WORDWRAP

In a multiple-segment field, the WORDWRAP attribute enables a multiple-line editor. This editor can wrap long character strings to the next line of a multiple-segment field for data entry, data editing, and data display.

Text mode clients render each line as an individual; GUI clients show one single large area, which is a ‘memo-notes’ style field.

A word-wrap field seen in a text mode client:

The same word-wrap field seen in a GUI client:

If the same field tag is repeated in two or more lines in the screen layout, this attribute instructs Lycia to treat all the instances of that field tag as successive segments of a multiple-segment field (described in "Multiple-Segment Fields"). These fields can display data strings that are too long to fit on a single line of the screen form. For example, the following excerpt from a form specification file shows a VARCHAR field linked to the history column in the employee table.

history [f002 ]

[f002 ]

[f002 ]

attributes

f002 = employee.history, WORDWRAP COMPRESS;

Lycia replaces each set of multiple-segment fields with a single WORDWRAP field of a rectangular shape. The COMPRESS keyword option is applied to this field, and the delimiters are replaced with blank spaces.

When a variable is bound to the WORDWRAP field during INPUT, only the number of characters allowed by the bound variable can be entered. If necessary, text in the field scrolls to allow the full number of characters to be entered. Data compression takes place before storage in the bound variable.

If the lines of the multiple-segment field are not contiguous or if the field has an irregular shape, the WORDWRAP field that results is based on the maximum height and width of the multiple-segment field as a unit.

The resulting WORDWRAP field can overlap or be overlapped by labels or individual form fields. To prevent such unpredictable effects, consolidate the segments of multiple-segment fields into rectangular shapes.