Midrange Stuff, OS/400 Edition

Converting iSeries spool files that contain embedded graphics, barcodes, or logos into a commonly used format like Adobe PDF has been nearly impossible, says Help/Systems, developer of the Robot suite of OS/400 systems management software. Last week, the Minnetonka, Minnesota, company launched a new product called Robot/TRANSFORM that attacks this problem. The new Robot/TRANSFORM utility converts iSeries spool files and IFS files to the ubiquitous PDF format, while maintaining the integrity of the graphics.

Companies that have altered their native iSeries output with electronic forms packages often do so to include their particular company logos or other specialized graphics, and to reduce the use of pre-printed forms. Many of these electronic forms packages today provide output that supports PDFs, in addition to more robust--but also less widely used--data formats and print data streams such as Hewlett-Packard's Printer Control Language (PCL) and IBM's Advanced Function Printing (AFP). At the same time, some of these forms packages don't provide support for PDF, which is fast becoming the de facto international standard for customer-facing documents, in large part because the PDF viewing software, Acrobat Reader, is free and easily attainable.

Help/Systems built Robot/TRANSFORM to provide that link to PDF for users whose electronic forms packages don't support PDF. Robot/TRANSFORM allows users to convert their ASCI, PCL, or AFP output into a PDF document without altering the graphics, barcodes, or labels. The resulting PDFs are also text-based, which means they're searchable.

Help/Systems gives Robot/TRANSFORM users three ways to initiate a file transformation. First, users can convert one file manually, as they need to. Alternatively, users can create a job that automatically converts certain files to PDFs as they're created. Last, Robot/TRANSFORM comes with commands that let the users automate the transformation.

Other Robot/TRANSFORM features include several name-template options that allow users to automatically generate unique file names for each PDF, as it's created. The utility contains distribution facilities, including the capability to distribute converted files to custom distribution lists. The software also lets users place converted files in the IFS, and to post files to an intranet or to the Internet.

As is typically the case with Help/Systems software, Robot/TRANSFORM has a certain affinity for other members of Help/Systems' 15-member Robot suite. Specifically, Robot/SCHEDULE, the company's batch and job scheduling utility, can be used with Robot/TRANSFORM to manage output queue monitoring, transformation, and distribution functions. Robot/ALERT, a pager and e-mail messaging system, can be integrated with Robot/TRANSFORM to automatically alert users and to send them files. The software will also work with Robot/REPORTS, a report distribution, archiving, and viewing package, to automatically process report output.

Robot/TRANSFORM is available now. For more information, visit Help/Systems' Web site at www.helpsystems.com.

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