Field edits let you define the display and storage characteristics for I/O fields. Field edits can validate input data and format that data for storage and output. You can assign characteristics, such as an internal picture, output picture, edit mask, or date and time format. Or, you can test for specific values or a range of values.
The internal data representation specifies storage characteristics for data in a field. Input and output data representations let you specify the type of data that users can enter or that a field can display. For example, an input data representation for a field may permit a user to enter numbers from 1 to 1,000; an output data representation may require that data display a dollar sign, decimal point, and two places following the decimal point.
You can also code your own edit routines and apply them to multiple screens across any number of application systems. Field edits ensure that entries match specified definitions. Some fields, however, require specialized testing. For example, if a field has alternate formats, no single field edit can confirm the validity of all possible entries. In such a case, you can write an application edit that verifies all legal entries. Or, you can select a predefined edit from a centralized application edit listing.
You can instruct the screen to bypass all input edits on the screen, or bypass input edits for a single row occurrence in a repeated record block. You do so by defining bypass conditions for one field per screen; if any of those conditions occur, AMB bypasses input field edits for the entire screen. If the field is in a repeated record block, AMB bypasses edits for all fields in that row occurrence only.