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SAMPLE FORM CREATION

Compiling the form

This exercise gives you practice using most of the FDL
commands discussed throughout this guide.

The next step is to compile the .FSL which produces a sample of
the form, provided there are no syntax errors.  The summary
statement also prints any errors.

After you have entered the END command, SAVE, CLEAR, and
END the editing session, as shown in figure C-10.

Figure C-10.

SAVE, CLEAR, and END commands

END;

SAVE 1STFRM.FSL

CE

FDL 1STFRM,TRA

CE is an abbreviation for CLEAR and END.

Do not be surprised if you inadvertently omit a semicolon or
misspell a word.  The system indicates where the error occurred
and you can easily go back into the form and correct the error.

If there are errors, at the 

OS1000 READY FOR COMMANDS 

message on

the LPS user interface, enter the following:

EDIT 1STFRM.FSL

The .FSL file is displayed.  When you identify where the error
occurred, modify that record, then SAVE, CLEAR, and END the
editing session.  Since this FSL already exists, use the abbreviated
method to SAVE, CLEAR, and END (SCE), as shown in figure C-
11.

Figure C-11.

SAVE, CLEAR, and END (SCE) commands

END;

SCE

FDL 1STFRM,TRA

When the form compiles error-free, your form prints successfully.
Figure C-12 illustrates the complete .FSL.  

C-6

XEROX 4050/4090/4450/4650 LPS FORMS CREATION GUIDE

Summary of Contents for 4450

Page 1: ...XEROX Xerox 4050 4090 4450 4650 Laser Printing Systems Forms Creation Guide April 1995 720P93990...

Page 2: ...s which are displayed on the screen such as icons screen displays looks etc Printed in the United States of America Publication number 720P93990 Xerox and all Xerox products mentioned in this publicat...

Page 3: ...ts 1 7 Imaging error messages 1 7 Registration shift and skew 1 7 Output performance considerations 1 9 Form origin 1 10 Positioning form elements 1 11 Grids 1 12 x and y coordinates 1 12 Predefined f...

Page 4: ...ques 4 1 Converting preprinted forms 4 1 Designing new forms 4 1 Recommended coding sequence 4 2 Syntax ambiguities 4 2 Hints and tips 4 3 Image complexity factors 4 4 Line tables 4 4 Scan line densit...

Page 5: ...mand syntax summary A 1 B System default summary B 1 C Sample form creation C 1 D FDL capacity limits D 1 E Standard print formats E 1 F Support tools and measurements F 1 G Command examples G 1 Gloss...

Page 6: ......

Page 7: ...text indicates required characters or command keywords UPPERCASE BLUE ITALICS Uppercase blue italics indicate optional parameter keywords characters or values Lowercase black italics Lowercase black i...

Page 8: ...050 4090 4450 4650 LPS Operator Guide 720P94000 Xerox 4050 4090 4450 4650 LPS Operator Instructor Training Flipcharts 720P22080 Xerox 4050 4090 4450 4650 LPS Operator Instructor Training Guide 720P220...

Page 9: ...can specify coordinates in inches centimeters or dots with a resolution of 1 300 inch in either direction Note An xdot is a 1 600 inch unit of measure that is provided with version 3 software A form...

Page 10: ...nting On a laser printing system you can change page orientation from page to page without interrupting the printing operation This capability coupled with variable character size permits maximum flex...

Page 11: ...styles such as serif and sans serif and weights such as medium and bold The Xerox LPS Standard Font Library Font User Guide lists the standard fixed and proportional fonts Font orientation In additio...

Page 12: ...these documents Custom fonts logos and signature font data also consume font memory during processing Paper Paper sizes Laser printing systems print on the following paper sizes 8 5 by 11 inch 216 by...

Page 13: ...ze of paper other than the paper size you select at sysgen This allows you to specify nonstandard paper size for specific jobs Refer to the Forms Description Language chapter and the Xerox 4050 4090 4...

Page 14: ...e printing area in some cases and can cause you to lose data which begins near or off the edge of the physical page Edgemarking is the placement of marks along the edge of the page These marks consist...

Page 15: ...gative value for the SHIFT command be sure that it is less than the value of the left margin Imaging error messages If any part of a print line originates off the system page the following message dis...

Page 16: ...w 8 5 x 11 inches a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Inboardside a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a...

Page 17: ...ion refers to one printed side of a sheet of paper The actual output performance you experience depends greatly on the processing features invoked in the job and the print density of each page Actual...

Page 18: ...nt on the LPS Form origin All forms data described by FDL commands is positioned relative to a point called the form origin as shown in figure 1 9 This point offsets from the virtual page corner by ho...

Page 19: ...f the box at the midpoint of the outline thickness Box shaded Upper left corner of the box Fixed text single line Upper left corner of the first character cell when the line appears upright to the vie...

Page 20: ...ontal position When both coordinates are given together the y coordinate is always specified first If you draw a horizontal and a vertical line through the form origin to create x and y coordinates yo...

Page 21: ...efined print description entries or formats having standard format specifications is provided on the Operating System Software OSS tapes You may use the standard formats or define your own to suit you...

Page 22: ...t the LPS merges with a form Typically this data varies from page to page Forms Refers to information that is used to print the form such as lines between columns and rows boxes and shading Forms data...

Page 23: ...electronic form file on the LPS The form can contain a variety of fonts logos and graphics and it can be merged with variable data during printing You can select any stored form for printing Command f...

Page 24: ...origin FONT Specifies which fonts to use when creating a form LINE Specifies the length position direction and thickness hairline 0 1 or 2 of lines BOX Specifies the location of the upper left corner...

Page 25: ...presented in the following order Command Syntax Parameter options Default Considerations Example Compiling and printing forms After you have entered all the FDL commands needed to describe your form...

Page 26: ...mpletely contained in the first record of the form definition Reserved words such as FORM GRID FONT TEXT BOX LOGO and so on cannot be used for the name However reserved words can be modified and used...

Page 27: ...size value Example nonstandard sizes PAPER SIZE IS 16 54 INCHES BY 11 69 INCHES Example standard sizes PAPER SIZE IS USLETTER Considerations USLETTER and USLEGAL cannot be abbreviated You can specify...

Page 28: ...GE SIZE IS n WIDE BY m HIGH Parameter options orientation LANDSCAPE The form is oriented horizontally like most paintings or photographs of landscape scenes PORTRAIT The form is oriented vertically li...

Page 29: ...entimeters represents the length of one side of a square grid unit If the value is omitted when DOTS are specified 1 is assumed If only one DOTS parameter is specified the grid unit is the same number...

Page 30: ...a blank or a comma Example FONTS UN106A UN104C UN114A Considerations Fonts must be selected using the FONT command before text can be specified FONT can be used only once When specifying multiple font...

Page 31: ...0 x 0 You can specify both x and y coordinates or just one coordinate along the y or x axis If only one coordinate is given the axis is implied in the command Symbols for coordinates The following fiv...

Page 32: ...cement from the form origin of the first or only point of origin expressed in grid units or linear units The remainder of the line command specifies the length and characteristics of a line to be draw...

Page 33: ...line are horizontal and solid The default option of REPEAT is used to repeat a horizontal line vertically and a vertical line horizontally to produce parallel lines The default number of lines to be...

Page 34: ...IZONTALLY VERTICALLY ca Absolute x or y coordinate at which to start repetitive lines Multiple ca parameters can be specified ci An incremental number representing the grid units or linear units betwe...

Page 35: ...or lines per inch LPI If units are not specified the measurement is in grid units alignment LEFT RIGHT CENTER TOP BOTTOM n Index number of the font to be used If omitted the system uses the last font...

Page 36: ...gin of multiple lines of text is the upper edge of the topmost character cell and leftmost edge of the leftmost character cell when viewed in an upright position Text buffer capacity limits vary depen...

Page 37: ...linear measurement expressed as inches IN centimeters CM DOTS XDOTS points PTS or lines per inch LPI If units are not specified the measurement is in grid units alignment LEFT RIGHT CENTER TOP BOTTOM...

Page 38: ...r illustrations regarding text positioning Figure 2 2 Text positioning 1 4 7 2 3 5 6 8 9 Note that except for CENTER two keywords are required If a location is not specified the default is to place te...

Page 39: ...Center or Rank Xerox This logo is a special font of one or more characters which carries with it the relative position of the characters that make up the logo Thus while a logo may be made up of many...

Page 40: ...HIC command to place your images at any location on the page A form may consist solely of graphics images Each graphic to be associated with a form must be specified in the FSL file Syntax GRAPHIC nam...

Page 41: ...2 DRAW BOX 45 6 WIDE BY 20 6 HIGH USING SOLID 2 GRAPHIC UNICRN AT 31 5 42 TEXT USING FONT 1 AT 83 5 2 5 FORM SM105 Considerations Up to 16 images per page are permitted The Raster Image Processor RIP...

Page 42: ...2 7 Specifying a section FORM SEC 4 PORTRAIT GRID FMT8 FONT UN207B COMMENT CREATE PHONE MESSAGE PAD SECTION BEGIN SECTION PHONE AT 7 DRAW 7 HORIZONTAL LINES FROM 4 TO 33 USING SOLID 1 AND REPEAT VERT...

Page 43: ...ns text Text to be treated as a comment Default None Example This sample illustrates a COMMENT that identifies the procedure that is to follow it COMMENT PLACE SECTIONS DO SECTION RSPNSE AT 0 0 DO SEC...

Page 44: ...arameters None Default None Example An FSL file can contain more than one file Therefore if additional FSL files follow an END command the end of all FSLs to be processed is indicated by two consecuti...

Page 45: ...isplay at a host computer input device or through remote communications 2 Save the FSL file to the LPS system disk 3 Compile the FSL to create a printable electronic form file FRM 4 Debug modify and r...

Page 46: ...notice an increase in compilation time for forms that perform text handling To ensure that your form files compile as quickly as possible remove any unnecessary font files and use the COMPRESS utility...

Page 47: ...ge files are loaded on that system prior to compilation Compiling 4850 color forms and logos V3 5 operating system software does not support any color references Color forms created on a 4850 LPS usin...

Page 48: ...FSL starts on the front side of a new page Error checks If the compilation fails a list of error messages is printed If a command extends over several lines an error message may not appear on the nex...

Page 49: ...lename PROOF If the form is compiled without errors the FRM file and the source statement and or summary sheet is printed Since the PROOF option deletes it there is no form file on the disk When you u...

Page 50: ...ple 2 If you want to compile the form but you do not want a printout of the form just yet enter the following FDL TRYIT NOPRINT The FSL compiles but the form and the source statement do not print Prin...

Page 51: ...orizontal and vertical lines on the system output 3 Use the forms design ruler to measure line and character spacings Refer to the Support tools and measurements appendix 4 Code the form Designing new...

Page 52: ...while debugging or making changes to a form Use a method of sequencing commands similar to the following Horizontal and vertical lines Boxes if needed Text Logo placement Shading Syntax ambiguities Be...

Page 53: ...ts that may overlay the basic long lines Code lighter lines first Then code shorter segments that are heavier in density Code a SOLID 0 line first whenever you have a set of colinear segments whether...

Page 54: ...distinct source using another FSL as a base you need to change the form name to the same name as the source name or to some other name that does not already exist Two files with the same name and type...

Page 55: ...amples The procedure of line extension results in an irregularity if lines are not specified in an orderly manner For example draw five line segments that are each five units in length If the lines ar...

Page 56: ...the following is the most reasonable method of specifying the total line AT 0 LINE 0 TO 25 USING SOLID 0 AT 0 LINE 0 TO 5 USING SOLID 2 AND AT 10 20 AT 0 LINE 5 TO 10 USING DOTTED 1 AND AT 15 Figure...

Page 57: ...period of about four scan lines before it can image the second fully loaded line Landscape pages Line density restrictions differ as a function of the mode landscape or portrait of the form An 8 point...

Page 58: ...nvironment In this case either reduce the amount of variable data or simplify the form Review the broken page to determine the approximate location of the failure and try to reduce the number of chara...

Page 59: ...al lines on a landscape form Using boxes You can draw boxes with a single BOX command or construct them with commands on a line by line basis A line density problem can occur if a single BOX command i...

Page 60: ...hing at the upper right corner of the box in which previous text was placed If text is to be placed in the next box vertically the search begins at the lower left corner Error calculations Horizontal...

Page 61: ...may actually be centered accurately if line spacing is considered FDL cannot evaluate the aesthetics of the final printed product Therefore it is up to you to create an appropriate appearance for cent...

Page 62: ...a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a The following statements provide an example of how this technique is used represen...

Page 63: ...ction boundaries even when they are continuous through a series of sections This is a much less efficient way to create forms than by taking the long lines out of the sections and drawing them as cont...

Page 64: ...VER LINES FROM 4 TO 5 USING HAIRLINE AND REPEAT HOR EVERY 8 In theory this form description technique creates 14 boxes that can be found simply by addressing the appropriate coordinates In fact the c...

Page 65: ...ned to scan line 1433 using the following formula 43 300 9 12900 9 1433 3333 or 1433 The equivalent line positioning for the variable data is computed with the following method 43 300 9 43 33 1419 Thi...

Page 66: ...receives the FORM id command it sets grid scaling to that of FMT1 if it subsequently receives the PORTRAIT command it sets the scale to that of FMT6 Specified in GRID command Replaces default scaling...

Page 67: ...old blue Ellipses indicate that you can repeat a parameter option or list a series of parameter options Lowercase black italics Word character or phrase variable information in lowercase black italic...

Page 68: ...ZE IS value SECTION BEGIN SECTION id or DO SECTION id AT y unit x unit or END SECTION id TEXT AT direction TEXT SPACED d units PER LINE ALIGNED alignment USING FONT n AT y unit x unit text text TEXT I...

Page 69: ...IS 15 CPI 8 1 LPI ORIGIN 0 18 INCH 0 50 INCH FMT3 LANDSCAPE GRID UNIT IS 13 6 CPI 10 7 LPI ORIGIN 0 14 INCH 0 66 INCH FMT4 LANDSCAPE GRID UNIT IS 15 CPI 10 7 LPI ORIGIN 0 14 INCH 0 50 INCH FMT5 LANDSC...

Page 70: ...18 0 57 INCH FMT2A LANDSCAPE GRID UNIT IS 14 3 CPI 8 3 LPI ORIGIN 0 46 1 53 CM 0 18 0 60 INCH FMT3A LANDSCAPE GRID UNIT IS 12 5 CPI 11 1 LPI ORIGIN 0 46 1 45 CM 0 18 0 57 INCH FMT4A LANDSCAPE GRID UNI...

Page 71: ...id BEGIN values No GRID UNIT or format id is specified and ORIGIN is specified Grid unit dimensions are set by FMT1 landscape or FMT6 portrait No GRID command is specified Grid unit dimensions and for...

Page 72: ......

Page 73: ...struct the LPS to produce a sample form accurately Refer to the command definitions discussed earlier in this guide as needed Enter the commands as shown in the sample FSL to produce the form You must...

Page 74: ...are optional and when omitted the system uses the default values Using the COMMENT command Comments enable you to include messages or reminders in your source statement that help you organize your FDL...

Page 75: ...3 AT 9 DRAW 18 LINES FROM 0 TO 24 USING HAI AND REPEAT EVE 3 Drawing vertical lines Insert another COMMENT to indicate that vertical lines are to be coded next then enter the vertical line commands s...

Page 76: ...8 HIGH USI SHADING AT 10 1 0 DRAW 9 BOXES 132 WIDE BY 2 8 HIGH USI SOL HAI INK BLUE AND FILL USING INK XEROX PICTORIAL PALE BLUE AND REPEAT VER EVE 6 Placing text at a location Use the TEXT AT comman...

Page 77: ...ITS YTD CURRENT AMT YTD AMOUNT BOX UNITS UNITS YTD CURRENT AMT YTD AMOUNT BOX UNITS UNITS YTD CURRENT AMT YTD AMOUNT BOX UNITS UNITS YTD CURRENT AMT YTD AMOUNT BOX UNITS UNITS YTD CURRENT AMT YTD AMOU...

Page 78: ...rtently omit a semicolon or misspell a word The system indicates where the error occurred and you can easily go back into the form and correct the error If there are errors at the OS1000 READY FOR COM...

Page 79: ...OX PICTORIAL PALE BLUE 000210 22 AND REPEAT VER EVE 6 000220 23 COMMENT TEXT AT COMMAND 000230 24 TEXT USING FONT 2 AT 2 2 5 COMP 000240 25 TEXT USING FONT 2 AT 2 11 BR 000250 26 TEXT USING FONT 2 AT...

Page 80: ......

Page 81: ...IN BOX command 18 bytes S1 S2 Sn 1st box 6 bytes S1 S2 Sn second and all succeeding boxes where n bytes is fixed overhead S is number of characters 2 in a text string rounded to a multiple of two Sec...

Page 82: ......

Page 83: ...1012A FMT11 132 150 12 5 20 6 8 5 x 11 in 22 50 P1112A FMT12 66 172 8 1 13 6 9 14 x 8 5 in 18 66 L0112B FMT13 104 100 8 1 13 6 9 8 5 x 14 in 57 58 P0612A A4 formats FMT1A 66 132 8 3 12 5 9 297 x 210 m...

Page 84: ......

Page 85: ...spacings Side 1 Formats spacing Scale 1 10 inch Standard computer output character spacing can also be used for measuring inches graduated in tenths Scale 2 6 inch Standard computer output line spacin...

Page 86: ...de 2 should be used for measuring laser printing systems output Default spacing The default spacings on the system are 13 6 cpi scale 5 and 8 1 lpi scale 6 they were chosen for optimal readability for...

Page 87: ...age origin a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a...

Page 88: ...example the landscape oriented virtual page is centered on the paper in accordance with the parameters in the LANDSCAPE PAGE SIZE command Grid size and form origin default to FMT1 Figure G 3 Form resu...

Page 89: ...a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Virtual page origin a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a...

Page 90: ...a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a...

Page 91: ...horizontal line inches Example 3 AT 2 DRAW 5 VERTICAL LINES FROM 5 TO 10 AND REPEAT EVERY 2 This command specifies the drawing of five vertical lines The first line begins two horizontal grid units t...

Page 92: ...rated two grid units from the end of the preceding line Figure G 10 Drawing repeated horizontal lines BOX examples Example 1 AT 4 6 BOX 14 WIDE BY 4 HIGH This command specifies a box 14 grid units wid...

Page 93: ...Y 5 HIGH USING SHADING AND REPEAT VERTICALLY EVERY 2 This command specifies four 5 inch wide 5 inch high bars placed with the top edges at 5 inches 2 5 inches 4 5 inches and 6 5 inches Figure G 12 Dra...

Page 94: ...matic Notice how the fixed font gives a more uniform appearance TEXT AT 5 1 FIRST NATIONAL TRUST CO TEXT ALIGNED LEFT AT 5 1 FIRST NATIONAL TRUST CO FIRST NATIONAL TRUST CO TEXT ALIGNED RIGHT AT 5 1 F...

Page 95: ...ed horizontally or vertically relative to page orientation not relative to the font Portrait and inverse portrait fonts may be used with landscape page orientation for example to insert labels or capt...

Page 96: ...BOX 10 20 PART NUMBER TOP LEFT TOP CENTER TOP RIGHT TEXT FONT 1 IN CENTER CENTER BOX 12 5 PART NUMBER TEXT ALIGNED RIGHT FONT 1 IN RIGHT CENTER BOX 32 3 PART NUMBER RIGHT CENTER CENTER CENTER Center...

Page 97: ...ed operated upon stored and so on as a single unit by the computer block length Number of characters or bytes contained in a block of data the block is treated as a unit within the computer Block leng...

Page 98: ...ter The number of dots imaged per inch measures printer resolution for example 300 dots per mich dpi See also spot dpi Dots per inch Indicates the number of dots per inch displayed on a terminal scree...

Page 99: ...t stress and orientation Font Interchange Standard See FIS form 1 Compiled FSL file 2 Specific arrangement of lines text and graphics stored in an electronic version Forms can be printed without varia...

Page 100: ...ynonymous with a START command a job is a group of print data sets called reports A job may contain one or multiple reports job control Program called into storage to prepare each job or job step to b...

Page 101: ...x In Interpress a mask serves as a template indicating the shape and position of an object on a page metacode Method of controlling the image generator The character dispatcher uses these codes to gen...

Page 102: ...build up a parameter list from information within a command PCC Printer Carriage Control PDE Page Description Entry PDL Print Description Language Language used to describe printing jobs to a laser pr...

Page 103: ...ter the number of dots the higher the resolution and the clearer the image The terms dots spots and pixels are synonymous scale To adjust font or image size according to given proportions sequential 1...

Page 104: ...onalized versions of that document Variable data is not a part of a form design but varies from page to page virtual page Page area selected by a forms designer for printing vpos Vertical positioning...

Page 105: ...ypes 1 14 defaults system B 1 to B 3 density print 1 9 description commands FDL 2 9 to 2 22 designing forms 4 1 to 4 2 C 1 to C 6 device communicating 3 2 dispatchable items 4 6 to 4 8 displacement va...

Page 106: ...ensity 4 7 FMT6 1 13 2 7 font text block origin 1 11 image registration 1 7 to 1 9 shading factors 4 12 see also page LANDSCAPE command 1 5 to 1 6 2 6 layout sheet forms 4 2 LINE command 2 10 to 2 11...

Page 107: ...8 C 2 shading 2 11 4 12 to 4 13 shift image 1 7 to 1 9 skew image 1 7 to 1 9 spi 1 1 2 4 3 3 4 7 spots per inch see spi standard formats 1 13 2 7 E 1 standard print formats see standard formats start...

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