The report entry field corresponds to the ACUCOBOL-GT standard entry field control. Whereas a report label contains only literal values, a report entry field displays the value of a variable data item (its Value Variable property). When an entry field is tied to a file descriptor (FD) field, a simple READ NEXT statement can be used to update the field for printing. With formatted data or breakpoints, there may be additional coding considerations.
The report entry field Property window contains the following control-specific properties in addition to the properties described in Common Report Control Properties.
A drop-down box allows the following selections:
| Collapse (the default) | Allows only one space between two strings. |
| Keep Space | Keeps any amount of space between two strings. |
| Preformatted | Keeps any format settings. |
AcuBench generates the <PRE> and </PRE> HTML tags to maintain the text format.
The Value cell allows the entry of a digit with two decimal places. The default value for this property is 0.00. Increasing this number enlarges the spaces between characters printed inside the report entry field.
A drop-down box allows the selection of Center, Left, Right, or Unaligned justification for the report entry field. The default value for this property is Unaligned.
A drop-down box allows the selection of TRUE or FALSE. The condition is applied when consecutive records contain the same data values. When this property is set to TRUE, both data values print. When it is set to FALSE, the second (and subsequent) same data values do not print. The default value is TRUE.
This property can be a numeric or alphanumeric value. The value prints inside the report entry field. If a Value Variable is used, this numeric/alphanumeric is preserved as the initial Value of the Value Variable.
The Value Picture default value varies, depending on whether a Value property has been specified. If a Value has been specified, the Value Picture is derived from the Value. If no Value is specified, a default of X(30) is used.
The Value cell for this property has an ellipsis push button that opens the Select Variable interface. If a variable is selected in this dialog box, subtle modifications to the generated code occur, such that it references the Value Variable instead of the Value value directly. This property has no default value.