Field Function

The Field Function tab on the Export Definition form is used to format the output of a field in the export file.

This tab will appear when you select the Export Field tab at the top of the Export Definition form.

Field Function tab - Field Descriptions

Function Name

Determines how the field’s value will be formatted in the output file.

The available options depend on the Data Type of the Field Name you select on the Export Definition form. Refer to the table below for more information.

Data Type	Available Function Names
String	Hexadecimal Left Trim Null Rule Right Trim Substring Trim
Time	DateTime String format Null Rule
Date	DateTime String format Null Rule User Field Default Value
Date Time	DateTime String format Null Rule
Integer	Left Trim Negative Fill Character Negative Rule Null Rule Positive Fill Character Positive Rule Right Trim Substring Trim Zero Rule
Seconds	Convert To Left Trim Negative Fill Character Negative Rule Null Rule Positive Fill Character Positive Rule Right Trim Substring Trim Zero Rule
Decimal	Implicit Decimal Flag Left Trim Negative Fill Character Negative Rule Null Rule Positive Fill Character Positive Rule Precision Right Trim Rounding Rule Substring Trim Zero Rule
Hours	Implicit Decimal Flag Left Trim Negative Fill Character Negative Rule Null Rule Positive Fill Character Positive Rule Precision Right Trim Rounding Rule Substring Trim Zero Rule

Parameter 1, Parameter 2

The Parameter 1 and Parameter 2 fields are used to specify fill characters or trim characters that are applied to the field’s value based on the Function Name you select. For example, if you select the Function Name “Left Trim” and specify “@” as your Trim Character, the @ symbol will appear in the Parameter 1 column.

Update Date, Updated By

These fields display when the record was created or updated, and the person who created or updated the record.

Function Names

The sequence in which you order the Function Names is important. See Move Up and Move Down for more information.

DateTime String format: This option is available when the field's Data Type is Time, Date, or Date Time. When you select this option you also need to specify the DateTime Format (yyyyMMdd or a similar value).

Hexadecimal: Displays the field’s value in hexadecimal format.

Implicit Decimal Flag: This option is available for numeric fields. If the field’s value has a decimal point, this option determines whether the decimal will be shown. Select TRUE or FALSE from the Implicit Decimal field.

Left Trim: Removes a specified character from the left side of the field’s value. When you select this option, you must also specify a Trim Character.

Negative Fill Character: This option is available for numeric fields. It defines the sign character that will be used when the Negative Rule (see below) is set to a value other than “None” or “Error."

Negative Rule: This option is available for numeric fields; it determines how a negative number will display in the output file. The available options are None, First Character, Last Character, First Fill Character, Last Fill Character, Zoned Decimal, and Error. See Negative and Positive Rule Characters for more information.

Null Rule: Use this function to display blank spaces in the output file when the field’s value is null. The value will be stored in the database as an empty string/null value or as a single space, depending on whether you select Blank or Space. Select Blank to store the field in the database as an empty string/null value. Select Space to store the field in the database as a single space.

Positive Fill Character: This option is available for numeric fields. It defines the sign character that will be used when the Positive Rule (see below) is set to a value other than “None."

Positive Rule: This option is available for numeric fields; it determines how a positive number will display in the output file. The available options are None, First Character, Last Character, First Fill Character, Last Fill Character, and Zoned Decimal. See Negative and Positive Rule Characters for more information.

Precision: This option is available for numeric fields. It is the number of places that will appear after the decimal.

Right Trim: Removes a specified Trim Character from the right side of the field’s value. When you select Right Trim you must also specify a Trim Character.

Rounding Rule: This option is available for numeric fields. It indicates how the number will be rounded (Nearest, Up, or Down).

Substring: Select this option to export the part of the value that is between the Start Position and End Position.

Counting for the Substring is zero-based. For example, to start counting from the beginning of the string, set the Start Position to 0. Negative Start and End Positions indicate offsets from the end of the string.

For example, if the Substring format is applied to Person Number aa123bb, the Start and End Positions shown below will result in the following values:

Start Position 2, End Position 5 = 123

Start Position 0, End Position 4 = aa12

Start Position 4, End Position 0 = null value (If the Start Position is not strictly to the left of the End Position, no value will be returned).

Start Position -4, End Position 5 = 23

Trim: Select this option if you want to remove leading and trailing white spaces from the field’s value.

User Field Default Value: This option is available when the field's Data Type is Date and the Field Source is User Field. It determines the default date value that will be displayed in the field. Set the Default Value to CURRENT_DATE, FIRST_RECORD_END_DATE, or FIRST_RECORD_START_DATE.

CURRENT_DATE: Displays the current date as the default date value.
FIRST_RECORD_END_DATE: Displays the End Date of the first Parameter Name listed on the Exports form as the default date value.
FIRST_RECORD_START_DATE: Displays the Start Date of the first Parameter Name listed on the Exports form as the default date value.

Negative and Positive Rule Characters

The descriptions below apply to the Function Names Negative Rule and Positive Rule.

See Rule Examples below to view the various outputs.

None: There will be no sign character to indicate whether the number is positive or negative.

First Character: The first character of the field is used as the sign character. The sign character is the Negative or Positive Rule Character defined in this record.

Last Character: The last character of the field will be used as the sign character. The sign character is the Negative or Positive Rule Character defined in this record.

First Fill Character: The first empty space character will be replaced by the sign character. The sign character is the Negative or Positive Rule Character defined in this record. Applicable only to fixed length formats.

Last Fill Character: The last empty space character will be replaced by the sign character. The sign character is the Negative or Positive Rule Character defined in this record. Applicable only to fixed length formats.

Error: Available only when the Function Name is Negative Rule. It will add an entry into the error log for this field if the value is negative.

Zoned Decimal: The last digit of a numeric field is replaced with a non-numeric character to indicate if the number is positive or negative. The non-numeric character that is used depends on what the last output digit is.

Digit	Replacement if Positive	Replacement if Negative
0	{	}
1	A	J
2	B	K
3	C	L
4	D	M
5	E	N
6	F	O
7	G	P
8	H	Q
9	I	R

Rule Examples

The table below shows how the number 10.25 would be formatted with the different Positive Rule options.

In this example, the field width is 10, Precision is 2, there is no implicit decimal, the Fill Character is b, and the Positive Character is +.

Positive Rule	Value	Output
None	10.25	bbbbb10.25
First Character	10.25	+bbbb10.25
Last Character	10.25	bbbb10.25+
Last Fill Character	10.25	bbbb+10.25
First Fill Character	10.25	+bbbb10.25
Zoned Decimal	10.25	bbbbb10.2E

Add a Field Function

Click Main Menu > Configuration > Interfaces > Export Definition.
Select an Export Name from the drop-down menu.
Select a Record Type from the drop-down menu.
Click Find.
Select the Field Name record you want to format.
On the Field Function tab, click Add.
Select a Function Name from the drop-down list. The available options depend on the Data Type of the Field Name you selected on the Export Definition form.
Depending on the Function Name you selected, you may also have to specify a Trim Character, Fill Character, or other value for this function.
If you want to add more than one Field Function record, click Save and Add to save your settings and keep the Add Field Function window open. Or click Save to save your Field Function and return to the main form.

Modify a Field Function

Click Main Menu > Configuration > Interfaces > Export Definition.
Select an Export Name from the drop-down menu.
Select a Record Type from the drop-down menu.
Click Find.
Select the Field Name record you want to modify.
On the Field Function tab, click Modify.
Modify the fields and click Save.

Delete a Field Function

Click Main Menu > Configuration > Interfaces > Export Definition.
Select an Export Name from the drop-down menu.
Select a Record Type from the drop-down menu.
Click Find.
Select the Field Name record from which you want to delete a function record.
On the Field Function tab, select the record you want to delete and click Delete.
Click OK to confirm the action.

Move Up and Move Down

The sequence in which you order the Function Names is important. For example, if you want to left trim a value and then fill it with a different character, you need to make sure the Left Trim function comes before the Positive Fill Character function.

To change the order of a Function Name, select a function in the grid section of the Output tab and click Move Up or Move Down.