While defining fields, type a Specification for the format of character, object and data fields as accurately as you can using the symbols below.
Specify barcodes using this system, as well. (If you are unsure about the number of and type of characters allowed in your barcode, see Barcodes supported by FORMS, which contains that information.)
Basically, you specify how many characters of a certain type are allowed, using the format C(f-t), where C stands for the type of character, f stands for "length from" and t stands for "length to".
Warning: Spaces are not allowed in the format specification.
|
Symbol |
Meaning |
Description |
|
N |
Numbers |
Example: N(7) Meaning: A seven-digit numeric field Field example: 1234567 |
|
A |
Letters of the alphabet |
Example: A(2-5) Meaning: An alphabetic field containing two to five characters Field example: Abc |
|
X |
Alphanumeric characters (letters and numbers) and special characters such as "#", ">", etc. |
Example: X(5) Meaning: A field containing five characters, each of which can be a letter, number, or a special character Field example: Abc3D Note: The maximum number of characters in a fields is 2710 (to accommodate all possible characters in a PDF417 barcode). |
|
W |
White space |
Example: N(3)WN(2) Meaning: A field containing three digits, a space, and two more digits Field example: 123 45 |
|
S |
A signed number (with a plus or minus sign) |
Example: SN(3) Meaning: A three-digit, numeric field with a plus or a minus sign in front of it. Field example: -425 Note: Negative numbers are preceded by a minus sign (-) in the resulting transaction. Positive numbers are preceded by a plus sign (+) in the transaction only if the plus sign is actually written in the field. |
|
- |
Remove specific characters at the beginning or end of a string before transfer |
Example: N(4)-X(0-1)[#] Meaning: The # character, if any, is removed when this four-digit field is transferred Field example: 1234# Output: 1234 |
|
. |
Decimal |
Example: N(1-5).NN Meaning: A numeric field containing one to five digits followed by a decimal and two more digits. Field example: 24.99 Note: When you indicate a decimal in the format specification, you can improve interpretation by specifying the position of the decimal. See also: Amount field. |
|
* |
Insignificant characters |
Example: N(3)*N(5) Meaning: Three digits followed by a character to be ignored, and then five more digits Field example: 123-45678 Output: 12345678 |
|
^
|
Disallowed character |
Example: N[^0] (click for more examples) Meaning: Any single digit except 0 Field example: 2 |
|
( ) |
Required |
Example: A(5) Meaning: The field must contain five letters Field example: Abcde |
|
[ ] |
Specified character |
Example: N[139] (click for more examples) Meaning: One of three possible digits: 1, 3 or 9 Field example: 3 |