There is an individual presentation rules table for each of the following types of report groups: report heading, page heading, page footing, report footing. In addition, detail report groups, control heading report groups, or control footing report groups are treated jointly in the body group presentation rules table. (See the section Body Group Presentation Rules.)
Columns 1 and 2 of a presentation rules table list all of the permissible combinations of LINE NUMBER and NEXT GROUP clauses for the designated report group type. Consequently, for the purpose of identifying the set of presentation rules that apply to a particular combination of LINE NUMBER and NEXT GROUP clauses, a presentation rules table is read from left to right, along the selected row.
The applicable rules columns of a presentation rules table are partitioned into two parts. The first part specifies the rules that apply if the report description contains a PAGE clause, and the second part specifies the rules that apply if the PAGE clause is omitted. The purpose of the rules named in the applicable rules columns is discussed below:
These rules specify the vertical subdivisions of the page within which the specified report group can be represented.
In the absence of a PAGE clause the printed report is not considered to be partitioned into vertical subdivisions. Consequently, in the tables no upper limit rule or lower limit rule is specified for a report description in which the PAGE clause is omitted
The fit test rules are applicable only to body groups, and hence fit test rules are specified only in the body group presentation rules table. At object time the RWCS applies the fit test rules to determine whether the designated body group can be presented on the page to which the report is currently positioned.
However, even for body groups there are no fit test rules when the PAGE clause is omitted from the report description entry.
The first print line position rules specify where on the report medium the RWCS shall present the first print line of the given report group.
The presentation rules tables do not specify where on the report medium the RWCS shall present the second and subsequent print lines (if any) of a report group. Certain general rules determine where the second and subsequent print lines of a report group shall be presented. Refer to the LINE NUMBER clause general rules for this information.
The next group rules relate to the proper use of the NEXT GROUP clause.
The terminal values that the RWCS places in LINE-COUNTER after presenting report groups are specified by the final LINE-COUNTER setting rules.