This table permits you to define edit masks that control what the operator
is permitted to enter into the
reference_number field during data entry on
the LINE ITEM and PROFILE TRANSACTION entry screens.
The
tran_code table
edit_mask_key
field is linked to the same field in this table,
and then to the actual
edit_mask that is to be
used during data entry. If no
edit_mask_key is
present on the trancodes table, or if the specified
edit_mask_key is not found in the
edit_masks table, the operator
will be able to enter free-form text in the
reference_number field. Otherwise, the
entry will have to conform to the defined edit mask.
Each field in the table is listed, along with a short description, below:
-
EDIT_MASK_KEY
This is the key field that links to a
tran_code
table record. A single
edit_mask_key value can
be shared by multiple trancodes if the
reference_number edit field
requirements
are the same for each of the trancodes.
-
EDIT_MASK_TEXT
This is the actual edit mask to be used for the
reference_number field. Please
refer to the information details on setting up the
Edit Mask Rules.
In some cases you want to collect certain information about a
transaction
and
ensure that the information is in a prescribed format. For example, you
might want
to collect an invoice or customer number and it must be a specific
number of
digits
or it must start with 2 alpha characters, then be followed by 4 numeric
digits. The
EDIT-MASK records permit you to associate
an
edit mask with a specific transaction
to achieve these results.
These values can apply to a
tran code or to the
reference_number
you will be using for your PROFILE
TRANSACTIONS. Depending on which of these options you want to use, the
program
needs specific information about which edit mask applies.
The data value must in a specific format to allow the edit mask to work
correctly.
The edit mask is a series of letters and numbers and special symbols
that
define what type of prompt
appears on the screen for the operator, e.g. ,
DATE:, and other letters and numbers and
other special characters
that define the type of
data that can be entered in each position. These include, in most cases,
numbers.
Certain characters have special meaning as edit characters, and in order
to
get
them to appear as a prompt character instead of an editable character,
you
must
precede then with a back slash character (\)
so the edit routine knows they are to
be displayed instead of edited.
When you define an edit mask each character position in the mask maps to
either a
placeholder of a specified type or a literal character. Literal
characters,
give
visual cues about the type of data being used. For example, the
parentheses
surrounding the area code of a telephone number are literals:
(520)-555-1212. The
edit mask for this type of entry might look like this:
PHONE\#:(%%%)-%%%-%%%%.
If you attempt to enter a character that conflicts with the input mask
it
prevents
you from entering invalid characters into the edit field in that
position.
The following are examples of standard input masks that you might wish
to
use. The
program distinguishes between numeric and alphabetic characters for
validation, but
cannot check for valid content, such as the correct month or time of
day.
The input mask can consist of the following characters.
| Mask Character |
Description |
| * |
Allows entry of any character, including numbers and spaces.
|
| % |
Allows entry of numeric characters only (0 to 9).
|
| # |
Allows entry of 0-9 and the period and minus sign.
|
| U or L |
These two mask characters permit entry of A-Z only. The underlying
control uses the L for force only
lower case, and the U to force uppercase. However, within the
RASWIN
program, all data is converted to
uppercase. If you wish to use either the U or L character in an
edit
mask as a literal character, as
in the example below, you must precede it with a back-slash
character.
|
| Literal characters |
All other symbols are displayed as literals; that is, as
themselves.
|
| \ |
Treat the next character in the mask string as a literal. This
allows
you to include the
*,
%,
#,
U,
L, and
?
characters in the mask. When preceded by a "\" backslash character
these characters are treated as a literal for masking purposes.
For instance, in the phone number example shown earlier, the edit
mask is
PHONE\#:(%%%)-%%%-%%%%.
When
displayed on the screen
for the user to enter the phone number, it would look like this:
PHONE#:(___)-___-____.
The edit mask characters
# and
% are treated as a numeric entry
positions, unless
it is preceded by the \ character, in
which case
the # character is displayed as a literal
character
and its edit mask function is ignored. The difference between the
two
is that the
# character allows entry of 0 to 9 AND
the
decimal point and "-" sign whereas
the % character permits only the numbers
0 to 9.
Here's another example. Suppose you needed an edit mask where you
wanted to have a prompt on the screen for the user that displays:
WATER UNIT:_________________
LICENSE#:____.
Note that the letters in the prompt (U,L, and #) are edit mask
characters. So
to get this to display correctly, you'll need an edit mask that
looks
like this:
WATER \UNIT:*****************
\LICENSE\#:%%%%.
You'd have to use the
\ in front of the
U,
L,
and
# sign characters as shown, because
they are edit mask characters and you want them to display as
actual
values. The area for the
"water unit" filled with
* signs because your user will need to
enter an alpha numeric value,
that could include letters, numbers, or spaces.
|
