5

8-8 AppleWorks 5 User’s Manual
Assigning field types
To assign a field type to a field, choose from the Field Type pop-up menu in
the Define Database Fields dialog box. Field types affect the way you enter
and use your data.
Tip Use a text field (or a field that holds text, such as a pop-up menu) for
postal codes so you can sort addresses by postal code number. If the postal
code is a number field, AppleWorks ignores leading zeros. As text, the codes
are sorted properly and retain any leading zeros.
Important The examples in this documentation are based on U.S.
conventions and are shown in U.S. formats. In English-speaking countries
other than the United States, numbers, dates, times, functions, formulas, and
calculations might be formatted differently. For example, in the U.S.,
periods act as decimal points. In other countries, commas might be used as
decimal points.
*
Choose Index from the or Help menu and scroll to the entry. Then choose a topic from
the list and click Go To Topic.
Use this
field type To
Example
(in Browse mode)
Text Enter any text, numbers, or symbols (up to
1008 characters, depending on custom
styles—such as italic—assigned to the
field)
Number Enter any number
Date Enter the day, month, and year
Time Enter hours, minutes, and seconds
Name Enter names that sort by the last, first, or
other word in the field, depending on how
you type the name. See “Entering data in
fields” on page 8-13.
Pop-up Menu Choose from a menu of preset values
In the Help index,* see:
E fields, types