Ricoh InfoPrint Pro C900AFP InfoPrint Manager - Page 85

Important considerations v Code processing becomes an integral part of PSF and can affect performance and reliability. v User-exits should be coded by experienced programmers who are aware of overall system implications. v Any delays caused by this exit will translate into a PSF processing delay and could affect printer performance. v This exit is not passed any structured fields that are contained in resources that are processed. This includes: form definitions, overlays, page segments, fonts, data object resources, internal medium maps, and data object fonts. v Code processing must be able to handle PSF repositioning. Repositioning can occur as a result of errors or operator commands. PSF can reposition items forward into the print job, skip structured fields, or reposition items back into previously processed data. If PSF repositions back into the print file, it is the responsibility of the exit to return the same data in the same sequence to PSF, just as it did when the structured field was originally passed to the exit. Because of the constraints outlined above, you should first consider using the transform subsystem to process data, because the transform subsystem does not have these limitations. For example, a transform object would have access to all of the input data (no restrictions) and could add, delete, and modify both resources and pages. In addition, the transform subsystem processing is done before printing begins, so it would have no impact on printer performance or behavior. The input data user-exit is not capable of identifying individual document boundaries in a data stream. For example, your job might have 5 separate documents that each contain 10 pages of data. This is viewed by the exit as 50 pages of data, not 5 units of 10. The transform subsystem does not have this limitation. The PSF Input Record Exit is responsible for managing any memory it allocates. It can reuse the memory across calls through the use of a work area pointer provided in ainuexit.h. PSF does not free any memory that might be pointed to by fields in either the INDATA_EXITDATA structure or the PSFINSERTRECS structure. The exit can point to memory that it has defined or allocated. The exit can reuse allocated memory or free memory when it is appropriate. PSF might run out of memory if the PSF Input Record Exit mismanages memory. The source code (in the C programming language) for the sample input data user-exit program listed on page 57 is in the /usr/lpp/psf/exits/ainuxind.c file. This sample program consists of a return code and performs no function. The data structures for the input data user-exit program are included with the source code in the /usr/lpp/psf/exits/ainuexit.h file. The declaration of this exit is: void INDATA (INDATA_EXITDATA *exitdata) The INDATA_EXITDATA input/output parameter contains all of the input and output data needed to communicate between InfoPrint Manager and the user-exit program. These fields are also found in the input data user-exit: Chapter 6. User-exit programs (PSF, Generalized Fax, and Email DSS only) 71