Device management

You can use the device management functionality to set up print devices for LN and to print LN reports to those print devices.

Raw data is fed into LN and processed into reports, sales invoices, paychecks, and so on.

Before LN carries out a print job, the print job is stored in a temporary file in the ${BSE_TMP} directory. The printer daemon automatically removes the print jobs after the print jobs are printed. The number of hours between handling a print request and deleting the temporary file is called delete delay time. A record is created for each print request in the Printer Queue (ttaad320) table.

The print requests are not automatically removed when the report is printed. Therefore, you must use LN ’s device management to purge the printer queue table.

Devices supported by LN

LN ’s device management supports an entire range of device types.

In LN, an output device can be one of these options:

  • screen

    The output data is shown in a display browser on your monitor.

  • append file

    An attachment file in which LN stores the output of a process. If the file does not exist, the file is created automatically.

  • rewrite file

    An attachment file in which LN stores recurring data. If the file does not exist, the file is created automatically. The existing files are overwritten.

  • windows server printer

    This device type provides the possibility to print through the LN Transfer Service. The LN Transfer Service can print to a printer or to a fileshare.

  • External Reporting Services

    A device to print LN reports through a report design that is stored on an external Report Server. This Report Server renders the report. The destination of the report depends on the arguments specified in the Argument field in the Device Data (ttaad3100s000) session.

In LN ’s authorization management, you can define a device preference list in a template. You can link this template to a group of users with the same role in your company.

Convert print output to other formats

You can configure a file device in such a way that the print output is converted into a special format.

To specify the conversion parameters, use these fields:

  • Device

    You can choose a unique name for a device.

  • 4GL program

    Depending on which print output format you want to use, you must specify the name of the conversion script, such as ttstpconv.

  • Argument

    You must use this field to specify the print output format, such as ASCII or XML.

To configure a device see the session.

Paper types and associated fonts

With LN ’s device management, you can define the paper types, fonts, and dimensions of the sheets of paper on which you can print reports. LN can generate various types of output, each of which must be printed on a specific paper type.

A paper type indicates the characteristics of the paper on which the output can be printed. You can define specific paper types for every type of output. For example, to print paychecks, you must define the characteristics of the preprinted checks that must be loaded in the printer.

Device queue data

Every print request is added to the device queue. In LN the status of the print job in the device queue is used to run these actions:

  • Restart the print job.
  • Preserve the print job.
  • Display the print job.

The printer queue data tells you who made the print request, the contents of the request, and the time the request was started up. The data also shows to which the print job is directed and the status of the print request.