lpforms(ADM)

Syntax

/usr/lib/lpforms -f formname -A alert-type [ -Q integer1 ] [ -W integer2 ]

/usr/lib/lpforms -f formname -A list

/usr/lib/lpforms -f formname -A quiet

/usr/lib/lpforms -f formname -A none

Description

• blank checks

• vouchers

• receipts

• labels

• company letterhead

• special paper stock

The print service helps you manage the use of preprinted forms but does not provide your application any help in filling out a form. This is solely your application's responsibility. The print service, however, keeps track of which print requests need special forms mounted and which forms are currently mounted, and it can alert you to the need to mount a new form.

Using this command you can:

• define a new form

• change an old form

• remove a form

• examine a form

• restrict user access to a form

• arrange alerting to the need to mount a form

Options

-F pathname

to add or change a form as specified by the information in pathname.

-

to add or change a form, and supply information from standard input.

-x

to delete a form. This option must be used separately; it cannot be used with any other option.

-l

to list the attributes of a form. This option must be used separately; it cannot be used with any other option.

-u allow:user-list

to allow users to request a form. This option can be used with the -F or - option.

-u deny:user-list

to deny users access to a form. This option can be used with the -F or - option.

-A alert-type

to define the type of alerting method to be used. The values are list, quiet, none, mail, write, and `command'.

-Q number

defines the threshold in number of requests waiting, that is, used to restart the alert. Must be used with -A.

-W minutes

defines the number of minutes between alerts. Must be used with -A.

Adding or changing a form

   Page length:  scaled-decimal-number1
   Page width: scaled-decimal-number2
   Number of pages: integer
   Line pitch:  scaled-decimal-number3
   Character pitch: scaled-decimal-number4
   Character set choice: character-set/print-wheel [mandatory]
   Ribbon color: ribbon-color
   Comment:
   comment
   Alignment pattern: [content-type]
   content

The print service does not try to mask sensitive information in an alignment pattern. If you do not want sensitive information printed on sample forms -- probably the case when you align checks, for instance -- then you should mask the appropriate data. The print service keeps the alignment pattern stored in a safe place, where only you (that is, the user lp and the super user root) can read it.

Upon issuing this command, the form named in formname is added to the list of forms. If the form already exists, its description is changed to reflect the new information in the input. Once added, a form is available for use in a print request, except where access to the form has been restricted, as described under the -u allow: option. A form may also be allowed to be used on certain printers only.

A description of each form attribute is given below:

Page length and Page Width

Before printing the content of a print request needing this form, the generic interface program provided with the lp print service will initialize the physical printer to handle pages scaled-decimal-number1 long, and scaled-decimal-number2 wide using the printer type as a key into the terminfo(F) database. A scaled-decimal-number is an optionally scaled decimal number that gives a size in lines, columns, inches, or centimeters, as appropriate. The scale is indicated by appending the letter ``i'', for inches, or the letter ``c'', for centimeters. For length or width settings, an unscaled number indicates lines or columns; for line pitch or character pitch settings, an unscaled number indicates lines per inch or characters per inch (the same as a number scaled with ``i'').

For example, length=66 indicates a page length of 66 lines, length=11i indicates a page length of 11 inches, and length=27.94c indicates a page length of 27.94 centimeters.

The page length and page width will also be passed, if possible, to each filter used in a request needing this form.

Number of pages

Each time the alignment pattern is printed, the print service will attempt to truncate the content to a single form by, if possible, passing to each filter the page subset of 1 integer.

Line pitch and Character pitch

Before printing the content of a print request needing this form, the interface programs provided with the lp print service will initialize the physical printer to handle these pitches, using the printer type as a key into the terminfo database. Also, the pitches will be passed, if possible, to each filter used in a request needing this form. scaled-decimal-number3 is in lines per centimeter if a ``c'' is appended, and lines per inch otherwise; similarly, scaled-decimal-number4 is in columns per centimeter if a ``c'' is appended, and columns per inch otherwise. The character pitch can also be given as elite (12 characters per inch), pica (10 characters per inch), or compressed (as many characters per inch as possible).

Character set choice

When the lp print service alerts an administrator to mount this form, it will also mention that the print wheel print-wheel should be used on those printers that take print wheels. If printing with this form is to be done on a printer that has selectable or loadable character sets instead of print wheels, the interface programs provided with the lp print service will automatically select or load the correct character set. If mandatory is appended, a user is not allowed to select a different character set for use with the form; otherwise, the character set or print wheel named is a suggestion and a default only.

Ribbon color

When the lp print service alerts an administrator to mount this form, it will also mention that the color of the ribbon should be ribbon-color.

Comment

The lp print service will display the comment unaltered when a user asks about this form (see lpstat(C)).

Alignment pattern

When mounting this form, an administrator can ask that the content be repeatedly printed as an aid in correctly positioning the preprinted form. The optional content-type defines the type of printer for which content had been generated. If content-type is not given, simple is assumed. Note that the content is stored as given, and will be readable only by the user lp.

   Page Length: 66
   Page Width: 80
   Number of Pages: 1
   Line Pitch: 6
   Character Pitch: 10
   Character Set Choice: any
   Ribbon Color: any
   Comment: no default
   Alignment Pattern: no default

Provide the pathname for the form as directed. The first command gets the form definition from a file; the second command gets the form definition from you through the standard input. The formname can be anything you choose.

If you need to change a form, just re-enter one of the same commands. You need only give the changed information; information you leave out stays the same.

Deleting a form

Listing form attributes

Use one of the following commands to examine a defined form:

/usr/lib/lpforms -f formname -l
/usr/lib/lpforms -f formname -l >filename
lpstat -f formname
lpstat -f formname -l

The first two commands present the definition of the form; the second command captures this definition in a file, which can later be used to redefine the form if you inadvertently remove the form from the print service. The last two commands present the status of the form, with the second of the two giving a long form of output similar to the output of lpforms -l.

Allowing and denying access to a form

The rules are as follows:

• An allow list contains those users allowed to use the form. A deny list contains those users denied access to the form.

• If the allow list is not empty, the deny list is ignored. If the allow list is empty, the deny list is used. If both lists are empty, there are no restrictions on who can use the form.

• Putting any or all into the allow list allows everybody to use the form; putting any or all into the deny list denies everybody use of the form, except the user lp and the super user root.

The user-list is a list of names of users separated by a comma or space. If you use spaces to separate the names, enclose the entire list (including the allow: or deny: but not the -u) in quotes. The first command adds the names to the allow list and removes them from the deny list. The second command adds the names to the deny list and removes them from the allow list. Using allow:all allows everybody; using deny:all denies everybody. If you do not add user names to the allow or deny lists, the print service assumes that everybody can use the form.

Alerting to mount forms

When integer1 print requests needing the preprinted form formname become queued because no printer satisfying all the needs of the requests has the form mounted, and for as long as this condition remains, an alert is sent to the administrator every integer2 minutes until the form is mounted on a qualifying printer. If the formname is all, the alerting defined in this command applies to all existing forms. No alerting is done for a backlog of print requests needing a form if the administrator does not use this option.

You can choose one of several ways to receive an alert:

• You can receive an alert via electronic mail (see mail(C)).

• You can receive an alert written to whatever terminal on which you are logged in (see write(C)).

• You can receive an alert through a program of your choice.

• You can receive no alerts.

write

The message is sent via write to the terminal on which the administrator is logged in when the alert arises. If the administrator is logged in on several terminals, one is chosen arbitrarily.

mail

The message is sent via mail to the administrator who issues this command.

   The form form-name needs to be mounted on the printer(s).
   printer-list (integer3 requests)
   integer4 print request awaits this form.
   Use the ribbon-color ribbon.
   Use the print-wheel print wheel, if appropriate.

Where any color ribbon or any print wheel can be used, the statements above will read:

   Use any ribbon.
   Use any print-wheel.

shell-command

The shell-command is run each time the alert needs to be sent. The shell command should expect the message as standard input. Note that the mail and write values for the -A command are equivalent to the values mail username and write username, respectively, where username is the current name for the administrator. This will be the login name of the person submitting this command unless he or she has used the su(C) command to change to another user ID. If the su command has been used to change the user ID, then the username for the new ID is used.

In addition to the method of alerting, you can also set the number of requests that must be queued before you are alerted, and you can arrange for repeated alerts every few minutes until the form is mounted. You can choose the rate of repeated alerts, or you can choose to receive only one alert per form.

To arrange for alerting to the need to mount a form, enter one of the following commands:

/usr/lib/lpforms -f formname -A mail -Q integer -W minutes
/usr/lib/lpforms -f formname -A write -Q integer -W minutes
/usr/lib/lpforms -f formname -A 'command' -Q integer -W minutes
/usr/lib/lpforms -f formname -A none

The first two commands direct the print service to send you a mail message or to write the message directly to your terminal, respectively, for each alert. The third command directs the print service to run command for each alert. The shell environment currently in effect when you enter the third command is saved and restored for the execution of command; this includes the environment variables, user and group IDs, and current directory.

The fourth command directs the print service not to send you an alert when the form needs to be mounted. integer is the number of requests that need to be waiting for the form, and minutes is the number of minutes between repeated alerts.

If you want mail sent or a message written to another person when a printer fault occurs, you must use the third command listed. Use the -A 'mail username' or -A 'write username' option.

If formname is all in any of the previous commands, the alerting condition applies to all forms.

If you do not define an alert method for a form, you do not receive an alert for it. If you do define a method but do not give the -W option, you are alerted once for each occasion.

Listing the current alert

No change is made to the alert. If formname is recognized by the lp print service, one of the following lines is sent to the standard output, depending on the type of alert for the form.

   When integer are queued:
   alert with shell-command every integer minutes
   

   When integer are queued:
   write to username every integer minutes
   

   When integer are queued:
   mail to username every integer minutes
   

   No alert

Terminating an active alert

Once you start receiving repeated alerts, you can direct the print service to stop sending you alerts for the current case only by giving the following command:

/usr/lib/lpforms -f formname -A quiet

Once the form is mounted and unmounted again, alerts start again if too many requests are waiting. Alerts also restart if the number of requests waiting falls below the -Q threshold and then rises up to the -Q threshold again, as when waiting requests are canceled or if the type of alerting is changed.

Removing an alert definition

Authorization

See also