Creating format elements

Format elements are what toolkit applications use to maintain the definition of formatters. Format elements are the contents of format definitions; that is, format elements are the tags inside the <fmtDef> tag in the definition file for formatters.

A format definition can contain only one format element. When you add a format element to a format definition that already contains a format element, a message appears asking whether you want to replace the old format element with a new one or not.

To create a format element, follow these steps:

  1. In the main editing area of the FMTE page in the Editor view, right-click the format definition to which you want to add a format element.
  2. Select Add new format element. A sub-menu appears listing the format elements you can add, including constant format, simple data formats, compound formats, and custom formats.
  3. Select the format element that you want to add. The new format element appears inside the format definition in the Outline view and the FMTE page of the Editor view.
  4. In the Editor view, select the newly created format element.
  5. In the Properties view, type the name of the data element this format element formats. In the Format Hierarchy View, the newly added format element and the data element it formats appear in parallel.

Apart from creating a format element for a format definition, you can also create format elements for compound format elements. In the Outline view, right-clicking any compound format element allows you to add a format element to that compound format element.

By adding format elements to a format definition you form a format hierarchy.