Easytrieve Report HEADING

TITLE Versus HEADING Versus LINE

Read a page top-down: TITLE orients the whole sheet, HEADING orients each column, LINE supplies data. Skipping HEADING forces people to memorize cryptic field names like EMP# or PPK. Skipping TITLE leaves a naked grid without context for which run or company produced it.

DEFINE HEADING Attribute

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FILE PERSNL FB(150 1800)
EMP#     9  5 N    HEADING 'EMP NO'
NAME    17 20 A    HEADING 'EMPLOYEE NAME'
DEPT    98  3 N    HEADING 'DEPT'
GROSS   94  4 P 2  HEADING 'GROSS PAY' +
                   MASK ('$$,$$9.99')
 
JOB INPUT PERSNL
  PRINT
 
REPORT R1 LINESIZE 100
  TITLE 01 'PERSONNEL LISTING'
  LINE 01 EMP# NAME DEPT GROSS

Each field carries a human label. LINE only lists field names; headings print automatically above the matching columns. MASK edits how GROSS looks without changing HEADING text. The plus continuation shows MASK on a following line in classic Easytrieve style—confirm continuation rules for your site's source format. Centralizing HEADING on DEFINE keeps five different reports consistent when they all LINE the same fields.

Default Headings From Field Names

If you omit HEADING, Easytrieve commonly prints the field name itself as the column title—EMP#, NAME, GROSS. That is acceptable for technical dumps and terrible for business users who expect Employee Number. Prefer explicit HEADING for any report that leaves the programming team. Special characters in field names can look odd as headings; quoted HEADING text lets you use spaces and mixed case where the product and printer allow.

Width, SPACE, and Alignment

Column headings share the horizontal budget set by LINESIZE and REPORT SPACE. A twenty-character HEADING over a five-digit EMP# wastes width and can shove neighboring columns rightward. Aim for headings roughly as wide as the edited detail values. SHORT labels like DEPT, GROSS, HRS read cleanly. When a heading must be long, abbreviate (EMPLOYEE NAME → EMP NAME) or accept a wider LINESIZE. NOADJUST and COL positioning on LINE change how columns sit; headings follow the same column structure the detail uses.

Working-Storage Fields on LINE

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DEFINE WS-BONUS W 7 P 2 HEADING 'BONUS' MASK ('$$,$$9.99')
 
JOB INPUT PERSNL
  WS-BONUS = GROSS * 0.10
  PRINT
 
REPORT R1
  TITLE 01 'BONUS WORKSHEET'
  LINE 01 EMP# NAME GROSS WS-BONUS

Calculated W fields need HEADING just like file fields if they appear on LINE. Assign WS-BONUS before PRINT so the work record captures the value. Without HEADING, readers see WS-BONUS as the column title—fine for debug, poor for payroll distribution.

Headings After Control Breaks

When CONTROL starts a new page (NEWPAGE options) or prints summary lines, column headings usually reappear at the top of the next page with TITLE. Summary lines may use different annotation than detail headings—totals often print under the same columns without repeating HEADING text on every break line. Design reports so subtotal rows remain aligned under GROSS and similar amount columns so heading meaning still applies.

LABELS and Special Report Styles

Some REPORT options produce label-style output and suppress normal TITLE and HEADING bands so address blocks print without spreadsheet headers. When you switch a program to LABELS, do not expect your DEFINE HEADING text to show as column titles. Conversely, standard listing reports should not use label mode if you need classic headings.

HEADING Versus Mask Versus VALUE

• HEADING — label text above the column.
• MASK — edit pattern for numeric or date display of the value.
• VALUE — initial or constant content of the field, not the label.

All three can coexist on one DEFINE. Changing MASK does not rewrite HEADING. Changing HEADING does not change how many decimals MASK shows. Keep vocabulary straight in code reviews.

International and Printer Considerations

EBCDIC printers and PDF transforms may limit which characters appear in headings. Stick to plain letters, digits, and simple punctuation for portability. Extended reporting features may allow font numbers with heading text on advanced printers—site-dependent. Test a one-page sample on the real SYSOUT class before releasing a wide production report.

Common HEADING Mistakes

• Putting column labels only in TITLE and leaving columns unlabeled.
• HEADING longer than LINESIZE can support across all columns.
• Cryptic field-name defaults left for business users.
• Forgetting HEADING on W fields used on LINE.
• Assuming TITLE text replaces HEADING.
• Inconsistent headings across reports for the same field.

Testing Headings

1. Print one page; verify every LINE field has a sensible label.
2. Compare heading width to masked detail width for amounts.
3. Change one DEFINE HEADING; confirm all reports using that field update.
4. Run with NODATE/NOPAGE titles still present—headings should remain.
5. Check second page after page break—headings should repeat with titles.

Explain It Like I'm Five

HEADING is the little word written on the sticker above each jar in the cupboard—Sugar, Flour, Rice—so you know what is inside. TITLE is the big sign on the cupboard door that says Kitchen Pantry. LINE is the food inside the jar. You need the big sign and the little stickers, and they are not the same thing.

Exercises

1. Add HEADING text to four FILE fields and LINE them on a report.
2. Rewrite cryptic defaults EMP# and PPK into business labels.
3. Create a W field with HEADING and MASK; PRINT it beside GROSS.
4. Explain TITLE versus HEADING to a teammate in two sentences.
5. Measure whether your headings fit in LINESIZE 80 for five columns.