Six Types of Characters Used in Numeric Masks
There are six types of characters that can be used in a numeric display mask - digit placeholders, sign characters, currency symbols, decimals characters, group characters, and alignment characters. These characters are described below:
Digit Placeholders - There are four digit placeholder characters, each representing a potential significant digit in a numeric field. The choice of one placeholder over another impacts the appearance of any zeroes and blanks in a field.
0 - represents a character position that always displays. It either contains the numeric value in the data or, if the data is blank in that position, a 0 as a placeholder. If the number of trailing digits is variable, 0s are used to designate the minimum number of digits to display.
8 - represents a character position that contains either a numeric value in the data or, if the data is zero in a leading or trailing position, a space. An 8 converts a 0 to a fixed space. The number 8 is used to guarantee decimal or currency sign alignment while eliminating leading and trailing 0s.
9 - represents a character position which, if leading or trailing and zero, is eliminated from a left- or right-justified mask. In other words, a 9 converts a 0 to a non-fixed space. The number 9 (as opposed to the number 8) is used to conserve space when the alignment of decimals and currency signs is not a concern.
* - represents a character position that, if leading and zero, is replaced by an asterisk. Asterisks are primarily used to ensure that a number is not altered on a printout, such as an accounts payable check.
Sign Characters - There are six sign character types that APPX uses to identify positive and negative numbers. Only one type can be used in a single mask. You can enter the characters anywhere on a mask (leading or trailing). The bracket characters '( )' or '< >' however, must be positioned to surround the digit placeholders.
+ - displays as a + if a number is positive, and is replaced by a - if the number is negative.
? - only displays if a number is negative. If the number is positive, it is replaced with a fixed or non-fixed space, depending upon its position relative to the alignment character.
( ) - surround negative numbers. If the number is positive, it is replaced with a fixed or non-fixed space, depending upon its position relative to the alignment character.
<> - surround negative numbers. If the number is positive, it is replaced with a fixed or non-fixed space, depending upon its position relative to the alignment character.
DR - identifies a negative number in a field that normally contains a credit balance. If a number is positive, it is replaced by a CR.
CR - identifies a negative number in a field that normally contains a debit balance. If a number is positive, it is replaced by a DR.
Currency Symbols - The currency symbol, entered as a $, is used to identify numbers stated in terms of a specific currency. The maximum length for a currency symbol is three characters, and the maximum number of currency symbols in a mask is two, one leading and one trailing.
Decimal Characters - A decimal character is entered into a mask as a '.' (',' internationally) to separate the leading and trailing digits in a number. For variable decimal numbers, the position of the decimal indicates the minimum number of trailing digits.
Group Characters - A group character is entered as a ',' ('.' internationally) to separate digits into groupings of thousands.
Alignment characters - Alignment characters are optional, justification-control characters that are represented by an underscore ( _ ). They separate fixed leading or trailing portions of a mask from justifiable leading or trailing portions. Alignment characters indicate that data cannot be shifted farther than the position that is represented by their placement on a mask.All characters placed before a leading underscore and after a trailing underscore maintain a fixed position. (Leading underscores precede digit placeholders, and trailing underscores follow.) The character position that is occupied by an underscore is eliminated when a field displays.
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