Before you select any data, you can use the LAYOUT command to display a representation of the report a form will produce.
Displaying a representation is helpful if you want to test or change a form without running a query. Also, you can display a representation to help you remember the report produced by a particular form.
Your installation might not support use of the LAYOUT command for the following reasons:
Check with your QMF administrator before you try to use this command.
On a report representation, data displays as either a string of letters (character data) or a string of numbers (numeric data).
To display a representative report for a form saved in the database: On the QMF command line, enter:
LAYOUT FORM formname
For example, for a saved form that is named FORM5, enter:
LAYOUT FORM FORM5
To display a representative report for a form in temporary storage: Enter:
LAYOUT FORM
Figure 106 shows an example of a representative report.
Figure 106. A representative report shows how data will be displayed.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Employee Data for the XXXXXXXXXX Division | | Date: 11/27/1991 | | | | Department number 1, Department name XXXXXXXXXXXXXX | | Manager: 0 | | | | ***************************** | | ** Personnel Status Report ** | | ***************************** | | Position: AAAAA | | | | Employee: XXXXXXXXX | | ID: 0 | | Years of Service: 0 | | Salary: 0.00 | | Commission: 0.00 | | Total Earnings: 0.00 | | | | ===> Number in AAAAA position in Department 1: 1 | | | | Position: BBBBB | | | | Employee: XXXXXXXXX | | ID: 0 | | Years of Service: 0 | | Salary: 0.00 | | Commission: 0.00 | | Total Earnings: 0.00 | | | | ===> Number in BBBBB position in Department 1: 1 | | | | Department number 2, Department name XXXXXXXXXXXXXX | | Manager: 0 | | . | | . | | . | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
The first control break, on the DEPT column (a numeric column), is represented by a 1 for the first department and a 2 for the second department. The second control break, on the JOB column (a character column), is represented by AAAAA for the first job title and BBBBB for the second job title.