Text Notation

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# Text Notation

In an `INPUT`, `DISPLAY`, `WRITE`, `WRITE TITLE` or `WRITE TRAILER` statement, you can use text notation to define a text to be used in conjunction with such a statement.

This document covers the following topics:

- Defining a Text to Be Used with a Statement - the 'text' Notation

- Defining a Character to Be Displayed n Times before a Field Value - the 'c'(n) Notation

## Defining a Text to Be Used with a Statement - the 'text' Notation

The text to be used with the statement (for example, a prompting message) must be enclosed in either apostrophes (') or quotation marks ("). Do not confuse double apostrophes ('') with a quotation mark (").

Text enclosed in quotation marks can be converted automatically from lower-case letters to upper case. To switch off automatic conversion, change the settings in the editor profile.

For details, see the `CAPS` option in Displaying and Hiding Profile Settings in Editor Basics (Editor Profile, Editors documentation).

The text itself may be 1 to 72 characters and must not be continued from one line to the next.

Text elements may be concatenated by using a hyphen.

#### Examples:

    DEFINE DATA LOCAL
    1 #A(A10)
    END-DEFINE

    INPUT 'Input XYZ' (CD=BL) #A
    WRITE '=' #A
    WRITE 'Write1 ' - 'Write2 ' - 'Write3' (CD=RE)
    END

### Using Apostrophes as Part of a Text String

The following applies, if Natural profile parameter `TQMARK` (Translate Quotation Marks) is set to `ON`. This is the default setting.

If you want an apostrophe to be part of a text string that is enclosed in apostrophes, you must write this as double apostrophes ('') or as a quotation mark ("). Either notation will be output as a single apostrophe.

If you want an apostrophe to be part of a text string that is enclosed in quotation marks, you write this as a single apostrophe.

#### Examples of Apostrophe:

    #FIELDA = 'O''CONNOR'
    #FIELDA = 'O"CONNOR'
    #FIELDA = "O'CONNOR"

In all three cases, the result will be:

    O'CONNOR

### Using Quotation Marks as Part of a Text String

The following applies, if the Natural profile parameter `TQ` (Translate Quotation Marks) is set to `OFF`. The default setting is `TQ=ON`.

If you want a quotation mark to be part of a text string that is enclosed in single apostrophes, write a quotation mark.

If you want a quotation mark to be part of a text string that is enclosed in quotation marks, write double quotation marks ("").

#### Example of Quotation Mark:

    #FIELDA = 'O"CONNOR'
    #FIELDA = "O""CONNOR"

In both cases, the result will be:

    O"CONNOR

## Defining a Character to Be Displayed n Times before a Field Value - the 'c'(n) Notation

If a single character is to be output several times as text, you use the following notation:

`'c'(n)`

As c you specify the character, and as n the number of times the character is to be generated. The maximum value for `n` is `249`.

#### Example:

    WRITE '*'(3)

Instead of apostrophes before and after the character `c` you can also use quotation marks.

### On this page

- Defining a Text to Be Used with a Statement - the 'text' Notation
- Defining a Character to Be Displayed n Times before a Field Value - the 'c'(n) Notation