Creating a Summation Field

The ScanTools application module supports creation of Summation fields for numeric grids. Summation fields enable you to have numeric entry with a minimum of response positions by summing the numerical values associated with each marked response position in a grid. Any number of responses can be marked. Each response position in the grid must be defined as a numeric string in a translate table.

Summation Requirements and Characteristics

• The field Type you select must be Numeric.
• You must associate the Summation field with a single grid. That grid must be a single row or column and it can be a linked, if necessary.
• Summation and Mark All That Apply resolution are mutually exclusive.
• The grid you associate with a Summation field must use a translate table that contains numeric character string entries only, with the exception of the Omit and Multiple characters.
• You can perform range checking for minimum and maximum sums (10 digits, up to 2147483647)
• The field length can be determined dynamically by ScanTools or you can define it.
• Summation and Tally output field attributes are mutually exclusive.
• The maximum value supported for a Summation field is 2,147,483,647.

CAUTION: Summation field results are undefined for translate tables with entries that add up to a larger number.

See Output Field Entry dialog for additional information about Summation.

Example Summation Field Creation

Use the following procedure to create a summation field for a grid that can capture any number from 1 to 99 using only eight response positions. This example is generalized to show the basic steps required to implement a summation field. Your implementation may not be exactly the same.

1. The grid on the form can be formatted in several ways but the response positions are 50, 30, 20, 10, 5, 3, 2, and 1 in all cases. For example:

2. In the ScanToolsapplication module, use the Translate Tool to create a custom translate table named "Quantity" with entries of 50, 30, 20, 10, 5, 3, 2, and 1 to correspond to the numeric values of the response positions.

3. Select New in the lower left corner of the application module to open the Output Field Entry dialog.
4. Enter a name for your field such as "SumExample."
5. Select Numeric Type.
6. Select Fixed Length.
7. Enter "3" in the Fixed Length area. A number from 1 to 121 can be entered in this grid so the field length must be 3 characters.
8. Check Summation.
9. Leave the Min: area blank and enter "99" in the Max: area. Although the largest number you can enter is 121, you want the maximum accepted to be 99.

10. Click OK.
11. Click on the OMR button in the upper left corner to open the OMR Tool dialog if it isn’t already open.
12. In the OMR Tool dialog, select Quantity for your grid Type. This is the custom translate table you created earlier.
13. Use the default settings for Mark Style, Cell, TM, and Orientation.
14. Go to the grid definition area on the right side of the application module and define the data area. The first character of each entry from the Quantity translate table appears: "5" for 50, "3" for 30, and so on.

See Defining Grids for additional information about this process.

15. Click on Append in the lower left corner of the application module. The SumExample field and the grid associated with it are added to your application.

The Grids area indicates the field length is 3 characters. This is the field length you entered.

See Output Field Entry dialog for additional information about Summation.