Extended Field Editing

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# Extended Field Editing

The extended field editing function is used to define additional attributes for fields.

This section covers the following topics:

- Invoking and Terminating Extended Field Editing

- Fields in the Extended Field Editing Area

- Fields in the Extended Text Field Editing Area

## Invoking and Terminating Extended Field Editing

To invoke extended field editing

- From within the map editing area:

  In the line that contains the field(s) for which you want to define additional attributes, enter the following line command:

      ..E

  For additional options, see also Line Commands in the section Editing a Map.

  Or:
  From within the map editing area:

  In the field for which you want to define additional attributes, enter the following field command:

      .E

  Or:
  From the Edit Map menu:

  Execute function `D` (Field and Variable Definitions) for the map that contains the required field(s).

  On the Field and Variable Definitions - Summary screen that appears, next to the field for which you want to define additional attributes, enter the following line command:

      .E

  For a data field, an extended field editing area similar to the example below is displayed in the upper section of the map editor screen:

      Fld #001                                                        Fmt A10
      -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      AD= MIT_______     ZP=         SG=        HE= _____________________   Rls 0
      AL= _____          CD= __      CV= ________________________________   Mod Undef
      PM= __  DF=                    DY= ______________________________
      EM= __________________________ SB= ________________________________

      001   --010---+----+----+---030---+----+----+---050---+----+----+---070---+----

      .EXXXXXXXXX

      Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF12---
            HELP  Mset  Exit  <---  --->  --    -     +           <     >     Let

  It is possible to invoke the extended field editing function for the next or previous field in the map editing area by pressing PF4 or PF5 respectively.

To terminate extended field editing

- Press PF3.

  Or:
  Choose ENTER.

## Fields in the Extended Field Editing Area

The fields contained in the extended field editing area of the editor screen are described in the following table:

Field | Explanation
--- | ---
Fld | The field or array name. If the name is longer than the available space, enter the command `.E` at the beginning of the line to open additional space. The name entered in the Fld or Arr field depends on the method used when creating the field: If the field was copied from a variable in another Natural object, the variable name used in this object is entered. If the field was copied from a DDM field, the name of the DDM followed by the field name used in the DDM is entered; for example, `EMPLOYEES.PERSONNEL-ID` where `EMPLOYEES` denotes the name of the DDM and `PERSONNEL-ID` the name of the field defined in this DDM. If the field was specified as a Natural system variable, the name of the specified variable is entered. If the field is neither of the above, it is assigned a dummy name. You must assign a name to a field prior to map execution. The name of a field can be changed. However, a prefix cannot be used for a field which did not have a prefix assigned previously. To obtain a prefixed field name, select the field from a data definition in another Natural object. Note Duplicate field names are only allowed for fields defined as output-only fields. See the section Defining Map Fields for additional information.
Arr
Fmt | The Natural data format and length of the field. These can be changed by overwriting the current entry. The data formats U (Unicode), C (Attribute Control) and Handle (object handles) are not allowed. To define a reference to a dynamic alphanumeric variable, specify `(D)` or `DYNAMIC` behind the entry. The `AL` parameter will automatically be set either to the specified value or the maximum length available on the screen.
AL or FL or NL | The length to be used when displaying the field. For dynamic variables and long variables the length is automatically set, but can be modified. These fields correspond to the session parameters `AL`, `FL` and `NL` respectively. For detailed information on using this field and valid input values, see AL - Alphanumeric Length for Output, FL - Floating Point Mantissa Length, and NL - Numeric Length for Output in the Parameter Reference documentation.
Rls | The number of processing rules currently defined for the field.
ZP | Zero printing. You can only enter a value in ZP if the field is numeric or a time system variable. This field corresponds to the session parameter `ZP`. For detailed information on using this field and valid input values, see ZP - Zero Printing in the Parameter Reference documentation.
SG | Sign position. You can only enter a value in SG if the field is numeric or a time system variable. This field corresponds to the session parameter `SG`. For detailed information on using this field and valid input values, see SG - Sign Position in the Parameter Reference documentation.
PM | Print mode. This field corresponds to the session parameter `PM`. For detailed information on using this field and valid input values, see PM - Print Mode in the Parameter Reference documentation.
DF | Date format (only applies to date fields). This field corresponds to the session parameter `DF`. For detailed information on using this field and valid input values, see DF - Date Format in the Parameter Reference documentation.
DY | Dynamic string attributes. The dynamic string parameter is used to define certain characters contained in the text string of an alphanumeric variable to control the attribute setting. This field corresponds to the session parameter `DY`. For detailed information on defining dynamic attributes, see DY - Dynamic Attributes in the Parameter Reference documentation. If your require more than 30 characters for your `DY` definition, enter a plus sign (`+`) in the first position of the DY field and press ENTER. A DY Extension window opens in which you can enter a maximum of 59 characters. A `DY` definition that extends beyond the DY field is indicated by a plus sign (+) in the DY field. Overwrite this plus sign (+) with any character to invoke the DY Extension window and view, edit or delete the extended definition. Important You can only enter an extended `DY` definition if no control variable (see also the CV field) has yet been defined for this map field.
HE | Helproutine or help map. The HE option is used to assign a helproutine or a help map to the map field. A helproutine or help map is then invoked at execution time when a help request is made for the map field. For detailed information, see the description of the `HE` session parameter in HE Helproutine in the Parameter Reference documentation. In the HE field, you can enter the name of a helproutine or help map and the parameters to be passed to this helproutine or help map. If you require additional input space, use the field command `.E` or enter a plus sign (+) in the field to invoke an extra window with additional input lines. The syntax that applies to specifying names and parameters in the HE field corresponds to the syntax of the `HE` session parameter described in HE Parameter Syntax (Parameter Reference documentation). In addition to the syntax explanations provided there, the following applies when using the map editor: operand1: If a variable name is specified which corresponds to the name of a map field, this field must be in the Natural data format/length A8. If a variable name is specified for which no map field yet exists, a map parameter with that name is automatically defined in the Natural data format/length A8. operand2: If a variable name is specified for which no map field yet exists, a map parameter with that name is automatically defined in the Natural data format/length N7. Removing a parameter from the HE field implies that the parameter is also removed from the map, unless the parameter is a map field or is associated with any other map field as a help parameter or Starting from value (see Array Definition).
AD | Field attributes. This field corresponds to the session parameter `AD`. For detailed information on using this field and valid input values, see AD - Attribute Definition in the Parameter Reference documentation. For source optimization reasons, the default values `D`, `H`, `F` and `W` are accepted but not retained (see also the session parameter `AD`).
CD | Color attributes. This field corresponds to the session parameter `CD`. For detailed information on using this field and valid input values, see CD - Color Definition in the Parameter Reference documentation.
CV | Attribute control variable for dynamic field attributes. This field corresponds to the session parameter `CV`. For detailed information on using this field and valid input values, see CV - Attribute Control Variable in the Parameter Reference documentation. Note Removing an attribute control variable from a field implies that the attribute control variable is removed from the map, too, unless it is associated with any other map field.
EM or EMU | Edit mask (EM) or Unicode edit mask (EMU) to be used for the field. You can enter the toggle command `.U` in this field to switch between the two. EM is the default setting. This field corresponds to the session parameter `EM` or `EMU` respectively. For detailed information on using this field and valid input values, see EM - Edit Mask and EMU - Unicode Edit Mask (Parameter Reference documentation) and EMU, ICU, LCU, TCU versus EM, IC, LC, TC (Unicode and Code Page Support documentation). If you require additional input space, enter the command `.E` in the first position of the field to invoke an extra window with additional space. In the map editing area, a field that uses an edit mask is denoted by an `M`.
SB | The name of an array in which the values for a selection box are provided. The indicator `V` will be displayed to show that a selection box is available. The format of the source field applies. You can change it in the Parameter Definitions window.
Mod |
Mode indicates how the field was created:
`Data` | The field was created by selecting a field from a `DEFINE DATA` definition.
`Sys` | The field is a system variable.
`Undef` | The field was created directly on the screen and has a dummy name.
`User` | The name of the field was created using the extended field editing function (see the relevant section).
`View` | The field was created by selecting a field from a view (file).

## Fields in the Extended Text Field Editing Area

This section only applies if your terminal or terminal emulation supports viewing boxes.

The fields contained in the extended text field editing area of the editor screen are described in the following table:

Field | Explanation
--- | ---
AD | Field attributes. This field corresponds to the session parameter `AD`. For detailed information on using this field and valid input values, see AD - Attribute Definition in the Parameter Reference documentation. The default value assigned is `D`.
CD | Color attributes. This field corresponds to the session parameter `CD`. For detailed information on using this field and valid input values, see CD - Color Definition in the Parameter Reference documentation.
PM | Print Mode. This field corresponds to the session parameter `PM`. For detailed information on using this field and valid input values, see PM - Print Mode in the Parameter Reference documentation. If you enter `D` in this field (`PM=D`) to define an extended text field as a native DBCS field, the characters of the extended text field are represented by one or more pairs of the letter K in the map editing area. See also Value.
Hex Editing | If you enter `Y` (Yes), the Text Field Hex Editing window appears in which you can modify the hexadecimal equivalent of the non-blank or blank value entered in the Value field. A blank value is represented by a series of the hexadecimal values 00. You can create a blank text field with the map editor by replacing the hexadecimal values of an existing text field by 00. For example, for a text field with value `TEST` (see Value below), you would replace its equivalent hexadecimal string A385A2A3 by `00000000`. The default setting of the Hex Editing field is `N` (No).
Value | The alphanumeric character string of an extended text field or a blank value for an extended blank text field, which is represented by a number of periods (.) in the map editing area. This field can also contain a double-byte character if `D` is entered in the PM field. If the terminal emulation supports DBCS, Value shows the decoded graphic of such a character. You can change the current value by replacing either the character string in the Value field or the equivalent hexadecimal values entered in the Text Field Hex Editing window. Value may not contain any blank characters.

### On this page

- Invoking and Terminating Extended Field Editing
- Fields in the Extended Field Editing Area
- Fields in the Extended Text Field Editing Area