Some time ago various memebers of the mailing list offered me ideas for
getting a REBOL program to print something. I have come up with an idea
of my own, and am passing it back in case anyone is interested. I have
pasted into this message a REBOL script followed by a Korn Shell script.
Omitted is a COBOL program, but I suspect that that might be a bit of
overload.
In executive summary, the enclosed script is a function the "prints" a
string (which must be pre-formatted by the caller). "Printing" means
attaching it to the end of a big string which is, in effect, the entire
"report" stored in memory as a string. When the calling REBOL program
"closes" the print file (using a function provided), the procedure that
"closes" the print file actually sends it to our networked IBM RS6000.
On the RS6000, a "cron" job runs every two minutes to see if any "print
files" have appeared, and if any have, the cron job assembles their
names and passes the names to a COBOL program, which prints each file.
The attached REBOL code is not very "rebol-ish" but at my level of
skill I need the excessive comments and the capitalized words to keep
track of what I am doing.
Thank you. In the few times I have posted questions to the REBOL
mailing list I have found it to be extremely helpful, and FAST. (and
friendly too)
*_*_*_ REBOL script *_*_*_
REBOL [
Title: "In-house unix printing module"
]
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
;; [ This is a module that you may "do" and that will define ]
;; [ functions you may use for printing. Here is a general idea ]
;; [ of how it works: ]
;; [ ]
;; [ When you "print" a line, the function adds it to the end of ]
;; [ previous lines you have "printed." When you are done printing ]
;; [ and "close" the "print file," the lines you have "printed" ]
;; [ are written to a text file...AND...sent by ftp over to the ]
;; [ RS6000 into a dedicated directory of "print files." ]
;; [ At intervals, a cron job on the RS6000 detects new files in ]
;; [ the special directory and writes them to physical printers. ]
;; [ ]
;; [ The following specific operating instructions, besides telling ]
;; [ you how to use the module, will clarify exactly what happens ]
;; [ when you use this module. ]
;; [ ]
;; [ Before you print your first line, you must set values into ]
;; [ sevaral interface items. These interface items define things ]
;; [ like the printer you want to use, the name of the report, ]
;; [ the headings, and so on. Refer to the code below for the ]
;; [ exact list. You do this just once, at the beginning of your ]
;; [ program, before you do any printing. ]
;; [ ]
;; [ Optionally, you may perform the procedure PRINT-OPEN. ]
;; [ If you do not, the procedure will be performed for you ]
;; [ the first time you try to print. This procedure will ]
;; [ initialize a big string and write to the front of the ]
;; [ string the values of the interface items you set, in the ]
;; [ following format: ]
;; [ $<interface-item> = <interface-value> ]
;; [ These items will be written in lines, one value per line, ]
;; [ with a dollar sign in column one. These values will be ]
;; [ scanned by a program on the RS6000 and used to set values ]
;; [ in the standard module (PRINT2) that we use for printing in ]
;; [ COBOL programs on that computer. ]
;; [ ]
;; [ When you want to print, you must format a string that is ]
;; [ exactly what you want printed. This module has no facilities ]
;; [ for helping you with that. Then, when the string is ]
;; [ formatted, set its value into the word PRINT-LINE. ]
;; [ ]
;; [ After you have set PRINT-LINE with a value, perform one of ]
;; [ the following procedures: ]
;; [ PRINT-BEFORE-1 ]
;; [ PRINT-BEFORE-2 ]
;; [ These procedures perform PRINT-OPEN if it has not been ]
;; [ performed, then add PRINT-LINE to the end of the big string ]
;; [ that was created by PRINT-OPEN. PRINT-LINE is appended to ]
;; [ the string AFTER it has a "1" or "2" attached to the front ]
;; [ in column one. The "1" or "2" stands for, naturally, printing ]
;; [ before advancing 1 or 2 lines. ]
;; [ ]
;; [ When you are done printing, you MUST explicitely perform ]
;; [ PRINT-CLOSE to transmit the string of print lines over to ]
;; [ the RS6000. From there, it will be detected and printed ]
;; [ automatically. The PRINT-CLOSE procedure also sends to the ]
;; [ RS6000 a one-record "command" file the presence of which ]
;; [ will start the printing process. ]
;; [ ]
;; [ For more information about what happens on the RS6000 end, ]
;; [ refer to /u01/scripts/commandchecker and ]
;; [ SRC/DAT/COMMANDPROCESSOR. ]
;; [ The commandchecker script checks for command files every ]
;; [ two minutes. If if finds some, it gathers all their names ]
;; [ into a text file with a known name and runs the ]
;; [ COMMANDPROCESSOR program to execute the commands. ]
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
;; [ These are the interface items the caller must set before ]
;; [ doing any printing. ]
;; [ ]
;; [ PURGE-AFTER-PRINTING A YES/NO indicator to control purging ]
;; [ of the file after printing--currently ]
;; [ ignored ]
;; [ WS-FILENAME The name of the printer to use, as ]
;; [ defined in our list of available ]
;; [ printers in /ect/cblconfig ]
;; [ WS-REPORT-ID The name of the report, printed at the ]
;; [ start of the second line of standard ]
;; [ heading ]
;; [ WS-PROGRAM The name of the creating program, ]
;; [ printed at the start of the first line ]
;; [ of standard heading ]
;; [ WS-SUBTITLE The string printed on the second heading ]
;; [ line below "C I T Y O F B L ...etc ]
;; [ WS-REPTNAME The name of the report, printed at the ]
;; [ start of the third line of standard ]
;; [ heading ]
;; [ WS-HEADING-LINE-COUNT Number of heading lines (1-3) that ]
;; [ should be printed on each page ]
;; [ WS-USER-HEADING-1 The first heading line ]
;; [ WS-USER-HEADING-2 The second heading line ]
;; [ WS-USER-HEADING-3 The third heading line ]
;; [ WS-PRE-HEADING-1 The first line of "pre-heading" that ]
;; [ will be printed (if present) after the ]
;; [ top three lines of standard heading ]
;; [ lines and before the (up to) three lines ]
;; [ of user heading ]
;; [ WS-PRE-HEADING-2 The second line or pre-heading ]
;; [ WS-PRE-HEADING-3 The third line of pre-heading ]
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
PURGE-AFTER-PRINTING: "YES"
PRINT-WS-FILENAME: "LASERJET5"
PRINT-WS-REPORT-ID: ""
PRINT-WS-PROGRAM: ""
PRINT-WS-SUBTITLE: ""
PRINT-WS-REPTNAME: ""
PRINT-WS-HEADING-LINE-COUNT: 0
PRINT-WS-USER-HEADING-1: ""
PRINT-WS-USER-HEADING-2: ""
PRINT-WS-USER-HEADING-3: ""
PRINT-WS-PRE-HEADING-1: ""
PRINT-WS-PRE-HEADING-2: ""
PRINT-WS-PRE-HEADING-3: ""
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
;; [ These are the interface areas the caller must/may set before ]
;; [ calling the printing procedures PRINT-BEFORE-1 and ]
;; [ PRINT-BEFORE-2. ]
;; [ ]
;; [ PRINT-LINE This is the exact string of characters, up to ]
;; [ 220 (the maximum supported by the PRINT2 module ]
;; [ on the RS6000), that you want to have printed. ]
;; [ This string will be cleared to an empty string ]
;; [ after printing. ]
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
PRINT-LINE: ""
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
;; [ This are internal working items the caller should leave alone. ]
;; [ ]
;; [ INITIALIZED A flag set by PRINT-OPEN so PRINT-OPEN does ]
;; [ get performed twice. ]
;; [ FILE-IN-MEMORY This is the monster string that contains ]
;; [ the whole "print file" in memory. Print ]
;; [ lines ]
;; [ are added to the end of it, and then the ]
;; [ whole thing is written to disk by ]
;; [ PRINT-CLOSE. ]
;; [ COMMAND-DIRECTORY The directory on the RS6000 to which we ]
;; [ write a one-line text file containing a ]
;; [ command to start printing ]
;; [ DATA-DIRECTORY The directory on the RS6000 to which we ]
;; [ write the file of print lines ]
;; [ FTP-COMPUTER The network IP address of the RS6000 ]
;; [ FTP-USERID The user ID we need to log on to the RS6000 ]
;; [ for the file transfer ]
;; [ FTP-PASSWORD The password for the above user ID ]
;; [ GENERATED-ID The last node of the file name that will ]
;; [ identify both the command file and the ]
;; [ data file of print lines. We will make it ]
;; [ from the date and time, so if several ]
;; [ programs are "printing" there will be no ]
;; [ name conflicts. ]
;; [ COMMAND-WORD This is the keyword that goes into the ]
;; [ one-record command file that causes ]
;; [ printing to start on the RS6000. ]
;; [ This command is executed by the program ]
;; [ called COMMANDPROCESSOR on the RS6000. ]
;; [ COMMAND-LINE This is a area for building the one-record ]
;; [ command line that we send to the RS6000 to ]
;; [ start printing ]
;; [ COMMAND-URL This is the full FTP url that we need to ]
;; [ transfer the command file ]
;; [ DATA-URL This is the full FTP url that we need to ]
;; [ transfer the data file ]
;; [ TIME-PARTS This is a block that will hold the parts ]
;; [ of the current time so we can string them ]
;; [ together for a file name ]
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
PRINT-INITIALIZED: false
PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY: ""
PRINT-COMMAND-DIRECTORY: "/u01/DAT/DAT/COMMANDQUEUE"
PRINT-DATA-DIRECTORY: "/u01/DAT/DAT/REBOLPRINTFILES"
PRINT-FTP-COMPUTER: "10.1.0.1"
PRINT-FTP-USERID: "x"
PRINT-FTP-PASSWORD: "y"
PRINT-GENERATED-ID: ""
PRINT-COMMAND-WORD: "REBOLPRINT"
PRINT-COMMAND-LINE: ""
PRINT-COMMAND-URL: none
PRINT-DATA-URL: none
PRINT-TIME-PARTS: []
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
;; [ This procedure "opens" the print file by clearing out the ]
;; [ big string that holds it and placing into the string a bunch ]
;; [ of lines that contain the interface data items that will be ]
;; [ used by the program on the RS6000. The program on the RS6000 ]
;; [ will scan the interface items and use them to load the PRINT2 ]
;; [ module for standard printing. ]
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
PRINT-OPEN: does [
PRINT-INITIALIZED: true
PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY: copy ""
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY
rejoin ["$PURGE-AFTER-PRINTING = "
"^""
PURGE-AFTER-PRINTING
"^""
newline
]
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY
rejoin ["$PRINT-WS-FILENAME = "
"^""
PRINT-WS-FILENAME
"^""
newline
]
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY
rejoin ["$PRINT-WS-REPORT-ID = "
"^""
PRINT-WS-REPORT-ID
"^""
newline
]
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY
rejoin ["$PRINT-WS-PROGRAM = "
"^""
PRINT-WS-PROGRAM
"^""
newline
]
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY
rejoin ["$PRINT-WS-SUBTITLE = "
"^""
PRINT-WS-SUBTITLE
"^""
newline
]
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY
rejoin ["$PRINT-WS-REPTNAME = "
"^""
PRINT-WS-REPTNAME
"^""
newline
]
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY
rejoin ["$PRINT-WS-HEADING-LINE-COUNT = "
PRINT-WS-HEADING-LINE-COUNT
newline
]
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY
rejoin ["$PRINT-WS-USER-HEADING-1 = "
"^""
PRINT-WS-USER-HEADING-1
"^""
newline
]
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY
rejoin ["$PRINT-WS-USER-HEADING-2 = "
"^""
PRINT-WS-USER-HEADING-2
"^""
newline
]
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY
rejoin ["$PRINT-WS-USER-HEADING-3 = "
"^""
PRINT-WS-USER-HEADING-3
"^""
newline
]
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY
rejoin ["$PRINT-WS-PRE-HEADING-1 = "
"^""
PRINT-WS-PRE-HEADING-1
"^"" newline
]
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY
rejoin ["$PRINT-WS-PRE-HEADING-2 = "
"^""
PRINT-WS-PRE-HEADING-2
"^""
newline
]
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY
rejoin ["$PRINT-WS-PRE-HEADING-3 = "
"^""
PRINT-WS-PRE-HEADING-3
"^""
newline
]
]
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
;; [ This procedure "closes" the print file. It writes it into ]
;; [ a text file on the RS6000 where it will be detected and ]
;; [ printed. ]
;; [ ]
;; [ A second thing that this procedure must do to make the ]
;; [ printing work is put a "command file" into a special ]
;; [ directory on the RS6000. The printing over there actually ]
;; [ is handled by a command processor that does some other ]
;; [ things besides REBOL printing. ]
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
PRINT-CLOSE: does [
TIME-PARTS: copy []
TIME-PARTS: parse to-string now/time ":"
PRINT-GENERATED-ID: copy ""
PRINT-GENERATED-ID: rejoin [
"PRN-"
to-string now/year
to-string now/month
to-string now/day
TIME-PARTS/1
TIME-PARTS/2
TIME-PARTS/3
]
PRINT-COMMAND-LINE: copy ""
PRINT-COMMAND-LINE: rejoin [
PRINT-COMMAND-WORD
" "
PRINT-GENERATED-ID
]
PRINT-COMMAND-URL: none
PRINT-COMMAND-URL: to-url rejoin [
"ftp://";
PRINT-FTP-USERID
":"
PRINT-FTP-PASSWORD
"@"
PRINT-FTP-COMPUTER
"/"
PRINT-COMMAND-DIRECTORY
"/"
PRINT-GENERATED-ID
".CMD"
]
PRINT-DATA-URL: none
PRINT-DATA-URL: to-url rejoin [
"ftp://";
PRINT-FTP-USERID
":"
PRINT-FTP-PASSWORD
"@"
PRINT-FTP-COMPUTER
"/"
PRINT-DATA-DIRECTORY
"/"
PRINT-GENERATED-ID
]
write PRINT-DATA-URL PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY
write PRINT-COMMAND-URL PRINT-COMMAND-LINE
]
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
;; [ This procedure "prints" a line with single spacing. ]
;; [ It sticks a "1" on the front of PRINT-LINE and appends it to ]
;; [ the end of PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY. ]
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
PRINT-BEFORE-1: does [
if not PRINT-INITIALIZED [
PRINT-OPEN
]
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY rejoin [
"1"
PRINT-LINE
newline
]
PRINT-LINE: copy ""
]
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
;; [ This procedure "prints" with double spacing. ]
;; [----------------------------------------------------------------]
PRINT-BEFORE-2: does [
if not PRINT-INITIALIZED [
PRINT-OPEN
]
append PRINT-FILE-IN-MEMORY rejoin [
"2"
PRINT-LINE
newline
]
PRINT-LINE: copy ""
]
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
*_*_*_ end of REBOL script *_*_*_
*_*_*_ Korn Shell script that detects "command" files that cause
printing to start *_*_*_
######################################################################
#
# commandchecker:
#
# This is a cron job that runs at intervals and checks to see
# if there are any files in a directory of command files.
# (A command file is a one-record text file with some command
# in it--a command of our own invention.)
# If there are any files in this directory, the script writes
# them to a text file and runs our in-house COMMANDPROCESSOR
# program to read and analyze those command files.
#
#---------------------------------------------------------------------
#
. /etc/setprodpath
DIR=${INHOUSE_SYSTEM_DIR}/DAT/DAT/COMMANDQUEUE
log=${DIR}/executionlog
## echo >>$log "$(date +%D-%H:%S:%M) BOJ commandchecker"
cd ${DIR}
ls -1 *.CMD >${DIR}/COMMANDLIST 2>>/dev/null
cd ${INHOUSE_SYSTEM_DIR}
if [[ -s ${DIR}/COMMANDLIST ]]
then
## echo >>$log "Running COMMANDPROCESSOR"
${ACUCOBOL_LOC}/runcbl +e $log
${INHOUSE_SYSTEM_DIR}/OBJ/DAT/COMMANDPROCESSOR
else
## echo >>$log "No command files found"
rm ${DIR}/COMMANDLIST >>$log 2>>$log
fi
## echo >>$log "$(date +%D-%H:%S:%M) EOJ commandchecker"
######################################################################
*_*_*_ end of Korn Shell script *_*_*_
Steven White
City of Bloomington
1800 W Old Shakopee Rd
Bloomington MN 55431-3096
USA
952-563-4882 (voice)
952-563-4672 (fax)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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