HP Data Entry and Forms Management System (VPLUS) Reference Manual (32209-90024)

Chapter 5 217
Reformatting Specifications
Output Field Menu
REFSPEC performs all formatting (user-defined and standard) in the following order:
1. Convert data to destination data type (unless type is CHAR). If numeric type data does
not fit in the output field after conversion, the output field is set to all blanks,
2. STRIP (user-specified)
3. Move data to output field, justified left, and inserting check digit if specified, and
padding with blanks as needed. If character type data does not fit, it is truncated on the
right. If a data field does not fit, the output field is set to all blanks.
Perform any CHECKDIGIT (user-specified) and/or JUSTIFY (user-specified).
4. SIGN (user-specified)
5. FILL (user-specified)
Note that step 3 includes data type formatting with data movement and user-specified
justification and check digit insertion. These steps are performed simultaneously so that
significant data is not lost due to justification. For example, if you justify data in a field to
the left, the data is justified before movement; but if you justify data to the right, the
justification is performed after the data is moved.
Any changes (truncation, conversion, and so forth) made to the data in the output field do
not affect the original data in the input field.
STRIP
This option lets you remove a particular character or group of characters from data
entered in the field. The following three options are provided:
STRIP ALL
characters
Strips each occurrence of each specified character. The remaining
characters are shifted left to fill the space created by stripping the
specified characters.
STRIP LEADING
characters
Strips each occurrence of each specified character only if it appears before
any other nonblank characters in the field. Stripped characters are
replaced by blanks. It is meaningless to strip leading blanks; if you want to
shift data left, use JUSTIFY LEFT.
STRIP TRAILING
characters
Strips each occurrence of each specified character only if it appears after
all other nonblank characters. Stripped characters are replaced by blanks.
In Table 5-3. are examples using STRIP where both the input field and the output field are
12 characters long and are the same data type; a blank is shown by the character ∆.