Abstract: A printing control method and apparatus for combining forms data and printing data to produce and output printing images. Forms data are handled as a group of forms data including a plurality of component data groups forming partial form elements and component placement information groups specifying intra-page positions of components. For form selection, component placement selection information is selected in the printing data. Component placement information selected and indicated by this component placement selection information is used for form generation. If a plurality of components are the same in partial form elements, therefore, a plurality of kinds of forms data can use components in common and are administered by only component placement information specifying intra-page positions of respective components. As for forms data needed at the time of printing, therefore, components of form elements are placed and combined in accordance with the component placement information.

Abstract: Mask data in a PSW are latched and sent from a host to a guest are subjected to a logical AND operation with latched data taken from an intervention request field of a state descriptor of the guest machine. The resultant logical product is used for setting the PSW of the guest machine and activating an interception to the host. The overhead of an execution controller managing the state transition between guest-host machines is reduced.