Referring to Fields Using Qualified Field Names

How to:

Reference:

Field names and aliases have a maximum length of 512 characters. They can also be qualified by prepending up to two qualifiers and qualification characters. However, text fields and indexed field names in Master Files for FOCUS data sources are limited to 12 characters, although the aliases for text and indexed fields can have the same length as general field names. Field names are always displayed as column titles in reports, unless a TITLE attribute or an AS phrase is used to provide an alternative name. For related information, see Using Headings, Footings, Titles, and Labels.

You may use the file name, segment name, or both as a qualifier for a specified field.

Syntax: How to Activate Long and Qualified Field Names

The SET FIELDNAME command enables you to activate long (up to 512 characters) and qualified field names. 

SET FIELDNAME = fieldname

where:

fieldname

Specifies the activation status of long and qualified field names. Valid identifiers include:

NEW specifies that 512-character and qualified field names are supported. NEW is the default value.

NOTRUNC supports the 512-character maximum. It does not permit unique truncations of field names.

OLD is no longer operational and will function as NEW.

Example: Using a Qualified Field Name to Refer to a Field 

EMPLOYEE.EMPINFO.EMP_ID

Is the fully-qualified name of the field EMP_ID in the EMPINFO segment of the EMPLOYEE file.

Reference: Usage Notes for Long and Qualified Field Names

? SET displays the current value of FIELDNAME. In addition, a Dialogue Manager variable called &FOCFIELDNAME is available. &FOCFIELDNAME may have a value of NEW or NOTRUNC.

For additional information about using qualified field names in report requests, see the Describing Data With TIBCO WebFOCUS® Language manual.