DB2 graphic QMF Version 8

Specifying the formatting options in a Form

You specify the formatting options that are saved in the Form using the Form window. You can open the Form window by selecting Form--> Edit. The Form window has the following pages:

Main

Select the Main tab on the Form dialog box to define the primary components of a form, including form headings, footings, and breaks.

Typically, most formatting changes are made on other tabs on the Form dialog box and the formatting attributes are reflected on the Main tab.

Num

The value in the Num field identifies the column number. This number is used to resolve variable references, and to determine how query result columns map to report columns.

The first column in the query results is column number 1, the second column in the query results is column number 2, and so on.

Heading

Type the column name to be printed on the report.

Usage

Select a usage code to extract summary information about the data in a column, such as total summary information at the end of a column, or partial summaries at control breaks in a table.

The usage codes that are available depend on the data in the column and the type of summary. Refer to the online help for more information about usage codes.

Indent

Specify the number of blank spaces to the left of the column. The range is between 0 and 999.

Width

Specify the width of column. The range is 1 and 32767.

If the column is too narrow for numeric data, it is replaced with asterisks.

If the column is too narrow for character or date/time data, it is truncated (based on the alignment specified). To correct this, you can use a wrapping edit code to have the data wrap within the column width.

Edit

Select an edit code to control how data is formatted in a report. Edit codes are available for character, date, graphic, numeric, time, timestamp data. Also, user-defined edit codes can be created. Refer to the online help for more information about edit codes.

Seq

Specify a number to adjust the sequence of columns in the report.

If two columns have the same sequence number, they appear in the report in column number order, defined in the Num field.

Note:
The sequence number is ignored in reports using the ACROSS usage code or if you check the Automatic reordering of report columns? check box on the Form Options dialog box.

Breaks

Select the Breaks tab on the Form dialog box to specify characteristics, content, and placement of up to six subtotal lines in a report, along with break heading text and break footing text.

1 of 6

Specify up to six break levels for the report.

New page for break

Check this check box to start a new page in the report when the current break level starts.

Blank lines before heading

Specify the number of blank lines before the first break heading line. The range is between 0 and 999.

Repeat detail heading

Check this check box to repeat the detail heading with the current break level.

Blank lines after heading

Specify the number of blank lines after the last break heading line. The range is between 0 and 999.

Alignment

Select how to align the heading text. Choices are: LEFT, RIGHT, CENTER or APPEND (merge with heading on previous line).

Text

Type the text that appears in the break heading.

You can insert form variables into text fields to produce information on the report based on certain conditions and where the form variables appear on the report.

Table 36. Form Variables
Form Variable Use this variable to...
&ROW display the row number
&DATE display the current date
&TIME display the current time
&PAGE displays the current page number
&COUNT displays the number of rows retrieved or printed since the last break at the same level
&CALCid identifies a form calculation expression to use, where 'id' is the ID number of the expression
&n displays the value of a column, where 'n' is the column number
&an displays the aggregation of a column, where 'n' is the column number, and 'a' is an aggregation variable:
  • AVG
  • COUNT
  • CPCT
  • CSUM
  • FIRST
  • LAST
  • MAX
  • MIN
  • PCT
  • STDEV
  • SUM
  • TCPCT
  • TPCT

The aggregation is based on the rows retrieved or printed since the last break at the same level.

Optional: Use the Text field to specify a global variable, which is a variable set prior to a QMF for Windows session that is in effect for the duration of the session.

Optional: Use the Text field to an HTML variable, which formats data for HTML presentation. You can place these variables in any section of a form:

Hint:

Refer to the online help for a chart that explains where form variables can appear in a report.

New page for footing

Check this check box to start a new page in the report when the current break level ends

Blank lines before footing

Specify the number of blank lines before the first break footing line. The range is between 0 and 999 or BOTTOM (which is treated as a zero when producing reports in QMF for Windows).

Put summary at line

Specify the line number where the break summary is placed vertically in the break footing lines. The range is between 1 and 999. Specify NONE if you do not want a break summary line.

Blank lines after footing

Specify the number of blank lines after the last footing line. The range is between 0 and 999.

Break footing text

Specify the text for the break footing:

Calculations

Select the Calculations tab on the Form dialog box to define report calculation expressions.

Note:
You must have IBM's ObjectREXX installed on your machine to use form calculations.
ID

Specify a number, between 1 and 999, that identifies the calculation expression.

Expression

Type a valid ObjectREXX expression, up to 50 characters.

Form variables cannot be used in this field.

Pass nulls?

Specify whether to pass the expression to ObjectREXX for evaluation when a variable in the definition has a null value.

Width

Specify the width used to format the result of the calculated expression when used as a variable in the form.

Edit

Specify the edit code, which is used to format the result of this calculated expression when used as a variable in the form. See the online help for more information about Edit Codes.

Columns

Select the Columns tab on the Form dialog box to control the appearance and formatting of columns in the report. Definable characteristics include column heading, column usage, indentation, width, edit code, and sequence.

Conditions

Select the Conditions tab on the Form dialog box to define conditional formatting constraints, such as suppressing records that do not meet certain characteristics.

ID

Specify a number between 1 and 999 to identify the conditional expression.

Expression

Type a valid ObjectREXX expression, up to 50 characters. An expression that evaluates to 1 is considered true; anything else is considered false.

You can use form variables in this field.

Pass nulls?

Specifies whether or not to pass the expression to ObjectREXX for evaluation when a variable in the definition has a null value.

Details tab

Select the Details tab on the Form dialog box to define report detail headings and body text. This is where you can combine or replace tabular data with free-form text to create form letters or address labels.

Enable

Specify when to enable the detail variation:

You can conditionally enable the variation by referring to a Form Conditions expression using the Cnn and Enn specifications.

Include column headings with detail heading

Check this check box to display column headings with detail headings.

Detail heading text

Specify the lines of detail heading text:

New page for detail block

Check this check box to start a new page in the report for the detail block.

Blank lines after block

Specify the number of blank lines after the last detail block line. The range is between 0 and 999.

Repeat detail heading

Check this check box to repeat the detail heading before each occurrence of the detail block.

Put tabular data at line

Specify where the tabular data line is placed vertically in the detail block. The range is between 1 and 999. If you do not want a tabular data line, specify NONE.

Keep block on page

Check this check box to keep the detail block on one page.

If you check this check box and a detail block is too long to fit on one page, QMF for Windows will start the detail block on a new page. If you do not check this check box, detail blocks can split across two or more pages.

Detail block text

Specify the lines of detail block text:

Final

Select the Final tab on the Form dialog box to define the content and placement of your report's final text. For example, you can include final text and summary data at the end of the report.

New page for final text

Check the New page for final text check box to start a new report page for the final text.

Put final summary at line

Specify where the final summary line is placed vertically in the final text lines. The range is between 1 and 999. If you do not want a final summary line, specify NONE.

Blank lines before text

Specify the number of blank lines before the first and final text line. The range is between 0 and 999 or the word BOTTOM, which is treated as a zero when producing reports in QMF for Windows.

Final text

Specify the lines of final text:

HTML

Select the HTML tab on the Form dialog box to define the content and placement of HTML tags and formatting in HTML reports.

Note:
This tab is enabled only for HTML forms.
<HEAD> associated tags

Specify the HTML tags added to the <HEAD> section of the report.

<BODY> tag extensions

Specify the HTML extensions added to the <BODY> tag of the report.

Column heading line prefix

Specify the HTML tags that appear before each column heading line. For example, to make a heading bold, you would place a <B> tag here.

Column heading line suffix

Specify the HTML tags that appear after each column heading line. For example, to close off a bold heading, you would place a </B> tag here.

Tabular data line prefix

Specify the HTML tags that appear before each tabular data line. For example, to make a line italic, you would place a <I> tag here.

Tabular data line suffix

Specify the HTML tags that appear after each tabular data line. For example, to close off an italic line, you would place a </I> tag here.

Page separator

Specify the HTML tags that appear as a page separator. For example, you could use a horizontal rule <HR> tag to separate pages.

Include tabular data as HTML table

Check this check box to display the results grid in HTML format. Separate data, such as comments, are displayed in a separate table from the HTML format table.

Save as user defaults

Check this check box to save these settings as the default user settings for future HTML reports.

Reset

Click Reset to reset all values in the Form HTML dialog box to their original settings. A submenu with three options opens.

Options

Select the Options tab on the Form dialog box to define miscellaneous options that control the appearance of the report.

Detail spacing

Specify the number of lines for the spacing between tabular data lines or detail blocks. This value must be a number between 1 and 999.

Line wrapping width

This field applies only to forms created using the ISPF version of QMF (host QMF).

Specify the number of characters at which to wrap the columns in the report. The range is between 0 and 999 or the word NONE.

Note:
This value is ignored for reports produced in QMF for Windows.
Report text line width

For reports, specify the width of the final text, detail heading text, detail block text, and break text in a report. The range is between 1 and 32767, or the words DEFAULT or COLUMNS.

For DEFAULT, break footing text and final footing text use the full width of all columns up to the first summary column. For COLUMNS, all text areas use the full width of all columns.

Number of fixed columns in report

Specify the number of columns that remain in place when you scroll reports horizontally on the screen or break reports onto multiple pages when printing. The range is between 1 and 999, or the word NONE.

Outlining for break columns

Check this check box to display the value in columns with the BREAK usage code when the value changes.

Default break text (*)

Check this check box to generate break footing text in breaks for which you did not indicate break footing text.

The default break text consists of one asterisk for the highest numbered break level text, two asterisks for the next-highest numbered break level text, and so on.

Function name in column heading when grouping

Check this check box to add the name of the summarization function to the heading of the aggregated columns, if a report has summarized columns and you use the GROUP usage code to suppress the tabular data lines.

Column wrapped lines kept on a page

This field applies only to forms created using the ISPF version of QMF (host QMF).

Check this check box to split wrapped columns between two pages, if you specified column wrapping for one or more columns.

Note:
This value is ignored for reports produced in QMF for Windows.
Across summary column

Check this check box to display the automatically generated ACROSS summary column, which produces additional columns that summarize (total) across the specified columns.

Automatic reordering of report columns

Check this check box to automatically reorder the columns in a report when you specify a BREAK or GROUP usage code, or one of the aggregating usage codes.

If selected, the columns are reordered so that BREAK columns are to the far left, GROUP columns are to the left after BREAK columns, all non-aggregated columns are to the left after BREAK and GROUP columns, and all aggregated columns are to the far right.

Page renumbering at the highest break level

Check this check box if a printed report should begin a new page beginning with the number 1 whenever the value in the control column when the highest break level changes.

Note:
The highest break level is the one with the lowest number.
Column heading separator

Check this check box to display a row of dashed lines between the column headings and the tabular data lines.

Across heading separator

Check this check box to mark columns in ACROSS reports with dashed lines and arrows.

Break summary separator

Check this check box to display a row of equal signs between the tabular data lines and the break summary.

Final summary separator

Check this check box to display a row of equal signs between the tabular data lines and the final summary.

Place LOB contents inline

Optional: Check this check box to display LOB contents in-line in the contents of the form.

Page

Select the Page tab on the Form dialog box to define the content and placement of the page heading and page footing on your report.

Blank lines before heading

Specify the number of blank lines before the first page heading line. The range is between 0 and 999.

Blank lines after heading

Specify the number of blank lines after the last page heading line. The range is between 0 and 999.

Page heading text

Type each line of page heading text.

Blank lines before footing

Specify the number of blank lines before the first page footing line. The range is between 0 and 999.

Blank lines after footing

Specify the number of blank lines after the last page footing line. The range is between 0 and 999.

Page footing text

Specify each line of text printed in the page footing at the bottom of the page:


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timestamp Last updated: March, 2004