[Info-vax] OpenVMS printing to PDF

[Dirk Munk]

JF Mezei wrote:
> On 15-05-19 19:23, Dirk Munk wrote:
>
>> Indeed a PDF tool can do that. But think of a billing program that
>> produces PDF output files. Similar to FMS, you first produce a PDF form
>> with named fields, and then you fill those named fields in your
>> application. When the form has been completed you write the pdf form, as
>> an individual form, or all of them as one big file, just as you choose.
>
> You need to be careful wth the use of "form".
>
> Postscript has forms. You basically have a piece of postscript code
> (call it a "subroutine") that draws your logo, boxes, standard text etc.
>
> You then define a page dictionary that uses that subroutine to draw the
> form.
>
> You then issue additional postcript commands to draw stuff on the page
> (aka: print the name at a location that happens to be inside the
> pre-drawn box with Name:  text on the left.
>
> You then showpage that page.
>
> When you start the next page and the form is drawn, the raster copy is
> moved instead of re-executing the subroutines. This increases
> performance significantly.
>
> The output of such process is just a page with text/graphics on it.
>
>
> PDF Forms are very different as you include special PDF operators to
> create input fields that can be used interactively. This isn't something
> you would use to generate bills that are emailed to millions of
> customers every month.
>

I've done some Postscript programming myself a very long time ago, and I 
still remember some of the basics. Among the things we did was produce 
Postscript files in a Cobol program, and the resulting file was sent to 
a Postscript chain-form printer. You couldn't make the pages too 
complex, because then the printer couldn't process the Postscript fast 
enough to have the resulting image ready for the next page, and as a 
result it would insert a blank page.

I get your point with regard to the PDF input fields. So after the form 
has been filled, it should be "flattened", removing all fields, but not 
their contents of course. However you could also use password protection 
or another way of protection to avoid some one changing the contents 
later on.

I have a program called Nuance Power PDF Advanced on my PC to create and 
edit PDF files and forms, so I have a rough idea about all the 
possibilities with PDF.