Re[2]: Page definitions/form definitions

[Buck Calabro <mcalabro@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Paul Tykodi wrote:

>GDDM is included for free as part of OS/400. It will allow you to build 
>graphic logos, produce pie >charts, draw lines and boxes, and shade areas of 
>the page. It is also able to accommodate floating >placement due to the amount 
>of data placed on a particular page. The GDDM Programming Guide >is 
>publication SC41-3717 while the GDDM Reference is publication SC41-3718. Both 
>of the >publications include excellent sample programs that illustrate how to 
>perform each of the tasks >outlined above.

Actually, I've used GDDM quite a bit in the past to draw such things as fancy 
large 
banners, etc.  I've also done charts using GDDM.  This is OK for low-volume 
stuff,
but it would suck up a huge amount of CPU to draw a company logo in several 
places
on multiple pages of a customer bill.  AFP does the logo quickly via pre-created
page segments.  I'm looking at volumes in the 300,000 pages per run range.

>N-UP refers to special hardware support for MULTIUP printing offered by 
>certain IPDS printer >models that are available from IBM. The N-UP command 
>only works with printers that offer this >special hardware capability. The 
>printer file parameter Pages per side (choices 1 through 4) is how >the 
>standard MULTIUP functionality is controlled for all IPDS printers that can be 
>used with the >AS/400. This printer file parameter used in conjunction with 
>the Degree of page rotation printer file >parameter determines whether MULTIUP 
>pages are printed in portrait or landscape.

Yup.  My target printer is a 3130, which is capable of N-UP printing.  MULTIUP 
won't rotate the
page segments, nor, I suspect, will it rotate GDDM drawings.  Also, PAGRTT 
won't rotate graphics.  I'm really looking to create a bill that has merged 
text and graphics, rotate/scale so I can have 2-UP
bills landscaped on a single 8-1/2 x 11 inch page.  It'll be hideously ugly to 
re-scan all my logos
rotated, then re-write all the positioning routines (because the length 
dimension will swap with 
the width dimension after PAGRTT.)  That's why I was looking to do N-UP...

>In the event you would like to merge GDDM data with other data objects that 
>require the DEVTYPE >printer file parameter to be set to *AFPDS, you will be 
>required to use an externally described >printer file. The GDDM program 
>shipped with OS/400 is not able to output the AFPDS data stream >directly so 
>you will receive an error message from GDDM if you try to specify the DEVTYPE 
>as >*AFPDS in a program described printer file. You will also want to consult 
>the appendix in the >GDDM programming guide that discusses merging text and 
>graphics for print files. The appendix >will mention that you must OVRPRTF 
>SHARE(*YES) the print file and will list some rules about >opening the GDDM 
>DSOPEN with the same name as the print file specified on the RPG open. The 
>>print file must be opened for graphics before it is opened for text. 

Sigh.  Merging text and GDDM isn't so hard once you understand this.  What's a 
royal
pain is that I can't have a simple subroutine to calculate a monthly comparison 
bar or pie
chart to put on my AFP bill!  I'll be forced to create GDF's for each customer 
and then use the
GDF keyword to load each one on my page.

>Also it is important to note that the GDDM functionality is included within a 
>particular OS/400 >library. Sometimes if the GDDM library is not included in 
>the current library list of the host, you will >receive error messages about 
>being unable to call GDDM.

QGDDM.

Anyway, do you think I'm barking up the wrong tree here?  I thought it'd be a 
fairly
simple matter to create my own FORMDF and merge my text with the graphics
specified on the FORMDF, but it almost looks like FORMDF/PAGDFN are there
only to allow mainframers to run their stuff on *our* box <g>.

Buck Calabro
Commsoft Albany, NY
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