_pcolno

Topic group Related topics Example

Identifies or sets the current column number of streaming output.

Syntax

_pcolno = <expN>

<expN>

The column number at which to begin printing. The valid range is 0 to 255, inclusive. You can specify a fractional number for <expN> to position output accurately with a proportional font.

Default

The default for _pcolno is 0.

Description

Use _pcolno to position printing streaming output from commands such as ?, ??, and LIST.

When you direct output to the printer, dBASE maps each character according to the coordinate plane, a two-dimensional grid. The coordinate plane is divided into character cells whose widths depend on the value of _ppitch. See the table in the description of _ppitch, which lists _ppitch values. The height of each character cell is determined by the size of the font.

If you change the value of _pcolno, dBASE takes the current value of _ppitch into consideration when calculating the cell width of the coordinate plane. This happens regardless of whether you're printing with proportional or monospaced fonts.

The PCOL( ) function also returns the current printhead position of the printer, but if SET PRINTER is OFF, the PCOL( ) value doesn't change. _pcolno, on the other hand, returns or assigns the current position in the streaming output regardless of the SET PRINTER setting.