Pathmaker Programming Guide

Using Null Values
Defining Data for a NonStop SQL Pathmaker Application
067868 Tandem Computers Incorporated C–7
Changing the Display Character for Null Values
Table C-1 shows the default values that appear on a DB requester application screen
when you attempt to display a null value.
Table C-1. Default Null Value Display Characters for DB Requesters
Type of Data How Displayed
Null character data All question marks
Null numeric data All number nines
You can change the null character display value to any other alphanumeric or special
character. You can change the null numeric display value to any other numeric value.
The value that is displayed for null fields on the application screen is controlled by the
configuration of the Pathway system for the application.
When the Pathmaker product generates the Pathway configuration file (PATHCNFG),
it creates two parameters to control the values displayed for null data. This is how
these parameters are generated by Pathmaker:
SET SERVER PARAM NULLCHARACTER ?
SET SERVER PARAM NULLNUMERIC 9
NULLCHARACTER Sets the value displayed for character null data.
NULLNUMERIC Sets the value displayed for numeric null data.
Suppose you want to change the defaults displayed for null values so that:
Null character data is displayed as a series of asterisks (*).
Null numeric data is displayed as a zero (0).
Here is how you would change the PATHCNFG file:
SET SERVER PARAM NULLCHARACTER *
SET SERVER PARAM NULLNUMERIC 0