Types of SET Parameters

In this section:

This topic lists the types of tasks that can be accomplished, and the SET parameters that allow you to perform these tasks. If a single parameter applies to more than one activity, it appears in more than one category. For more detailed descriptions, as well as the syntax for each parameter, see SET Parameter Syntax.

The following are the types of tasks performed with SET parameters.

Calculations

Affects the way calculations are performed in FOCUS.

Data and Metadata

Determines the way data is stored and processed.

Date Manipulation Tasks

Controls the way dates are processed and displayed in reports.

WebFOCUS-Specific Tasks

Affects the behavior of web-specific tasks in your application.

Developer Studio-Specific Tasks

Affects the environment in projects being developed in Developers Studio.

Graph Tasks

Controls the processing and display of graphs.

Memory Setup and Optimization Tasks

Affects the memory and optimization of your application.

Report Code, Content, and Processing Tasks

Determines the content and processing of a request.

Report Layout and Display Tasks

Affects the display of a report.

Security Tasks

Controls user access to data sources and procedures.



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Calculations

The following parameters control the behavior of calculations in WebFOCUS.

CDN

Specifies the punctuation used in numerical notation.

COMPUTE

Controls the compilation of expressions.

DMPRECISION

Specifies precision of numeric values in Dialogue Manager -SET commands to calculate accurate numeric variable values.

USERFCHK

Controls the level of verification applied to DEFINE FUNCTION arguments and Information Builders-supplied function arguments.

USERFNS

Determines whether an Information Builders-supplied function or a locally-written function with the same name used.

PACKPOS

In WebFOCUS, defines the positive character value for packed fields.

%STRICTMATH

In WebFOCUS, determines the behavior of a calculation when dividing by zero.



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Data and Metadata

The following parameters determine the way data is stored and processed.

ACCBLN

Accepts blank or zero values for fields with ACCEPT commands in the Master File.

ASNAMES

Controls the FIELDNAME attribute in a HOLD Master File.

DEFINES

Compiles virtual fields into machine code to improve performance.

DIRECTHOLD

Controls whether HOLD Files in FOCUS format are created directly.

DTSTRICT

Controls the use of strict processing for date-time fields.

EQTEST

Controls whether the characters $ and $* are treated as wildcard characters or normal characters in selection criteria.

EUROFILE

Activates the data source that contains information for the currency you want to convert.

FIELDNAME

Controls the use of long and qualified field names.

FOCHTMLURL

Allows you to access resources with an alias other than /ibi_apps/ibi_html.

FOCTRANSFORM

Translates field and segment names in a business view to their corresponding names in the original Master File for request processing.

HNODATA

Controls missing values propagated to a HOLD file.

HOLDFORMAT

Determines the default format for HOLD files.

HOLDLIST

Determines what fields in a report request are included in the HOLD file.

HOLDMISS

Distinguishes between missing data and default data (zeros or blanks) in a HOLD file.

HOLDSTAT

Determines if comments and DBA information are included in HOLD Master Files.

HTMLARCHIVE

Packages HTML and DHTML reports together with image files into a single web archive document (.mht file).

HTMLENCODE

Encodes data within HTML output.

KEEPDEFINES

Controls whether a virtual field created for a host or joined structure is retained after a JOIN command is run.

MAXDATAEXCPT

Enables you to change the number of data exceptions allowed before the session is terminated.

MDICARDWARN

Displays a warning message when the cardinality of a dimension exceeds a specified value.

MDIENCODING

Enables retrieval of output from an MDI file without reading the data source.

MDIPROGRESS

Displays messages about the progress of an MDI build.

NULL

Enables creation of a variable-length comma or tab delimited HOLD file that differentiates between a missing value and a blank string or zero value.

OLDSTYRECLEN

Determines whether the record length, LRECL, is set to the current setting of LRECL=0, or the older setting of LRECL=512.

PCOMMA

Enables retrieval of comma delimited files created by a PC application or HOLD FORMAT COM command.

QUALCHAR

Specifies the qualifying character to be used in qualified field names.

RANK

Determines how rank numbers are assigned in a request when multiple data values fall into the same rank category.

SAVEDMASTERS

Saves a Master File to memory after it has been used in a request.

SHADOW

Activates the Absolute File Integrity feature.

SHIFT

Controls the use of shift strings.

TEMPERASE

Determines if the temporary files created during a WebFOCUS connection are retained after the connection is closed.

WEBARCHIVE

Packages multiple EXL2K files into a single file.

WEEKFIRST

Specifies what day of the week is the start of the week.

WPMINWIDTH

Specifies a minimum width for format WP output files.

XRETRIEVAL

Controls the retrieval of data when previewing a report.



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Date Manipulation Tasks

The following parameters control the way dates are processed and displayed in reports.

BUSDAYS

Specifies which days are considered business days and which are not.

DATEDISPLAY

Controls the display of date format fields that contain the value zero.

DATEFNS

Activates year 2000-compliant versions of date subroutines.

DATETIME

Sets date and time in reports and controls the format in which CREATE SYNONYM creates date-time columns in a Master File.

DEFCENT

Defines a default century for your application.

EXL2KTXTDATE

Controls whether translated dates are sent as date values with format masks instead of text values.

FILECASE

Both UNIX and WebFOCUS support uppercase, lowercase, and mixed-case file names and directories. Since lowercase is the default in UNIX environments, WebFOCUS offers a way to automatically convert file names and directories to lowercase.

HDAY

Specifies the holiday file from which to retrieve dates that are considered holidays.

LEADZERO

Avoids the truncation of leading zeros.

TESTDATE

Temporarily alters the system date in order to test a dynamic window.

YRTHRESH

Defines the start of a 100-year window.



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WebFOCUS-Specific Tasks

The following parameters affect the behavior of web-specific tasks in WebFOCUS.

&&APP_PERMIT

Enables you to create and update applications and files under the APPROOT directory.

BASEURL

Specifies a default location where your browser searches for relative URLs referenced in the HTML documents created by WebFOCUS.

FOCEXURL

Runs and executes drill downs remotely.

JSURLS

Includes JavaScript or VBScript files in an HTML report.

WEBVIEWALLPG

Controls whether the WebFOCUS Viewer displays an All Pages button.

WEBVIEWCLOSE

Controls whether the WebFOCUS Viewer displays a Close button.

WEBVIEWCLMSG

Controls whether the WebFOCUS Viewer Close message displays when the Close option is clicked

WEBVIEWER

In WebFOCUS, enables on-demand paging, and invokes the WebFOCUS Viewer.

WEBVIEWHELP

Controls whether the WebFOCUS Viewer displays a Help button.

WEBVIEWHOME

Allows an HTML page to be displayed when the WebFOCUS Viewer is closed.

WEBVIEWTARG

allows the user to open the WebFOCUS Viewer in a target frame.



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Developer Studio-Specific Tasks

The following parameters control your Developer Studio environment and the display of your reports in Developer Studio.

MESSAGE

Controls the display of informational messages.

OFFLINE-FMT

Determines the format of printed report output generated from a request submitted from the Command Console or created in the Text Editor.

PAGESIZE

Specifies the page size for printed output.

PRINT

Determines whether report output is sent to your screen or to the printer.

SHIFT

Controls the use of shift strings.

FUSE

Specifies files that contain user-defined functions.

MORE

Controls scrolling. ON cases display to pause when screen is full. OFF allows continuous scrolling.

WARNING

Turns off warning messages.

SORT

Sets name of file for foreign languages. The default is English.

PRINTPLUS

Provides printing enhancements.

VIEWER MAX
VIEWERMULT
VIEWER PAUSE
VIEWERZOOM

Controls the Report and Desktop Viewers.



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Graph Tasks

The following parameters control the processing and display of graphs.

3D

Sets a chart to either three dimensions or two dimensions.

ARGRAPHENGIN

Sets the graph engine used for rendering graphs in active technologies reports. it only has an effect when used with FORMAT AHTML or other active formats (APDF or FLEX).

AUTOFIT

Controls resizing of HTML5 graphs to fit their containers.

AUTOTICK

Sets the tick mark intervals for graphs.

BARNUMB

Places summary numbers at the end of bars on bar charts, or slices on pie charts.

BSTACK

Specifies whether bar chart bars are stacked or placed side by side.

EMBEDHEADING

Controls whether the heading or footing text is rendered within, or outside, the chart image.

GRAPHDEFAULT

Controls whether WebFOCUS default settings or the graph API default settings are in effect.

GRAPHEDIT

As of WebFOCUS 8.0, this parameter has been deprecated. You can use InfoAssist to edit charts. For information, see the WebFOCUS InfoAssist User’s Manual.

GRAPHENGINE

Determines the version of the WebFOCUS graph engine that is used.

GRAPHSERVURL

Creates a GIF file of the graph by sending an HTTP request to a servlet.

GRMERGE

Specifies whether to create multiple graphs or a single graph when a request has multiple sort fields.

GRMULTIGRAPH

Specifies how many sort fields are used to generate multiple graphs when GRMERGE is set to ADVANCED.

GRID

Draws a grid of parallel horizontal lines at the vertical class marks on the graph.

GRWIDTH

Places an output graph in an HTML table of a specified width, in cells.

GTREND

Specifies the use of basic linear regression to alter the X and Y axis values in a SCATTER graph.

HAUTO

Performs automatic scaling of the horizontal axis for the given values.

HAXIS

Specifies the width, in characters, of the horizontal axis.

HCLASS

Specifies the horizontal interval mark when AUTOTICK is OFF.

HISTOGRAM

Draws a histogram instead of a curve when the values on the horizontal axis are not numeric.

HMAX

Sets the maximum value on the horizontal axis when automatic scaling is not used (HAUTO=OFF).

HMIN

Sets the minimum value on the horizontal axis when automatic scaling is not used (HAUTO=OFF).

HSTACK

Stacks the bars on a histogram instead of placing them side by side.

HTICK

Sets the horizontal axis interval mark when AUTOTICK is OFF.

LOOKGRAPH

Specifies a graph style.

OLAPGRMERGE

When a graph is rendered as OLAP, generates a three-dimensional graph that reflects all output data from a request containing both a BY and an ACROSS phrase.

VAUTO

Performs automatic scaling of the vertical axis for the given values.

VAXIS

Specifies the length of the vertical axis, in lines.

VCLASS

Specifies the vertical interval mark when AUTOTICK is OFF.

VGRID

Draws a grid at the horizontal and vertical class marks of the graph.

VMAX

Sets the maximum value on the vertical axis when automatic scaling is not used (VAUTO=OFF).

VMIN

Sets the minimum value on the vertical axis when automatic scaling is not used (VAUTO=OFF).

VTICK

Sets the vertical axis interval mark when AUTOTICK is OFF.

VZERO

Treats missing values on the vertical axis as zeros.



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Memory Setup and Optimization Tasks

The following parameters control the memory and optimization of your application.

AUTOINDEX

Retrieves data faster by automatically taking advantage of indexed fields in a FOCUS data source.

AUTOPATH

Dynamically selects an optimal retrieval path.

AUTOSTRATEGY

Determines when WebFOCUS stops the search for a key field specified in a WHERE or IF test.

BINS

Specifies the number of pages of memory used for data source buffers.

CACHE

Stores FOCUS data source pages in memory and buffers between the data source and BINS.

COMPUTE

Controls the compilation of expressions.

DEFINES

Compiles virtual fields into machine code to improve performance.

ESTRECORDS

Passes the estimated number of records to be sorted in the request.

FIXRET[RIEVE]

Enables keyed retrieval from a fixed format sequential file, such as a HOLD file.

FOCSTACK

Specifies the amount of space, in thousands of bytes, used by FOCUS commands waiting for execution.

RECORDLIMIT

Limits the number of records retrieved.

SQLTOPTTF

Enables the SQL Translator to generate TABLEF commands instead of TABLE commands.

TEMP

In WebFOCUS, assigns temporary files to a specific directory.

TEMPDIR

In Developer Studio, assigns temporary files to a specific directory.



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Report Code, Content, and Processing Tasks

The following parameters affect the content or processing of a report.

ALL

Handles missing segment instances in a report.

ALLOWCVTERR

Controls the display of a row of data that contains an invalid date format.

AREXPIRE

Specifies the date when an HTML active report expires.

ARPASSWORD

Specifies the password required to view HTML active report output.

ASNAMES

Controls the FIELDNAME attribute in a HOLD Master File.

AUTOTABLEF

Avoids creating the internal matrix based on the features used in the query.

BUSDAYS

Specifies which days are considered business days.

CARTESIAN

Generates a report containing all combinations of non-related data instances in a multi-path request containing a PRINT or LIST command.

CDN

Specifies punctuation used in numerical notation.

CENT-ZERO

Displays a leading zero in decimal-only numbers.

COMPMISS

Controls whether the missing attribute is propagated to reformatted fields in a report request.

COMPUTE

Controls the compile of expressions.

DATEDISPLAY

Controls the display of date format fields that contain the value zero.

DATEFNS

Activates year 2000-compliant versions of date subroutines.

DATETIME

Sets date and time in a report and controls the format in which CREATE SYNONYM creates date-time columns in a Master File.

DB_INFILE

Controls whether the expression generated by the DB_INFILE function for use against a relational data source is optimized.

DEFCENT

Defines a default century for your application.

DEFECHO

Defines a default value for the &ECHO variable for your application.

EQTEST

Controls the output generated when a report request retrieves zero records.

ERROROUT

Terminates a request and returns a message when an error is encountered.

ESTRECORDS

Passes the estimated number of records to be sorted in the request.

EXCELSERVURL

Specifies the application server to be used to zip the file components that comprise an EXCEL 2007 file (.xlsx).

EXL2KTXTDATE

Specifies the language used for Microsoft® Excel requests. This language must be the same as the language of Excel on the browser machine.

EXTAGGR

Enables aggregation in an external sort.

EXTHOLD

Enables you to use an external sort to create HOLD files.

EXTRACT

Activates Structured HOLD Files for a request.

EXTSORT

Activates the external sorting feature.

FIELDNAME

Controls the use of long and qualified field names.

FILECOMPRESS

The SET FILECOMPRESS=ON command compresses PDF output files. The compressed PDF file is 25% of the original PDF file size.

FILE[NAME]

Specifies a file to be used, by default, in commands.

FILTER

Activates declared filters.

FOC144

Suppresses warning message FOC144, which reads Warning Testing in Independent sets of Data.

FORMULTIPLE

Allows you to include the same value of a FOR field in multiple rows of the FML matrix.

HNODATA

Controls missing values propagated to a HOLD file.

HOLDATTR[S]

Includes the TITLE and ACCEPT attributes from the original Master File in the HOLD Master File.

JOINOPT

Ensures proper alignment of report output by correcting for lagging (missing) values. Also enables joins between fields with different numeric data types.

JSURLS

Includes JavaScript or VBScript files in an HTML report.

KEEPDEFINES

Controls whether a virtual field created for a host or joined structure is retained after a JOIN command is run.

LANG[UAGE]

The LANG[UAGE] parameter specifies the National Language Support (NLS) environment. It sets the language of server error messages and can also be used to set the language of report titles if the Master File Description contains alternate language TITLE attributes.

LEADZERO

Avoids the truncation of leading zeros.

MULTIPATH

Controls whether a parent segment is included in report output when selection tests are done on independent paths.

NODATA

Determines the character string that indicates missing data in a report.

ONFIELD

Controls whether ON phrases are ignored for fields not referenced in a request.

PDFLINETERM

Determines if an extra space is appended to each record of a PDF output file to facilitate proper file transfer between Windows and UNIX.

PRINTDST

Controls processing of reports that use the PRINT command in conjunction with multiple DST operators.

QUALCHAR

Specifies the qualifying character to be used in qualified field names.

SAVEMATRIX

Saves the matrix from your request to protect it from being overwritten when using Dialogue Manager commands.

SHORTPATH

Controls how tests against missing cross-referenced segment instances are processed in a left outer join.

SUMMARYLINES

Permits the combination of fields with and without prefix operators on summary lines in one request.

SUMPREFIX

Allows users to choose the answer set display order when using an external sort to perform aggregation of alphanumeric or smart date formats.

TITLES

Uses predefined column titles in the Master File as column titles in report output.

WARNING

Turns off warning messages.



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Report Layout and Display Tasks

The following parameters affect the layout and display of a report.

ACCESSHTML

Generates HTML report output that is Section 508 compliant.

ACCESSIBLE

Generates report output in HTML code that is Section 508 compliant.

ACCESSPDF

Generates PDF report output that is Section 508 compliant.

ACROSSLINE

Controls underlining of column titles on report output. TITLELINE is a synonym.

ACROSSPRT

Reduces the number of report lines within each sort group when a request uses the PRINT command and an ACROSS phrase.

ACROSSTITLE

Controls whether ACROSS titles display above or to the left of ACROSS values.

ACRSVRBTITL

Controls the display of ACROSS column titles when there is only one displayed field for an ACROSS group.

AUTODRILL

Enables you to automatically drill down to the next level of a dimension within the body of a report.

BASEURL

Specifies a default location where your browser searches for relative URLs referenced in the HTML documents created by WebFOCUS.

BLANKINDENT

Clarifies relationships within an FML hierarchy by indenting the captions (titles) of values at each level.

BOTTOMMARGIN

Sets the bottom boundary for report contents on a page in a styled report.

BYDISPLAY

Displays every instance of a vertical (BY) sort field value in a report.

BYPANEL

Controls the repetition of BY fields on panels.

CENT-ZERO

Displays a leading zero in decimal-only numbers.

COMPOUND

Enables you to combine multiple reports into a single PDF or PS file to create a compound report.

CSSURL

Links an HTML report to an external Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) file in order to style the report.

CURRSYMB

Sets a currency symbol to display on the report output when a numeric format specification uses the M or N display options.

DROPBLNKLINE

Eliminates blank lines from the report output.

DUPLICATECOL

Controls whether columns for multiple display commands are spread out or stacked on top of each other.

EXPANDABLE

Creates an Accordion report that expands by column.

EXPANDBYROW

Creates an Accordion report that expands by row.

FOCFIRSTPAGE

Assigns a page number to the first page of output.

HIDENULLACRS

Hides ACROSS columns containing only null values.

HTMLCSS

Creates an inline Cascading Style Sheet command in the HTML page that displays the report output.

HTMLEMBEDIMG

Determines whether to embed images and graphs directly into an HTML or DHTML .htm file.

LANG[UAGE]

Specifies the National Language Support (NLS) environment. Sets the language of server error messages. Can also be used to set the language of report titles if the Master File Description contains alternate language TITLE attributes.

LAYOUTGRID

Displays a grid in the report output, which enables you to evaluate the correct placement of data and objects during your report design. This option is applicable only when using the PDF, PS, or DHTML report output.

LAYOUTRTL

Displays report output from right to left for supported formats.

LEFTMARGIN

Sets the left boundary for report contents on a page in a styled report.

LINES

Sets the maximum number of lines of printed output that appear on a page, from the heading at the top to the footing on the bottom. The OFFLINE-FMT parameter determines the format of printed report output generated from a request.

OFFLINE-FMT

The OFFLINE-FMT parameter determines the format of printed report output generated from a request.

ONLINE-FMT

Determines the format of report output. (Applies to WebFOCUS only.)

ORIENTATION

Specifies the page orientation for styled reports.

OVERFLOWCHAR

Changes the character that displays in a numeric report column when the column does not have enough space for the value.

PAGE[-NUM]

Controls the numbering of output pages.

PANEL

Sets the maximum line width of a report panel.

PRINTPLUS

Specifies printing enhancements.

POPUPDESC

Enables a pop-up field description in an HTML report when your mouse pointer is positioned over a column title in the report output.

PSPAGESETUP

Coordinates the paper source used by a PostScript printer with the PAGESIZE parameter setting.

QUALTITLES

Uses qualified column titles in report output when duplicate field names exist in a Master File.

RECAP-COUNT

Includes lines containing a value created with RECAP when counting the number of lines per page for printed output.

RIGHTMARGIN

Sets the right boundary for report contents on a page.

SHOWBLANKS

Preserves leading and internal blanks in HTML and EXL2K report output.

SPACES

Sets the number of spaces between columns in a report.

SQUEEZE

Determines the column width in report output.

STYLEMODE

For large report output, displays output in multiple HTML tables where each table is a separate report page.

STYLE[SHEET]

Controls the format of report output by accepting or rejecting StyleSheet parameters.

SUBTOTALS

Controls whether summary lines display above or below the data.

TARGETFRAME

Includes the HTML code <BASE TARGET="framename"> in the heading of the HTML file that is displayed in your browser.

TITLELINE

Controls underlining of column titles. ACROSSLINE is a synonym.

TOPMARGIN

Sets the top boundary on a page for report output.

UNITS

Specifies the unit of measure for page margins, column positions, and column widths.



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Security Tasks

The following parameters specify user access to data sources and procedures.

&&APP_PERMIT

Enables you to create and update applications and files under the APPROOT directory.

DBACSENSITIV

Controls whether password validation is case-sensitive.

DBASOURCE

Controls the source of access restrictions in a multi-file structure.

PASS

Enables user access to a data source or stored procedure protected by Information Builders security.

PERMPASS

The PERMPASS parameter establishes a user password that remains in effect throughout a session or connection.

USER

In WebFOCUS, enables user access to a data source or stored procedure protected by Information Builders security.


WebFOCUS