System Fields

A system field, often referred to as an audit field, displays data that is provided by the system.

The System Field overlay, shown in Figure 2-4-24, allows you to add system specific attributes to those already defined for fields. The System Field overlay displays after you complete the entries on the Fields specifications screen if the Field Type you select is SYSTEM.

Figure 2-4-24. System Field Overlay

The System Field overlay contains the following fields:

·    System Info indicates the type of system field. Select from DATE ADDED, DATE CHANGED, USER ADDED and USER CHANGED. After selecting enter, the remaining fields are displayed.

·    Store thru is displayed for system date fields only and indicates the upper and lower components of this date/time field.

·    Descriptive provides a longer, more easily understood alternative to Field Name, one that is not required to be unique within an application. If blank at all default levels, Field Name is used.

·    Column Hdgs designates up to two lines of column heading text. The APPX output process facility uses this text to generate standard column heading images for Start of Page and Start of Range class frames. For cosmetic reasons, the length of headings should not exceed the length of a field itself. Refer to Standard Column Heading Image for additional information.