Re: Page definitions/form definitions -- MIDRANGE-L

Buck Calabro wrote to midrange-l:

Is anybody using PSF/400 page and form definitions?  I have a need to 
print graphic logo's, pie charts, boxes and shading all on the same 
bill.  All the elements are floating, and I need to do 2-UP landscape 
printing for the "detail" pages, and 1-UP portrait printing for the 
"summary" (front) page.

With DDS, I can print the logo's with PAGSEG, but I can't rotate them to 
landscape.  The pie charts can be handled with GDF, and the boxes with 
LINE and BOX.  Shading is a puzzler: do I use a PAGSEG that is, say, 50% 
grey screen?  The floating element requirement means that I have to 
calculate how far down the page everything I print falls, including 
"normal" text:  If I print 3 lines at 6lpi, I accumulate .5 inches so I 
know where the graphical elements can go.

DDS won't allow me to easily to N-UP printing, but FORMDF has N-UP as a  
parameter...  thus my question!
Anybody got any hints?
Buck Calabro
Commsoft, Albany, NY

Dear Buck,

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.

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.

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. 

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.

HTH

/Paul
--
Paul Tykodi, Technical Director                 E-mail: pault@praim.com
Praim Inc.                                           Tel: 603-431-0606
140 Congress St., #2                                Fax: 603-436-6432
Portsmouth, NH  03801-4019


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