Rdb: Ruby-Nachbau der MWC /rdb-Werkzeuge

man/padstring.man

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+.TH padstring "" "" "/rdb Command"
+.PC "Return string with blanks to fill a field"
+\fBpadstring  [-]\fIlength string\fR
+.PP
+.II "string^pad with spaces"
+The command
+.B padstring
+adds blanks to the end of
+.I string
+to make it the requested
+.IR length .
+This command useful for screen and report writing,
+where you want to line up everything.
+.PP
+The option
+.I -length
+means to left-justify the string in the field, that is,
+write the padding blanks to the end of
+.IR string .
+The option
+.IR length ,
+without the hyphen,
+right justifies the string \(em that is, it adds the spaces to the
+beginning of
+.IR string .
+.SH Example
+The first example
+.DM
+	padstring 10 string
+.DE
+.PP
+displays the string:
+.DM
+	    string
+.DE
+.PP
+Note that the string is right-justified; that is, the spaces were added to
+the left of
+.BR string .
+.PP
+Now we can use this in a
+.B report
+form file to make fixed-length fields.
+An ordinary form has the files to the right of a field, moving all around.
+For example, the command
+.DM
+	report form < mailtable
+.DE
+.PP
+writes the output:
+.DM
+Name  : Ronald McDonald             Company: McDonald's
+Street: 123 Mac Attack
+City  : Menphis             State  : TENN       ZIP: 30000
+Phone : (111) 222-3333
+.sp \n(pDu
+Name  : Chiquita Banana             Company: United Brands
+Street: Uno Avenito De La Revolution
+City  : San Jose             State  : Costa Rica       ZIP: 123456789
+Phone : 1234
+.DE
+.PP
+This result is rather messy.
+However, if we edit the file
+.B form
+to include the
+.B padstring
+command, then we will get a fixed form, as follows:
+.DM
+Name  : <!padstring -17 '<Name>'!> Company: <Company>
+Street: <Street>
+City  : <!padstring -17 '<City>'!> State  : <State>       ZIP: <ZIP>
+Phone : <Phone>
+.DE
+.PP
+Now, running
+.B report
+on this file yields:
+.DM
+Name  : Ronald McDonald   Company: McDonald's
+Street: 123 Mac Attack
+City  : Menphis           State  : TENN       ZIP: 30000
+Phone : (111) 222-3333
+.sp \n(pDu
+Name  : Chiquita Banana   Company: United Brands
+Street: Uno Avenito De La Revolution
+City  : San Jose          State  : Costa Rica       ZIP: 123456789
+Phone : 1234
+.DE
+.PP
+Note that
+.B State
+has not been done yet, and therefore
+.B ZIP
+moves back and forth;
+but
+.B Company
+and
+.B State
+stay lined up correctly.
+.PP
+Note that if
+.B padstring
+is too long a name, use the COHERENT link command
+.B ln
+to link it to a shorter name.
+.SH "See Also"
+.B
+report,
+screen
+.R
+.br
+COHERENT Lexicon:
+.B
+ln
+.R