Re: SPOOLED_FILE_DATA table function

I haven't read the entire thread so apologies if this is duplicate
information.

The three ways we do this natively:

1. OVRPRTF printer-file-name DEVTYPE(*AFPDS) TOSTMF(&PDFNAME) WSCST(*PDF)
CALL program
DLTOVR
You can also play with page size, lpi, cpi, margins, etc.
Eg. PAGESIZE(11 8.5 *UOM) LPI(6) CPI(12) FRONTMGN(0 .5)

2. If the spooled file is already created:
CPYSPLF spooled-file-name TOFILE(*TOSTMF) SPLNBR(*LAST) TOSTMF(&PDFNAME)
WSCST(*PDF) STMFOPT(*REPACE)

3. If the spooled file is already created:
SQL - this is something I used so you can ignore my values and replace with
your own.

VALUES
SYSTOOLS.GENERATE_PDF(
JOB_NAME => '942614/COMPOPR/ETHA11', SPOOLED_FILE_NAME =>
'QPJOBLOG', SPOOLED_FILE_NUMBER => 77,
PATH_NAME => '/home/GLENN/942614_COMPOPR_ETHA11_QPJOBLOG_77');

Here is the IBM page:
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.4.0?topic=services-generate-pdf-scalar-function

Yours truly,

Glenn Gundermann
Email: glenn.gundermann@xxxxxxxxx
Cell: (416) 317-3144




On Fri, 2 Jan 2026 at 14:25, <smith5646midrange@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Again, I am looking for a programmable way to "read" an existing spoolfile
in an outq and generate a .pdf in the IFS. I thought I would use the SQL
function instead of CPYSPLF because I thought it would eliminate the temp
file.

By the "already tools to do this" comment, I was referring to packages
that other companies have written and are selling. As for your comment
about not using CPYSPLF because someone wrote it, should I also continue to
do DSPFFD to an outfile and read that instead of using SYSCOLUMNS?
Sometimes there are easier, more efficient ways to do things than the way
there were done 20 years ago and that was what I thought this SQL function
would be.

I am going to look into Mark's response to use CPYSPLF *TOSTMF to see if
it does what I need it to do.


-----Original Message-----
From: MIDRANGE-L <midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Rob
Berendt
Sent: Friday, January 2, 2026 5:49 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: SPOOLED_FILE_DATA table function

If you have 5770-TS1 loaded (a freebie) you get this PDF generation for
free. Ignoring it because it's a tool someone else wrote would be like
ignoring CPYSPLF because someone else wrote that.

On Thu, Jan 1, 2026 at 4:31 PM <smith5646midrange@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Unfortunately, everyone jumped on the "underline" and not the "bold".
:( The case I am dealing with is they are using it for bold print. If
they want to highlight a value, they reprint the line (no advance)
with only that value included and that specific value is bolded.

The exercise was to take a normal spoolfile sitting in an OUTQ and
reproduce it as a .pdf in an IFS folder for later download. Yes,
there are already tools to do this but you don't learn anything by
using a tool that someone else wrote. I was just trying to use the
SQL "not so new" tools that are being created for us by IBM. It seems
this particular function is lacking some of the capabilities of CPYSPLF

like FCFC information.

However, now that I have retrieved the code and see it is doing the
same CPYSPLF under the covers, I have to wonder...why bother other
than to learn how to create my own function.

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