Printing NONMEM output files

From coyle@dendrite.pharmacy.ohio-state.edu Fri Jan 31 12:31:53 1997 Subject: Printing NONMEM output files NONMEM users: I have been encountering a problem printing NONMEM output files since installing the program on my PC (OK, all those with "real" computers can stop reading at this point!). I have recently, with Alison Boeckmann's assistance, met with success and thought I might share that with the group. My system consists of a 100 MHz, Pentium computer with Windows 95 as the operating system and Fortran PowerStation 4.0 as the compiler. I run NONMEM from an MS-DOS window. My printer is an HP LaserJet 5 MP. My printing problems are related to the format of the NONMEM output file (fixed length, 133 character-wide records with the first character being a FORTRAN carrriage control character). This format has presented two printing challenges on my system. First, Fortran carriage control characters must be converted to ASCII carriage control characters. Second, the 133 character width means the printing must be compressed and/or the paper orientation changed to landscape. PowerStation 4.0 provides an option ("carriagecontrol") which, in theory, is capable of dealing with the first of these problems. It converts Fortran carriage control characters to ASCII carriage control characters. Unfortunately, it does not work with NONMEM (confirmed by Alison). NONMEM (Version IV, Level 2.1) includes a PRINT utility to deal with the carriage control problem (NONMEM Installation Guide, p. 70). Unfortunately, it does not work in my environment either (also confirmed by Alison). Fortunately, Alison has recently provided me with a new PRINT utility (version 3) which does work. Apparently, this version is different from Version 2 of the PRINT utillity in that it strips trailing blanks from the output file. There is a qualification to my success in printing NONMEM output files using the latest version of PRINT. Success appears to depend on the method used to actually print the file created by PRINT ("PRINTOUT"). I have found that the Norton Utilities 8.0 program "Line Print" will print these files successfully. It contains an option to print 132 character-wide files (the second problem above) and deals apparently flawlessly with the carriage control issue. In contrast, I have not been successful printing PRINTOUT from the MS-DOS prompt (using "copy printout prn" and escape sequences to control aspects of printer function) or from a variety of editors I have tried (MS-DOS Edit, SAS, Microsoft WORD, WORDPAD). So, the bottom line is that I have been successful in printing NONMEM output using the newest version of the PRINT utility (which Alison Boeckmann wrote and e-mailed to me) and Norton Utilities 8.0 "Line Print". Printing (using a batch file) is now (mercifully!!!) straightforward. I'm curious if other PC users have experienced similar printing problems and what approaches have been successful. Jim Coyle Assistant Professor College of Pharmacy The Ohio State University