Changing field properties

When a single field is selected, the editor shows layout handles in the middle of each edge. You can change the display size of the field through these handles and through the Properties panel.

These properties are available:

Print expression

Specify the content to print in this field. You can specify a field name, or a more complex 3GL expression.

Left

Specify the position of the field from the left side of the layout.

This property is only available if the report uses exact positioning.

Top

Specify the position of the field from the top of the layout.

This property is only available if the report uses exact positioning.

Width

Specify the reserved width of the field, in columns.

If the report uses exact positioning, this property is specified as a physical length.

Height

Specify the reserved height of the field.

If the report uses exact positioning, this property is specified as a physical length.

Domain

Specify the domain of the field. The domain specifies the data type and formatting defaults of the print expression.

This property is read-only if the print expression is a report input field. In that case, the domain of the field is used.

Show as Icon

If this check box is selected, an icon, instead of a description, is displayed for enumerate options. These icons can be specified in the Enum Domain Formatting (ttgfd4525m000) session. If an icon is missing, a default is used.

This option is available if the data type of the domain is Enumerated.

Linked with Domain

If this check box is selected, various formatting options are derived from the information on the domain. If this check box is cleared, you can specify these options manually.

Data length

Specify the maximum number of characters for the field content. This property is only available if the data type of the domain is String, Text, or Enumerated.

Display format

This property specifies the exact formatting of the field content. The format must be valid for either the edit$ or the sprintf$ 3GL function.

This property is not available if the data type of the domain is String, Text, or Enumerated.

Alignment

Specify the horizontal alignment of the field content within its reserved space.

If the report uses exact positioning, you can also specify vertical alignment.

This property is not available if the data type of the domain is Text, Date, or Date-Time (UTC date).

Wrap Data

If this check box is selected, data of the field is wrapped if it does not fit within the specified Width property.

This property is only available if the report uses exact positioning.

This property is not available for enumerated fields for which the Show as Icon property is set.

Minimum lines

Specify the minimum number of lines to print for:

• Text fields
• Data fields for which the Wrap Data property is set

Maximum lines

Specify the maximum number of lines to print for:

• Text fields. If this value is 0, the entire text is printed.
• Data fields for which the Wrap Data property is set. This value must be greater than or equal to the value of the Minimum lines property.

In footer layouts, this property is not available.

Line spacing

Specify the line-spacing as a factor of the font size.

This property is only available if the report uses exact positioning.

In a report that uses exact positioning, you cannot directly change the height of text fields, or data fields for which the Wrap Data property is set. Instead, the visual height in the Report Designer is determined by the Minimum lines property. The height of a single line is determined by the Line spacing and Font Size properties.

Language Expression

Specify the language in which to print the field content, or for which language the date format should be retrieved.

This property is available only if the data type of the domain is Date, Date-Time (UTC date), Text, or Enumerated.

Currency Expression

Specify the currency for which to retrieve the generic formatting.

This property is available only if the data type of the domain is Float or Double.

Aggregation Function

If set, the print expression is aggregated using the selected function, and the aggregated value is printed instead.

Depending on the layout type in which the field is present, different records are aggregated. For an aggregated field in a Footer layout, the records that are printed on that page are aggregated. For an aggregated field in an After Field layout, all records for which the corresponding field has the same value (the sort group) are aggregated.

This table shows the available aggregation functions:

Function	Description
Count	The number of records. The print expression is unused for this function.
Total	The sum of the grouped values. This value is reset for each group.
Cumulative	The sum of the values across groups.
Minimum	The minimum value within the group.
Maximum	The maximum value within the group.
Average	The average of the grouped values.

This option is available only if the data type of the domain is a numeric type.

Aggregation Condition

You can use this property to filter the records for which the value should be aggregated. If the 3GL expression evaluates to False, the value of the current record is not considered for the aggregated value.

This option is only available if an aggregation function is selected.

Calculate in layout

Optionally, select one or more layouts. The value is aggregated only if the selected layouts are printed. If the session sends data to the report, but none of the selected layouts are printed, the value remains equal.

This option is only available if the Aggregation function is set to Cumulative.

Reset after layout

Optionally, select one or more layouts. The value and suppression of the aggregate are reset if the selected layouts are printed. This is useful if a single report contains multiple documents.

This option is only available if one or more layouts are selected for the Calculate in layout option.

Suppress after layout

Optionally, select one or more layouts. The printing of the aggregated value stops after any of the selected layouts are printed.

This is useful if a total amount is printed in a layout that is displayed before the aggregate. This situation occurs, for example, if the aggregate is in a footer layout.

This option is only available if one or more layouts are selected for the Calculate in layout option.

Suppression variable

Normally a variable name is automatically generated if one or more layouts are selected for the Suppress after layout option. You can use this option to override that name with a specific variable name. This variable is declared by the Report Designer and should not be an input field of the report.

You can use this option to suppress other fields, or the entire layout, instead of only the aggregate.

This option is only available if one or more layouts are selected for the Suppress after layout option.

Suppress Identical Values

If this check box is selected, a repeated value in this field is printed only once. Whenever the value of the field changes, it is printed again.

Unless this field changes

Ignores the suppression of identical values whenever the selected field changes. Through this property you can print the first value for each group, even if it is identical to the last value of the previous group.

This option is only available if Suppress Identical Values is selected, and the report has sorted input fields.

Formatting

You can format the field as bold, italic, and underlined.

Color

Specify the text color of the field contents.

Background

Specify the background color of the field. This fills the entire reserved space, regardless of the length of the field contents.

Font

Specify the font of the field. See the Fonts (ttaad3560m000) session. If not specified, the font that is specified on the report is used. This value is displayed below the font property.

Font Size

Specify the font size of the field, in points. If not specified, the font size that is specified on the report is used. If that value is specified, it is displayed below the property. If no value is specified on the report, the PDF converter automatically resizes the text to fit the field. A calculation of that size is displayed below the property.

Border

Specify which sides of the field should have a border and specify the border thickness, style, and color.

Print condition

Specify the condition that must be met for the field to be printed. The expression is 3GL code.

Column

This property is relevant if you export the report to an Excel workbook.

Specify the Excel column on the current sheet where the field should be placed.

If you select multiple items, the specified value is applied to the first selected item. The value is incremented for the other selected items. For example, you have selected four items and you specify B in the Column property. For the first selected item, the value of the Column property is B. For the other three items, the value of the Column property is C, D, and E respectively.

If you leave this property blank, the field is not included in the workbook.

Row

This property is relevant if you export the report to an Excel workbook.

Specify the Excel row number where the field should be placed. The value cannot be greater than the value of the Rows property of the layout in which the field is present.

If you select multiple items, the specified row number is applied to all selected items. Therefore, these items have the same row number.

For ‘non-exact positioned’ reports, the default value for this property is automatically set to the layout line number within the layout. You can edit this value.