Manual InterForm400 English 2023

The section below describes how to add a new output queue to be monitored by Auto Forms Control.

 

It is highly recommended to consider to use an AFC template, if you have multiple printers.

 

If you want to monitor a new output queue, you first need to create the output queue first e.g. with the command: CRTOUTQ QUSRSYS/PRT01_IN. After that you can add this output queue to the list of monitored output queues. To do that you should select option 1. Functions attached to Output Queues from the Auto Forms Control menu:

 

If a monitor job for the specific output queue is active, then the status is *ACTIVE - unless the AFC Error monitor is monitoring this job, then the status of the active job is *ACTMON.

 

Here you can add a new output queue to the list with F6=Create:

 

 

If you change any of the settings above for an active AFC job, then you need to stop and start the related AFC job. Stop and start is also necessary if you add, change or delete AFC functions in a referenced AFC template.

 

If you add, change or delete AFC functions for the AFC output queue, then you do not need to stop and start the AFC job.

 

When you hit Enter, you see the AFC functions  defined for this output queue.

 

The fields above are:

 

Output Queue                

Name of output queue, AFC should be monitoring for incoming spool files (INPUT QUEUE). The output queue you intend to use for AFC functions should not have a printer device attached (unless it is a shared output queue). The reason for this is that the AFC sub system only works on spooled files that gets the status *RDY in the queue. If the queue also had a printer device attached, you could risk that the jobs would be printed, before the AFC system managed to complete its automatic functions.

 

Library

The library in which the output queue above is placed.

 

Description

For your own information.

 

Autostart job                

If Y is entered the monitor for this queue will be run, when the subsystem AUTO_FORM is started.

If N is entered the monitor job has to be started manually with option 8 on the AFC menu.

 

Code page

This defines if a specific code page should be forced for the spooled files processed by this AFC output queue definition. *SYSVAL means that the default code page specified for the system will be used, unless a specific code page is defined as attribute for the spooled file.

 

When to use code page

With *SPLATR the code page specified above is usually used - unless the incoming spooled file has a specific code page. If so then the spooled file code page is used instead.

With *ALWAYS the code page above is ALWAYS used for e.g. merges independently of the code page setting of the original spooled file.

 

Default Output Output Queue and Printer Type

The use of a default output output queue and printer type is a prerequisite for the use of templates in AFC, which is highly recommended.

 

Output Queue/Library

A default output queue for the result of e.g.  AFC merges can be entered here. This queue will be used for the AFC definition print merges having *DEFAULT as keyword for the output queue and printer type.  You can overrule the output queue and printer type below in the merge function.

 

If these fields are left blank, the keyword *DEFAULT will not be accessible in the AFC definition lines, i.e. a specific output queue and printer type must be entered for each merge into print in AFC definitions.

 

Printer Type

Same functionality as above, but for Printer Type.

                 

Template AFC-definition:

Output Queue/Library                

If you want the reuse the same functions for multiple output queues/printers, then you should consider to use a template output queue. The use of a template output queue is highly recommended for customers, that have more than just a couple of printers.

 

If these options are filled in, the same spool entry will be processed by the AFC definitions defined for the output queue stated here. This is done immediately after the processing of this set of AFC definitions, as if the other queues AFC definitions were placed in direct extension to these queues definitions.

Note that if the AFC definition 9=Exit is executed in the original queue, the spool file will not be processed by the AFC definitions for the queue stated here.

 

This option is especially relevant when several printers should have the same AFC definition. A Template AFC definition can be made, which then can be referred to from other AFC defintions.

 

Additional parameters

After entering the output queue you can press F10 to insert or change additional parameters:

 

 

The additional parameters (for which normally the default values will work fine) are:

 

Job name

The contents of the field job name AUTO_FORM job is used as name for the job in the subsystem, which performs the automatic functions. It is recommended to use the same name as used for the output queue.

 

Job Description        

With *DEFAULT it refers to the job description APF3812/AUTO_FORM. DO NOT change this job description or any other object in the APF3812 as the change will not be copied over to the new version. If you need to use a job description with other specifications then use another one placed in another library than APF3812.

                 

Requirements:

The user that change this parameter must have:

*OBJMGT authority for the Job description.

*EXECUTE authority to the library of the job description

*READ authority to the user profile: AFCOPER.

The AFCOPER user profile must have:

*USE authority for the job description

*EXECUTE authority to the library of the job description

 

Library                        

Library where the job description is placed.

 

Library list option        

How to build up the library list.

*JOBD will refer to the initial library list parameter, INLLIBL of the job description used.

*CURRENT will use the same library list as the current job starting the AFC job. The current job is AFCSTART, when starting with the subsystem, but if you start the job manually the library list may be different, so use this value with care...

*SYSVAL tells InterForm400 to use the system library list for the AFC job.

*NONE means, that the library list of the job is empty.

 

Use spooled file code page as job CCSID                

Normally the CCSID of the AFC jobs is the same as the system value (with the value *NO) , but if you change the value from *NO (which is default) into *YES the spooled file code page is used as the jobs CCSID. This means that if you are running several codepages on the same machine you can now let the user programs called by Auto Forms Control run under the CCSID indicated by the spooled file that triggered the call. This can e.g. be used, if you want to use email addresses found via an email exit program for an email finish definition.

If you state *YES and the spooled file has no specific code page (e.g. *DEVD) then the CCSID of the job is set to the code page specified for the AFC output queue.

 

Separator drawer        

Sets the default separator drawer i.e. from what paper drawer in the printer the separator page will be printed. This is activated via the 1=Merge with overlay command in AFC - if it has the value *DEFAULT as the separator drawer. The separator page contains the following information:

 

 Output from InterForm400 merge    

 

     Overlay name  . . . . : IF400DEMO

       File set  . . . . . :   SAMPLE

     Primary / secondary . : *PRI

     Copies  . . . . . . . : 001

 

Input spooled file:

 

     *.Jobname . . . . . . : QPADEV0002

     *.Userprofile . . . . : KSE

     *.Jobnumber . . . . . : 092247

     *.Date  . . . . . . . : 2018-04-25

     *.Time  . . . . . . . : 02:40:15

     *.Filename  . . . . . : QPRINT

     *.Filenumber  . . . . : 0004

     *.Number of pages . . : 0000007

    Kim Egekjaer

 

Set this to *NONE, if you want to avoid the separator page.

 

 

DBCS code page        

(Prompt with F4 to list valid DBCS codepages.) If any DBCS characters is found in the spooled file then the code page specified here will be used - unless the spooled file has a explicit DBCS code page then the next value determines the code page to use:

 

When to use DBCS code page

Possible values are:

*SPLFATR: The DBCS code page above is always used for any DBCS characters in the spooled files - unless the spooled file has a specific DBCS code page specified in CHRID - then this is used instead.

*ALWAYS: The code page of the spooled file is ignored for DBCS characters and the DBCS code page above is always used when a DBCS spooled file is detected.