Specification of Output Data Formats Tab

This section includes the fields and descriptions for the Specification of Output Data Formats tab.

Output Data Format Island

Field Description
Name When creating an output data format, you can enter its name in this field. This is the name by which it will be known in this module. You cannot change the name of existing output data formats.
Field Delimiter In this field, you can enter a character to be used as a divider between fields in the output data format. You typically enter a comma (“,”) or Tab. The Tab character is entered like this: “#TAB.”
Record End In this field, you can enter a character or code to be used as a divider between records in the output data format. You typically enter a Carriage Return/Line Feed as a divider. This is entered like this: “13 10.”
Yes In this field, you can enter the way a “Yes” is represented in an output data format. A “Yes” can, for example, be represented by “1” or “Y,” depending on the specifications for the output data format.
No In this field, you can enter the way a “No” is represented in an output data format. A “No” can, for example, be represented by “0” or “N,” depending on the specifications for the output data format.
Decimal In this field, you can enter a character to be used as a decimal in amount fields in the output data format. Certain formats do not use a decimal but assume that all amounts are entered in cents or pence.
Text Encloser In this field, you enter a “text enclosing character,” that is, a character used to enclose fields of the “Text” type in the format.

Typically, the double quotation mark (“ " ”) is used.

General Encloser In this field, you enter a “general enclosing character,” that is, a character used to enclose fields of all types in the format, not just text fields.
Fixed Length This field is not used in the current version of Maconomy.
Character Encoding In this field, you enter the encoding that is used by the bank. The file will be in UTF-8 if no character encoding has been specified.

Access Level Island

Field Description
Access Level Name Enter the name of the access level required to access the format and its forms.
Access Level Description Enter the description of the access level required to access the format and its forms.

Document Header 1-3 Islands

Field Description
Header These fields are used to generate XML-based payment formats, for example, the EU SEPA format.
Attribute 1-3 Identification These fields are used to generate XML-based payment formats, for example, the EU SEPA format.
Attribute 1-3 Value These fields are used to generate XML-based payment formats, for example, the EU SEPA format.

Document Tag 1-3 Islands

Field Description
Tag These fields are used to generate XML-based payment formats, for example, the EU SEPA format.
Attribute 1-3 Identification These fields are used to generate XML-based payment formats, for example, the EU SEPA format.
Attribute 1-3 Value These fields are used to generate XML-based payment formats, for example, the EU SEPA format.

Grouping Island

In this island you can specify whether the format should divide the file into groups (sections). In this way, the payment file can attain the structure as discussed in the introduction to this module, which specified the general format of the file like this:

FileStartRecord, (SectorStartRecord, PaymentRecord+, SectorEndRecord)+, FileEndRecord

Field Description
No. This field shows the number of the sector. The number is not used elsewhere in the format specification.
Fixed Text In this field, you can enter a description of the field to be used as a sector divider in the field “Reference.” The description is only seen in this window.
Reference In this field, you enter the reference to be used as divider between the sectors. When the payment file is created, Maconomy will create a section every time this field appears. For example, you can create a section in the file for every vendor to be paid by entering the following reference in this field:

#VENDOR.BANKACCOUNT

The text before the dot specifies the relation in the database from which the field is taken, and the rest specifies the name of the field. "Appendix D: Reference Fields in Format Specifications" in the Reference Manual contains a list of all the fields to which you can make a reference.

Variable Island

In this island you can define a number of variables. The specified variables are used elsewhere in the format specification. You can, for example, define that variable 3 contains the total number of records in the file. In the window Specification of Output Data Records you can specify that variable 3 should be increased by 1 for each record. In the file’s end record, you can then write the content of the variable, which at that point in time will contain the total number of entries in the file.

Field Description
No. This field shows the number of the variable. The number is used when a reference is made to the variable from elsewhere in the format specification.

The numbers 1-10 are shown, but a variable with the number 0 also exists. This variable always holds the value of the current field, that is, the value currently being written to the payment file. It is also possible to refer to this variable.

Type In this pop-up field, you can select the type of the variable. The type determines the possible actions with the variable, and determines how the format evaluates the content of the variable. For instance, variables of the type “Text Field” are perceived to contain text, and consequently they cannot, for example, be added to other fields, even if the happen to contain a number. At the same time, you cannot, for example, assign a text string to a variable of the type “Integer Field.”

The following types exist:

Type Content
Integer Field Integer
Amount Field Amount
Text Field Text
Boolean Field “TRUE” or “FALSE”
Date Field Date
Time Field Time
Decimal Field Real Number
Description In this field, you can enter a description of the current variable. The text is only displayed in this window.

Print Control Island

In this island you can specify information to be used if you have chosen to print a control list. A control list is a paper document which can be sent to the bank along with the payment file. The printing of a control list is selected in the island Print Control in the window Specification of Outgoing Payment Formats.

The specifications in the fields of this island refer to the variables specified in the island Variables in this window. The control list will contain the content of the variables you select in this island. The variables are assigned values for each record or field. See the description of the island Variables below and the windows Specification of Output Data Records and Specification of Output Data Fields.

Field Description
Transaction No. In this field, you can specify which variable contains the transaction number. In certain formats, the transaction number can be split by multiple records pertaining to the same payment (for example, the amount and four remittance lines of a check can have the same transaction number).
Entries In this field, you can specify which variable contains the sum of the number of records contained in the current payment file.
Amount Entries In this field, you can specify which variable contains the sum of the number of amount records contained in the current payment file.
Amount In this field, you can specify which variable contains the sum of the amounts contained in the current payment file.
Account No. In this field, you can specify which variable contains the sum of the account numbers contained in the current payment file. The sum may be needed as a checksum.
Create File per Grouping In this field, you can specify if you want to create a payment file per grouping. Groupings (sectors) in a file are defined in the island Grouping.

Description Island

Field Description
Capital Letters Only If this field is marked, all letters are changed to capital letters in the format.
Substitute Text If this field is marked, the list in the table part of the window is used. The character in the field “Local Character” replaces the character in the field “External Character List” in the format. This feature is often used for languages which contain international characters, such as “æ,” “ø,” and “å,” and the current output data format does not support these. See the description of the table part of this window for more information.
UTF-8 Character Set You can use this field if the bank expects a file in UTF-8. It is highly recommended that you enter the needed character encoding in the “Character Encoding” field instead.

User Island

Field Description
Created This field shows the date and name of the user who created the format.
Changed This field shows the date and name of the user who recently made changes to the format.
Version This field shows the latest version number of the format. The number is incremented by one each time a change is made to the format.