Considerations and restrictions when using line data

Application considerations

To use line data, first determine whether your application generates an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) control character in column 1 of your spooled output. If your application does generate an ANSI control character as described, specify CTLCHAR(*FCFC) and DEVTYPE(*LINE) on the printer file.

If your application does not generate an ANSI control character in column 1 of your spooled output, change your application to do so. To change your application, use a language or application construct (such as a SKIP or SPACE option on a COBOL WRITE statement), or make an RPG output specification. If your application cannot generate ANSI control characters, specify CTLCHAR(*NONE) and DEVTYPE(*LINE) on your printer file. The operating system will use control information to generate machine code control characters in your data.

Specifying a page definition and form definition

When using line data, you can specify various combinations of DEVTYPE(*LINE), PAGDFN, and FORMDF parameters on the printer file:

If you specify DEVTYPE(*LINE), PAGDFN and FORMDF

When you print to an Advanced Function Presentation™ (AFP™) printer, Print Services Facility™ (PSF) uses the PAGDFN and FORMDF parameters to transform the data to Intelligent Printer Data Stream™ (IPDS™).

When you print to a non-AFP printer, the PAGDFN and FORMDF parameters are ignored. The other parameters on the printer file are used and the line data is transformed to IPDS or SNA Character Stream (SCS).

If you specify DEVTYPE(*LINE) and FORMDF (no page definition)

When you print to an AFP printer, an inline page definition is built from the printer file parameters. PSF uses the form definition and the inline page definition to transform the data to IPDS.

When you print to a non-AFP printer, the FORMDF parameter is ignored. The other printer file parameters are used and the line data is transformed to IPDS or SCS.

If you specify DEVTYPE(*LINE) and PAGDFN (no form definition)

When you print to an AFP printer, an inline form definition is built from the printer file parameters. PSF uses the page definition and the inline form definition to transform the data to IPDS.

When you print to a non-AFP printer, the PAGDFN parameter is ignored. The other printer file parameters are used and the line data is transformed to IPDS or SCS.

If you specify DEVTYPE(*LINE) only (no page definition or form definition)

When you print to an AFP printer, an inline page definition and an inline form definition are built from the printer file parameters. PSF uses the inline form definition and the inline page definition to transform the data to IPDS.

When you print to a non-AFP printer, the printer file parameters are used and the line data is transformed to IPDS or SCS.

When specifying DEVTYPE(*AFPDSLINE)

The support for combinations of DEVTYPE(*AFPDSLINE), PAGDFN, and FORMDF are similar to DEVTYPE(*LINE) line data. However, you should be aware of these exceptions:

• The spooled file must be printed on an AFP printer. When you send data to a non-AFP printer, the data cannot be transformed to IPDS or to SCS.
• You are not required to specify a page definition or form definition with *AFPDSLINE data because they can be built inline. However, certain Advanced Function Presentation data stream (AFPDS) commands in the data stream (for example, Invoke Medium Map) might reference named structured fields in the page definition or form definition that do not match those in the inline page definition and form definition.

Supported DDS keywords

Below is a list of Data description specifications (DDS) keywords that are supported for line data. If you use DDS keywords that are not included on this list while processing line data, they will be ignored.

• ALIAS
• BLKFOLD
• CCSID
• DATE
• DATFMT
• DATSEP
• DFT
• DLTEDT
• EDTCDE
• EDTWRD
• FLTFIXDEC
• FLTPCN
• IGCALTTYP
• IGCANKCNV
• INDARA
• INDTXT
• INVDTAMAP
• MSGCON
• PAGNBR
• REF
• REFFLD
• SKIPA
• SKIPB
• SPACEA
• SPACEB
• TEXT
• TIME
• TIMFMT
• TIMSEP

Restrictions when using line data or mixed data

• Externally described printer files (DDS SUPPORT) support both line and mixed data device types.
• In the printer file, if you specify *LINE or *AFPDSLINE for device type, you cannot specify SPOOL(*NO). If you specify one of these combinations, Message CPD7341, indicating the value SPOOL(*NO) is not valid with device type, is issued.