Preparing files for viewing

Using ACIF to prepare files for viewing shows the steps that you can take to prepare files for viewing with the AFP Workbench Viewer:

  1. The process begins with your application (1), which is the program that processes your print data.
  2. Your application creates your print data (2a) and optionally creates ACIF processing parameters (2b). Resources are stored in the InfoPrint Manager or RICOH ProcessDirector resource libraries (2c).
  3. You run ACIF (3), specifying that it create the index object file (3a), the AFP document (3b), and the resource file (3c).
  4. For optimal performance in locating pages in a file, you concatenate (4) the index object file to the AFP document. If the resources used by the document are not present on the workstation where the AFP Workbench Viewer is installed, you concatenate the resource file to the AFP document file. The order of concatenation must be shown as in Using ACIF to prepare files for viewing, with the document file concatenated last.
  5. Transfer (5) the needed files in binary format to the workstation.
  6. Using the AFP Workbench Viewer, view (6) your indexed document. You can also print the document from the AFP Workbench Viewer.

Using ACIF to prepare files for viewing

This figure shows the path that data takes when you are preparing files for viewing and illustrates the scenario that is described in the text. The flow starts at a box that is labeled Your Application (1) with arrows going to containers for your print data (2a), ACIF processing parameters (2b), and resource libraries (2c). Arrows from those containers then go to the ACIF box (3). From ACIF, arrows go to index object file (3a), AFP document (3b), and resource file (3c) containers. From those containers, arrows go to an optional concatenation of files box (4) so you can concatenate the index object file and the resource file to the AFP document file. An arrow then goes to the transfer files in binary format box (5) so they can be viewed on the workstation (6).

Parent topic: Scenarios for processing ACIF files