Specifications

About displaying and validating data
258 InfoMaker
Database painter is required
You must have the Database painter installed to define display formats and edit
styles in your database.
Presenting the data
When you generate a new report or form, InfoMaker presents the data
according to the properties already defined for a column, such as a column’s
display format and edit style.
Display formats
Display formats embellish data values while still displaying them as letters,
numbers, and special characters. Using display formats, for example, you can:
• Change the color of numbers to display a negative value
• Add parentheses and dashes to format a telephone number
• Add a dollar sign and period to indicate a currency format
For information, see “About display formats” on page 259.
Edit styles
Edit styles usually take precedence over display formats and specify how
column data is presented. For example, using edit styles, you can:
• Display valid values in a drop-down list
• Indicate that a single value is selected by a check box
• Indicate which of a group of values is selected with radio buttons
In the Report painter, an edit style is simply a way of presenting data. You can
change data in a form; you cannot change data in a report. In the Database
painter and in the Form painter, an edit style enables you to change data in the
database by means of an edit mechanism, such as a check box or radio buttons.
For more information, see “About edit styles” on page 270.
About display format
masks and EditMask
masks
The differences between display format masks and EditMask masks can be
confusing. A display format mask determines the appearance of the column
when the focus is off the column, or when the report is in print preview mode.
When you apply an EditMask edit style, the mask you use determines the
appearance of the column when focus is on the column.