PMDF System Manager's Guide

The DCF utility is optionally used by PMDF-MR to convert WPS and DX message body parts to ASCII. This facility is built from document conversion software supplied as part of the MRGATE kit, the Message Router VMS MAIL gateway. PMDF-MR will function without the DCF utility but it will be unable to convert WPS and DX body parts to ASCII without it. DCF is only available for VAX platforms.

The DCF utility is not supplied in executable form with PMDF-MR; it must be linked after PMDF-MR is installed. The procedure for doing this as follows:

1. Run the PMDF_COM:dcf_extract.com command file. This procedure prompts for two things: (i) the directory and name of the saveset from which to extract the necessary conversion routines, and (ii) the name of a directory in which to put the resulting libraries. The usual saveset name is either MRGATE031.A or MRGATE032.A (other versions of this kit will probably work but have not been tested). The kit can be on magtape or it can be disk-resident. The output directory will be created automatically if it does not exist. The directory pmdf_root:[dcf] is one possible choice; any directory will do, however. The interaction goes something like this:

   $ @PMDF_COM:dcf_extract.com Directory to put libraries in: pmdf_root:[dcf] Path to saveset to extract libraries from: sd:[kits]MRGATE031.A Extracting libraries... $

   The specification sd:[kits] is only an example; this should be replaced with an appropriate path and name for your copy of MRGATE031.A or MRGATE032.A.

2. Run the PMDF_COM:dcf_build.com command file. This procedure actually builds the DCF utility. This procedure only asks for the name of the directory in which you directed dcf_extract.com to place the DCF libraries:

   $ @PMDF_COM:dcf_build.com Directory containing object libraries: pmdf_root:[dcf] Linking DCF utility... $

   The result of this procedure is the executable PMDF_EXE:dcf.exe, which is then available for use by PMDF-MR.

If you have a sample WPS document, you can check to make sure the DCF utility is working properly with a command of the form:

$ PMDF DCF sample.wpl/FORMAT=WPSFILE sample.txt/FORMAT=ASCII

Here sample should be the name of the file you want to try converting. The file extensions must be ".wpl" and ".txt"; nothing else will work properly. The DCF command is also documented in the PMDF User's Guide.