Solving ASCII Character and Page Break Issues with TXT2PDF.EXE

Posted on Author VeryPDF / 206 Views

Title: Solving ASCII Character and Page Break Issues with TXT2PDF.EXE

Customer Query:

Hello,

I have been trying to use your TXT2PDF.EXE. We are sending files through with ASCII characters, including 0D 0A (CR LF) for line breaks and 0C for page breaks, using command line input/output and the Parameter Table. However, the Adobe file does not seem to consistently break at the correct character set. I noticed that there was a "CC" option in your OS/390 Batch JCL examples. We have converted our OS/390 system to an Alchemy Neobatch simulator, which seems to be putting the files out correctly. Is there an option similar to the Batch JCL "CC" (A for ASCII) in the parameter table for the command line processor? Or do you have any other suggestions?

Best regards,

[Customer Name]

https://www.verypdf.com/app/text-to-pdf-converter/index.html

Solving ASCII Character and Page Break Issues with TXT2PDF.EXE

Answer:

Hello [Customer Name],

Thank you for your detailed query and for choosing our TXT2PDF.EXE tool! It seems you're encountering an issue with inconsistent page breaks and line breaks when using the ASCII characters 0D 0A (CR LF) for line breaks and 0C for page breaks. We understand that you have transitioned from an OS/390 system to an Alchemy Neobatch simulator, and it's good to know that the new system is generating files correctly.

Regarding your question about the "CC" option in the OS/390 Batch JCL examples, the "CC" option specifically dealt with defining the character set, and in your case, using A for ASCII would ensure the proper handling of ASCII files when generating PDF output.

For your scenario with TXT2PDF.EXE, unfortunately, the command line tool does not directly use the same "CC" option found in the Batch JCL. However, there are a few things you can try to achieve consistent results:

  1. Ensure Correct Line Endings: Make sure that the ASCII files you're sending through have the correct CR LF (0D 0A) line breaks. If your simulator or system does any processing that might alter the format, this could be affecting the page breaks. A quick check with a text editor that shows non-printing characters can confirm the line endings.

  2. Use Page Break Character (0C): Ensure that the 0C (form feed) character is being correctly interpreted for page breaks. If the page breaks are not occurring as expected, it's possible that the TXT2PDF.EXE tool isn't recognizing the 0C as a valid delimiter. In this case, make sure your input text file is correctly formatted, and try explicitly specifying the page break character in the parameter table or command line input.

  3. Check the Parameter Table Settings: In the parameter table of TXT2PDF.EXE, ensure that the options you're passing in are correctly aligned with your needs for ASCII files and page breaks. The -linebreaks and -pagebreaks parameters can be particularly helpful to adjust for your line and page breaks.

  4. Character Set Configuration: If you're still having trouble, try manually specifying the character encoding in the command line or the parameter table, especially if the text file includes any non-ASCII characters. While TXT2PDF.EXE defaults to ASCII for processing, certain systems or simulators may alter how text is encoded, affecting how the file is parsed during conversion.

While there isn’t a direct "CC" A option like in the Batch JCL, adjusting the above settings should help in ensuring that the page breaks and line breaks are processed correctly, similar to the behavior you were expecting from your previous system.

If you continue to experience difficulties or need further assistance, please feel free to send us a sample of your input file and the specific command you're using, and we'd be happy to assist further.

We appreciate your patience and look forward to resolving the issue!

Best regards,
VeryPDF

Key Background Information:

  • ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a character encoding standard that represents text in computers using a 7-bit character set. It includes basic characters such as letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and control characters like CR (Carriage Return), LF (Line Feed), and FF (Form Feed), which are used to control how text appears when printed or displayed.

  • OS/390 is an IBM mainframe operating system, traditionally used for batch processing jobs. In this case, the user referenced a Batch JCL (Job Control Language) option "CC" that allowed for specifying the character set, which is important when converting or processing files with specific encoding requirements.

  • Alchemy Neobatch simulator is likely a tool that mimics the batch processing environment of OS/390, providing the user with the ability to process jobs and files in a similar manner. However, the simulation may introduce small variations in the way files are handled, which could cause inconsistencies in file conversions when switching systems.

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