Field Attributes panel - alphanumeric fields

This panel lists a field's formatting and data create attributes. You can modify the width of a field for TABL formatting, leading zero suppression for numeric fields. You can also specify data create attributes. The panel comes in two versions, one for alphanumeric fields and one for numeric fields. This section describes the alphanumeric field version.

Panel and field definitions

Figure 1. Field Attributes panel - alphanumeric fields
 Process   Options   Help
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 File Manager                   Field Attributes

 Fixed Attributes:
           Field name  CONTRACTOR
                 Type  AN
                Start  7
               Length  40
 Use Attributes:
              Heading                      
         Output width        
                CCSID                                      

 Create Attributes:
               Filler         
               Action    
      Start character   
              Pattern                                                      
  Repeat user pattern                YES or NO
 Scrambling Options:
  Scramble Type        Enter "/" to select option
    1. Random             Value     Column In                 Out              
    2. Repeatable Dsn                                                          
    3. Translate
    4. Exit       Col  Command
    5. ODPP       1    pro=eml, mtd=repeatable, wheninv=pre, flddef1=(name=em  +
 Command ===>                                                                  
  F1=Help      F2=Split     F3=Exit      F4=CRetriev  F7=Backward  F8=Forward
  F9=Swap     F10=Actions  F12=Cancel

When the selected field is alphanumeric, the Field Attributes panel has these fields:

Fixed attributes
Shows the fixed attributes of the field, such as field name, type, and length, and the starting position, relative to zero, of the field within the record.

These attributes are determined by copybook definitions or by the user-defined attributes in a dynamic template.

Use attributes
Used to specify certain display (or print) attributes used by edit, view, and print functions. For alphanumeric fields, here are the available use attributes:
Heading
The alternative heading that replaces the field name on displays and reports.
Output width
Number of character positions that used by edit, view, compare, and print functions to show this field in TABL display or print format. For alphanumeric fields, this value can range from 6 to either 30 or the field width + 10 (whichever is the greater).

The default output width is the maximum of the number of characters that are needed to show the field heading (or field name, if no heading is specified), and the number of characters that are needed to show the value of the field.

CCSID
Specifies the CCSID to be associated with this field.
Length Field
Shows only for a segmented template and alphanumeric fields whose length does not exceed 4.

Each layout can have one field that is flagged as a length field. File Manager calculates the segment length based on the value that is in the field.

You can enter one of the following values:
blank
This field is not a length field.
1
The field value is the segment length.
2
The field value, plus the length of the field, is the segment length.

If a length field is not provided, the segment length is taken to be the 01 field length.

Create attributes
These attributes define the field-specific attributes that are used by the data create functions when they create test data for records that contain this field.
Filler
Specifies a value that is to be placed in each byte of the field before any other operation in the construction of the field. Can be one of:
char
A character such as 0 to be written in each byte.
X'cc'
A hexadecimal value, such as X'FF' to be written in each byte.

Default value is blank.

Action
Specifies how the contents of the field are to be varied for each record. Can be one of:
FX
The contents of the field are to remain fixed.
RA
The contents of the field are to be generated from characters that are selected at random from the specified pattern. A different set of characters is selected for each record.
RO
The contents of the field are to be rolled. The pattern that you specify is shifted left 1 byte for each record until the first non-blank character of the pattern is in the first byte of the field. Then, the pattern is shifted right 1 byte for each output record until it returns to its original position in the field. RO can be used only with a user-supplied pattern, not with an IBM®-supplied pattern.

The pattern must start with a blank, or the result is the same as FX. The roll occurs only within the length of the pattern.

RP
The contents of the field are to be rippled. The pattern that you specify is shifted left 1 byte for each record and the truncated character is appended to the right-hand end of the pattern.
SL
The contents of the field are to be shifted left for each record. The pattern that you specify is shifted left one character and filled to the right with a space. When all characters in the pattern are shifted out, the original pattern is restored and the process is repeated.
SR
The contents of the field are to be shifted right for each record. The pattern that you specify is shifted right one character and filled to the left with a space. When all characters in the pattern are shifted out, the original pattern is restored and the process is repeated.
TL
The contents of the field are to be truncated on the left for each record. The pattern that you specify is left truncated (the leftmost character is replaced with a space) one character at a time until all characters in the pattern are truncated. Then, the original pattern is restored and the process is repeated.
TR
The contents of the field are to be truncated on the right for each record. The pattern that you specify is right truncated (the rightmost character is replaced with a space) one character at a time until all characters in the pattern are truncated. Then, the original pattern is restored and the process is repeated.
WV
The contents of the field are to be waved. The pattern that you specify is shifted left 1 byte for each record until the first non-blank character of the pattern is in the first byte of the field. Then, the original pattern is restored and the process repeated. WV can be used only with a user-supplied pattern, not with an IBM®-supplied pattern.

The pattern must start with a blank, or the result is the same as FX. The roll occurs only within the length of the pattern.

Start character
Sets the starting character to be used when you specify an IBM®-supplied pattern (AL, AN, or CO) or a user-supplied pattern (except for RO, WV, and FX). The specified character must be one of the characters in the IBM®-supplied pattern or user-supplied pattern.

Default: First character in IBM®-supplied pattern or user-supplied pattern.

Pattern
Specifies the pattern to be used when data is generated for this field. You can specify either an IBM®-supplied pattern indicator or a user-supplied pattern. The user-supplied pattern can be either a character string or a hexadecimal string. A character string must be enclosed in quotation marks, while a hexadecimal string must be enclosed in quotation marks and be preceded by an X. The hexadecimal string must contain an even number of valid hexadecimal characters. Here are the IBM®-supplied patterns that you can specify:
AL
Alphabetic - characters A-Z, inclusive.
AN
Alphanumeric - characters A-Z, 0-9 inclusive.
AX
Alphanumeric displayed in long hexadecimal.
CO
Collating sequence - all printable characters in the range X'40' - X'F9'.

If you provide a user-supplied pattern that is longer than the field, for actions other than RA and RP the pattern is first truncated on the right to fit the receiving field before the specified action is performed. For the RA action, characters are randomly selected from the entire user-supplied pattern. For the RP action, the entire pattern is rippled for each record before it is truncated to fit the receiving field. If you provide a user-supplied pattern that is shorter than the field, you can specify that you want the pattern to be repeated to fill the field.

Default: None

Repeat user pattern
Specify YES if the user-supplied pattern is shorter than this field and you want the pattern to be repeated as many times as necessary to fill the field. By default, File Manager uses the fill character to pad the receiving field when the user-supplied pattern is shorter than the field. This option has no effect when the RA action is specified.
Note: IBM®-supplied patterns are always repeated in a field, as necessary.

Default: NO

Scrambling Options
These options control the scrambling of the field that is used during a copy function to produce test data.
Scramble Type
Specify one of the following values:
Blank
No scrambling is performed. Value or range specifications are saved but ignored for the associated function.
1 (Random)
Performs random scrambling. The same input value produces different output values on subsequent invocations.
2 (Repeatable)
Performs repeatable scrambling. The same input value produces the same output value on subsequent invocations.
3 (Translate)
Performs translation. The value data set is searched to find a matching input value. If a match is found, then the output value is taken from the output column of the matching record.
4 (Exit)
Starts a scrambling user exit. File Manager displays a panel where you can specify the user exit name and user exit parameters and options.
5 (ODPP)
Performs data scrambling by using the ODPP command that is specified in the adjacent command field. This is the Optim Data Privacy Provider command input area. The Col field is the left column position, which can be used to position to the error column when a syntax error occurs. Refer to the ODPP Syntax Guide for the command syntax. The ODPP Command is a scrollable field. Use the F10 and F11 keys to scroll left and right. Use the F4 key to expand the command into a separate window. This option is only available if File Manager was customized to access ODPP, and the environment is successfully initialized. For more information, see the File Manager for z/OS Customization Guide.
Value
Select this option to provide values for the output field. The associated fields (Column In, Out, and Dsn), with the Scramble Type, determine the output value.
Column In
Defines the start location of the input field value on the value data set, and is used when the translate process is run during a copy operation to match the input field with a value on the value data set. The length of the field is set to the length of the input field that is mapped to this field during the copy process.
Note: This value is only required when you select the scramble type, Translate.
(Column) Out
Defines the start location of the output field value on the value data set, and is used as follows during a copy operation:
  • For scramble type, Translate: If an input field value is matched on the value data set, then the corresponding output value is used.
  • For scramble types, Random or Repeatable: The input value is used to randomly or repeatedly select an output value from the value data set.
The length of the field is the current field length as displayed on this panel.
Note: This value is required when you select the scramble type, Translate. If you select Random or Repeatable, and also select Value, then the start location defaults to 1 if a value data set name (Dsn) is provided.
Dsn
Defines the value data set. It can be any cataloged sequential, partitioned, or VSAM data set containing data that is used to determine the output field value during a copy process.
When you specify the data set name, the following rules apply:
  • In a generic data set name, use the percent sign (%) to represent a single character, and an asterisk (*) to represent any number of characters within one qualifier. Two asterisks (**) represent any number of characters within any number of qualifiers.
  • The TSO prefix (as defined for your user ID) is used as the high-level qualifier for any name that is not enclosed in quotation marks.
  • For performance reasons, qualify the data set name as much as you can.
  • If the data set is partitioned, then you can provide a member name in the form dsn(member). If you do not provide a member name, or you provide a generic member name, then a member selection list is displayed for you to select a member.

Parent panels

Child panels

Related tasks and examples

Setting the Data Create Attributes in your template