FirstBase: SCRPRINT(1)

URL: http://www.firstbasesoftware.com/man/man1/scrprint.htm
Last modified: 12 September 1995
Copyright © by FirstBase Software.
[ Index of Contents] [ FirstBase RDBMS Overview]

NAME

scrprint, frmprint - provide a menu interface for viewing and printing report files

SYNOPSIS

scrprint report_file
frmprint raw_report_file

DESCRIPTION

Scrprint and frmprint provides a FirstBase look-and-feel menu interface for displaying or formatting report files as well as submitting print requests to various printers. Note that all environment variables discussed here are UNIX environment variables, not internal FirstBase settings.

The menu provided by scrprint is easy to use and follow. The environment variable PAGER is used to page the file to the screen, with the default being fb_pager, a simple paging script located in the FirstBase home scripts directory.

Note that the standard UNIX paging tool, /usr/ucb/more, does not pause at the end of display when there is less than a page of output. However, the filter fb_pager will do this pausing when PAGER is not set.

The PRINTER environment variable controls the default printer used. Another environment variable, EDITOR, controls which editor will be used when requested.

Still yet another environment variable, HOME, is used to alter file names of the form ~/filename by inserting the users home directory before the copy request is executed. Furthermore, file names of the form ~user/filename are expanded properly using the home directory of user as listed in the passwd(5) file.

Some computer systems support a Post Script filter. If the environment variable PSPRINT is set to a filter, and a printer named ps is chosen, then scrprint will ask for a margin to use as well. This margin is passed on the the PSPRINT filter as a -m margin flag.

Unlike scrprint, the raw_report_file given to frmprint is not pre-formatted. Instead, frmprint will format the raw_report_file and print directly to a printer capable of the print request, like a high resolution laser printer.

A few additional UNIX environment variables are used to control how frmprint formats its raw_report_file. FB_TBL, FB_TROFF, FB_TROFF_OPTIONS, and FB_TROFF_PRINTFLAG are used to piece together the raw report. The following is a sample set of values used for these system dependent variables:

   PRINTER                      lpr
   FIRSTBASE_TBL                tbl
   FIRSTBASE_TROFF              ditroff
   FIRSTBASE_TROFF_OPTIONS      -me
   FIRSTBASE_TROFF_PRINTFLAG    -P

In the above example, frmprint will use following command to format the raw report file:

   tbl raw_report_file | ditroff -me -Plpr

As with all FirstBase tools, the standard END keystroke will exit. A q will do the same thing as well.

FILES

fb_pager: the default paging tool used by FirstBase when PAGER is not set.

DIAGNOSTICS