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A.6 Accounting File Format Description
Accounting files are recorded in ASCII format in a series of tagged fields. Because each field
is tagged, new fields can be added without losing backward compatibility. A version field is
included in the ACC.STA file to identify the supported fields as the system evolves.
When you access the accounting files using CrownPrint Auditor and/or CrownView, the
tags are automatically converted into a format that is easier to use.
The following conventions are the same for job, paper, and status files:
a. Tag identifiers
These three-digit numbers are used to identify fields. The three-digit number is used
instead of a name to minimize use of disk space. The Dictionary file (ACC.DIC) pro-
vides the field names associated with each tag identifier.
b. String information
String information for record field values is stored inside braces (for example, {this is a
string}). This allows spaces within strings and stores only the necessary characters of a
string value. String fields for which no value is specified are stored as {}, instead of
using blanks or the maximum field size.
c. New records
New records are separated by a <CR> character to increase readability.
d. Separators
A typical record in any of the accounting files is a sequence of pairs of tag identifiers and
field values separated by commas. A colon separates the tag identifier and field value.
Example - The following is an example of the format of an accounting file record:
1: 3, 2:{this is a string}, <CR>
In this example, the record has fields identified by tags 1 and 2. Since these values don't use 3
digits for the tag identifier, spaces are stored instead, to provide consistency and simplicity
while using only a small amount of extra space. In this example, the value for the field tagged
1 is the integer 3 and the value for the field tagged 2 is a string. The <CR> represents the
carriage return character.
Crown Book
Part 1
145
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