Transforming IPDS data to PDF

IPDS-to-PDF transform support, also called the PDF subsystem, is an IBM® Infoprint Server for iSeries function that lets you generate Portable Document Format (PDF) files or Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) files (for spooling only) from AFP, SNA character string (SCS), or Intelligent Printer Data Stream (IPDS) spooled files.

Intelligent routing is then used to route the output file. Intelligent routing is the ability to take the entire spooled file or any segment of the input spooled file and do any combination of these:

  • Generate a PDF file and send it as an e-mail attachment.
  • Generate a PDF file and store it as a stream file in the integrated file system.
  • Generate a PDF file and spool it.
  • Generate an AFP file and spool it.

Intelligent routing is controlled by values in a PSF configuration object and a mapping program.

Note: The Print Services Facility (PSF) transform interface supports an IPDS-to-PDF transform program that emulates a TCP/IP-connected IPDS 4028, 3812, or Infoprint 40 printer device.

An IPDS-to-PDF transform that can be used with PSF is provided in the IBM Infoprint Server for iSeries product. The transform converts IPDS controls and data into PDF files. The output PDF files include text, graphics, and image data, as appropriate. The transform also stores the mail tag in a comment statement in the PDF output. The mail tag is specified in the printer file's USRDFNDTA parameter or the STRPAGGRP Data description specifications (DDS) keyword. For detailed information about the IPDS-to-PDF transform (including the user exit program), see the Infoprint Server for iSeries User's Guide. To use the transform provided in Infoprint Server, PSF is not required.

A mapping program is a user exit program specified on the PSF configuration object's PDFMAPPGM parameter. You can do these and more with a mapping program:

  • Interpret routing tags
  • Specify the subject of an e-mail
  • Add text to the beginning of an e-mail
  • Specify the path to store the PDF stream file

If you are using a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server to send the e-mail, it has additional capabilities, such as specifying carbon-copy (cc), blind-carbon-copy (bcc), and return-to e-mail addresses; specifying a file to use as the body of an e-mail; and specifying attachments.

These topics describe the main ways to access the PDF subsystem and how to specify that a PDF file is sent as e-mail: