The Print function has several formats. The format shown in the previous example prints a string starting at the left edge of the print area and then prints a new line. In other formats of the Print function, you can use tabbing to specify the print cursor position before or after printing, or both.
Specifying tab values
Tab values are specified in thousandths of an inch and are relative to the left edge of the print area. If a tab value precedes the string in the Print call and no tab value follows the string, PowerBuilder tabs, prints, then starts a new line. If a tab value follows the string, PowerBuilder tabs after printing and does not start a new line; it waits for the next statement.
In these examples, Job is the integer print job number.
This statement tabs one inch from the left edge of the print area, prints Atlanta, and starts a new line:
Print(Job,1000,"Atlanta")
This statement prints Boston at the current print position, tabs three inches from the left edge of the print area, and waits for the next statement:
Print(Job,"Boston",3000)
This statement tabs one inch from the edge of the print area, prints Boston, tabs three inches from the left edge of the print area, and waits for the next statement:
Print(Job,1000,"Boston",3000)
Tabbing and the print cursor
When PowerBuilder tabs, it sets the x coordinate of the print cursor to a larger print cursor value (a specified value or the current cursor position). Therefore, if the specified value is less than the current x coordinate of the print cursor, the cursor does not move.
The first Print statement shown below tabs one inch from the left edge of the print area and prints Appeon, but it does not move to the next tab. (0.5 inches from the left edge of the print area is less than the current cursor position.) Since a tab was specified as the last argument, the first Print statement does not start a new line even though the tab was ignored. The next Print statement prints Limited immediately after the e in Appeon (Appeon Limited) and then starts a new line:
Print(Job,1000,"Appeon",500) Print(Job," Inc.")
