Key description

An optional description associated with the key. It is displayed by the KEY.LOOKUP and KEY.SCROLL lookup subroutines.

Average key size

Number used by the DEFINE-KEYS program to compute the number of keys that should be stored in a single item within the key file. The allowable range of this parameter is 15-100 bytes. Enter a number that is roughly the total size of the key as computed by the key equation plus the average size of the item-ID. All key functions operate properly regardless of this value.

Key equation

Algebraic equation that specifies the key structure.

Auto-uppercase suppress

BTREE keys are normally converted to uppercase only. This makes online lookups much more logical when you have a mixture of uppercase and lowercase data. If you wish to suppress this feature, type Y in this field.

Conversions Look up ICONV

This ICONV string is used by the lookup and browse subroutine to facilitate locating data within the key file. The keys are stored in internal formats such as dates or money (MD2). This ICONV string is applied to the entered beginning search point prior to the beginning of a scrolling lookup. Type D for dates and enter the correct MDx for mask-decimal input conversions.

Column definitions

These fields are used to define the columnar browse display. This display consists of up to ten columns with each column having a length, justifications, and algebraic equation.