Masks can be used within DataFlex Windows application to:
Restrict data entry to a field to a defined pattern of numbers, letters, and punctuation marks.
Provide displays of field values complying with pre-defined patterns and formatting. For example, it is possible to display date values as abbreviations such as days of the week or months of the year. Translating from numbers to names is sensitive to the Windows locale settings at using sites.
As a convenience, you may assign these masks to fields in your Data Dictionary. When one of these fields is used by a windows control that supports masking (e.g. dbForm, dbList, dbGrid), this mask will be automatically applied to the control.
Field masks are created by assigning a mask-type (Field_Mask_Type) and an optional mask-string (Field_Mask).
Defining the Mask Type (Field_Mask_Type)