Fields tab

Use this tab to maintain the table fields of the table definition and perform these actions:

• Specify the field name and field number of the table field. The field name must be unique in the current table.
• Specify whether the field is combined. For example, is there a combination of two or more fields of the same table?
• You must specify a domain that specifies the data type, legal values, validation check, display format and so on.
• Specify the label data for the field, the initial value, the mandatory input, and whether it is a repeating field.
• Specify a relation to another table, insert check, delete, and update mode and specify whether the field is active.

All Table Fields

List of all table fields.

In the All Table Fields list, you can perform these actions:

• Add or remove table fields.
  • To add a field, click Add and enter the basic field properties in the grid. Then, enter the remaining properties in the Table Field Properties field group.
  • To remove a field, right-click a field and select Remove.
• To change the field sequence of the table, click Up and Down to move fields up and down the list.
• Link child fields to parent fields. To link a child field to its parent (combined) field, drag the child field on the parent field and release the mouse button. The parent and child fields are displayed as a tree structure.
• Copy fields to an index in the Indices tab, or copy fields from the current table to another table. To copy fields to another table, select the fields, right-click, and select Copy. Then, right-click a field in the All Table Fields list of the other table and select one of these commands:
  • Paste as Fields: The fields are added below the selected field.
  • Paste as Children: You can only select this command if the selected field is a combined field. The fields are added as child fields of the combined field.

Name

The name of the field.

You can only enter a field name when you add a field. For existing fields, the name is read-only.

Label

The code of the label that is used as a description of the table field. Press CTRL+SPACE and select a label from the select dialog box.

To open the label in the Label Editor, click the label icon.

For new table fields, the label is generated when you save the table.

Description

The description of the field.

You can only enter a description when you add a field. LN Studio stores the description in a label.

Allowed values:

For existing fields, the Description field is read-only, because the description text is stored in a label.

To change the description, click the label icon behind the Label field and edit the label in the Label Editor.

Domain

The domain of the table field. Press CTRL+SPACE and select a domain from the select dialog box.

Click the domain icon to open the domain in the Domain Editor.

Hooks

Click the Hooks icon to view a list of hooks that are defined for this field in the table's DAL script.

Table Field Properties

Column

Name

The name of the field that can be used in forms, reports, and scripts in this way: <table name>.<field name>

Allowed values:

The field name is an ASCII text with a maximum length of 8 characters. The field name must be unique in the table.

Field names are usually abbreviated by leaving out syllables or vowels in the description of a particular property, such as dscr for description or cnty for country.

Example table : pksls040 (package - module - table number) field name: orno

Label Name

The name of the label that is used as a description of the table field.

To start a dialog where you can select another label, click Browse.

To open the label in the Label Editor, click the hyperlink.

Description

The description of the table field, as defined by a label with the same name as the table field. If a label in a form, report, or menu has the same name as the table field, this description replaces the label.

Note: A percentage symbol % in the label description forces a line break in the label in the form, report, or menu.

Allowed values:

The description is read-only, because the description text is stored in a label.

To change the description, click the Label Name hyperlink and edit the label in the Label Editor.

Combined Field

If this check box is selected, the field is combined. A combined field consists of two or more normal fields, not combined fields.

• A combined field can be used for references and indices.
• To add a child field to a combined field, go to the All Table Fields field group and drag the child field on the combined field.

Mandatory Input

If this check box is selected, input in this field by the user is mandatory.

If the field has the byte, integer, long, float or double data type, mandatory input means the value of the field must be unequal to 0. Mandatory input is an addition to the domain definition of the field and has precedence over what is defined as the range of the domain. If the user tries to make a field empty while input is mandatory, Enterprise Server gives range message of the domain.

Example
Field:	Employee number	(datatype long)
Range	Mandatory input	Allowed range on the field
$$ IN [0, 999999]	no	0 - 999999
$$ IN [0, 999999]	yes	1 - 999999
$$ IN [1, 999999]	no	0 - 999999 (0=empty)
$$ IN [1, 999999]	yes	1 - 999999

Elements

The depth of a repeating field.

If you specify a value greater than 1, the field is repeating. A repeating field occurs multiple times in the table with the same name and characteristics. Identification of an element is performed using a sequence number.

Example: The Help Topics table contains these fields:

Field name	Elements
Help Topic Code	0
Topic Title	0
Topic Keywords	4

"Topic Keywords" is a repeating field of 4 levels. In the Help Topics table, you can define four key words for each Help Topic Code.

Note: You can only specify the depth when you add a field. You cannot change the depth of existing fields.

Allowed values:

A number in the range 0-99.

To indicate the field is not repeating, enter 0.

To indicate the number of elements for a repeating field, specify a value greater than 1.

Domain Name

The name of the domain of the table field.

To open the domain in the Domain Editor, click the hyperlink.

Allowed values:

Select a domain from the field's drop-down list. The list contains all domains available on the current LN server.

Data Type

The data type of the domain.

Allowed values:

This field is read-only. The data type is determined by the specified domain.

Length

The length of the domain.

Allowed values:

This field is read-only. The length is determined by the specified domain.

Generate Unique Default Value

This check box indicates whether a unique value must be generated for the selected table field during reconfiguration of the table.

If you select this check box:

• The Default Value field becomes disabled, showing no content.
• In the database, the value "$__unique" is stored as the "Initial Value".
• The value "$__unique" is used to start a bdbreconfig. It generates a unique ID for the selected field.

If this check box is cleared (default value):

• The Default Value field becomes enabled.
• The default value for Default Value is empty. You can manually specify a default value.
• The value of Default Value is stored in the database.

Default Value

If a user adds a record to the table, this is the initial value for the field.

If the Generate Unique Default Value check box is cleared, you must specify a default value.

If the Generate Unique Default Value check box is selected, this field is read-only. The default value is determined by the specified domain.

Field Dependency Editor

This link is only available if the table has a DAL 2 script and the table is checked out.

Click this link to start the Field Dependency Editor. This editor enables you to view and modify the field dependencies defined in the table's DAL 2 script. For details on DAL (2) scripts and field dependencies, see the Infor ES Programmers Guide (Infor Customer Portal KB2924522).

Reference

Reference Table

The related table to which this field refers.

Note: 

The reference table is also known as the parent table.

To open the reference table in the Table Editor, click the hyperlink.

Allowed values:

To start a dialog where you can select a reference table, click Browse.

Reference Mode

Indicates whether the referenced field must exist in the reference table. The reference field is the field referred to by the current field.

Allowed values:

Select one of these reference modes:

Mandatory	The foreign key value (the reference record) must exist in the reference table.
Mandatory unless empty	Same as Mandatory, but the foreign key value can be empty.
Not mandatory	The foreign key value is not checked against the reference table.
Not Applicable	The field does not refer to a field of another table.

Reference Message

The message code which LN gives, if you enter a value in an input field in the form, where no related record in the reference table is present.

Note: The reference message is only relevant if the reference mode is mandatory, or mandatory unless empty.

To open the reference message in the Message Editor, click the hyperlink.

Allowed values:

To start a dialog where you can select a reference message, click Browse.

Delete Mode

The action to be taken by LN if a referenced record in the reference table is deleted.

Select a delete mode from the drop-down list.

Allowed values:

Child will be deleted	All children that refer to the parent are deleted. Note: If the reference does not identify the relation this can result in the automatic deletion of many records. For example if the relation between the parent and child is not one-to-one but one-to-many.
Restricted (with counter)	Deletion of the parent is restricted if any child refers to the parent. A reference counter is checked, which indicates how many children refer to the parent. With each database action this counter is checked and updated, if necessary.
Lookup (Restricted)	Deletion of the parent is restricted if any child refers to the parent.
No check	If the parent has been deleted, no check or action is performed on the child occurrences which refer to the parent. In that case the referential integrity of the database cannot be guaranteed.
Nullifies	The field(s) of the child, which refer(s) to the parent that has been deleted, are made empty (spaces or zero value).

Update Mode

The action to be taken by LN if the primary key of a referenced record in the reference table is changed.

Select an update mode from the drop-down list.

Allowed values:

Child will be updated	All children that refer to the parent are updated. Note: If the reference does not identify the relation this may result in the automatic update of many records. For example if the relation between the parent and the child is not one-to-one but one-to-many.
Restricted (with counter)	Any change of the primary key fields of the parent is not allowed if any child refers to this record. A reference counter is checked, which indicates how many children refer to the parent. With each database action this counter is checked and updated, if necessary.
Lookup (Restricted)	Any change of the primary key fields of the parent is not allowed if any child refers to this record.
No check	If the parent is changed, no check or action is performed on the child records which refer to the parent. In that case the referential integrity of the database cannot be guaranteed.
Nullifies	The field(s) of the child, which refer(s) to the updated parent record, are made empty (spaces or zero values).

Inter-Company via Field

Clear this check box if the reference table is located in the same company as the current table.

Select this check box if the reference table is located in a different company. If this check box is selected, you must specify the table field that contains the company number where the reference table is located.

Example:

The Shipping Warehouse (whinh220.cwar) field in the Outbound Order Lines (whinh220) table refers to the Warehouses (whwmd200) table.

The Warehouses (whwmd200) table is located in a different company.

The Ship-from Company (comp) field in the Outbound Order Lines (whinh220) table contains the company number where the Warehouses (whwmd200) table is located.

This reference information is specified for the Shipping Warehouse (whinh220.cwar) field in the Outbound Order Lines (whinh220) table:

• Reference Table: whwmd200
• Inter-Company via Field: Yes comp

Technical Doc.

Use this field to specify the technical documentation of the table field.

Release Notes

Use this field to specify the release notes of the table field.