Item Properties

To access item properties, select a record via the dictionary tree tab. The following properties are possible for dictionary items:

Property	Meaning
Label	A descriptive text label that identifies the item. It is used as default field text in data entry forms and in default titles in tabulation.
Name	The name given to this item for use in CSPro language procedures. By default, CSPro will use the label, replacing any blanks or other invalid characters found with the underscore ("_").
Start	Indicates the starting position of the item within the record. By default, CSPro will use the next available position.
Len	For numeric and alpha items only, the length of the data item (i.e., the number of characters necessary to represent the values for the item). The default is 1.
Data Type	Indicates what data types are allowed for the item. Numeric and alpha (i.e., a string) are the core data types that are always allowed. If binary items are enabled, then the additional data types Audio, Document, Geometry, and Image are allowed. The default is numeric.
Item Type	For numeric and alpha items only, indicates whether the item is part of another item (for example, "month" when creating a "date of birth" variable). If the item is part of another item, it is considered a "subitem". If not, it is identified as an "item". The default is item. Identification items cannot have subitems.
Occ	The number of times this item will repeat within the record. The default value is 1. Identification items cannot have multiple occurrences.
Dec	For numeric items only, this specifies the number of decimal places (if any) that should be allowed. The default is 0. Identification items cannot have decimals.
Dec Char	For numeric items only, this specifies whether an explicit decimal character should be written to the data file. This applies only to numeric items or subitems that have a "Dec" value greater than zero (i.e., Dec >= 1). The default is "No".
Zero Fill	For numeric items only, this property controls whether the item will be written to the data file with leading zeros ("Yes", the default) or blanks ("No"). If CSPro DB data files are created, the zeros will not be seen. However, if the CSPro DB file is saved to a Text file, or ir a Text data file was originally created, the leading zeros will be visible in the file.

When entering new dictionary items, you can finish entry for a given item early once all fields have the desired value. If the default values listed above are acceptable, then you can complete entry of the current item and advance to entry of the next item by pressing Ctrl+Enter. CSPro will allow Ctrl+Enter to be pressed as soon as a valid name has been given.

When adding a new item can press Esc at any time to discard the item. When editing an existing item you can press Esc at any time to abort any modifications made. You can also use undo if you completed the modification incorrectly.