Data fieldsΒΆ
A field is a basic data item, either in a Sculptor keyed file or created for temporary use within a program. The type of data which is to be stored in the field, its size in bytes, the form in which it will be stored and the format in which it will be output can all be specified in detail.
Fields are created in one of the following ways:
1 |
The ddeditor program. This is used to specify the field structure of a Sculptor keyed file. The program creates a data dictionary, which consists of a list of fields. |
2 |
The !temp declaration. This defines a temporary field within a program. The field is used for storage, calculation and data assignments within the program. When the program terminates the data is lost. |
3 |
The !record declaration. This defines a temporary record structure within a program. This is either a direct copy of a Sculptor keyed file record layout, or contains a list of fields of its own. |
4 |
The !auto declaration. This is used in !report sections to define a temporary field that is updated automatically as part of the report driving logic. |