HP 3000 Manuals

HP Data Entry and Forms Management System (VPLUS/V)

RELATION OF FORMS TO OUTPUT RECORDS 

Every record in a batch file consists of data entered on a single form.
It may be that the data on one form represents a logical group of
information.  However, the data from a sequence of forms may make up such
a logical grouping, or the data entered on one form may make several
logical groupings.  The reformatter allows you to rearrange the entered
data into output records with different groupings.

Before running REFSPEC to set up your reformat file, it is important to
understand the relations between the forms (and the data entered on the
forms) and the output records generated by the reformatter.  The forms to
be reformatted are identified in the input forms sequence of the reformat
file; the output records are defined in the associated output record
definitions.

Input Forms Sequence 

Each input forms sequence lists the form or forms on which the data to be
reformatted was entered.

In order to generate the output file from the reformatting
specifications, REFORMAT reads each batch record in turn.  Associated
with each record is the form on which the data was entered.  For the
first batch record, REFORMAT searches the input forms sequences in the
reformat file for a matching "reformat identifier".  This identifier is
the name of the first form in each input forms sequence, and must be
unique in the reformat file.  If a matching reformat identifier is not
found, the batch record is skipped.

Other form names may follow the reformat identifier in the same input
forms sequence.  These form names need not be unique.  If a sequence of
forms is specified, the batch records following the record that matches
the reformat identifier must exactly match the form names in the input
forms sequence.  If they do not, the batch record is skipped, and the
next batch record is checked against all reformat identifiers in the
reformat file.  Some rules to remember:

 *  Every batch file record contains data entered on a single form.

 *  The form name on which the data was entered is stored in the batch
    record with the data.

 *  Records in the batch file are processed sequentially starting with
    the first record and continuing through to the end.

 *  The first form name in each input forms sequence is the reformat
    identifier, and must be unique.

 *  In order to be reformatted, the form name of a batch record must
    match one of the reformat identifiers or be in a sequence following a
    form that matches a reformat identifier.

 *  Form names in an input forms sequence following the reformat
    identifier can appear in other input forms sequences as reformat
    identifiers or as part of a sequence following the reformat
    identifier.

 *  If more than one form is named in an input forms sequence, the
    sequence of batch records starting with the reformat identifier must
    exactly match the sequence of forms.

Output Record Definition 

The output record definition determines how information from batch file
records is stored in the output file.  Any field in the batch file that
is to be written to an output record must be uniquely identified.  The
sequence of the output field names in the output record definition
determines the order in which fields are written to the output record.
Fields from the batch file may thus be reordered, or repeated, or omitted
from the output record.

Constants, in the form of literals, system constants, or the numeric
equivalent of USASCII characters, can be interspersed freely between
fields or portions of fields in the output record definition.

The output record definition also determines where each output record
begins.  The designer can mark one or more fields (or constants) as the
starting point of a record.  If no field is so marked in an output record
definition, then the first field in the definition is appended to the
last field in the previous definition as part of the same record.  Thus a
batch record can be divided into several output records, or be made part
of a larger record.

Note that you can specify a fixed record length, or a maximum variable
record length, for all output records through the Globals Menu.  REFSPEC
does not allow the designer to specify a record in any one output record
definition that is longer than this maximum length; however, it does not
check the length of a record formed from several output record
definitions.  Some rules to remember:

 *  A unique output field name must be assigned to any batch field to be
    written to the output file.  (Usually, the input field name is unique
    and can be used as the output field name.)

 *  Batch fields are written to the output file in order of the output
    field names.

 *  Only those fields specified in an output record definition are
    written to the output file.

 *  A particular batch field can be specified many times in a single
    output record definition as long as each occurrence is given a unique
    output field name.

 *  A start-of-record marker in an output record definition determines
    the start of an output record.

 *  A start-of-record marker can be associated with any field or constant
    in an output record definition.

 *  If no start-of-record marker is included in an output record
    definition, the first field of this definition follows the last field
    of the preceding definition when it is written to the output file.

Field Specifications 

An Output Field Menu is issued for each field named in the preceding
output record definition.  The designer can reformat the output field, or
leave the field as it was written to the batch file.

The following set of examples illustrates some ways in which the data
from a batch file can be reorganized in an output file.

Combining Data from Several Forms 

Suppose data is entered on forms A, B, and C. The reformat file shown in
Figure 5-3 processes these records in sequence and writes them to one
output record.


          Figure 5-3.  Combining Data From 3 Forms into 1 Output Record 

Data from the batch file illustrated in Figure 5-3 can be reformatted in
many different ways.  For example, Figure 5-4 shows how this same data
could be combined into two output records with data from forms A and B
appearing in both records.  Note that when the same field appears more
than once, it must be given a unique field name for each occurrence (this
is not specifically shown in Figure 5-4).


          Figure 5-4.  Reformat Data From 3 Forms into 2 Output Records 

Separating Data into Several Records 

In the following example (Figure 5-5), data entered on form A is
separated into three output records, each a fixed length of 40 bytes.
Data from a subsequent form is written to a single 40-byte record.  If
any group of data is less than the 40-byte record length, the record is
padded with blanks.  The data cannot be formatted to exceed the record
length.


          Figure 5-5.  Separating Data From 1 Form into Several Records 

Reformatting Repeating Forms 

In Figure 5-6, form B is a repeating form that may occur a variable
number of times.  The reformat file in this example causes data entered
on forms A, B, and C to be written to a single variable length output
record.  Note that if repeating form B causes so much data to be written
to the output record that the maximum record length is exceeded, data
(possibly significant) is truncated when REFORMAT is run.


          Figure 5-6.  Reformatting Data From Repeating Forms 

Suppose data entered on one form can follow data entered on either of two
different forms, and you want to generate separate records depending on
the sequence in which the forms appear.  In such a case, you can set up a
reformat file as shown in Figure 5-7.  Note that form B (a repeating
form) appears as a reformat identifier and also as a succeeding form in
other input forms sequences.


          Figure 5-7.  Reformatting Data Based on Form Sequence 

Separating Data from One Batch File into Several Output Files 

A separate reformat file must be established for each different output
file.  In Figure 5-8, data entered on forms A and B is written as a
single record to one output file.  Data from forms A and C is written as
two records to a second output file; data from form B is not written to
output file 2.


          Figure 5-8.  Generating 2 Output Files From 1 Batch file 

MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation