LAYOUT Command

When record formatting, the LAYOUT command is used instead of traditional PRINTLINE commands in the page definition. You cannot mix record format LAYOUT and traditional PRINTLINE commands in the page definition. With LAYOUT (see LAYOUT Command (Record Format)), you can identify four types of Data Records:

  • Body Records
  • Page Headers
  • Page Trailers
  • Group Headers

Each of the record types is discussed in the following sections. No matter which type of record you are formatting, you can control the positioning, font, color, and direction for the print record.

The POSITION keyword on the LAYOUT command is used to set the initial print position for subsequent text and graphics placed with the FIELD and DRAWGRAPHIC commands.

  • The horizontal position can be specified as LEFTMARGIN, at the same position as the previous layout, or at an absolute or relative location given in inches, millimeters, centimeters, points, or pels (see PAGEDEF Command).
  • The vertical position can be specified as TOPMARGIN, at the same position as the previous layout, at the next vertical position (using current LINESP value), or at an absolute or relative location given in inches, millimeters, centimeters, points, or pels (see PAGEDEF Command).

In this section:

  1. Body Records
    The BODY layout type is used for the majority of data in the user's input file. That is, any record that is not used for special processing as a page header, page trailer, or group header, contains data to be formatted and placed on the page.
  2. Page Headers and Trailers
  3. Group Headers
    A Group Header layout consists of text, graphics, and other data that is to be printed at the beginning of a group of user records. For example, if you are creating a banking statement, you might define a Group Header for checking, one for savings, and so forth.
Parent topic: Using Page Definition Commands for Record Format Line Data and XML Data