In this way, masks can be created to define field formats used in
multiple places. Each mask is composed of one or more subfields, which contain the
actual data within the record. A mask is a template that is used to define data fields that have the same
layout. The mask is comparable to a template field definition that is used
repeatedly.
For example, a client name mask defines a template of what a client
name field looks similar to (that is, its subfield layout).
Defining a mask is similar to defining a field within a record layout.
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To create a new file or open an existing one, select .
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Select New Field
from the toolbar. This places a new mask in the Layout pane.
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For Name, specify
the mask name.
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For A mask is a template that is used to define data fields that have the same, click
the arrow to select from a menu of data types.
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For Prefix, specify the characters that precede this field, to
separate it from the previous field in the record layout. This value is
optional.
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For Postfix, specify the characters that follow this field, to
separate it from the next field in the record layout. This value is optional.
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For Min Width,
specify the minimum width of the field, not including any prefix.
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For Max
Width, specify the maximum width of the field, not including any
prefix. To disable, specify a value of -1 (default). For a specific width,
specify the value. Incoming data larger than that value is truncated.
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For SF Sep, specify
a subfield-separator character.
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For Escape Pair,
specify a start escape-sequence character and an end escape-sequence character.
Escape-sequence characters are useful when using field-separator characters in
the data. The default is "". Unique or identical characters are permitted.
All separator characters that are found inside escape-sequence pairs are
considered escaped, and when retrieving data they are not considered as
separators.
When encoding VRL data, if separator characters are found in the input
data, they are escaped by embracing them with escape-sequence pair characters.
For example, {Last, First} is encoded to {Last"," First}.
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For Tag, specify a user-defined string. If one field has a tag,
then all fields must have tags. The Tag name can be the same as Name. For example, "last
name" for both. Or, it may be unique. For example, "last name" for Name and "ClientLN" for the
Tag name.
This option is available only when
Use Tagged Fields is selected on the Global
Properties dialog box. See
Global properties .
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Select the validation.
Validate at Fetch
validates the field whenever this record layout is retrieved or used for an
input or output operation. With this selected, messages with an invalid field
are parsed, but a warning is given.
Validate at
Parse validates the field when the data is parsed. This option
forces validation even when the field is not used. With this selected, messages
with an invalid field fail when parsed.
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Select how to validate the subsubfield data whenever this record layout is used
as an input or output record.
Existence
validates the existence of the data, but not its content.
Contents validates
the type of data, but not its existence.
Existence and
Contents
validate both the existence and the content of the data.