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Using the Set Field Attribute command to set the field attributes
A field attribute occupies the first character position of each display field in a
formatted page and is displayed in the same color as the background color. It
defines the start of a field and also the characteristics of that field. A field
consists of this field attribute and all the data following it, up to (but not
including) the next field attribute. FA is effective only in block mode.
The figure below shows how a field attribute is stored in the character buffer.
Buffer
Locations
y
Field
FA: Field Attribute
You can control the following characteristics of a field using the Set Field
Attribute command.
A non-display field is a field in which characters entered or coming from the
host are not displayed on the screen. This means that the characters
(including the field attribute characters) are displayed in the same color as the
background.
A high intensity field is a field in which the characters are displayed in either
red or white in Default Color mode. This attribute is ignored in Program Color
mode.
A blink field is a field in which the background color matches the foreground
color in intervals. It appears as though the characters in the field are flashing
on and off.
An underline field is a field in which the characters (including the null
characters except for the attribute character positions) in the field are
underscored.
A reverse field is a field in which the foreground color and the background
color are inverted.
A protected field is a field that you cannot modify while an unprotected
field is one that you can.
An alphanumeric field is the normal field you use in which you enter the
alphabet and numbers while a numeric field is one in which you can enter
only the numbers from 0 to 9, the decimal point (period), and the minus sign
(-). You will see the indication NUMERIC at the bottom line of your screen.
However, by using the Shift key, you can enter any uppercase character or
symbol regardless of the NUMERIC indication.
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