, you have a good head start and i’m sure that the solution is not far away.
Thanks

[Ethan_U]

haha I am committed to success with this! I will discover a solution and post to the community!

[Ethan_U]

@Marc_Dillon how’s it going man. Have you been enjoying printnode as a service for your apps?

I haven’t seen anything else much like it so far. I’m chatting with them Thursday for a demo but would love your opinion since it’s been a few months since you started with them. Not many reviews online that I can see.

[Marc_Dillon]

Ethan_U:

Have you been enjoying printnode as a service for your apps?

I’ve actually only used it on one project. For that project it worked great. It was a great “set it and forget”.

It does require some local machine that is constantly connected to the printer, as well as the internet. If you can meet those requirements, then I highly recommend it.

[Ethan_U]

@MultiTech_Visions quite an endorsement!

[Henry_Scott]

@Ethan_U and @Marc_Dillon , I want to soundboard an approach with you that I want to try with PrintNode and AppScript before I ask a developer to do it for me. My Use Case is: I have a Kiosk setup to redeem QR Codes and want to Print an “Entry Ticket”

I see the solution as:

1. Install of PrintNode on a Windows device or RaspberryPi device on my WiFi
2. Set a Column Value in GoogleSheet when the QRCode is scanned and redeemed.
3. Have an AppScript embedded in the GoogleSheet that is invoked when a Record is changed as in Point 2 above. This AppScript will then use the PrintNode API to print the Entry Ticket from the Kiosk Device to the Windows device or RasberryPi that is running PrintNode on the WiFi network. The thinking is to use RAW printing because a PDF does not exist that Appsheet generated through a Workflow.

I am not sure if AppScript will be invoked when a record changes in the GoogleSheet - I am not an AppScript developer.

Appreciate your thoughts

[Marc_Dillon]

Henry_Scott:

I am not sure if AppScript will be invoked when a record changes in the GoogleSheet - I am not an AppScript developer.

If you set it up with onChange(), or if you deploy it as a web app and POST to it via a workflow from Appsheet.

[Henry_Scott]

@Marc_Dillon ok noted. Will ask Developer to embed in Googlesheet and then use the OnChange().
Want to avoid an Appsheet Workflow, which is too slow to wait for to execute in the Cloud.
As soon as the change happen it will Print local to PrintNode on the WiFi linked device

[Marc_Dillon]

Henry_Scott:

Want to avoid an Appsheet Workflow, which is too slow to wait for to execute in the Cloud.

onChange() will only fire once the data is synced to the backend. A workflow POST will fire immediately.

[Henry_Scott]

@Marc_Dillon my Sync is set to be immediate. Will that work?

[Marc_Dillon]

It should work either way. I was merely providing additional context to your claim that a workflow would be slower in this situation. I believe it would in fact be faster.

[Henry_Scott]

@Marc_Dillon great thanks. Appreciate the input

[Henry_Scott]

Please beware of the Malware in the PrintNode download file I tried on the 17th March. My Antivirus picked it up

[Ethan_U]

Thanks @Henry_Scott, I was wondering about the company having so few reviews. So they may not be legitimate?

[Henry_Scott]

Not necessarily. Contact them and let them know that their Download has been compromised

[Henry_Scott]

@Ethan_U I have contacted support@printnode.com to tell them that their Download contains Malware. Will wait for their response

[Henry_Scott]

@Ethan_U I also picked up that PrintNode download had this issue before. See this link. PrintNode, printing and shipping software - File Detections - Malwarebytes Forums

[Rafael_ANEIC-PY]

Ethan_U:

haha I am committed to success with this! I will discover a solution and post to the community!

[Ethan_U]

[Henry_Scott]

Seems PrintNode is a JSON API solution that can process HTTP Requests. How about using an Appsheet Webhook in a Workflow rule. No idea how. Maybe try and see if this works

help.appsheet.com

Invoking Webhooks from a Workflow Rule or Scheduled Report

Webhooks allow you to invoke a remote web service to perform an action by sending an HTTP request message to that web service.