Introducing Page Printer Formatting Aid

Page Printer Formatting Aid is a program that enables users of Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) products to create their own formatting resources, called form definitions and page definitions. The form definitions and page definitions are stored in libraries as AFP resources. (For the purposes of this book, the term library includes Windows directories and VM files.) Using AFP resources requires IBM Print Services Facility (PSF), AFP Conversion and Indexing Facility (ACIF), or InfoPrint Manager licensed programs or features, which merge resources with user data files. This merging creates a data stream for printing or viewing.

Using a form definition or a page definition created by PPFA requires you to perform three steps:

  1. Write a set of PPFA commands that define how to position the data or handle the physical sheets.
  2. Run PPFA to build the specified page definition or form definition and store the output as resources in a library.
  3. Submit the print file using your print server, specifying the page definition and form definition needed to accomplish the desired results.

Note: Not all functions provided by PPFA are supported in all printers and printer server licensed programs. Refer to the information for the printer and printer server licensed program that you are using to determine which functions are supported.

In this section:

  1. Summary of a Form Definition
  2. Summary of a Page Definition
  3. Formatting Output of Different Data File Types
  4. PPFA Concepts
  5. PPFA Basic Terms
  6. Definitions of Command, Subcommand, and Parameter
  7. Basic Controls in Traditional Line Data
  8. Basic Controls in Record Format Line Data
  9. Structured Fields in Line Data
  10. Normal Duplex and Tumble Duplex
Parent topic: What Is PPFA?