Unformatted ASCII data

Unformatted ASCII data is generated in AIX and Windows environments and is a type of line data that does not contain escape sequences. Unformatted ASCII data can have these characteristics:

  • No embedded control characters except for newlines
  • American National Standards Institute (ANSI) carriage control characters, table reference characters, or both
  • Carriage returns and form feed controls

ACIF formats unformatted ASCII data by using a page definition resource. ASCII data that contains control characters (or escape sequences) for the IBM Proprinter and Quietwriter does not need to be formatted by ACIF. Unformatted ASCII data can also be submitted for printing with InfoPrint Manager without being converted by ACIF, but the output format is predetermined (for example, by using a Proprinter emulation font and 60 lines per page).

A page definition can be created for use with an unformatted ASCII file to allow the use of AFP functions, such as varied print directions, multiple-up printing, and different fonts in the output format. You can use Page Printer Formatting Aid (PPFA) to create your own page definitions. PPFA is a separately orderable feature of InfoPrint Manager. For information about how to create page definitions by using PPFA, see Page Printer Formatting Aid: User's Guide, S550-0801.

Parent topic: Converting data streams