Format Definition window: Fields

Format Name

Displays the name of the format definition. Typically, the name indicates the data type the format is applied to. For instance, the name Phone_Number indicates this format will be applied to the Phone_Number data type.

Format Type

Specifies the type of data to which the format will be applied.

Currency - Displays options for monetary values.
Numeric - Displays options for numbers other than currency amounts.
String - Displays options for text strings.
Composite - Displays options for composite data types. Each component of the composite will take its format from the format attached to its respective data type.

Setting the type determines which additional format options are available in this window. The topic Formatting options describes the various options available for each type of format.

Alignment

Specifies whether information in the field will be left-, center-, or right-aligned.

Fill

If the format uses a format string, this field specifies whether unused positions in the field contents will be filled with asterisks, spaces or zeros.

Decimal Digits

Specifies the number of decimal positions that will be displayed for the number. The value can be 0 to 5 for standard currency data types. It can be 0 to 15 for variable currency data types. The effect this setting will have depends on the setting of the Relative Decimal Position option in this window. This doesn't affect the number of decimal places that are stored in the table; it specifies only what is displayed in windows.

Negative Symbol

Specifies the type of negative symbol that will be displayed in the field. You can specify that negative amounts will be preceded by a minus sign (-) or the letters CR, will be enclosed in parentheses, or will be displayed according to the operating system settings.

String Options

Options in this group control how text strings will be displayed. These options will be unavailable if the format type is currency or numeric. Refer to the topic Formatting options for a description of each option.

Numeric/Currency Options

Settings in this group control how numbers and monetary values will be displayed. These options will be unavailable if the format type is string or composite. Refer to the topic Formatting options for a description of each option.

Format String

Allows you to add a format string to the list of available format strings for this format definition. Type the string in this field and use the Insert button to add it to the list of available strings. Use uppercase Xs (XXX) to indicate the position of characters stored in the field. All other characters in the format string, such as parentheses, static text and so on, will be displayed in windows or printed on reports just as they are entered here.

If you're entering a format string for a composite data type, use numerals to indicate the position of each composite component. For example, a composite that contains three components could have this format string: #11111-222-333333.

Format Strings

Displays the format strings used for this format definition.