Extended Screens › Extended Column Definition Screen—XCOL

Extended Column Definition Screen—XCOL

Description

The Extended Column Definition screen allows you to adjust the column storage and display criteria that are supplied automatically by the system. The Extended Column Definition screen displays information about one column in the table at a time. You can access the Extended Column Definition screen for selected columns or for all the columns in the table.

Access

The Extended Column Definition screen can only be accessed from the Column Definition screen. On the Column Definition screen, you can select columns for which you want to display extended definitions. To select individual columns, enter any character in the Ext Screen field on the Column Definition screen. If you access the Extended Column Definition screen without selecting individual columns, all columns in the table are selected automatically.

You can access the Extended Column Definition screen from the Column Definition screen in one of the following ways:

• Select the Extended Column Definition function; you can select the function by pressing [PF2].
• Enter XCOL in the screen name field.

To access the extended definition of the next column that was selected on the Column Definition screen, select the Next Column function from the Extended Column Definition screen; you can select the function by pressing [PF2].

You can exit from the Extended Column Definition screen and return to the Column Definition screen in one of the following ways:

• Display all selected columns. When all columns selected have been displayed, you are returned to the Column Definition screen.
• Press [Clear]. You are returned to the Column Definition screen and any columns selected are still marked for selection in the Ext Screen field.

Sample Screen

                                            CA
  XCOL   CA - Automatic System Facility          *Extended Column Definition*
  DC560407 MODIFY COLUMN DEFINITION
  Table Name: JOBS AND APPLICANTS
          _ PF1 - Help      _ PF2 - Next Column      _ PF3 - Message Screen

           Displayed Column Name                    Stored Column Name
     SALARY DIFFERENTIAL                     SALARY-DIFFERENTIAL

              Display Format                          Stored Format
     -Z(05).9(02)                            S9(05)V9(02)

  Usage: 3 D/0/1/2/3  Display/Comp/Comp-1/Comp-2/Comp-3

  Comments.....:                                           Column Level: WORK
  Initial Value:
  Calculation..: column(salary requirement) - salary

  Edit Table:           Version:           Code Table:           Version:

   U  U/P   Unprotected/Protected  N  B/R/P/T/G/Y/W/N  Blue/Red/Pink/Turquoise
                                                       Green/Yellow/White/Nocolor
   N  Y/N   Blank When Zero        N  N/R  Normal/Reverse Video

   D  B/D/K Bright/Display/Dark    N  Y/N  Blink/Noblink

Fields

Table Name

Displays the name of the table as specified on the Activity Selection screen.

[PF1] - Help

Invokes the Help screen.

[PF2] - Next Column

Indicates that you can display the extended column definition for the next column you selected on the Column Definition screen by pressing [PF2].

[PF3] - Message Screen

Indicates that additional system messages can be displayed on a separate screen. The message display line will instruct you to press [PF3] when there are system messages to be displayed.

Displayed Column Name

Displays the name of the column as specified on the Column Definition screen. To change the column name, replace the existing name.

Stored Column Name

Displays the system-generated name used to store the column. You can replace the existing name with a new name to conform to preferred naming conventions. Note that this name will be changed by the system to conform to COBOL naming conventions, as follows:

• Special characters and spaces are changed to hyphens: !*@#SILLY NAME to ----SILLY-NAME.
• Leading and trailing hyphens are deleted: ---SILLY NAME--- to SILLY-NAME.
• Lowercase letters are translated to uppercase letters: silly name to SILLY-NAME.
• Multiple repeating embedded hyphens are reduced to one hyphen: VERY---SILLY---NAME to VERY-SILLY-NAME.
• Numbers in the first position are preceded by an F: 2 VERY SILLY NAMES to F2-VERY-SILLY-NAMES.

Note: You cannot change the stored column name for derived columns. If a stored column name conflicts with an existing record, set, or area name in the schema, or with the schema name itself, or if it duplicates the stored column name of another column in the table, then the system-supplied definition number of the column is added to the end of the stored column name. For example, SILLY NAME and !*@#SILLY NAME result in the same stored column name, SILLY-NAME. The stored column name for !*@#SILLY NAME would be changed to SILLY-NAME-0004.

Display Format

Displays the external picture for the column (field). To change the external picture, replace the existing picture with a new picture. Refer to "Specifying Column Formats" in the chapter "Extended Functions of ASF" for valid picture values.

Stored Format

Displays the internal picture for the column (field). To change the internal picture, replace the existing picture with a new picture. Refer to "Specifying Column Formats" in the chapter "Extended Functions of ASF"for valid picture values.

Note: You cannot change the stored format for derived columns.

Usage

Specifies a column usage. Usage is part of the internal picture definition of a column. For more information about the Usage field , see the chapter "Extended Functions of ASF". To create a usage definition, enter one of the following values in the Usage response field:

• D for DISPLAY usage (default for text columns)
• 0 for COMP usage
• 1 for COMP-1 usage
• 2 for COMP-2 usage
• 3 for COMP-3 usage (default for numeric columns)

Initial Value

Establishes a default value for a column. Enter a 1- to 32-character value that conforms to IDD DDDL conventions for specifying initial column values. Note that the initial value must be consistent with the column type and length. The default initial value for numeric and currency columns is 0 (zero). For alphanumeric columns, the default is blank.

Calculation

Establishes a calculation as the basis for obtaining values for column. A calculation can be defined for work-level columns and element-level columns (see Column Level below), but not for group-level columns. Enter a 1- to 60-character arithmetic expression or a literal that is consistent with the column type and length. Literals must be enclosed in single quotation marks. Arithmetic expressions can refer to other columns in the table, either by name or by the ID number assigned to the column on the Extended Selection Definition screen (#column-id). For more information about use of this field, see the chapter "Extended Functions of ASF".

Note: If a column used in a calculation is deleted from the table, you must modify the calculation and remove any references to the deleted column.

Column Level

Indicates the column level, as follows:

• ELEMENT—Indicates that the column is an elementary item that contains no subordinate items. When adding a column to a stored table, the column level defaults to ELEMENT, but you can change it to WORK. Derived columns in views are element-level or group-level columns and cannot be changed.
• WORK—Indicates that the column is a work column used to store the results of a calculation. A work column is not stored in the database; the Logical Record Facility performs the calculation. All columns added to views are work columns and cannot be changed.
• GROUP—Indicates that the column contains subordinate elements. GROUP is displayed only for tables derived from records. You cannot create a group-level column or change GROUP if it is displayed. You cannot delete a group-level column, but you can exclude the column from the screen display.

Edit Table

Associates an edit table with a column or changes a table/column association. Enter the 1- to 8-character name of a table that has already been defined and generated through IDD (use ADD TABLE syntax). Observe online mapping conventions for specifying and using edit tables.

Version

Specifies the version number of the table named in the Edit Table field. Enter the 1- to 4-character value, from 1 through 9999, of a valid table version.

Code Table

Associates a code table with a column or changes a table/column association. Enter the 1- to 8-character name of a table that has already been defined and generated through IDD.

Version

Specifies the version number of the table named in the Code Table field. Enter the 1- to 4-character value, from 1 through 9999, of a valid table version.

Column attributes

Define criteria for displaying a column. Observe online mapping conventions for specifying field attributes. Define column attributes as follows:

• UNPROTECTED/PROTECTED —Enter U (UNPROTECTED) or P (PROTECTED). Values in unprotected columns can be changed; values in protected columns cannot be changed.
• BLANK WHEN ZERO —Enter Y (YES) or N (NO).
• BRIGHT/DISPLAY/DARK —Enter B (BRIGHT), D (DISPLAY), or K (DARK). BRIGHT columns are displayed in high intensity; DISPLAY columns are displayed in normal intensity; DARK columns are not displayed.
• BLUE/RED/PINK/TURQUOISE/GREEN/YELLOW/WHITE /NOCOLOR —Enter B (BLUE), R (RED), P (PINK), T (TURQUOISE), G (GREEN), Y (YELLOW), W (WHITE), or N (NOCOLOR) to specify the column color.
• NORMAL/REVERSE VIDEO —Enter N (NORMAL) or R (REVERSE).
• BLINK/NOBLINK —Enter Y (BLINK) or N (NOBLINK) to specify either a blinking or a constant column display.