Batch format processing of record data

摘要

The user written application program (UAP) operates interactively with an application program interface (API) to produce multiple formatted documents from multiple data records without user intervention. The UAP calls the API to send set-up parameters to the API, and the API is set-up for formatting based on these parameters received from the UAP. The UAP sends page parameters to the API to establish the page environment at the API based on the page parameters. Then the UAP and the API interactively format the data records as paragraphs, tables or other page elements into a page. The interactive format process checks for errors in the format process at the API. The UAP and the API continue to format data unless a detected error is too severe. The format process is a state driven process. A hierarchy of states in the format process is defined, and the calls to the API set a current active state. Calls to a lower state may elect to override or not override default format parameters with defined parameters in the call.