Syntax rules for ACIF

These general syntax rules are used for ACIF parameter files:

• Blank characters that are inserted between parameters, values, and symbols are allowed, but ignored. For example, specifying:

    FORMDEF  =  F1TEMP
        PAGEDEF =   P1PROD
  INDEX1  = FIELD1 , FIELD2 ,   FIELD3

  is equivalent to specifying:

  FORMDEF=F1TEMP
  PAGEDEF=P1PROD
  INDEX1=FIELD1,FIELD2,FIELD3

• When ACIF processes any unrecognized or unsupported parameter, it issues a message, ignores the parameter, and continues processing any remaining parameters until the end of the file, at which time it ends processing.
• If the same parameter is specified more than one time, ACIF uses the last value specified. For example, if these parameters are specified:

  CPGID=037
  CPGID=395

  ACIF uses code page 395.

• Comments must be specified by using /* as the beginning delimiter. For example:

  FORMDEF=F1TEMP  /* Temporary FORMDEF
  FORMDEF=F1PROD  /* Production-level FORMDEF

  Comments can appear anywhere, but ACIF ignores all information in the record that follows the /* character string.

• Although ACIF supports parameter values that span multiple records, it does not support multiple parameters in a single record. For example:

  CHARS=X0GT10 CCTYPE=A  /* This is not allowed.

You can enter ACIF parameters with the acif or line2afp command, in a parameter file, or both. If both are used, the value that is specified in the parameter file overrides the value that is specified with the acif or line2afp command.

To use a parameter file in AIX or Windows, specify the parameter file name with the acif command and the PARMDD parameter. For example, to use a parameter file that is named PARMFILE, specify:

acif parmdd=PARMFILE

When you are using ACIF with RICOH ProcessDirector, keep these items in mind:

• The line2afp command is called from within a step in a job type.
• A control file template uses symbol formulas for RICOH ProcessDirector job properties to set ACIF parameter values for the line2afp command. For example, FILEFORMAT=${Job.Line2AFP.FILEFORMAT}, sets the value of the FILEFORMAT parameter that the line2afp command uses to the value of the Job.Line2AFP.FILEFORMAT job property. You can also specify ACIF parameters in the control file template that do not have symbol formulas for job properties; for example, FDEFLIB=\acif\resources.

See the RICOH Software Information Center at https://help.ricohsoftware.com/swinfocenter for more information.

The acif command expects to receive the syntax exactly as shown in ACIF Parameters. For example, acif expects to receive literal single quotation mark characters for the field, index, and trigger parameters. In order for ACIF to receive these single quotation mark characters, you must escape the quotation mark characters so that your shell does not parse them. The way that you escape quotation mark characters depends on the shell you are using. If you need guidance in passing the acif command parameter syntax through the shell, see the documentation in AIX Commands Reference for the shell you are using.

Though the parameters themselves are not case-sensitive, associated values, such as file names, attribute names, and directory names in AIX, are case-sensitive. Be sure to specify these values in the case in which they exist in the file system (for external resources) or in the print file (for inline resources). For example,

• formdef=F1MINE

is not the same as

• formdef=f1mine

In Windows, ACIF can process path names that are specified in a PARMDD file with either forward "/" or backward "\" slashes. This allows parameter files to be interchanged among AIX, Linux, and Windows operating systems. For example,

• fontlib=/my/afp/fonts

or

• fontlib=\my\afp\fonts

However, in AIX and Linux, ACIF can only process path names that are specified with forward "/" slashes.

Also, be sure that you do not end the path name with a : or ; delimiter. For example, ACIF cannot process:

• fontlib=/my/afp/fonts:

or

• fontlib=/my/afp/fonts;