IBM i Access Client Solutions (ACS) includes many nifty features, like being able to save a spooled file as a PDF. This Gist shows how SQL can be used to progammatically take one or more spooled files and generate PDFs for them into the Integrated File System (IFS).

generate pdf.sql

--
-- title: Generate PDF(s) from Spooled Files
--        This scalar function allows the SQL programmer to identify Spooled File(s) and generate pdfs for them in the IFS.
--
-- minvrm: V7R2M0
--
CREATE or replace FUNCTION SYSTOOLS.Generate_PDF( 
	 job_name varchar(28) for sbcs data,
     file_name varchar(10) for sbcs data,
	 file_number integer,
	 PATH_NAME DBCLOB(5000) CCSID 1200) 
  returns integer
  SPECIFIC SYSTOOLS.GENPDF
  MODIFIES SQL DATA 
  not deterministic
  no external action
  SET OPTION 
	COMMIT = *NONE , 
	DYNUSRPRF = *USER , 
	USRPRF = *USER   
  BEGIN 
   
declare local_sqlcode integer;
declare local_sqlstate char(5) for sbcs data;
declare v_message_text varchar(2000) for sbcs data;
declare v_failure_text varchar(2000) for sbcs data;
declare software_product_info_exists integer;
declare Transform_Services_exists integer;

-- Count must be 1 to be able to check on software pre-req
select count(*) into software_product_info_exists
  from qsys2.services_info
  where service_name = 'SOFTWARE_PRODUCT_INFO'
   and  service_schema_name = 'QSYS2';

if (software_product_info_exists = 0) then 
  call systools.lprintf('Generate_PDF: Cannot check whether this software is installed: 5770TS1 - Option 1 - Transform Services - AFP to PDF Transform');
else
  -- Count must be 1 to be able to generate pdfs into the IFS
  select count(*) into Transform_Services_exists
    from qsys2.software_product_info
    where product_id = '5770TS1' and product_option = '1' and installed = 'YES' and load_error = 'NO';
  if (Transform_Services_exists = 0) then 
    set v_failure_text = 'Generate_PDF: Missing prerequisite software: 5770TS1 - Option 1 - Transform Services - AFP to PDF Transform';
    call systools.lprintf(v_failure_text);
    signal sqlstate 'VSP01'
      set message_text = v_failure_text;
    return 0;
  end if;
end if;

begin
  declare v_cmdtxt varchar(10000) for sbcs data;
  declare exit handler for sqlexception
  begin
    get diagnostics condition 1 local_sqlcode = db2_returned_sqlcode,
        local_sqlstate = returned_sqlstate,
        v_message_text = message_text;
    set v_failure_text = 'Generate_PDF: FAILED WITH SQLCODE=' concat
        local_sqlcode concat ' SQLSTATE=' concat local_sqlstate concat
        ' MESSAGE= ' concat v_message_text concat ' for command: ' concat v_cmdtxt;
    call systools.lprintf(v_failure_text);
    signal sqlstate local_sqlstate set message_text = v_failure_text;
    return 0;
  end;
 
  set v_cmdtxt = 'QSYS/CPYSPLF FILE(' concat file_name concat ') TOFILE(*TOSTMF) JOB(' concat job_name concat ') SPLNBR(' concat file_number concat ') TOSTMF(''' 
    concat path_name concat ''') WSCST(*PDF) STMFOPT(*REPLACE)';
  call qsys2.qcmdexc(v_cmdtxt);
  return 1;
END; 
END; 
stop;

--
-- Take a specific spooled file and generate a pdf into the IFS
--
select * from qsys2.output_queue_entries_basic 
 where status = 'READY'
 order by create_timestamp desc limit 4;

values SYSTOOLS.Generate_PDF( 
       job_name    => '885864/JAVA/QPRTJOB', 
       file_name   => 'QPJOBLOG', 
       file_number => 6199, 
       path_name   => '/home/scottf/firstPDF');

select *
  from table (
      qsys2.ifs_object_statistics(start_path_name => '/home/scottf/firstPDF')
    );
stop;


--
-- Discover spooled files and generate pdfs for them into the IFS
--
select job_name, spooled_file_name, file_number, 
       SYSTOOLS.Generate_PDF( 
       job_name    => job_name, 
       file_name   => spooled_file_name, 
       file_number => file_number, 
       path_name   => '/home/scottf/' concat regexp_replace(job_name, '/', '_') 
                      concat '_' concat spooled_file_name concat '_' concat file_number) 
                      as "pdf_created?",
       '/home/scottf/' concat regexp_replace(job_name, '/', '_') 
                      concat '_' concat spooled_file_name concat '_' concat file_number
                      as pdf_path  
  from qsys2.output_queue_entries_basic where status = 'READY'
  order by create_timestamp desc
  limit 4;

select *
  from table (
      qsys2.ifs_object_statistics(start_path_name => '/home/scottf/')
    );
stop;