Inserting Set Fields

You can define instructions named set fields and use field tags to create customized texts in a template or to make variable a part of an output format.

This task shows you how to:

See Also
About Structure Elements

Define a Set Field Instruction

To set up a Set Field instruction in a template, you can create a named element associated with a string value. The following scenario describes how to insert a set field instruction in a template. The scenario is identical if you insert this instruction in a section.

  1. From the Structures tab, drag a Set Field into a template.
    A <FIELD = > instruction is added to the template.
  2. Select this set field instruction.
  3. In the Properties tab:
    1. In the Name box, enter a name.
    2. In the Code box, enter a string or an OTScript code.

      Examples:

      • You can enter a string between quotes, for example, "Text".
      • You can drag a text data from the Data tab, for example, req.name. For more examples of OTScript methods, see Methods and Templates.

      In the template, the set field instruction appears as <FIELD Name = Code>. Name corresponds to the set field name and Code corresponds to the associated set field code.
    3. Optional: To post-edit a set field, select the Editable option.
  4. Optional: To format and filter the element, more options are available in the form. For more information, see Data, Structure Elements, and Instructions.

You can now use the corresponding fields tags in output formats or in texts. For more information, see the tasks below.

Substitute Fields in Texts

In free texts or in text data of templates, you can insert field tags to be substituted by strings.

  1. To define a free text containing a field tag:
    1. In a template, drag a template text. See Inserting Free Text.
    2. In the Text box of the Properties tab, enter the $Name tag. Name corresponds to the set field name inserted in the above task.
  2. To insert a text data that contains a field tag in the template, drag a text data from the Data tab. See Inserting Terminal Data and Loops.

    Note: The text data is provided by an external tool and contains the $Name tag. Name corresponds to the set field name inserted in the above task.

If you have the Report Producer role, you can generate a report file where the field tags contained in texts will be substituted by the evaluation of the set field codes. For more information, see Report Generation: Managing and Generating Reports: Generating Report Files.

Substitute Fields in Output Formats

You can insert field tags to be substituted by strings in the header part or end part of an output format.

If you have the Report Producer role, you can insert field tags in output formats. For more information, see Report Generation: Managing Report Output Formats: Substituting Fields in Output Formats.

Note: The replacement of field tags in the output format file is only possible if the set field instruction is placed outside any structure element or loop. It is not supported through a subtemplate call instruction.