Proform Troubleshooting

Useful Tools

Hex Editors

There are no doubt many tools for displaying and modifying binary files. I use hexedit.exe for windows environments and fm for unix. ( I can provide you with a binary fm for SCO Unix, and a tar file fm.tar containing source for all other unixen. I have to call the binary fm.bin in order to convince Netscape to download it correctly, but you can rename it to fm when done. )

File: invoice.hpl

Byte: 9700

00 70 31 33 34 35 59 1b 2a 70 35 32 37 58 1b 28 31 p1345Y.*p527X.(1

10 30 55 1b 28 73 31 70 32 38 76 31 73 33 62 31 35 0U.(s1p28v1s3b15

20 32 54 5b 63 6f 6d 6d 65 6e 74 5d 1b 28 31 30 55 2T[comment].(10U

30 1b 28 73 31 70 31 31 76 73 62 31 35 32 54 1b 28 .(s1p11vsb152T.(

40 31 30 55 1b 28 73 31 70 31 31 76 73 62 31 35 33 10U.(s1p11vsb153

50 54 1b 2a 70 33 30 35 32 59 1b 2a 70 37 37 58 1b T.*p3052Y.*p77X.

60 2a 63 32 32 35 30 61 36 62 31 30 30 67 32 50 1b *c2250a6b100g2P.

70 2a 70 33 31 34 30 59 1b 28 31 30 55 1b 28 73 31 *p3140Y.(10U.(s1

80 70 31 31 76 31 73 33 62 31 35 33 54 4d 4e 4f 50 p11v1s3b153TMNOP

90 1b 2a 70 32 32 37 58 4c 74 64 2e 1b 2a 70 33 31 .*p227XLtd..*p31

a0 37 58 34 37 33 37 1b 2a 70 34 32 34 58 48 61 62 7X4737.*p424XHab

b0 65 72 73 68 61 6d 1b 2a 70 36 36 31 58 52 69 64 ersham.*p661XRid

c0 67 65 2c 1b 2a 70 37 39 37 58 4c 69 6c 62 75 72 ge,.*p797XLilbur

d0 6e 1b 2a 70 39 35 37 58 47 41 1b 2a 70 31 30 33 n.*p957XGA.*p103

e0 36 58 33 30 32 34 37 1b 2a 70 31 31 36 36 58 1b 6X30247.*p1166X.

f0 2a 70 31 31 38 31 58 1b 2a 70 31 31 39 36 58 1b *p1181X.*p1196X.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d e f 0123456789abcdef

^f/pgdn=forward ^h/f1=hex ^x/f3=find hex ^u/f5=undo ^g/f7 =goto

^b/pgup=backward ^a/f2=ascii ^t/f4=find ascii ^p/f6=print ^d/f10=done

PCL Interpreters

Seeing a binary file in hex doesn't always make it jump off the page. In order to figure out what a chunk of PCL is trying to do you need to run it through pcldump.exe, courtesy of HP. It is probably most useful to save the output, like this:

pcldump < myfile.hpl > myfile.dmp

edit myfile.dmp

pcl5dump (v930223 experimental):

Dumping HP LaserJet file -> dands.hpl

Mon May 06 17:39:55 1996

00000 [1b]%-12345X -> Universal exit language:

00009 @PJL ENTER LANGUAGE=PCL[0d][0a]

00022 [1b]E -> Reset

00024 [1b]&l0S -> Simplex/duplex print: simplex

00029 [1b]*r0F -> Raster graphics presentation: orientaion of logical page

0002e [1b]&l0O -> Logical page orientation: portrait

00033 [1b]&l1H -> Paper source: upper tray

00038 [1b]&l2a -> Page size: Letter

0003d 4d -> Line spacing: 4

0003f 1e -> Top margin (lines): 1

00041 42F -> Text length (lines): 42

00044 [1b]*t300R -> Raster graphics resolution: 300

0004b [1b]*b0M -> Set compression mode: unencoded

00050 [0d]

00051 [1b]&l1G -> Output bin: upper

00056 [1b]*p89Y -> Vertical cursor position (dots): 89

0005c [1b]*p7X -> Horizontal cursor position (dots): 7

00061 [1b]*c16385D -> Font ID: 16385

I have not found a corresponding pcl interpreter for unix.

Please note that all the software mentioned here is property of other people or organizations, and that MNOP Ltd is not claiming ownership in any way.