Field properties ("General" tab)

Name

Type a field name. If you do not specify a field name, it is automatically and sequentially specified from "Field1". You can use alphanumeric characters, Kana, Kanji, and underscores (_). Do not use a number for the first character of a field name. Names with ten or more bytes of consecutive numeric characters cannot be used. The maximum length of the name depends on the setting in Preferences.

Comment

Type comments for the field. Although comments are not used for printing, you can easily manage forms by including the field description in the comments.

Also, you can set the FFEject feature by entering "/{FFEject=1}/" in comment. For details of FFEject, see "FFEject".

Link-field name

Specify a link-field name.

The link-field is a field that takes over the excess data and prints it when data that exceeds the number of printable digits in this field is received.

If you do not specify a link-field, excess data will be cut.

For a field created within a record, you can specify the name of the field itself in Link-field name to enable auto-break.

Such fields are called "auto link-fields".

Graphic mode

Specify whether to enable the graphic mode. Select to enable the graphic mode and make the extended settings available.

X(dot)

Specify the X coordinate of the upper left corner of the field.

For a vertical writing field, the X coordinate represents the upper right corner in the graphic mode and the upper left corner in the basic mode.

Y(dot)

Specify the Y coordinate of the upper left corner of the field.

For a vertical writing field, this value represents the Y coordinate of the upper right corner.

Number of digits (print)

Specify the number of characters to be printed in digits.

If you want use the FORMAT function in the edit-formula to output data that includes a decimal point, commas, or additional symbols, you need to specify the total number of digits including the byte size of the decimal point, commas, and additional symbols.

Number of digits (data)

Specify the data buffer size for the field in bytes. Specify this setting when you want to retain data that is larger than the number of printable digits in order to process a calculation-formula and/or edit-formula. If "0" is specified, the value for this field is considered the same as Number of digits (print).

When the field is set as an auto link-field, the value set here is considered the upper limit for auto-break.

If Number of digits (print) is set to 20 digits and Number of digits (data) is set to 100 digits, up to five lines are output with line-feed.

Field type

Specify whether the data to be input in the field is half-width or full-width.

The purpose of this setting is to allow you to see easily in the form window whether the data set in the field uses half-width or full-width characters. This feature does not convert full-width into half-width characters or vice versa when printing them.

Even when you specify half-width, double byte characters are still output without any problems.

Pitch(dot)

Specify the character pitch. This is for the pitch between half-width characters. For full-width characters, the pitch is double the value specified here.

Fixed pitch

Usually, all characters are output character-by-character. However, if you select this item, characters are output as a string under some conditions. (Some printer models do not support this feature.)

This operation is available for the SATO global model, the Zebra model, or certain printer models that have a maximum limit on the number of characters that can be output. You may be able to use the printer-specific features by selecting this item. However, in some cases, characters may not be output at the correct positions.

Full-width font

Select a font used to print full-width characters. You can select from the fonts that appear in the drop-down list. When fonts have been added in Settings - Preferences - Font selection, only fixed pitch TrueType fonts will appear in the drop-down list in the basic mode. In the graphic mode, proportional fonts will also appear.

Half-width font

Select a font used to print half-width characters. You can select from the fonts that appear in the drop-down list. When fonts have been added in Settings - Preferences - Font selection, only fixed pitch TrueType fonts will appear in the drop-down list in the basic mode. In the graphic mode, proportional fonts will also appear.

If you select None, fonts specified as full-width characters are also used for half-width characters.

Font size

Specify the font size to be printed in the range of 1 to 96 points.

Data type

Specify whether the data output in the field is processed as numerical value or as text.

Edit style

Select the alignment style for printing data in the field.

Calculation-formula

Set a calculation-formula in the Calculation-formula dialog displayed by clicking the ... button in the Calculation-formula field. You can set the edit functions provided in SVF, such as basic arithmetic operations or field references.

Edit-formula

Set an edit-formula in the Edit-formula dialog displayed by clicking the ... button in the Edit-formula field. You can use editing functions and system variables provided by SVF, and set the data output format using the FORMAT function.

Attribute-formula

Click the ... button in the Attribute-formula to set an attribute-formula in the Attribute-formula dialog displayed by clicking theAdd button in the Attribute-formula dialog. For items placed on pages other than Common, you can set display attributes, such as whether to show or hide it and text colors, by specifying with functions.

Use as search field

Specify whether to use the field as a search field in SPA.

When you select the check box, the search field information is added to PDF files that are output with SVF for PDF. SPA uses the added information as search conditions or smart-split conditions. For details, see the product manuals for SPA.

Search field

If you select the Use as search field check box, specify a search field name. The setting items vary depending on the settings of Data type and Graphic mode.

The initial value is set to the same name as the field Name.

You can use alphanumeric characters, Kana, Kanji, and underscores (_). Do not use a number for the first character of a search field name. Names with ten or more bytes of consecutive numeric characters cannot be used. The maximum length of the name depends on the setting in Preferences.

Vertical magnification, Horizontal magnification

Specify the height and width ratio of characters.

In the basic mode, you can only specify the magnification from 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8.

Text direction

Select the print direction as vertical or horizontal.

Rotation angle

Specify the rotation angle to rotate the string. In the basic mode, you can specify 0, 90, 180, or 270. In the graphic mode, you can specify any value between -360 and 360. The string is rotated counter-clockwise when you specify a positive value and clockwise when you specify a negative value.

If the text direction is horizontal, the string is rotated around the upper left corner coordinates.

If the text direction is vertical, the string is rotated around the upper right corner coordinates.

In graphic mode, you can rotate the item using the handles. For details, see "To rotate a field".

Mask

You can set a mask to disable printing of the field data. Set this option for items such as dummy fields used only as key-breaks (used only for data processing without printing).

When selected, the field is masked (the data is not printed).

When cleared, the field is not masked (the data is printed).

Bold

Select to output the characters in bold.

Italic

Select to output the characters in italics.

Outline

Select to outline output characters.

Outline width(dot) (Only in graphic mode)

When Outline is selected, set the line width in dots when outlining characters.

Mask/Image (Only in graphic mode)

When the Outline check box is selected, specify an image to output in the area enclosed by the outline.

White-letter

Select to output characters in white.

Shadow

Select to output characters with shadows.

Gradation (Only in graphic mode)

Select to display text using a gradation color.

Gradation start color

When Gradation is selected, specify the start color of the gradation.

Gradation end color

When Gradation is selected, specify the end color of the gradation.

Gradation type

When Gradation is selected, specify the direction of the gradation from the start point to the end point.

The gradation changes depending on the start color, the end color, and the type as follows:

Bookmark level

When using the bookmark feature of a PDF file, specify the bookmark hierarchy number in the range of 0 to 9.

0 (normal auto link)

Extended auto link mode is disabled, and operation is as before.

If the auto-link field in the record does not fit within the page, output cannot be continued on the next page after a page break.

1 (extended auto link mode 1)

If an auto-link field in the record does not fit within the page, it will be output at the beginning of the next page. If the data still does not fit inside that page, only the part that has overflowed the page will be output on the next page.

To set this mode,clear Forced print in the record properties of total records and grand total records.

2 (extended auto link mode 2)

For the auto-link field in the record, only the part that does not fit within the page will be output on the next page. Note that header records and total records will be output at the beginning of the next page if everything did not fit inside the page (same as 1).

To set this mode,clear Forced print in the record properties of total records.

3 (extended auto link mode 3)

For the auto-link field in the record, only the part that does not fit within the page will be output on the next page (same as 2). Note that header records will be output at the beginning of the next page if all of them do not fit within the page (same as 1).

Add

Add when cutting out part of field value and setting multiple search fields. When multiple information is output in one field, the divided data can be used as a search condition.

Click to display the Add dialog.

Edit

Edit when changing the search field name or converting character type data to numeric type or date type.

Click to display the Edit dialog.

Delete

Deletes the selected search field.

Search field name

Specify a search field name. The same name specified in Name of the field is set as the initial value.

You can use alphanumeric characters, Kana, Kanji, and underscores (_). Do not use a number for the first character of a search field name. Names with ten or more bytes of consecutive numeric characters cannot be used. The maximum length of the name depends on the setting in Preferences.

Data type

Select the data type for converting character data to numeric type or date type from "Text", "Numeric", and "Date".

If you select "Text", the data type will not be converted. If you specify "Numeric" or "Date", configure the type conversion settings in Convert Type (Numeric) or Convert Type (Date) that appears.

Use substring from data (Basic mode only)

Specify whether to cut out the search target data by the index. When selected, you can specify Start index and End index.

Convert Type (Numeric value)

Specified symbols are recognized and converted into numeric-type data. Symbols that are not recognized as numeric data will be removed or converted.

Specify for each symbol defined with the format of text data to be output to PDF.

Convert Type (Date)

Text data in the specified format is converted into date-type data.

If any date function is specified in Calculation-formula or Edit-formula, specify the format of the processing result of the function.