Formats MOD009A7W

Access

• Customizer → Layout Objects → Formats

Information

• By storing a format on a data field, the display type (format) of the data field content is defined.
• Date and number formatting is subject to various different requirements and rules, especially at international level.
• Formats are defined via:
  • Format parameters which define the basic information of a format.
  • Format component parameters which define components of the format.

Example

Details

• The Check use entry in the context menu which is displayed when you right-click on a format allows you to check the use of the format.
  • When you select the command, a dialog message will be displayed asking you to select the area to be checked for use.
  • Afterwards, the respective data will be opened in the Object Use module.

Date formats

Information

• Dates can be displayed in various formats.

Example

Details

• The need for a considerable degree of freedom (e.g. for permitting the co-ordination of time scale lines with one another) means that no plausibility check is carried out when format components are constructed. However, it is easy to see from the illustration whether the design achieves the desired result.
• Not every date format is suitable for entering dates (e.g., a date format only containing the day component will never allow a complete date to be recorded).
• The way in which date components are assembled makes it essential to give special treatment to the display of calendar weeks:
  • The date 12/31/08 falls in CW 1/09
  • A construction strictly by component would display CW 1/08 for 12/31/08. The special treatment means that the annual components are shown increased by one at the turn of the year according to a calendar week grid.
• It is therefore not possible to construct a date format that shows the week’s date and the day’s date in full and together: On 12/31/08, 1/09 would be displayed as 12/31/09. This can be correctly constructed using two term formats.

Notes

• In PLANTA project, dates are saved as amount of days since 01/01/1970.

Create Individual Date Formats

Procedure

• Create a new format record in the Date formats area by right-clicking on an existing format and selecting Insert → Format.
  • Enter the name of the new format in the Name field and the total length in the Total length field.
    • The number in the Format ID field is generated automatically.
  • Right-click to generate the format component record for the new format.
  • Define the format component parameters.
  • Save.
• Refresh the module view by pressing F7 or via the Data → Refresh/reset menu item. Display the format preview in the Format field.

Number formats

Information

• A number format is constructed as a series of components in powers of ten.
• The number format and data item settings determine the widths of numeric fields.
• A field below a time line (usually between two grid lines)
  • is docked to the grid line right-aligned,
  • and is printed over by the next field on the left.
• This optimizes the use of space, but there is a risk of losing information if
  • the fonts used are non-transparent.
  • the number values become too large for the selected scale; however, a smaller font can be used, depending on the case.

Example

Create Individual Number Formats

Procedure

• Create a new format record by right-clicking on an existing format and selecting Insert → Format in the Number formats area.
  • Enter the name of the new format in the Name field and the total length in the Total length field.
    • The number in the Format ID field is generated automatically.
  • Right-click to generate the format component record for the new format.
  • Define the format component parameters.
  • Save.
• Refresh the module view by pressing F7 or via the Data → Refresh/reset menu item. Display the format preview in the Format field.

Display Units Behind Numeric Values

Procedure

• The Component = 99 has to be assigned to the number formats and the ID of the required text constant must be entered for this component in the CONST data field.
• If it is an existing number format, further components and their parameters have to be defined.

Note

• If units that are not contained in the standard are required, they must be recorded in the Text Constants module.

Currency formats

Example

Note

• If the Zeros parameter is activated for a currency format with Component = 99 (Currency), the currency symbol is displayed in empty fields as well.

Create Individual Currency Formats

Procedure

• Create a new format record by right-clicking on an existing format and selecting Insert → Format in the Currency formats area.
  • Enter the name of the new format in the Name field and the total length in the Total length field.
    • The number in the Format ID field is generated automatically.
  • Right-click to generate the format component record for the new format.
  • Define the format component parameters.
  • Save.
• Refresh the module view by pressing F7 or via the Data → Refresh/reset menu item. Display the format preview in the Format field.

Assign formats

Information

• It is possible to assign formats at different system levels.
• The formats stored at different levels override one another in the following hierarchic order (the format of a level overrides all subordinate levels):
  • Data field
    • data item
      • Users
        • Skin

At Data Field Level

Assign a format to a data field

• Customizer → Module Customizer → Data Areas
• Enter the requested data area.
• Switch to the Layout module variant.
• Select the required format from the listbox or enter the ID in the Format ID data field.
• Save.

At Data Item Level

Assign a format to a data item in the data table.

• Open Customizer → System Customizer → Data Dictionary
• Enter the number of the required data table in the DT field or select it from the listbox.
• Select the corresponding values from the listbox in the Format ID for the required data item.
• Save.

At User Level

Assign a format to a user

• Customizer → System Customizer → Users, Roles, Resources → Users
• Select the corresponding values from the listboxes in the Date format, Currency format or Number format fields.
• Save.

At Skin Level

Assign a format to a skin

• Open Customizer → Layout Objects → Skins.
• Select the required skin from the listbox in the Skin field.
• Select the corresponding values from the listboxes in the Date format, Currency format or Number format fields.
• Save.