DDEditor - Field details window¶
Data dictionary editor - Field details window
The field details window is opened either by right-clicking on a field in the main table and selecting Expand field details, or by pressing the Field Details button. The window opens and all the properties the field that currently has focus are displayed.
The most important properties are also displayed in the main table. The properties displayed only on the Field details screen are:
Field No |
A read-only value indicating the field number. Can only be changed by moving the field to a new position in the main field table. |
Secondary indexes |
A read-only value indicating the number of times this field is included in a secondary index. |
Highest element used |
A read-only value, only applicable if the field is an array field (Dims > 1). It indicates the highest element that is used as a secondary index field. |
Reverse sign… |
Indicates whether the sign of a numerical value should be reversed when accessed by Sculptor SQL, i.e. if the field contains 100, then print and total it as -100, and vice versa. This feature enables the correct printing and totalling of amounts such as debits in a bank account, which should be treated as if they had the opposite sign. Check this box if the field’s sign should be reversed by Sculptor SQL. |
Hide… |
When the Sculptor SQL system is used to produce ad-hoc enquiries from a file, a field may be hidden from access. This feature enables the security of sensitive data to be preserved, without prohibiting users from producing reports from the file. Check this box if the field is to be hidden from access by Sculptor SQL. |
Help |
Free format help text. If automatic help is being provided (determined by sys.Captions), this text is displayed at the bottom of the active window whenever a textbox containing the field has focus. If not, the user can display it by pressing the F1 Help key. The help text may be overridden by means of a caption = clause in the textbox’s definition. |
Comment |
Free format comment text for the field. Comment text can be included when the data dictionary is printed. This feature can be used to store information about the field that may not be obvious from the field name or heading. It is included when the data dictionary is printed in Long format (File->Print). |
The buttons on the Field details window have the following effects:
Prev |
Display the next field. If the currently displayed field has been amended, the changes are saved automatically. |
Next |
Display the previous field. If the currently displayed field has been amended, the changes are saved automatically. |
Undo |
Undo changes to the currently displayed field. Changes to other fields are unaffected. |
Close |
Save changes and close the window. |
When a field is saved, if the type or size were changed and the field is included in one or more secondary indexes, the user is given the opportunity to copy the changes to the secondary index field(s). If the number of elements was reduced such that an element referenced by a secondary index field no longer exists, the user is warned, and given the opportunity to cancel that amendment. If it proceeds, all elements affected are set to element 1.
The Field Details window close button (the close button on the menu bar, not the button labelled Close) closes the window without saving changes automatically. If changes have been made, the user is prompted and can choose to save or undo amendments, or to cancel the close operation.
RELATED TOPICS |