Re: Generic spooled file concept

On Windows it is easy to select the printer (if installed) you want to
send your Word or Excel document to at print time. I believe that
causes the perception that changing printing is easy. If you have
Adobe PRO installed, or some other utility you can even select
changing your output to that PDF that is so desired. How easy is it
to do that before you print that accounting report from the i/as/400
realm?

Jim

On Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 5:41 PM, Tom Liotta <qsrvbas@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I'm not looking for serious technical info on this since I can do
most of the stuff on i that I want to do. What I'm looking for is
some illumination. Just trying to understand mind-sets.

I regularly see requests about how to move or copy or display (or
whatever) "our AS/400 reports" on Windows PCs. I'm pretty sure most
of us have seen related requests.

How often do requests happen like "How can I move (or copy or
display or whatever) my Windows spooled files on another PC (or
wherever)?"

I don't think I've personally ever seen a request for anything like
what I see for spooled files from AS/400s.

Sure, everybody wants PDFs from everything; but, for those, it
doesn't really matter what system is involved. I'm interested in
hearing about requests for the actual spooled files themselves.

Does anybody see those kinds of requests for other platforms? Are
there solutions that are anything like either CPYSPLF or the spooled
file APIs to help with those requests? (If there are, can anybody
supply some links?)

If not, why does the request show up for AS/400s?

Every rare once in a while, I've supplied an answer like "Do it just
like you'd do it under Windows except use your AS/400 APIs instead
of the Windows APIs." Most often, the response is something like
"Windows spools printed output? Windows has print queues? Huh??"

So, why the apparent expectation that it's supposed to be easy on
AS/400s?

Just curious...

Tom Liotta

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Tom Liotta
The PowerTech Group, Inc.
19426 68th Avenue South
Kent, WA 98032
Phone 253-872-7788 x313
253-479-1416
Fax 253-872-7904
http://www.powertech.com
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