VM/SP provides two real FCB images, FCB1 and FCB8. These FCBs are in
pageable module DMKFCB. Installations may add additional FCB images to
DMKFCB as long as the size of DMKFCB does not exceed the size of two pages.
A default virtual FCB image is provided for virtual 3211-type printers (3211, 3203, 3262-1/5/11,3289 Model 4, and 4245). The image is used for the virtual printer
if no FCB has been previously loaded for that virtual device. The image (66 bytes
long with a channel 1 code at FCB position 1 with all other channels defined) is
not stored in the spool file but only used for virtual processing of the print com­
mands.
Notes:
1. The Forms Control Buffers must have compatibility of channel one; that is,
channel one and line one must be the same physical line for all FCB's that are
built, or forms misalignment results.
2. If the FCB macro is coded to have more than one channel designated for one
print line, the macro includes only the last channel in the buffer for that print
line. This is because a buffer byte can only be loaded with one channel code.
3. When an operator loads a default FCB, it is recommended that all channels be
defined to prevent an undefined channel error.
Example 1: If you wanted your printer to print:
8 lines/inch 60 lines/page
print line 3 in channel 1
print line 60 in channel 9
print line 40 in channel 12
print position 10 the first print position
you would code the FCB macro (with a name, SPEC) as:
FCB SPEC,8,60, (3,1,40,12,60,9) ,10 If you want another forms control buffer, called LONG, to be exactly the same as SPEC (except that only 6 lines print per inch) you could code either of the follow­
ing:
FCB LONG,6,60, (3,1,40,12,60,9) ,10 FCB LONG,,60, (3,1,40,12,60,9) ,10 Example 2: You could have your special forms control buffer (SPEC) loaded for
either a virtual or real 3203, 3211, 3262, 3289 Model 4, or 4245 printer. The LOADVFCB command is for the virtual printer and the LOADBUF command is
for the real printer.
The INDEX parameter is only valid for a 3211 printer. If INDEX is not specified
for the 3211 printer, no indexing is done. If INDEX is specified without a value,
the value coded in the FCB macro is used and if INDEX is specified with a value,
the specified value overrides the value coded in the FCB macro. Print Buffers and Forms Control 293
If you specify INDEX for the virtual 3211 printer and again for the real 3211
printer, the output is indexed using the sum of the two specifications minus 1. For
example, the command
LOADVFCB OOF FCB SPEC INDEX
indexes the virtual print file 10 positions because 10 was specified in the FCB mac­
ro for the SPEC forms control buffer. When this file is sent to the real printer, the
operator issues the command LOADBUF OOE FCB SPEC INDEX 20 which indexes the file an additional 20 positions. The value specified on the com­
mand line (20) overrides the value in the FCB macro (10). The output starts print­
ing in print position 29 (10+20-1=29).
Because the 3203, 3262, 3289 Model 4, and 4245 printers do not have indexing
capabilities, the LOADVFCB and LOADBUF commands with the INDEX option
cause an invalid option error message from CPo 294 VM/SP System Programmer's Guide
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