Column Description
Value One of the following can be specified:
Numeric constant
This is possible when the field is numeric type data. A numeric
constant can be from 1 to 31 digits long, and can contain the
following characters:
– Digits (0 through 9)
– A plus sign (+) or minus sign (-) at the beginning
– Aperiod.
Floating point expressions are not allowed, although floating point
data is allowed.
Examples:
Correct Incorrect Reason
+12.5 +12.5.ð 2 periods are contained.
-2ð 2ð- - does not come first
.ðððð5 .ððððA5 “A” is not numeric
123456 1.23456E+5 Floating point expression
Character constant like 'ABC'
This is possible when the field is character type data. The
maximum for a character length is the same as the length of the
Value
column. A character constant is simply characters enclosed
in apostrophes (for example, 'xxx'). If a character constant contains
an apostrophe, it must be entered as two apostrophes. For
example, if you want to print records that list the street addresses
as Granger's Circle, type the constant as 'Granger''s Circle'.
Examples:
Correct Incorrect Reason
'ABCDEF' ABCDEF No apostrophe, recog-
nized as a field name.
'abc def' 'abc def Last apostrophe is
missing.
'Tom''s bed' 'Tom's bed' Double apostrophe is
required.
'123456' 123456 No apostrophe, recog-
nized as a numeric
constant.
A field name in the database file member
Any fields in the input database file member can be specified, but
its data type must match with the data type specified in the
Field
column. For example, if the data type is numeric, you must specify
it as numeric data. If it is character data, you must specify it as
character data. Comparison of SBCS type and DBCS type is
allowed.
You can select a field name from the list of field names in the
database file by pressing F4.
If a field and a value are not of the same length, the Print Format Utility
handles the shorter one as if it has the same length as the longer one
as follows:
0's are added at the left of numeric values.
SBCS blanks are added at the right of character values.
Chapter 10. Work with PFD Definitions 181