Configuring the field definition

Fixed-length records consist of one or more fields, which can have one or more subfields. The fields and subfields can be right- or left-justified, and require fill or pad characters, such as spaces. Each field is defined by a unique name.

An FRL must match the data to or from the ancillary system, or incorrect results are produced.

  1. To create a new file or open an existing one, select Define > Define Fields.
    To create a new field, select New Field from the toolbar. This places a new field folder in the Layout pane.
    To reconfigure an existing field, open the file to edit. In the Layout pane, click the field to reconfigure. Its current properties display in the Field Properties pane.
  2. Specify the field name.
  3. In Field Char, click the arrow to select the fill, or pad, character to use when creating or parsing the data in this field. The field justification determines which end of the data is padded with the fill character.
  4. For Width, specify the total width of the field. If left blank, then field width is automatically calculated from the total width of the subfields when Auto-Recalc is enabled on the Control menu.
    For special requirements, such as pad characters, specify a total field width that is greater or smaller than the sum of the subfield widths.
  5. For Recalculate Field Width , click to recalculate the field width from its subfields. This is only required when the Auto Recalc feature is off.
  6. For Justification, select Left Justify or Right Justify for the field. The parser strips all padding characters on the non-justified side. For example, a field is right-justified and "0" is the padding character. The field before parsing is "00123," and the field after parsing is "123."
  7. Select the validation.
    Validate at Fetch. Click to validate 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. Click to validate 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.
  8. Select the field type:
    • Normal defines the field format by the current field entries, instead of a mask or group. This is the default setting.
    • Mask defines the current field with a mask. The menu lists available masks.
    • Group defines the current field with a definition (group). The menu lists available groups.