Runtime Parameter Field Properties Window

Use this window to view or edit the properties of a runtime parameter field.

To access this window, select Runtime Parameter Fields from the Table Design ribbon.

To display the properties of an existing runtime parameter field, select it on the Runtime Parameter Fields selector.

To view or edit the properties of all fields, use the Field List window by selecting Field List from the Table Design ribbon.

About runtime parameters

Runtime parameters are very much like calculated fields. They have normal field names and data types. They can be used just like any other field in the formulas of regular calculated fields and filters. They can appear as a column in table view or be hidden. The big difference between calculated fields and runtime parameters is that runtime parameters do not have a formula, just a simple string, number, or date value.

The user supplies the value for each runtime parameter at the time the model is loaded. If the model defines one or more runtime parameters, the user is automatically presented with the Runtime Parameters Dialog in which to enter the desired values.

In addition to having a value, each runtime parameter has a description string and two flags: "save in registry" and "required". The description string serves as a prompt in the Runtime Parameters dialog to help the user understand what value is expected. The "save in registry" option determines whether or not Monarch Classic preserves the most recent value of this parameter in the registry. Parameters with values that are not preserved must be reentered each time the model is loaded. The "required" option determines whether or not a blank (empty) value is accepted for the parameter.

General

Field	Description
Name	Accepts a name for the field. If you have not named a field it is indicated by the prefix "eg_" and the sample data from the first record encountered. Field names may be up to 62 characters in length and may contain uppercase and lowercase characters, spaces and punctuation except for period (.), exclamation point (!), accent grave (`) and brackets ([ ]). Names may begin with any character, except for an underscore or space. If a name is entered with leading spaces, the name is accepted but the leading spaces are ignored. Note If you elect to enforce DBF field naming rules, field names must adhere to the dBASE III field naming convention: Names may be up to ten characters long and may contain any letter or number and the underscore character (_). The first character must be a letter. Spaces and punctuation are not allowed.
Type	Displays the field’s type. The drop-down list contains all available field types: character, date/time, numeric, and memo. Monarch Classic initially sets the field type according to the data it finds in the field.
Decimals	Accepts a value representing the number of decimal places of accuracy that will be calculated for a numeric field. (This value is grayed for character, date, and memo fields.) Note that the data length value must be large enough to accommodate both the integer portion and the decimal portion of the largest number that the calculated field expression is likely to produce. Monarch Classic rounds all values in the field to accommodate the specified number of decimal places.
Format	Displays the selected format for the field. The drop-down list contains all available formats for the field type. For character fields, the only format available is General. For numeric fields, the formats are General, Thousands, Currency, Percentage, and Time Span. For Date/Time fields, the formats are General, Date – Short and date – Long. For memo fields, the only format available is General. For more information on field formats see Changing a field's type.
Display Width	The display width refers to the width of the field (or column) on screen in the Table window. If the display width of a numeric field is set to less than the width of the field values, the field values display as pound signs (####). For character fields and date fields, field values are truncated on screen. In all cases, the actual data in the field remains unaffected; the display width setting affects only the way that the data appears on screen.
Hidden	Select to hide the field from view. Note: Hidden fields are not available for export or copy operations. They can be restored (i.e., re-displayed) by selecting Edit, File List from the menu to open the Field List dialog, then unchecking the Hide check box for the field you want to re-display.
Alignment	Displays the current alignment setting of each field. Text fields are by default left aligned, while numeric fields are right aligned. Alignment settings carry over to the summary.

Runtime Parameters

Field	Description
Current Value	Specify a current value for the parameter. Note that the value you specify must be compatible with the field type selected on the General tab. If the value and field type are incompatible (e.g., if you specify a field type of Character, and then enter a number in the Current Value field), when you Accept an error message displays.
Description	Enter a description of the runtime parameter. This description will be displayed in the Runtime Parameters dialog when you open the model that contains this runtime parameter.
Save value in registry between runs	Select if you want the current value to be saved in the Registry between Monarch Classic sessions. If you don't select this check box, the current value will only be available for the current Monarch Classic session.
Non blank value is required	Select if you want to require that a value for the parameter be specified when the model that contains this calculated field is opened.