IBM Infoprint Manager for Windows NT and Windows 2000: PPFA Readme
This readme contains the following information for the Page Printer
Formatting Aid (PPFA) product that runs on Infoprint Manager for Windows NT
and Windows 2000:
PPFA is a batch program. You enter the PPFA command at the command
prompt with the location of the PPFA source code and the destination of the
output (such as form definitions, page definitions, and listings) from the
PPFA command. You must specify the location of the PPFA source code,
but everything else defaults.
The PPFA CD-ROM contains the following:
- ppfa_setup.cmd
- This readme (readme.pdf or readme.htm)
- Disk 1 folder that contains:
- PPFA executable
- IBM Page Printer Formatting Aid: User's Guide
- Note:
- You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the User's
Guide. Visit Adobe's website at www.adobe.com
for a free download.
- Source code samples
If you do not have PPFA installed, you must install it from the
LCD4-1913-01 CD-ROM and then install the updated version from the
LCD4-1913-02 CD-ROM.
Use the following installation instructions to install the base PPFA from
the LCD4-1913-01 CD-ROM:
- Insert the LCD4-1913-01 CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive. The
installation starts automatically if you have autorun enabled.
If you do not have autorun enable, type the following on the command
line:
D:\setup
Where D: is the drive letter where you inserted the PPFA
CD-ROM.
- Follow the installation instructions.
- The installation wizard asks you for your User Name, Organization, and
Setup Type:
- If you select the complete Setup Type, the base directory will
be C:\Program Fiels\IBM Printing Systems\PPFA; the
User's Guide and the ppfarme.pdf
are installed in the base directory; and the PPFA executable is installed
in c:\Program Files\IBM Printing Systems\PPFA\bin.
- If you select the custom Setup Type, you may choose the base directory and
whether to install the User's Guide and the readme.
- Source for 172 sample formdefs and pagedefs are installed in
c:\Program Files\IBM Printing Systems\PPFA\samples.
- The PPFA executable is installed in c:\Program Files\IBM
Printing Systems\PPFA\bin
- If you select Custom Setup Type, you may choose the base
directory and whether to include the User's Guide and the
ppfarme.pdf.
Use the following installation instructions to install the updated version
of PPFA from the LCD4-1913-02 CD-ROM:
- Insert the LCD4-1913-02 CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive. The
installation does not start automatically. From a DOS
prompt, change to the CD-ROM drive where you inserted the CD-ROM, type
ppfa_setup, and press Enter.
- Follow the installation instructions.
- Source for 172 sample formdefs and pagedefs are installed in
c:\Program Files\IBM Printing Systems\PPFA\samples.
- The PPFA executable is installed in c:\Program Files\IBM
Printing Systems\PPFA\bin
Use the following instructions to uninstall PPFA:
- Click Start-->Settings-->Control Panel
- Double-click on Add/Remove Programs.
- Select the Install/Uninstall tab, then select Page Printer
Formatting Aid from the list, and click the Add/Remove
button.
You can access the PPFA command prompt window in two ways:
-
- Click Start-->Select Programs-->IBM
PPFA-->Page Printer Formatting Aid, which display the prompt
window and sets the path.
- Change the current directory to your PPFA source directory.
-
- Click Start-->Select Command Prompt.
- Add the location of ppfa.exe to the path for the
window.
The ppfa command creates form definitions and page definitions
on the NT operating system. After they are created, you can transfer
the form definitions and page definitions to other operating systems (such as
OS/390, VM, or VSE) to use as AFP resources.
ppfa [ -fpath.ext ] [
-ppath.ext ] [
-spath.ext ] [ -x ]
inputfile
You can specify these flags and values with the ppfa
command.
- inputfile
- The file containing the PPFA source statements to be
"processed".
- -fpath.ext
- Add path and extension information to the names of form definitions
generated by PPFA. (The actual formdef name comes from the FORMDEF
command in the PPFA source code.)
- -ppath.ext
- Add path and extension information to the names of page definitions
generated by PPFA. (The actual pagedef name comes from the PAGEDEF
command in the PPFA source code.)
- -spath.ext
- Add path and extension information to the listing file. The
name of the listing file will be the same as the name of the
inputfile.
Thus, for "FORMDEF name" when PPFA was invoked with:
ppfa -fpath.ext infile it generates form definition:
\path\F1NAME.ext
Also, for "PAGEDEF name" when PPFA was invoked with:
ppfa -p\root\abc\def.xyz.nnn infile
it generates page definition:
\root\abc\def.xyz\P1NAME.nnn
In another example, if you enter:
ppfa -pabc\def.xyz input.file
and it has a PAGEDEF statement in the source, then the page definition
created will be either:
abc\def\P1NAME.xyz
or
.\abc\def\P1NAME.xyz
However, if you enter:
ppfa -p\abc\def.xyz input.file
PPFA generates the file:
\abc\def\P1NAME.xyz
not
.\abc\def\P1NAME.xyz
- -x
- Causes ppfa to interpret information found in columns 1-72 of
the inputfile. The information in the rest of the columns will
be ignored. This is useful if you are downloading a Fixed-80 file from
the host.
- To create a form definition from an input file called johnb in
the current library containing the PPFA source statements, enter:
ppfa johnb
The generated form definition is stored in the current library.
- To create a form definition from an input file called maryc
containing the PPFA source statements, and then storing the generated form
definition in the /usr/lpp/resources library, enter:
ppfa -f\usr\lpp\resources maryc