Re: Iseries: display form on screen AND button to print the form -- MIDRANGE-L

If user is using a browser - then you can use rpg & dds to create an *afpds
spooled file, convert it to .pdf (into an ifs file) with one of several very
inexpensive tools
(i use gumbosoftware's spooltool) or ibm's new infoprint server. Then direct
the browser to that file on your as400 ifs. The rpg is the same, the dds has
keywords for
barcode, lines, boxes, fonts, images or use Acom or Create Print or IBM's
Infoprint Design tool. Anyone who prints on the web has the free Adobe
Acrobat Reader to display/print .pdf. I have a site generating hundreds of
reports a day. Each taking 1-2 seconds.
>Can they also display the form to a user on a screen?
The display of the "web page" is separate from the generation of the print
file (in any language) unless someone has figured out barcode in html.
You could use many different tools, from RPGIV and html for cgi processing
(tools could be as basic as SEU and Brad Stones e-RPG book, IBM's free
CGIDEV2, Websmart, Lansa, and many others), or newer stuff Joe mentioned in
prev post.
If this is your 1st web project, you need to do some long range thinking.
There are multiple ways to do this, some harder than others. It usually
comes down to budget, time to deliver, and current skills.

>> What tools are available in the AS/400 world to accomplish these basic
> functions that I see in so many non-AS/400 web pages.
Very curious exactly what you want to print. Even without .pdf, you can
generate an html page that looks great, and the print button comes with the
browser, not the platform running the server. But if you want very strict,
aligned, consistent print, in just about any browser - pdf is the standard.
hth
jim

----- Original Message -----
From: "Stone, Joel" <StoneJ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2003 5:21 PM
Subject: Iseries: display form on screen AND button to print the form


> Is there a programming method using an AS/400 (Iseries) to display a form
on
> a screen?  For example an invoice form.  The form must have typical form
> elements, such as horizontal & verticle lines, a logo, various font sizes,
> and a bar code or two.
>
> On top of these requirements, I want to give the user the option of
printing
> the form.  It must print as a good-looking document, not a "print-screen"
> type document.  ie the program must do a good job of placing lines,
various
> font sizes, and bar codes in the proper places on an industry-standard
(HP)
> printer.
>
> I have seen products like ACOM and Create!Print - I know they can handle
> reports.  Can they also display the form to a user on a screen?
>
> How can I do the above natively from RPG (or any language) on the AS/400
in
> a native fashion?  ie so I can program neatly as opposed to creating a
spool
> file with font change codes that run thru another processor?
>
> I would like to use a browser so anyone on the internet can display and
> print reports. Is this possible?
>
> What tools are available in the AS/400 world to accomplish these basic
> functions that I see in so many non-AS/400 web pages.
>
> Thanks in advance for any info!!
>
>
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