Arranging Pages and Columns on a Page

In this section:

Reference:

How easily a user locates data depends on the arrangement of columns on a page. You have many design options. Using StyleSheet attributes or commands, you can:

Reference: Column Arrangement Features

Feature

Description

Applies to

 
SQUEEZE

Sets column width.

HTML (requires FONT=DEFAULT-FIXED)

PDF

PS

 
SET SPACES

Sets number of spaces between columns.

HTML (requires SET STYLEMODE=FIXED)

 
SEQUENCE

Sets column order.

PDF

PS

 
FOLD-LINE

Reduces report width by stacking columns.

PDF

PS

 
OVER

Stacks columns by placing them over one another.

HTML

PDF

PS

 
IN {n|+n}

Sets absolute or relative starting position of a column.

HTML (requires SET STYLEMODE=FIXED)

PDF

PS

For more information, see Customizing Tabular Reports.

Determining Column Width

How to:

The value of the SQUEEZE attribute in a StyleSheet determines column width in a report. You can use a SET parameter instead of a StyleSheet to set the value of SQUEEZE. If there are conflicting StyleSheet and SET values, the StyleSheet overrides the SET.

When SQUEEZE is set to ON (the default), StyleSheet column width is ignored. Column width is determined using your browser's default settings for HTML. For PDF, column width is based on the widest data value or column title, whichever is greater.

SQUEEZE may affect the way headings, footings, and column titles display in your report.

Syntax: How to Determine Column Width (HTML)

This syntax applies to an HTML report. For the syntax for a PDF or PS report, see Determine Column Width (PDF or PS). 

[TYPE=REPORT,] SQUEEZE={ON|OFF}, $

where:

TYPE=REPORT

Applies the column width to the entire report. Not required, as it is the default.

ON

Determines column width based on the widest data value or column title, whichever is greater. ON is the default value.

For HTML reports, the Web browser shrinks the column width to the shortest column title or field value.

OFF

Determines column width based on the field format in the Master File. Blank spaces pad the column width up to the length of the column title or field format, whichever is greater.

Example: Using Default Column Width (HTML)

This request uses SQUEEZE=ON (the default) for an HTML report. Column width is based on the wider of the data value or column title. 

SET PAGE-NUM = OFF
TABLE FILE GGSALES
SUM UNITS DOLLARS
BY CATEGORY BY PRODUCT
ON TABLE HOLD FORMAT HTML
ON TABLE SET STYLE *
TYPE=REPORT, GRID=OFF, FONT=COURIER, $
ENDSTYLE
END

For Category, Unit Sales, and Dollar Sales, the column title is wider than the corresponding data values. For Product, the wider data values determine column width. The HTML report is:

Syntax: How to Determine Column Width (PDF or PS)

This syntax applies to a PDF or PS report. For the syntax for an HTML report, see Determine Column Width (HTML). 

[TYPE=REPORT,] COLUMN=identifier, SQUEEZE={ON|OFF|width}, $

where:

TYPE=REPORT

Applies the column width to the entire report. Not required, as it is the default.

identifier

Selects a column. If you omit a column identifier, the value for SQUEEZE applies to all columns in a report. You can also use SET SQUEEZE to set the width of all columns.

ON

Determines column width based on the widest data value or column title, whichever is greater. ON is the default value.

OFF

Determines column width based on the field format in the Master File. Blank spaces pad the column width up to the length of the column title or field format, whichever is greater. OFF is the default value.

width

Is a measurement for the column width, specified with the UNITS attribute.

If the widest data value exceeds the specified measurement:

And the field is ...

The following appears ...

Alphanumeric

As much of the value as will fit in the specified width, followed by an exclamation mark (!) to indicate truncation.

Numeric

Asterisks (*) in place of the field value.

Example: Determining Column Width (PDF)

This request uses SQUEEZE=2.5 to increase the default column width of the PRODUCT field in a PDF report. Note that this feature is used primarily for printed reports. Depending on your screen resolution, the column width may appear differently than it prints. 

TABLE FILE GGSALES
SUM UNITS
BY PRODUCT
ON TABLE SET PAGE-NUM OFF
ON TABLE HOLD FORMAT PDF
ON TABLE SET STYLE * 
TYPE=REPORT, COLUMN=PRODUCT, SQUEEZE=2.5, $ 
ENDSTYLE
END

The PDF report is:

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