PRINTER_FILE_INFO view

The PRINTER_FILE_INFO view returns many attributes of IBM i printer files.

The information is returned by using the Display File Description (DSPFD) CL command.

Authorization: See Note below.

The following table describes the columns in the view. The system name is PRTF_INFO. The schema is SYSTOOLS.

Table 1. PRINTER_FILE_INFO view
Column name	System column name	Data type	Description
PRINTER_FILE_LIBRARY	PRTF_LIB	VARCHAR(10)	Name of the library that contains the printer file.
PRINTER_FILE	PRTF	VARCHAR(10)	Name of the printer file.
SPOOLED_OUTPUT_QUEUE_LIBRARY	OUTQ_LIB	VARCHAR(10) Nullable	Library containing output queue for spooled files. Contains the null value if SPOOLED_OUTPUT_QUEUE is *JOB.
SPOOLED_OUTPUT_QUEUE	OUTQ	VARCHAR(10)	Output queue for spooled files. Can contain the following special value: *JOB The output queue for the job is used.
OWNER	OWNER	VARCHAR(10)	The owner of the printer file
DEFINER	DEFINER	VARCHAR(10)	The user who created the printer file.
CREATE_TIMESTAMP	CREATED	TIMESTAMP	The time the printer file was created.
LAST_USED_TIMESTAMP	LAST_USED	TIMESTAMP Nullable	The time the printer file was last used. Contains the null value if the printer file has never been used.
SIZE	SIZE	DECIMAL(15,0)	The size of the printer file.
TEXT_DESCRIPTION	TEXT	VARCHAR(50) Nullable	Descriptive text for the printer file. Contains the null value if there is no text description.
MAXIMUM_RECORDS	MAXRCDS	INTEGER Nullable	The maximum number of records allowed in the spooled file. Contains the null value if there is no maximum.
FILE_AVAILABLE	FILEAVAIL	VARCHAR(8)	The time when a spooled file becomes available to an output device for processing. FILEEND The file is available as soon as the file is closed. IMMED The file is available as soon as the file is opened. *JOBEND The file is available when the job that owns the file is completed.
COPIES	COPIES	INTEGER	The number of copies for a spooled file.
HOLD	HOLD	VARCHAR(3)	Hold spooled file. NO Spooled file is not held. YES Spooled file is held.
SAVE_AFTER_WRITE	SAVE	VARCHAR(3)	Save spooled file after is is written. NO Do not keep the spooled file. YES Keep the spooled file.
OUTPUT_PRIORITY	OUTPTY	VARCHAR(4)	For spooled output, the assigned priority on the output queue. Can contain the following special value: *JOB The output priority associated with the job that created the spooled file is used.
USER_DATA	USER_DATA	VARCHAR(10)	For spooled output, user-specified data that identifies the file. Can contain the following special value: *SOURCE If the spooled file was created by an application program, the name of the program is used. Otherwise, blanks are used.
SPOOLED_FILE_OWNER	SPOOL_OWN	VARCHAR(10)	For spooled output, the owner assigned to the spooled file. Can contain the following special values: CURGRPPRF The spooled file is owned by the current effective group profile of the current job or thread. CURUSRPRF The spooled file is owned by the current effective user of the current job or thread. JOB The spooled file is owned by the original user profile of the job. JOBGRPPRF The spooled file is owned by the group profile of the original user profile of the job.
FORM_TYPE	FORM_TYPE	VARCHAR(10)	Type of form on which the output is printed.
PAGE_LENGTH	PAGE_LEN	DECIMAL(6,3)	The page length, in lines per page, used by the spooled file.
PAGE_WIDTH	PAGE_WIDTH	DECIMAL(6,3)	The page width, in characters per printed line, used by the spooled file.
LINES_PER_INCH	LPI	DECIMAL(3,1)	The line spacing setting on the printer, in lines per inch.
CHARACTERS_PER_INCH	CPI	DECIMAL(3,1)	The printer character density, in characters per inch.
EXTERNALLY_DESCRIBED	EXT_DESC	VARCHAR(3)	Externally described attribute. NO File is not externally described. YES File is externally described.
NUMBER_RECORD_FORMATS	FORMATS	INTEGER	The number of record formats defined for the printer file
RECORD_FORMAT	RCDFMT	CLOB(1M) CCSID 1208 Nullable	A list of record formats for the printer file. The value is returned as a JSON array, with each array element containing a JSON object with information for one format. The array name is RCDFMT. The array elements consist of: The format name, with a key of FORMAT_NAME The number of fields in the format, with a key of FORMAT_NUMBER_FIELDS The length of the format, with a key of FORMAT_RECORD_LENGTH The format level ID, with a key of FORMAT_LEVEL_ID Descriptive text for the format, with a key of FORMAT_TEXT Contains the null value if record format information is not available for this printer file.

Note

This function is provided in the SYSTOOLS schema as an example of returning information from a CL command's OUTFILE. Similar to other Db2® for i provided tools within SYSTOOLS, the SQL source can be extracted and used as a model for building similar helper functions, or to create a customized version within a user-specified schema.

Services provided in SYSTOOLS have authorization requirements that are determined by the interfaces used to implement the service. To understand the authority requirements, extract the SQL for the service and examine the implementation.

Example

Look at some printer file attributes for printer files in library APPLIB1.

SELECT PRINTER_FILE, TEXT_DESCRIPTION, MAXIMUM_RECORDS, OUTPUT_PRIORITY, FORM_TYPE
  FROM SYSTOOLS.PRINTER_FILE_INFO
  WHERE PRINTER_FILE_LIBRARY = 'APPLIB1';

Expand the list of record formats for printer file APPLIB1/INVOICE.

SELECT J.* 
FROM SYSTOOLS.PRINTER_FILE_INFO,
     JSON_TABLE(RECORD_FORMAT, 'lax $.RCDFMT'
          COLUMNS (FORMAT_NAME VARCHAR(10),
                   FORMAT_FIELDS INTEGER,
                   FORMAT_LENGTH INTEGER,
                   FORMAT_LEVEL_ID CHAR(13),
                   FORMAT_TEXT VARCHAR(50)
           )) J
 WHERE PRINTER_FILE_LIBRARY = 'APPLIB1' AND PRINTER_FILE = 'INVOICE';