PS TEXT FORMAT Reference Manual

Preface
11387 Tandem Computers Incorporated ix
PS TEXT FORMAT (or TFORM) is a command-oriented text formatter.
TFORM operates in two ways: in a sheltered environment under the
control of the T-TEXT text editor, or as an independent text formatter. This
manual describes the second use of TFORM as a stand-alone formatter.
(See the T-TEXT User’s Manual for more information about TFORM in the
T-TEXT environment.)
You use TFORM to control the margins, indentation, headers, footers, and
page numbers of documents that you produce. TFORM can also produce
boldface type, underline, draw boxes, make lists of various kinds, and
provide other enhancements that make the printed result not only readable
but pleasing to the eye. In its most sophisticated applications, TFORM can
print customized form letters, use auxiliary input and output files, make
value substitutions, carry out conditional or repetitive processing, and even
do computations.
What This Book
Is About
The PS TEXT FORMAT Reference Manual explains in detail the PS TEXT
FORMAT product. This manual contains detailed descriptions of the many
TFORM commands, syntax summaries for each command, some examples
describing the options of more sophisticated commands, and tips for using
the commands. It also describes the more advanced features of TFORM,
such as escape sequences, which include special printing capabilities,
special formatting characters, and value substitution; expressions, which
allow you to handle data and do computations; and system parameters,
which govern the environment and activities of TFORM.
The several appendixes provide you with a syntax summary of the different
elements of TFORM; explanations of the error messages that TFORM
delivers; details of the limits and defaults of TFORM; a description of the
conversion utility TFORMCVT that provides specific pathways between
files formatted with TGAL, T-TEXT, or TFORM; and examples of
FUNCTION and MACRO constructs.