Redirecting printer OUTQ to IFS with Overlay as a PDF

aidan2474

Member
Ok, I'll try to put as much detail without being too word'y, so here is some
background info:
The current setup is an ancient Version of Create!Form (Designer 2.7 & Create!Send 2.8), which I'm sure is no longer supported.
JDE World 7.3 on i5 OS V7R1.
The Create!Form Designer software (V2.7) is loaded on a Windows XP desktop(Latest Version of Windows it will work on) and after the overlay is designed on the XP desktop, its overlay definition is sent to the as400/i5, which has the corresponding Create!Form/Send Server application.
There is no way that the company here will buy the Create!PDF, (for many reasons), and I am just now learning about this Create!Form software.

Ok now here is the Current Printing Process : (as far as I can determine, please bear with me as I am not a Printing/OutQue expert.)
Example below is for a Work Order:
The work order is sent to the i5 OutQue (Described below MAGELDEV1) where the overlay is applied. There is a Gauss server that either picks up or has an associated/remote printer queue, and stores it as a .PDF on Gauss for anyone to lookup in SpyView. (Oh yeah, currently we have a Gauss Server, which runs an application called SpyView,.that uses work order number as an index to be looked up in SpyView). Gauss & SpyView are being decommissioned.

Here is what is needed:
So the powers that be would like ME, to store the spool file with its overlay, as a .PDF on the IFS for anyone(any other server or application) to pickup or reference. I am struggling mightily to figure out how to get the overlay applied and then store the spool file as a PDF.
I know about the CPYSPLF to a PDF and save it to the IFS, and I thought I had it all figured out with this command, but when I apply that command on a spool file in the specified Outque described below, it does not have the overlay applied in the pdf??
I thought the overlay is normally added when the document is printed, but when I look at the document in the OUTQ and tried to use the CPYSPL with PDF command the overlay is not applied, How is CreateForm different?,,Is it that CFS100 pgm on the User Data Transform parm?

Possible solutions:
Could I do an OVRPRTF command and use the user data transform program from CreateForm, to apply the overlay as its printed? how would that be done?
Or, Could I setup some type of virtual printer on the IFS or writerin the i5 to have the Outque directed to which will apply the overlay and then also the convert it to a PDF?
IDK, Ughhh!!


So here/below is an example of the Outque that is used with the Gauss server, which seems to be associated as a remote printer queue.
Like I said I am not very knowledgeable about all these printing/Outque parameters & options and how Gauss/Spyview is creating the PDF.
So any/all help and explanations of "How To's" of possible solutions is appreciated!
As I have never before setup Remote Outques or any of this User Data Transform stuff.
Also, let me know if you need any other info.

Queue: MAGELDEV1

Status:
Writer active . . . . . . . . . . . : Y
Writer name(s) if active . . . . . . : MAGELDEV1
Output queue held . . . . . . . . . : N
Maximum spooled file size:
Number of pages . . . . . . . . . . : *NONE
Starting time . . . . . . . . . . . :
Ending time . . . . . . . . . . . . :
Writers to autostart . . . . . . . . . : 1
Display any file . . . . . . . . . . . : *NO
Job separators . . . . . . . . . . . . : 0
Operator controlled . . . . . . . . . : *YES
Order of files on queue . . . . . . . : *FIFO
Data queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : *NONE
Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :
Authority to check . . . . . . . . . . : *OWNER
Remote system . . . . . . . . . . . . : KNLEGMAD
Remote printer queue . . . . . . . . . : KNLEGMAD
Queue for writer messages . . . . . . : QSYSOPR
Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : *LIBL
Connection type . . . . . . . . . . . : *IP
Destination type . . . . . . . . . . . : *OTHER
Host print transform . . . . . . . . . : *NO
User data transform . . . . . . . . . : CFS100 (I believe this is a program that is used by the Create!Form to apply the overlay. I just don't know how this parameter works.)
Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : CFSSYS270
Manufacturer type and model . . . . . : *WSCST
Workstation customizing object . . . . : HPPJLPS
Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : LASERS
Image configuration . . . . . . . . . : *NONE
Destination options . . . . . . . . . : *NONE
Print separator page . . . . . . . . . : *NO
User defined option . . . . . . . . . : *NONE
User defined object:
Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : *NONE
Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . :
Object type . . . . . . . . . . . . :
User driver program . . . . . . . . . : *NONE
Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :
Spooled file ASP . . . . . . . . . . . : *SYSTEM
Text description . . . . . . . . . . . : *BLANK
 
You are going to have to engineer your own solution to get the end result you want. Maybe someone here has done something similar and can help you with that. The old Cform version you are running on AS/400 is only capable of generating PostScript output. You will need to print the Cform PS job to a process/printer that can convert it from PostScript to PDF and then name/save the PDF to the IFS.

Your old version is still supported if your company is current with their Bottomline support contract. You would have to upgrade to the current version of Cform (version 8) in order to get the ability to generate & save PDF's directly. That would require an additional license in addition the application would no longer run directly on the AS/400. The version you are running was the last AS/400 version.

Good luck.


Karen.
 
Thank you for your reply.
Looks like I will have to start researching PS-PostScript output. The company is transitioning platforms from JDE world to Oracle and will not be spending for another license that will be going away soon.

If anyone has any other suggestions please let me know.
 
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