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Main Chapter Getting Started Manual Programmer Manual

Import and Export Tools


Special Considerations: Exporting Numbers

If a number comes from a field in your primary file that is defined as NUMERIC or COMPUTED, that number will be exported with all leading spaces or trailing insignificant zeros removed. This is different from the way that the regular VA FileMan Print File Entries works. If the field had a value of zero, the character zero (0) will be exported. If the value of a numeric field in the primary file is null, the exported value will depend on the contents of the SUBSTITUTE FOR NULL field for the format being used.

If a number comes from a source other than a NUMERIC or COMPUTED DATA TYPE in the primary file, it can be output with leading spaces or trailing insignificant zeros. Such a number might originate from a field in a pointed-to file reached by the relational syntax, a VA FileMan function, or other computed expression. In these cases, the value of the SUBSTITUTE FOR NULL field will usually have no effect on what is exported.

NOTE: Whether exported numbers have leading spaces or trailing insignificant zeros and whether nulls produce special output is controlled by how the field is defined in the VA FileMan data dictionary. The DATA TYPE input by the user when the PROMPT FOR DATA TYPE? field contains YES does not affect these characteristics of the export.

 


Reviewed/Updated: March 4, 2007