Allows you to specify the numerical and display properties of a format field. This dialog box opens when you click Edit on the Add Format dialog box or the Format Properties dialog box if you have selected a field in a format, as opposed to text. This dialog box also opens when you click Insert Field on either of the above dialog boxes.
Format category — Defines the overall category, such as Energy or Length, of the information associated with the format. Format categories are delivered with Format Manager and correspond to folders in the main window. You cannot add or remove a format category.
Readout — Lists the types of characters appropriate for the format. The format changes for integers, upper case or lower case, numeric, fraction, decimal, and so forth. Choose the appropriate readout type from the list.
Precision — Lists the degrees of accuracy available that the text format uses when reporting numeric values. Choose the appropriate level of accuracy.
Alignment — Specifies the text alignment of the field. Selections are left, right, and center.
Minimum length — Quantifies the minimum number of characters that this field can contain. The Padding character options are available if you specify a minimum length.
Fixed-length string — Applies to the String format category only. Defines the field as fixed in length. The Padding character options are available if you specify a fixed length.
Display units — Indicates whether the units of measure are displayed. Clearing this check box makes the format unavailable in any application that uses the format category and (for Smart P&ID only) displays values in drawing labels without including the units of measure. For example, if you want 5.00 kW to appear as 5.00 in your label only, you must create a Power format to display 5.00 kW in the Properties window and then create another Power format (specified as the default format) to display 5.00 in the label. The only difference between these two formats is that the Display units check box is selected for the first format and cleared for the second format.
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You cannot change the state of the Display units check box if the selected format is specified as the default in Data Dictionary Manager or (if not specified in Data Dictionary Manager) in the application’s Options Manager.
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If you clear the Display units check box, although the format will not be available in the Properties window, the Engineering Data Editor, or the Tabular Editor, you can still type the units of measure of the format manually; for example, 5.00 kW.
Units of Measure
Displays the primary, secondary, and tertiary units that define the text properties of the format.
Primary — Defines the main unit of measure that the software uses in the format. You should always select a value for the primary unit of measure, unless the format is of format category Number.
Secondary — You use a secondary unit of measure most commonly when a format is to show additional units that are related to the primary unit but are subsequently smaller units of measure, for example meter – centimeter; foot – inch.
Tertiary — You use a tertiary unit of measure most commonly when a format is to show additional units that are related to the primary and secondary units but are subsequently smaller units of measure, for example quart – pint – oz; hr – min – sec.
Unlike compound formats, which use a combination of fields to create a complete format,
when converting to a format using a single field that involves secondary/tertiary
units, only the last unit used will display decimal values. For example, 98 cm would display as 3 ft. 2.6 in; 16.8 l would convert to 17 quart 1 pint 8.1 oz.
Padding character — Sets a filler character that constructs the remaining character in a fixed-length or minimum length string. Select the Zero, Space, or User-defined option to determine the padding character. This option is available only if you complete the Fixed-length string or Minimum length box.