computer science

Information Presentation Facility

Information Presentation Facility is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Information Presentation Facility rather than just read about it. In short: Information Presentation Facility (IPF) is a system for presenting online help and hypertext on IBM OS/2 systems. IPF also refers to the markup language that is used to create IPF content.

Key takeaways

Information Presentation Facility belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Information Presentation Facility to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Information Presentation Facility from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Information Presentation Facility (IPF) is a system for presenting online help and hypertext on IBM OS/2 systems. IPF also refers to the markup language that is used to create IPF content. The IPF language has its origins in BookMaster and Generalized Markup Language developed by IBM. The IPF language is very similar to the well-known HTML language, version 3.0, with a range of additional possibilities. Therefore, a trained user may use virtually any word processor when creating IPF documents. The IPF language consists of 45 basic commands. IPF files are compiled using the IPF Compiler (IPFC) into viewable INF or HLP files. IPF HLP files are distinct from the WinHelp HLP files that are prevalent in Windows. OS/2 contains a built in viewer, and there are other viewers available for other platforms.

Example 1 - IBM Here is a sample of IPF markup from IBM's Information Presentation Facility Programming Guide[link removed].

.* This is a comment line :userdoc. :title.Endangered Mammals :h1 res=001. The Manatee

:p. The manatee has a broad flat tail and two flipper like forelegs. There are no back legs. The manatee's large upper lip is split in two and can be used like fingers to place food into the mouth. Bristly hair protrudes from its lips, and almost buried in its hide are small eyes, with which it can barely see.

:euserdoc.

Example 2 - PM123 User's Manual

Status of IPF IPF is still used as part of OS/2's latest incarnation, ArcaOS. It is otherwise rarely used, although there are several tools that can read or write IPF files.

HTMIPF[link removed]: Converts HTML to IPF HyperMake: Multi-format documentation generator IPF Editor: Commercial IPF editor UDO: Open source multi-format documentation generator VyperHelp: Open source IPF editor and converter Free Pascal's documentation generator (fpdoc), can also generate OS/2's IPF output.

Help Viewers The original OS/2 VIEW.EXE application NewView v2.x. This is an open source project and code is available from Netlabs. Free Pascal's text base IDE has support for various help formats - OS/2's INF format being one of them. The fpGUI Toolkit project also has an INF viewer called DocView. It is an open source project and was originally a port of NewView v2.x, but has since seen some different designs and changes. INF is also the official help file format of fpGUI Toolkit. Tools and documentation for the INF/HLP file format by Marcus Gröber

External links INF file format PM123man.INF - PM123 User's Manual version 0.99 (Source File Distribution, 298 KB)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Information Presentation Facility

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Information Presentation Facility claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Information Presentation Facility before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Information Presentation Facility ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Information Presentation Facility

In research: Information Presentation Facility appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Information Presentation Facility in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Information Presentation Facility is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Markup languages, OS/2, Software help, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Information Presentation Facility outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Information Presentation Facility” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Information Presentation Facility in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Information Presentation Facility means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Information Presentation Facility out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Information Presentation Facility in simple terms?

Information Presentation Facility (IPF) is a system for presenting online help and hypertext on IBM OS/2 systems. IPF also refers to the markup language that is used to create IPF content.

Why does Information Presentation Facility matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Information Presentation Facility?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Information Presentation Facility.