It is possible to manipulate the Data Dependent Attribute (DDA) of an Enterprise Output Manager report to change the report display attributes at the time of printing.

In some cases, reports need to display text in variable fonts, colors, or other attributes depending on the data that is sent to Enterprise Output Manager. For example, a table of values might print positive numbers in black and negative numbers in red.

If you intend to include dynamic attributes, do not provide a default font when defining the field in Enterprise Output Manager. Invoke DDA logic to set the font depending on the contents of the field at runtime.

When Enterprise Output Manager processes incoming data, the DDA command is invoked and places the data into the appropriate field variable. Any operations that the DDA is instructed to do are performed at this point. Enterprise Output Manager then prints the data in the correct place on the page, according to the definition in the form file.

To be compatible with Developer, Enterprise Output Manager provides a generic NextGen DDA, which can be used to process any form file that you create. Each report created does not need to have its own copy of the DDA, the one default DDA can be shared. However, it can be copied and tailored by the user. For example, the DDA can be enhanced to process Output Codes, or to dynamically change fonts or colors depending on data in the output file.

The DDA key is required to design them, to tailor, or copy the default DDA. If required, each report can be associated with a specific DDA, but configuration is the responsibility of the user. This requires configuring file masks that apply a print attribute, with its associated DDA, to a given print job. Refer to the Enterprise Output Manager Configuration and Operations Guide for more information,