What is line data?

Line data is simply unformatted data; data with few or no embedded control characters to create font changes, page breaks, and so on. The term line data can cover a variety of data streams, such as:

  • Traditional line printer format, also called 1403 format
  • Unformatted ASCII files without escape sequences
  • DBCS (double-byte character set) ASCII files generated for an IBM 5577 or 5587.
    Note:
  1. The line2afp transform does not handle DBCS ASCII files. For this type of input, use the db2afp transform.
  2. ACIF accepts EBCDIC DBCS line data files that use SOSI (shift-out/shift-in) characters. ACIF must be coded with the PRMODE control statement set to SOSI1, SOSI2 or SOSI3, as documented in the ACIF User's Guide.

Line data is typically created by an application program. For example, an application might produce a bank statement that has line data indicating an account's daily balance.

The InfoPrint line-data transform lets you format these kinds of data with a page definition and form definition for printing on InfoPrint-managed printer devices:

  • S\370 line-mode data

    This type of line data was originally designed for a 1403 printer, is typically generated on a S\370 host processor, and is usually EBCDIC characters with embedded control characters (carriage control, table reference characters, and so on). This type of line data can have double-byte code points and shift in\shift out controls.

  • Mixed-mode data

    S\370 line-mode data embedded with certain AFP structured fields (for example, Include Page Segment)

  • Single-byte ASCII data with no embedded control characters except for newlines.
  • Single-byte ASCII data that contains ANSI carriage-control characters, table-reference characters, or both.
  • Single-byte ASCII data that contains carriage returns and form feed controls, if you specify the asciinp or asciinpe user-exit program.

When you transform the line-data job, you must specify a page definition and a form definition. For more information about the page definitions and form definitions available to you, see RICOH InfoPrint Manager: Reference. For more information about associating page definitions and form definitions with jobs, see the online help in the InfoPrint Manager Administration GUI.

    Note:
  1. You cannot use the line-data transform when printing files containing Proprinter ASCII.
  2. When the line2afp command processes any unrecognized or unsupported keyword, line2afp issues a message, ignores the keyword, and continues processing any remaining keywords. The line2afp command then stops processing.
  3. InfoPrint Manager also lets you transform and print DBCS ASCII data and DBCS EUC data without a page definition. For more information, see the db2afp command in RICOH InfoPrint Manager: Reference.
Parent topic: Working with the transform for line data