Data display formats offer alternative ways to display or enter data that is stored in the database as a particular data type. The display format controls the width of the data display window on a form or the width of a field or column in a report.

In RBF, you specify the data display format for each column or field in a report on the Report Layout Frame. In VIFRED, you specify the data display format when you create the data window for a simple field or when you specify columns on the Table Field frame. This section explains the relationship between data types and data display formats, and describes data display and input formats in detail.