Format Builder

Field Detail Window

Defines the fields contained in the message format. Fields are a sequence of bytes that have some meaning to an application. (For example, the field EMPNAME contains an employee name.) You can create a field as a child of the message format item, as a child of a group, or as a sibling of a group or another field.

Field	Description
Field Description
Name	The name of the field. This name must comply with XML element naming conventions (see Valid Names for more information).
Optional	Select this option if this is an optional field. Optional means that the data for the field may or may not be present. If the Optional option is selected for a file, then you must also set the Field is Tagged option from the Field Attributes pane. In addition, in the Field Is Tagged text box enter a unique value for each optional field in a group. Multiple groups can use the same tag value but the tag value for each optional field in a group must be unique.
Type	Select the data type of the field from the drop-down list. The default is String. Note: The Field Type you select dictates the Field Data Options that appear on the dialog. Refer to Supported Data Types for a list of data types supported by Format Builder.
Field Occurrence
Occurrence	Choose one of the following to indicate how often this field appears in the message format: Once - Indicates the field appears only once. Repeat Delimiter - Indicates the field will repeat until the specified delimiter is encountered. Repeat Field - Indicates the field will repeat the number of times specified in the field denoted as the repeat field. Repeat Number - Indicates the field will repeat the specified number of times. Unlimited - Indicates the field will repeat an unlimited number of times. Note: Unless a field is defined as optional, the field will occur at least one time.
Note: The fields that display in the following sections of the detail window depend on the Field Type selected.
Field Data Options
Data Base Type	If the field is a date or time field, the base type indicates what type of characters (ASCII, EBCDIC, or Numeric) make up the data.
Year Cutoff	If the field is a date field that has a 2-digit year, the year cutoff allows the 2-digit year to be converted to a 4-digit year. If the 2-digit year is greater than or equal to the year cutoff value, a '19' prefix will be added to the year value. Otherwise a '20' prefix will be used.
Code Page	The character encoding of the field data.
Value	The value that appears in a literal field.
Field Attributes
Field is Tagged	Select this option if this is a tagged field. Being tagged means that a literal precedes the data, indicating that the data is present. For example: SUP:ACME INC, SUP: is a tag. ACME INC is the field data. If you selected the Field is Tagged option, enter the tag in the text box to the right of the checkbox.
Field Default Value	Select this option if the field has a default value. Then, enter the default value in the text box to the right of the checkbox.
Termination
Length	Variable-sized data types can be assigned a fixed length, eliminating the need to use a delimiter to specify the termination point of the field. Length - Enter the number of bytes in the length field if the length field is a variable length. Trim Leading/Trailing - Removes the specified data from the leading or trailing edge of the data. Pad - If the data is shorter than the specified length, enter the necessary value to the data until it is of correct length. Select the Trailing option to append padding at the end of a field. Select the Leading option to append padding at the beginning of a field. Truncate - Removes a specified number of characters from a field. Select the Truncate First option to remove the specified number of characters from the beginning of the field. Select the Truncate After option to remove the specified number of characters from the end of the field. If you select both truncation options, the Truncate First option is implemented initially, and the Truncate After option is invoked on the remaining characters.
Imbedded Length	Variable-sized data types can have their termination point specified by an imbedded length. An imbedded length precedes the data field and indicates how many bytes the data contains. Description - Select the Type from the drop down list. Then, depending on the Type selected, choose Length and enter the number of bytes, or choose Delimiter and enter the delimiter character. Tag/Length Order - Specifies the order of tag and length fields when both are present. Default is tag before length. Trim Leading/Trailing - Removes the specified data from the leading or trailing edge of the data. Truncate - Removes a specified number of characters from a field. For more information on truncation, see the Length field.
Delimiter	Variable-sized data types can have their termination point specified by a delimiter. A delimiter is a character that marks the end of the field. The field data continues until the delimiter character is encountered. Value - Enter the delimiter that marks the end of the field data. Trim Leading/Trailing - Removes the specified data from the leading or trailing edge of the data. Truncate - Removes a specified number of characters from a field. For more information on truncation, see the Length field.
Delimiter Field	Variable-sized data types can have their termination point specified by a field that contains a delimiter character. A delimiter is a character that marks the end of the field. The field data continues until the field containing the delimiter character is encountered. Field - Select the field that contains the delimiter character. Default - Enter the delimiter character. You must supply a default value. The default is used when the delimiter field is not present. Trim Leading/Trailing - Removes the specified data from the leading or trailing edge of the data. Truncate - Removes a specified number of characters from a field. For more information on truncation, see the Length field. For more information on delimiters, see Specify Delimiters.
Decimal Position	Specifies the number of digits (0-16) to the left of the decimal point.
Field Update Buttons
Apply	Saves your changes to the message format file.
Duplicate	Makes a copy of the field currently displayed. The duplicate field contains the same values as the original field. The name of the duplicate field is the same as the original field name, with the word "New" inserted before the original name. For example, duplicating a field called "Field1" results in a field with the name "NewField1". When you duplicate an item with a numeric value in its name, the new item name contains the next sequential number. For example, duplicating "NewField1" results in a group named "NewField2".
Reset	Discards your changes to the detail window and resets all fields to the last saved values.
Help	Displays online help information for this detail window.

 

Note: The Apply and Reset buttons are only enabled once changes are made to the detail panel's components.