VMS Help DEFINE, /FORM  *Conan The Librarian (sorry for the slow response - running on an old VAX)

    Assigns a numeric value and attributes to a print form name. The
    /FORM qualifier is required. To modify a form's name or number,
    you must delete and redefine the form. Values for any DEFINE/FORM
    qualifier can be modified by reentering the DEFINE/FORM command
    with different values, as long as the form name and number remain
    the same.

    Requires OPER (operator) privilege.

    Format

      DEFINE/FORM  form-name form-number

1 - Parameters

 form-name

    Assigns a name to the form being defined. The form name can
    be the name of an existing form type or a string of 1 to 31
    characters that defines a new form type. The character string can
    include any uppercase and lowercase letters, digits, the dollar
    sign ($),  and the underscore (_), and must include at least one
    alphabetic character.

 form-number

    Assigns a number in the range 0 to 9999 to the form being
    defined. The DEFAULT form, which is defined automatically when
    the system is bootstrapped, is assigned number zero.

2 - Qualifiers

 2.1 - /DESCRIPTION

       /DESCRIPTION=string

    A string of up to 255 characters used to provide operator
    information about the form. The default string is the specified
    form name.

    The string can be used to define the form type more specifically.
    For example, if you have form names such as LETTER1, LETTER2,
    and LETTER3, the /DESCRIPTION qualifier could be used to let
    the users and operators know that LETTER1 refers to the standard
    corporate letterhead paper (8.5 inches x 11 inches), LETTER2
    refers to the smaller corporate letterhead paper (6 inches x
    9 inches), and LETTER3 refers to the president's personalized
    letterhead paper.

    Enclose strings containing lowercase letters, blanks, or other
    nonalphanumeric characters (including spaces) in quotation marks
    (" ").

 2.2 - /LENGTH

       /LENGTH=n

    Specifies the physical length of a form page in lines. The
    default page length is 66 lines, which assumes a standard page
    length of 11 inches with 6 lines of print per inch. The parameter
    n must be a positive integer greater than zero and not more than
    255.

    The print symbiont sets the page length of the device equal to
    the form length. This enables the driver to compute the number of
    line feeds for devices lacking mechanical form feed.

 2.3 - /MARGIN

       /MARGIN=(option[,...])

    Specifies one or more of the four margin options: BOTTOM, LEFT,
    RIGHT, and TOP.

    BOTTOM=n   Specifies the number of blank lines between the end
               of the print image area and the end of the physical
               page; the value of n must be between 0 and the value of
               the /LENGTH qualifier. The default value is 6, which
               generally means a 1-inch bottom margin.

    LEFT=n     Specifies the number of blank columns between the
               leftmost printing position and the print image area;
               the value of n must be between 0 and the value of the
               /WIDTH qualifier. The default is 0, which means that
               the print image area starts as far to the left of the
               paper as the printer can go.

    RIGHT=n    Specifies the number of blank columns between the
               /WIDTH qualifier and the image area; the value of
               n must be between 0 and the value of the /WIDTH
               qualifier. When determining the value of the RIGHT
               option, start at the /WIDTH value and count to the
               left. The default value is 0, which means that the
               print image extends as far to the right as the /WIDTH
               value.

    TOP=n      Specifies the number of blank lines between the top
               of the physical page and the top of the print image;
               the value of n must be between 0 and the value of
               the /LENGTH qualifier. The default value is 0, which
               generally means that there is no top margin.

 2.4 - /PAGE_SETUP

       /PAGE_SETUP=(module[,...])
       /NOPAGE_SETUP (default)

    Specifies one or more modules that set up the device at the start
    of each page. The modules are located in the device control
    library. While the form is mounted, the system extracts the
    specified module and copies it to the printer before each page
    is printed.

 2.5 - /SETUP

       /SETUP=(module[,...])

    Specifies one or more modules that set up the device at the start
    of each file. The modules are located in the device control
    library. While the form is mounted, the system extracts the
    specified module and copies it to the printer before each file
    is printed.

    For more information on device control modules, refer to the
    chapter on Batch and Print Operations in the OpenVMS System
    Manager's Manual.

 2.6 - /SHEET_FEED

       /SHEET_FEED
       /NOSHEET_FEED (default)

    Specifies that print jobs pause at the end of every physical page
    so that a new sheet of paper can be inserted.

 2.7 - /STOCK

       /STOCK=string

    Specifies the type of paper stock to be associated with the form.
    The string parameter can be a string of 1 to 31 characters,
    including the dollar sign, underscore, and all alphanumeric
    characters. If you specify the /STOCK qualifier, you must specify
    the name of the stock to be associated with the form. If you do
    not specify the /STOCK qualifier, the name of the stock will be
    the same as the name of the form.

    You can create any string that you want; however, when you are
    creating forms with the same stock, be sure that the /STOCK
    string is identical in all the DEFINE/FORM commands that refer
    to the same type of paper.

    If you are defining a number of forms to provide different
    formatting options, specify the same stock type for each form.
    Jobs that request any of these forms will print on the same
    queue. If you want to modify the stock string associated with
    a form, you can do this only if the form is not referenced by any
    job or queue.

 2.8 - /TRUNCATE

       /TRUNCATE (default)
       /NOTRUNCATE

    Discards any characters that exceed the current line length
    (specified by the /WIDTH and /MARGIN=RIGHT qualifiers). The
    /TRUNCATE qualifier is incompatible with the /WRAP qualifier.
    If you specify both the /NOTRUNCATE and /NOWRAP qualifiers, the
    printer prints as many characters on a line as possible. This
    combination of qualifiers is useful for some types of graphics
    output.

 2.9 - /WIDTH

       /WIDTH=n

    Specifies the physical width of the paper in terms of columns or
    character positions. The parameter n must be an integer from 0 to
    65,535; the default value is 132.

    Any lines exceeding this value wrap if the /WRAP qualifier is in
    effect or are truncated if the /TRUNCATE qualifier is in effect.
    (If both the /NOTRUNCATE and /NOWRAP qualifiers are in effect,
    lines print as far as possible.)

    The /MARGIN=RIGHT qualifier overrides the /WIDTH qualifier when
    determining when to wrap lines of text.

 2.10 - /WRAP

       /WRAP
       /NOWRAP (default)

    Causes lines that exceed the current line length (specified by
    the /WIDTH and /MARGIN=RIGHT qualifiers) to wrap onto the next
    line. The /WRAP qualifier is incompatible with the /TRUNCATE
    qualifier. If you specify both the /NOWRAP and /NOTRUNCATE
    qualifiers, the printer prints as many characters on a line as
    possible. This combination of qualifiers is useful for some types
    of graphics output.

3 - Example

  $ DEFINE/FORM /MARGIN=(TOP=6,LEFT=10) CENTER 3

      The DEFINE/FORM command in this example defines the form CENTER
      to have a top margin of 6 and a left margin of 10. The defaults
      remain in effect for both bottom margin (6) and right margin
      (0). The form is assigned the number 3.