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The? DEFINE command lists the active virtual fields used in a request. The fields can be created by either the DEFINE command or DEFINE attribute in the Master File. The command displays field names of up to 32 characters. If a name exceeds 32 characters, an ampersand (&) in the 32nd position indicates a longer field name.
? DEFINE [filename]
where:
Is the data source containing the virtual fields. If filename is omitted, the command displays all virtual fields.
Assume that you created a virtual field named FULLNAME in a request against the EMPLOYEE database.
Issuing
? DEFINE
produces the following information:
FILE FIELD NAME FORMAT SEGMENT VIEW TYPE EMPLOYEE PROJECTEDSAL D12.2 EMPLOYEE FULLNAME A26 >
The following information is listed for each virtual field created with DEFINE:
Option |
Description |
---|---|
FILE |
Is the name of the data source containing the virtual field. |
FIELD NAME |
Is the name of the virtual field. |
FORMAT |
Is the format of the virtual field. The notation is the same as that used for the FORMAT attribute in a Master File. |
SEGMENT |
Is the number of the segment in the Master File containing the virtual field. During reporting, your application treats the virtual field as a field in this segment. To relate segment numbers to segment names, use ? FDT. |
VIEW |
Is the root segment of DEFINE that specifies an alternate view. For example: DEFINE FILE EMPLOYEE.JOBCODE |
TYPE |
Indicates whether the virtual field is created by the DEFINE attribute in the Master File, or by a DEFINE command, identified by MASTER or a blank, respectively. |
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