Output record exit

Using the output-record exit, you can modify or ignore the records the line-data transform writes into the output file. The program invoked at this exit is defined by the outexit keyword of the line2afp command.

The exit receives control before a record (structured field) is written to the output document file. The exit can request that the record be ignored or processed. The largest record that the exit can process is 32752 bytes, not including the record descriptor word. The exit is not called when the line-data transform is processing resources.

Sample output record exit C language header contains a sample C language header that describes the control block passed to the exit program.

typedef struct _OUTEXIT_PARMS /* Parameters for resource record exit  */
{
   char           *work;      /* Address of 16-byte static work area  */
   PFATTR         *pfattr;    /* Address of print file attribute      */
                              /* information                          */
   char           *record;    /* Address of the record to be written  */
   unsigned short recordln;   /* Length of the output record          */
   char           request;    /* Delete or process the record         */
   char           eof;        /* Last call indicator                  */
  }OUTEXIT_PARMS;                                  

The address of the control block containing these parameters is passed to the output record exit:

work (Bytes 1–4)

A pointer to a static, 16-byte memory block. The exit program can use this parameter to save information across calls (for example, pointers to work areas). The 16-byte work area is aligned on a full word boundary and is initialized to binary zeros before the first call. A user-written exit program must provide the code required to manage this work area.

pfattr (Bytes 5–8)

A pointer to the print file attribute data structure. See Attributes of the line-data input file for more information about the format of this data structure and the information it contains.

record (Bytes 9–12)

A pointer to the first byte of the output record. The record is located in a 32KB (where KB equals 1024 bytes) buffer. The buffer is located in storage allocated by the line-data transform, but the exit program is allowed to modify the output record.

recordln (Bytes 13–14)

Specifies the length, in bytes, of the output record. If the output record is modified, this parameter must also be updated to reflect the actual length of the record.

request (Byte 15)

Specifies how the line-data transform processes the record. On entry to the exit program, this parameter is X'00'. When the exit program returns control to the line-data transform, this parameter must have the value X'00' or X'01', where:

X'00'

Specifies that the line-data transform should process the record.

X'01'

Specifies that the line-data transform should ignore the record.

A value of X'00' on entry to the exit program specifies that the record be processed. If you want to ignore the record, change the request byte value to X'01'. Any value greater than X'01' is interpreted as X'00'; the exit processes the record.

Note: Only one record can reside in the buffer at any time.

eof (Byte 16)

An end-of-file (eof) indicator. This indicator is a one-byte character code that signals when the line-data transform has finished writing the output file.

When eof is signaled (eof value=‘Y’), the last record has already been presented to the output exit. The pointer record is no longer valid. Records cannot be inserted after eof is signaled. These are the only valid values for this parameter:

Y

Specifies that the last record has been written.

N

Specifies that the last record has not been written.

This end-of-file flag, used as a last-call indicator, allows the exit program to return control to the line-data transform. The exit program cannot change this parameter.